Fishers homemaker authors pieces for scrapbooking book
Woman explains inspiration for hobby in ‘Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker’s Soul.’
By Ryan Heath
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but to Fishers resident Heather Dewaelsche, words are priceless.
In one of two short pieces she authored for the new “Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker’s Soul” book, Dewaelsche explains why she would rather have a box full of her great grandmother’s journals than a box of photos. The photos, she writes, would leave her with more questions, whereas the journals would give her clues into her ancestor’s life.
The 35-year-old homemaker, who studied journalism at Indiana University, jumped at the opportunity to submit her scrapbooking stories to the Chicken Soup book after seeing an online advertisement in February 2005. After a 2 1/2-year selection process, the book’s lead authors notified Dewaelsche that her “Scrapbooker’s Dictionary” and “The Write Stuff” would be published in the book, which was released last month.
“I’m just happy to be a contributor in such an inspirational publication,” Dewaelsche said, adding that she’s never been published in such a widely read format before.
Debbie Haas, an icon in the scrapbooking industry and one of the book’s primary authors, said she chose Dewaelsche’s works because they were well-written, heartfelt and true to the hobby.
Haas said Dewaelsche’s short essay “The Write Stuff,” in which the author details her family’s life in the pages of her scrapbooks, rings true to her.
“It’s your personal journey, it’s your personal history,” Haas said of creating a scrapbook. “Most people don’t have a book written about them, and your scrapbook is that.”
Dewaelsche became involved in scrapbooking five years ago when she attended a scrapbooking party hosted by a friend. She found it to be an ideal creative outlet because it combines her love of photography, writing and design. Since then, she’s chronicled her family’s life in the colorful, carefully designed pages of her books. She’s also done some freelance work in project design and layout.
“I’ve always liked writing. There was a time when I dreamed of writing a best-selling novel, but now I realize that I’m writing the most important story in my family’s life — I’m writing the story of our lives, and that’s really priceless,” Dewaelsche said.
She hopes her essay in the Chicken Soup book will inspire fellow scrapbookers to add journaling to their artful pages to truly capture the stories behind their photographs. To her, there’s no greater reward than sharing life’s precious moments with her family, especially her two young children, Peyton, 6, and Lindsey, 3.
“I love that (my children) get so excited about their pages, and it gives us an opportunity to share the times we’ve had together,” Dewaelsche said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
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