Happy News

A couple short years back I began to long to learn digital scrapbooking. At the time, the only educational book on the market was “Digital Scrapbooking for Dummies”. I purchased it, but it didn’t exactly tell me what I really needed to know to use Adobe Photoshop- a program I already owned. I few calls to the local college later I found a course on Photoshop at the local college- TCC (Tarrant County Community College). I took the course, which was supposed to run for 6 weeks on Saturday mornings. So it began. I knew virtually nothing about the program- only that when I opened it the vast blank screen with all the toolbars and pallets scared the tar out of me.

The first Saturday morning of the class I arrived early, and sat down to begin the course. As the other members of the class began to file in, each more diverse than the other, I started to feel a little silly and inadequate for my reasons of being there. The professor went around the room and made each of us tell why we were there, and how we planned to use Photoshop. There was a soldier on leave, who planned to use the knowledge to get a higher position in his command. There was a retired woman who needed the knowledge to go back to work and compete with the younger, seemingly more qualified college graduates. In all the group of us, only one was an actual college-aged student who was taking the course as part of her standard curriculum. And, more than that, out of the twenty-odd people there- I was definitely the only one there wanting to learn Photoshop so I could scrapbook. To be honest, I felt a little silly.

At the time, I was a stay-at-home mom with seemingly lots of time on her hands. I took what I learned in that first class and created a stack of about 7 scrapbook pages. The next Saturday I took them with me to class. The instructor seemed impressed, and the college-aged girl sitting next to me wanted to know how I had done it. By the end of class that day, I was up and helping some of the others go through the lessons the instructor was teaching. Each week I went home and practiced what I learned and took the time to look up additional tutorials. I wanted to learn as much of the program as I could. I had found a new flame in me about scrapbooking digitally, and I couldn’t put it out until I had mastered the skill.

By week number 4 out of 6, the instructor pulled me aside and gave me a finishing certificate. “There’s nothing I’m going to teach in this course that you don’t already know,” he said. These words echoed and made me extremely happy, though I knew I was in no way a Photoshop “expert”. Over the course of the next year I practiced, learned more, and eventually wrote the “Digi-Scrappin’ 101” book for Design Originals. I have become overwhelmed with the outpouring of thankfulness from the scrapbooking community over this book. My goal has been to spark the same fire in others that I held within myself, and so many have written me that I have done just that.

Along with Kristy Krouse, my co-editor here at Design Originals, we have striven to educate not only the consumer about digital scrapbooking, but the retail stores as well. I remembered back to the time when I wanted to learn so baldly to scrapbook digitally, and couldn’t find anything to help teach me. Armed with that memory, and the experience of being in the retail industry for so long, Kristy and I set out on a course to bring digital scrapbooking into the traditional arena. I built a panel formed of “experts” in the digital scrapbooking arena, and put together a presentation to help retail stores understand the impact of the digital consumer on their business. It hasn’t been an easy battle. There have been times when each of us wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but then we hear something wonderful from a store about how they were able to teach a full class of new digital scrapbookers with our books, and it helps up to move forward.

This morning, though, I received the Email that brought this whole process full circle. The director of technical education from the very same college I took my Photoshop course at sent me an Email, requesting that my book be made course curriculum for a new class they are offering called “Digital Scrapbooking in Photoshop Elements”. I actually had to read the Email twice! It seemed too good to be true. Now, the actual same college who taught me the tools I have used to build a career which I love so much, is using my book to teach others the very same thing. I can’t tell you what an honor this is!

We gave the news to Suzanne McNeil, our owner and founder, and she actually got teary-eyed! I have never been more honored to be part of such an amazing project or company. So, from me, to all of you, and to Design Originals, thank you so much- and keep scrappin’.