Interview with Angie Pedersen

for ScrapsThatSizzle.com 

[now defunct website]

How long have you been scrapbooking? How did you get started scrapbooking?

I'm 32 years old, and live in Kansas City, MO with my husband and 2 young kids.  I'm a stay-at-home mom, writer, website designer, fontaholic, and vice-president of a local scrapping guild.  I started scrapbooking in 1998, after seeing a friend's album.  I looked at her pages, and thought, "You can DO that??"  I found a Creative Memories Consultant, and went to a crop.  I bought the supplies that night, but didn't bring any photos, so I went home and taught myself.  From then on, just about everything I did or looked at became a scrapbook page.  <grin>  I started teaching classes at a local store about 2 years later. 

What inspired you to write The Book of Me? 

I was going through some challenging times personally, and decided to create my own scrapbook to remind me of the good in my life, and all the gifts I had to offer.  As I showed it to my friends, I saw that they were impressed, mostly because they had never thought to do a similar book.  So many of my friends were absent from their own albums too.  As much as I enjoyed the process of creating my Book of Me, I realized other scrappers might be searching for ways to create such a book for themselves.  I wanted to help them by providing a roadmap for them to follow, compiling all the resources I had drawn on.  So, this book was born.

What is the goal of the book?

To remind women that their stories are worth telling too, that they DO have stories to tell, and wisdom to share with their loved ones.  The book acts as a "cheerleader" and encourages them to get started telling their stories.

Many people have re-evaluated their lives after September 11th. How will your book guide people to discover what really matters to them?

Because The Book of Me is divided up by the roles women commonly fill in their lives, it allows you to really explore all the different pieces that make up your life – the sum of the parts that equal the whole person.  In the process of choosing what best represents each part of your life, you will be sifting through the surface memories, to get at the truly significant experiences and moments.  The Book of Me is a project dedicated to what you value most about your life, and the person you are.  It focuses on what you’ve learned, the people you’ve loved, and your hopes for the future.  The Book encourages you to create layouts that highlight and honor the people and experiences you associate with each role.  You can use the examples of roles to describe yourself in relation to others, and to illustrate how you spend your days.  The Book helps you focus on the positive contributions of your life, celebrating your gifts and blessings.  You can use it to help clarify your own personal values, memories, and wisdom, and then scrap them! 

How do I get started?

The Book is set up according to the roles that women often fill in their lives, such as wife, mother, friend, employee, dreamer, etc.  So a good place to start is to make a list of all the roles you fill in your own life.  This acts a springboard for the stories and memories you want to include in your Book.  Once you have the roles outlined, you can start filtering through your memory as to what stories come to mind in relation to each role.  What do you want to remember about being a mother?  What do you want your children to know about how you feel about being a mother?  Jot down notes as you work through the memories, and you'll start to get a sense of what pages you want to do.  Of course, having The Book of Me will also help with this process!  <grin>

What kinds of things would someone put in a “Book of Me”?

You can put anything in your BoM – it’s a book about YOU!  The Book includes suggestions on photos and memorabilia to include, such as a color copy of your baby blanket, ticket stubs, recipes, grade cards, emails, programs or brochures.  The idea is to include things that help illustrate the person you have become, and that went into becoming that person.

Do I need a ton of pictures of myself?

No, many women have very few pictures of themselves, either as a child, or at their present age.  This is one of the most frequent complaints I hear.  Just because you don’t have photos doesn’t mean you can’t tell your stories.  Remember that our main goal with scrapbooking is to preserve memories.  Photographs are not the only tools for evoking memories.  Photos will only help enhance your layouts.  They are not the basis of the layout; the memory is.  Some of my favorite layouts have no photos.  They are the ones with an entire page devoted to journaling, artistically displayed with just some cardstock accents.  I love them because I know that I have told the whole story – all my thoughts and feelings are out there, and my words are descriptive enough to paint a picture of the event.  There’s a section in the Book of Me that gives guidelines for “painting a scene with words”, for pages when you have no photos.  You can read an excerpt of that section here: http://www.scrapyourstories.com/nophotos.htm

A project like this seems overwhelming. What can be done to make this manageable for beginners? 

When I first started working on my book, I promised myself to scrap just one layout a month about myself.  When I went to a crop, I would include 1 layout about myself in my stack of all the other family-oriented layouts.  One layout a month may not seem like much, but at the end of a year, you have 12 layouts – and that’s 12 more you’d have done than if you hadn’t done any.  Your family will appreciate any amount of layouts you complete.

Also, organization really helps.  In the book, I suggested using a three-ring binder to keep all the materials together.  When I was putting my own book together, I bought 16 dividers, and used one divider for each section of my book.  I kept blank notebook paper in each section, so I could jot down any quotes, ideas, or memories that came to mind.  You can also keep layout sketches and page topics in this notebook.  Consider buying pocket dividers, and use the pockets for storing the memorabilia related to each role.  The key is to keep all your notes, ideas, and memorabilia in one central location so you know right where to find everything.

Can people benefit from the book even if they don't own a hard copy?  --OR-- Where can someone get more information on The Book of Me?

Sure!  First, I have heard of copies being available at the library, so people can try there.  They can also join the online discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookofme/ .  We share Internet resources, journaling prompts, page topic ideas, and generally act as a sounding board for any scrapbooking projects you're working on.  I also offer weekly challenges to get people started on their BoM projects.   If someone prefers an announcement-only (no group discussion) list of prompts and weekly challenges I post, they can join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookofme-ideas/.  

There are also several articles with journaling tips and links posted at the Book website: http://www.ScrapYourStories.com.  

I also discuss some Book of Me topics in the online course I teach at Barnes & Noble University.

Where can I purchase the book?

It is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Amazon.com, BooksAMillion.com, and local scrapbooking stores.  But if you want a SIGNED copy, you can order it at http://www.ScrapYourStories.com.  I also have a listing of some local stores and online sources posted at http://www.scrapyourstories.com/localstores.htm

Is there a sequel to The Book of Me in your future?

I just finished writing Growing Up Me: A Guide to Scrapbooking Your Child’s Stories.  It’s a guide for parents and teachers to creating a Book of Me with children.  It will debut at HIA in February 2004.

How do you spend your free time away from scrapping? 

I spend most of my free time either reading scrapbooking magazines, or surfing the Internet for ideas!  <grin>  I also work on my websites, read, do housework, play with my kids, go to movies with my husband, and answer hundreds of emails.

Any closing advice for those who are starting their BoM?

Just what I said before – your stories ARE worth telling.  They deserve the same attention you give to your children’s stories, your husband’s, and your pet’s.  No one can tell your story better than you, and face it – no one probably will.  Get out there, and SCRAP YOUR STORIES!