On my drive home from CT on Tuesday I was thinking about scrapbooking and original ideas. Sometimes I wonder if there are any original ideas left, and then someone comes out with some amazing new products, or I discover a new person's work who blows me away.

For the last few months I've been working on getting a little more recognition as a scrapper. Being a Pink Lady boosted my ego tremendously, but now I'd like to get a few more things in print. My first published layout is in the Joanns Idea Book Volume 2, which should be hitting the shelves any day now. But every time I read a mag I see ideas and I think...how come I can't come up with something like that? How come I don't have a new and fabulous techniques that gets me into CK on my first try?

Some designers say you shouldn't read the mags if you want to get published, because your stuff ends up looking too much like everyone else's. But I LOVE reading the mags!! Until last week I had about 4 feet of copies of Creativing Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Simple Scrapbooks, and Scrapbooks, Etc. stacked in my living room. I have to keep them close so I can read them again and again. How would I know what Brecken, Porter, and Tyler were up to if I didn't read CK?!?! Seriously though, the fact that I can name children of 3 of the editors makes me believe that I AM too invested in these mags. (and yes I can name a lot more than that.)

So anyway, while I was playing with Esme and talking to Lisa on the phone today, I came up with what MAY be an original idea. I'm going to try to put it to use tonight while Ethan is working late. Look for me in the Tips and Techniques section soon!