Hello, scrapbooking world. It's Aliza here today. With Valentine's day on the horizon, this week I am going to gush and prattle on like a school girl about those scrapbookers out there, on whom I have a little crush. It's a funny little hobby we have here, in that when we share our work with each other, we cannot help but share bits and pieces of our personal lives. So,when we admire another scrapbooker from across the interweb, we are absorbed in their work, their life, and their family. My crushes...I am embarrassed now that I am using that word. So let's just say, that for many years now, I have been a HUGE fan of Cathy Zielske and Ali Edwards. These two ladies have had a tremendous influence on the scrapbooking industry, and on this little scrapbooker, in particular.
I will start with Cathy Zielske, because I discovered her first, and she changed my scrapbooking forever. Way back in 2007, I had been scrapbooking for a little while, and though I loved it, I did not love most of what I saw out there. There was a lot of frill, much cutesiness, and a variety of complicated techniques. It all was too much. Too much for my limited crafting skills, and too much for my visual taste. One day, I was perusing the crafting section of Barnes and Nobles (because in those days, I looked for inspiration in print) and I found Ms. Zielske's second book, called Clean and Simple Scrapbooking, The Sequel. It was a game changer, because page after page was filled with beautiful scrapbook layouts without a lot of stuff.
I think every time I make a layout that begins with a plain, old, grid, and a few embellishments, it is thanks to her influence, all those years ago.
There is another aspect of Cathy Zielske that cannot be ignored. She is funny. I am a bit of a snob when it comes to funny. I take my humor very seriously, and she is the real deal. Now, when I first began blogging several years ago, I looked to Cathy Zielske's writing for some help. See, I think I am funny too, but my writing felt bland and dry to me. Through some observation of her writing style, and some letting go of my own inhibitions, I found my own voice in my writing. Is it CZ funny? Probably not, but it's all me. And that will do just fine.
Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back to talk about you-know-who.