The Best of British Scrapbooking & Cardmaking

Sadly, Sarah lost her battle with breast cancer while The Best of British Scrapbooking and Cardmaking was at the press. Her husband, Steve, contacted us, and we were able to get a proof copy to Sarah so she could enjoy the book and her part in it before she left us.

When we asked her for details about her life, Sarah wrote, "I live in a village nestled at the foot of the South Downs not far from the cosmopolitan city of Brighton. I am married to Steve and have three lovely kids, Ella, Carrie, and Alexander, who provide me with a constant supply of wonderful photographs to scrap. Liberty our German Shepherd Dog completes the family."

Sarah worked as a Building Society Advisor while the children were at school, a job she very much enjoyed. She told us, "Apart from scrapbooking I enjoy photography and gardening, and usually visit National Trust houses and gardens at the weekends, which are an excellent source for photos and ideas."

Sarah started scrapbooking in 2000, after seeing the scrapbooks of fellow UK scrapbooker Jane Dean. Jane and her husband, Steve, bred the Wheatley's German Shepherd Dog. Sarah had always loved photography, but just used to file the photos away in 'magnetic' albums. Sarah told us, "Scrapbooking was made for me; it allows me to preserve my photographs, document why I took them and to be creative at the same time."

When asked about a favourite technique, Sarah responded, "I'm not sure. I'm a font addict! I love Diamond Glaze. (See Carrie and you'll see the creative way she used this dimensional glue.) I like bold colour combinations. (See Blur for an example of this.)"

Of the layouts in this book, Sarah particularly liked Sphere for several reasons. "The photographs are really strong and were an excellent inspiration, the patterned paper worked well with the cardstock colours-not necessarily those you would associate with a 'boy' page. I am most pleased with the border made from metal letters, punch mica and embossing powder," she told us.

She also said, "I don't have a favourite subject, if I take a good photograph it doesn't matter what the subject is! I scrap the photos I want rather than complete specific albums. The only exceptions to this are a couple that are dedicated to two holidays we enjoyed in Florida."

When asked to share advice, Sarah said, "Don't be tempted to spend a fortune on bits and pieces when you first start out. Most of my favourite pages are created with cardstock, adhesive and a computerised font. I have drawers of impulsively bought stickers, patterned papers and embellishments."

After Sarah died, her husband Steve wrote to the scrapbooking community via UKScrappers to tell us of her passing. Steve especially noted that although-or perhaps because--Sarah took so much joy in scrapbooking her family, there were few pictures and pages all about her. This means that Steve and the children have fewer images and layouts about Sarah than they would like. Steve ended his note to all of us with a heartfelt plea that we remember to include ourselves in our albums.

Sarah's great gift to this book is not only her fine pages, but also that she serves as a reminder of all the reasons we scrapbook. We don't do it for today; we do it for tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. We do it because we won't always be able to talk to those we love, to cherish them, and to remind them of what we mean to each other. Her inspiration is to remind us that in the end, our pages must be for ourselves and for our families, if those layouts are to be truly satisfying and meaningful.