Birthday Girls - A SMASH Journal Page

I used to share a lot about paper crafts in this space, because I used to do a lot of scrapbooking and card making: I used to be on a design team and back when I first started this blog, I designed and shared a new greeting card every week. But over the years, the amount of paper crafts I do has decreased dramatically, and as I type this right now, I can not remember the last time I made a scrapbook layout or a card.

For a while I felt quite sad that I was not scrapbooking and card making as much, but the truth is simply that it does not fit so well in my life anymore at the same level and intensity as it used to. And that is okay. I've come to believe that hobbies ebb and flow over our lives; they are something that we can be intense about for a while and then they can become less front and center as our lives change and/or as we go off to explore and learn something else, not disappearing entirely, but simmering in the background for when we come back to them. That is where paper crafting is for me right now. I do not have the time to scrapbook every little moment of my life like I used to, and again, that is okay. What I am doing is documenting our family holidays - like I did with our Eastern Canada road trip - and also, when the mood strikes, adding a few pages to my SMASH journal. I'm basically doing what I can, at a level that feels right for me, and I am enjoying it.

My latest SMASH journal page came together rather effortlessly using photos of my girls from their last birthdays. I enjoyed layering the paper and the embellishments - my favorite thing to do with paper - and documenting a beautiful moment in time. Listening to a little Jason Aldean while I worked was also fun!

So here's to paper crafts, doing what works, layering pretty papers, SMASH journals, ebbs and flows, country music, and enjoying it all!

Have a wonderful day, friends!