Take a tour.

This post is for you girls ( and guys!!!) that live to far away from Papermaze to pop in and see us for a cup of tea!

On the shops first day i was there about half an hour before they even opened the doors!!! as i was thrilled to finally have a proper local scrapbooking shop. I think i have been there nearly everyday since they opened. Not always to buy, sometimes for a chat and a cup of tea!!! ( in my defense they only open 3 days a week!!!)

First of all let me introduce me to the lady who started all of this - Vanessa
She is one of my favorite people as she buys sooooooo much gorgeous stuff for me to get my hands on!!! I asked her to answer some questions!!

WHEN AND WHERE DID YOU START PAPERMAZE
I had my third child in December 2002 and my eldest two were at school, so i was looking for work that i could do from home. I am trained as a primary school teacher, but didn't want to go back to that while the children were young.
I have always been interested in crafts, and have been making cards for a few years, and i hit upon the idea of having a website- that way i was not restricted to any times and i could fit the work around my family.
Little did i know how big it would become! We had our first appointment about developing the website in April 2003 and we went live on 1st October that year!

WHEN DID YOU START SCRAPBOOKING
I was originally a card-maker ( and still make them from time to time) and i discovered scrapbooking whilst i was researching the website business. I think i did my first page that summer.
When Papermaze first opened we catered more for card-makers, but as my passion for scrapbooking grew,so the website changed direction!

BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT OWNING A SCRAPBOOKING SHOP
The best thing is that if I'm doing a layout or project i generally have what i need. I am very good though and don't buy things unless i intend to use them.
There are lots of things i have my eye on, but I'm happy to wait until i want to use them on a layout before i buy them! And of course there is always ] a huge amount of Bazzill to hand and i usually have just the right colour!
The worst thing has to be that i don't actually get much time to scrap,and when you unpack the boxes of all the gorgeous new stash as it arrives,that can be very frustrating.

HOW HAS SCRAPBOOKING INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE
Scrapbooking for me is much more than just a hobby or a job-it is a way of life! Because my job is my hobby, it can merge into one sometimes.
Layouts i do are often for class kits, or end up on the wall of the shop- i rarely do one just for me. I've become much more interested in photography as a result of scrapbooking, and am keen to document my children's lives so keep notes of their achievements, routines, firsts etc.
At one point scrapbooking had literally taken over the house! Boxes of stash could be found in almost every room of the house as we outgrew the stockroom-of course now we have the shop that problem has been solved!

FAVORITE SUPPLY ( PERSONAL SHOPPING)
Has to be paper! I am a real paper addict and having said that i don't buy anything unless i am going to use it,the exception can be paper - if we are down to the last couple of sheets of a design that i really like, i will buy one for me!



Okay the next lady to work at Papermaze is - Karen
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT PAPERMAZE
I have been working here at Papermaze for almost a year now. I was an occupational therapist for the NHS for over 20 years, but scrapbooking is my therapy now!!!!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPBOOKING FOR
I have been scrapbooking since February 2006. A very good friend of mine bought my 2 girls a scrapbooking kit each for christmas. I literally had to sit on my hands to stop myself from 'helping'!!! . Since then i have been hooked!

WHAT DO YOU EAT WHILE YOU ARE SCRAPPING
I eat sweet things like chocolate and jaffa cakes and always drink a gallon of tea!!!

BEST THING ABOUT WORKING IN A SCRAPBOOKING SHOP
The best thing is opening all the new boxes full of gorgeous goodies!!!! these arrive daily!!
I also love meeting lots of people with a like minded passion for scrapbooking who understand what you are talking about!!

Karens love of scrapbooking shows through in her pages!! Here are a few! Again i will show you more of her pages later in the month.


I also wanted you to see a few snaps of the shop.

This is the best sight ever. When you drive up and see lots of boxes outside you know there is new goodies inside!!!!