What if I told you that the very thing that'll make your scrapbook pages better and more interesting can't be purchased in a scrapbook store? And what if I also told you that your days of staring at a blank sheet of cardstock could be nothing more than a distant and no-so-sweet scrapbooking memory?

Hi, I'm Cathy Zielske and in the first three months of 2010, I'm going to help you become a better scrapbooker. How do I plan to do this? By teaching you some good, old fashioned basic principles of graphic design. I'm inviting you to go back to school with me for 12 weeks and learn how a solid understanding of design can build your overall scrapbooking confidence.

Design Your Life is a workshop that'll teach you how to take the guesswork out of scrapbook page design. Each week, I'm going to present a topic that we'll explore in depth, and then put to good use via weekly assignments. You'll work like designers, focusing on the principle first, then adding your own unique stories, photos and overall scrapbook taste to the final pages.

Here's the deal: I know this stuff inside and out. And the more YOU know about this stuff, the easier it'll be for you to make pages that look good. And let's be honest: pages that look good make you feel good and make scrapbooking that much more fun.

Make no mistake: design is a tool. You know the old phrase "knowledge is power?" Well design knowledge is scrapbook power, and this class will give that power to you.

And don't worry about a stuffy, boring class. I am a firm believer in having fun in order to learn, and I pledge to bring every ounce of fun that I can to your overall experience.

I'll be sharing 36 of my own layouts that have never been published anywhere, and I also get to share so much more than just a scrapbook page and a materials list. I've got plenty of juicy behind the scenes info just for you. Think of this workshop as four or five chapters from an idea book, with personalized attention and a narrator in the form of yours truly.

I'm also giving you custom designed elements to include on your pages that you're not going to be able to get anywhere else, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, it's some cute stuff. Trust me.

This is the second time I've offered this workshop, and I can tell you this: my first time around, many students had a-ha moments during the class: moments where, all of a sudden, things just started to click. It's a few of those types of eye-opening experiences that will change the way you build scrapbook pages permanently.

So here's to you in 2010, and taking steps towards Designing Your Life.
I hope to see you in class.