Back on October 13th, I randomly selected one of my facebook “likers”. I sent her a Project Life kit just for fun and today, I’m spotlighting her here on my blog.
Here’s the thing. I like my readers. My blog readers, facebook likers, twitter followers … and readers even dating back to when I wrote books & magazine articles. I appreciate the fact that you carve a minute out of your day here and there to stop by and see what I have to share.
So … I think it’s rather fun to draw one of your names out of a hat once in a while, send you some product, and get to know you a little.
Note to self: Do this more often.
Remember the “Random Reader” spotlight in March — Michelle in Utah? So super fun. Well today, enjoy a little Q&A I had with Charlotte in Maine.
(Digital frame found here.)
Q: Where do you call home?
A: Brunswick, Maine.
Q: Who do you call family?
A: My husband of 14 years (Jim), my son Hudson (11), my son Simon (5), and our new bulldog Millee (6 months).
Q: What are you main hobbies & interests?
A: I love scrapbooking, of course! Although I never feel like I have enough time to do it as much as I would like. I also love exercising (jogging, aerobics with weights), taking my bulldog for walks, going to the beach with my boys, and reading, reading, READING!
Q: What are a few of your family’s little traditions — things you do each day or week or month or year that are unique to you?
A: Our family cherishes every moment we have together. We have an unusual schedule in that my husband works during the day and I work in the evening so we have never had to use daycare. We have developed little routines that make each day special. My husband gets to read to the boys every weeknight and I get to read to them on the weekends. They call me at work every night at 8 to say good night. My husband and I love to text each other all day and night in order to stay connected. And we live for the weekends when we can all be together. Every Mother’s Day my husband takes photos of himself and the boys and frames them for me – those are my favorite gifts.
Q: What are you doing to document your family’s life?
A: I love to scrapbook pages that highlight major events as well as everyday moments in my family. I usually look through the pictures I have printed and I choose whichever ones speak to me at the time, regardless of when they were taken. I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to paperwork! I have binders for each grade my boys have been in. I also love to keep receipts here and there that show what we were up to that particular day. I have a Facebook account which helps keep an easy and fun online “journal” for me. And I really love the “Project 365″ app for my iPhone – I take a picture every day and it keeps a little album for me that I can look at whenever I want.
Q: How will you use Project Life?
A: I am so excited about getting the Project Life kit. I have been scrapbooking (in the way we know it now) since 1999. I used to scrapbook regularly but I am a bit of a perfectionist and I got so tired of agonizing over the right papers, embellishments, and photos that I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to, or as much as I would like to. I have way too much ‘stuff’ and my scrapbook room is overflowing with beautiful product that I don’t use anymore. (Can you relate to this?)
I have great intentions of getting back into it but when it comes to actually doing it, I push it aside for housecleaning, exercising, running errands, even watching TV. I still buy all the new magazines, take tons of photos, read the websites and follow the blogs, so my love for the hobby is still there, I just need to rethink my approach and adapt it to something I can actually do and enjoy.
I think Project Life is going to help me find the balance I need between making the memories and preserving them. I will still make those elaborate pages that let me play with product and techniques but the pressure won’t be there to do so for every page I make. And I will be able to look at pretty, completed pages — a whole album of them! — that document our lives right now and feel a sense of accomplishment that didn’t come at the expense of my sanity! So thank you, Becky! 
…………………
Thank you, Charlotte, for sharing a little about who you are and what you love. I’m sure many many readers relate to things you’ve noted.
Tags: random reader
What a very cool thing to do, Becky!
What a great idea! Loved “meeting” Charlotte!
That is so incredibly fun! I love that you did this!
So great to meet Charlotte. I love, love, love Maine. How wonderful that you get to live there! My husband and I traveled the coast of Maine a few years ago and loved it.
Exactly what I love about you and this passion of scrapbooking we all share: meeting new people and hearing their stories! Enriches our lives!
What a great idea…. love this idea…. ~ kim
I can so relate to everything that you said Charlotte! (Except for having a husband and kids, see I’m still single) But everything else, is so me… I have actually agonized deciding if I should get the Project Life Kit right after my 29th birthday or just actually do it from scratch, ya know, count down 365 days til I turn 30 and record it through scrapbooks. But alas, I just can’t seem to find the time…
wonderful…
Very nice…just nice. I often wonder if you REALLY have to time to read our comments or whatever. Your blog is a little piece of heaven for me every day. So thank you for that.
What a wonderful thing to do Becky! I think I’d still be in shock if you contacted me. You are so much like our family/friends/neighbors….and then some. It was nice meeting Charlotte. Thank you for that.
Hi, Charlotte! :: waving :: Pleased to “meet” you!!
I can relate to Charlotte. I have the last few years of pictures on my computer, not printed. I started taking a picture a day, not exactly every day, January 2010 and I honestly JUST started putting pictures in the Project Life digital book, yeah, that would be a couple months before the year ends. Although I still have a lot of pictures to put in the album I LOVE IT so far! It has been so good to get me out of the regular routine of life blah that I had and I actually have a project to look forward to and get excited about. I love seeing the pictures come together and that totally random pictures are going to be in one, ever so thin album!
Nice to meet your Charlotte and thanks Becky!
Amy
how nice of you.
pleasure reading about charlotte.
wow, the last part about the perfectionist scrapbooking could have been me!
LOVE IT!! Nice to meet you Charlotte. Anyone who is a “friend” of Becky’s is a “friend” of mine.
I loved reading about Charlotte today. Your blog has something new almost every day. I didn’t realize there was an app for Project 365! So cool. Can’t wait for the Project Life sneak peek.
I bet that made her day! What a fun random act of kindness!
you are AMAZING!!
I think it makes my day almost as much reading about such generous acts as if they’d happened to me!!
Have a great one-
That was GREAT
I also can’t wait for the Project Life sneak peek….it’s what I really hope I can get for Christmas!
Nice to meet you, Charlotte. I have a girlfriend who lives in Bath, ME. I can so relate to you… I love Project Life and still love the elaborate, creative layouts. I complete 2 2pg layouts (I’m a perfectionist too) on my weekends while my husband and boys play video games.
Take care,
Arlene
Southern CA
Becky love your blog!
Charlotte you just made me have an “aha” moment: I also need to rethink my aproach to my creative time.
I have just completed an album, getting ready for a hege 85th Birthday Bash for my husband. When it comes down to nitty gritty, photos and journaling are all that matter. Thank you Becky and Ali for teaching us that “Less is more.”
Great idea! I love the random reader interview. loving the website. Can’t wait to see the christmas cards!!