Heather (hedderlee) here.  Aaargh! I was at the mercy of my downed internet connection. So sorry to bring you today’s Theory Thursday post so late!

We at ScrapMatters are elated to bring you many new and exciting components to our vibrant community, and I get to unveil our new hybrid scrapping line up. The new hybrid artists and I are so thrilled to take you on this journey. When you went digital, did you leave behind your glue and hoards of paper? Whether or not this describes you, here is a map of what you will encounter on Thursdays’ posts so you can come along:

Week 1: Hybridology 101 - We will walk you through simple hybrid projects with step-by-step tutorials.
Week 2: Happy Happy Holidays – Hybrid projects are a great way to celebrate the holidays. We will give you some great gift ideas as well as help you organize during the hectic holiday seasons.
Week 3: Project reNEWit – Any pack rats out there that see art possibilities in almost everything lying around the house? We will help you create hybrid projects for little or no money as well as take care of our environment.
Week 4: SM Designer’s Showcase – Our ScrapMatters designers have ready to make hybrid projects in the shop. Have you tried them? We will take one designer each month and highlight her product, so you can see what it looks like in finished form.
If there is a Week 5: Blogger’s Choice – Anything hybrid related here.

WOW! Talk about fun, fun, fun!!!

We will be hosting a new It’s in the Cards weekly challenge as well. Stay tuned for more!

Now I want to introduce you to my friend Donna Sangwin, who founded a non-profit organization called reCREATE that teaches environmental awareness through creativity. She works with businesses in her region to collect their unwanted materials (read clean, usable treasures), then uses these items for an education program that teaches environmental lessons, art and creativity. Check out her inspirational program! We look forward to her monthly guest appearances. Now take it away, Donna:
(Donna, with her sweet little girl)

“I am here to encourage you to rethink your notion of what trash is. We have all probably heard that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, but in today’s “disposable” mindset – that it true now more than ever. Don’t worry – I’m not here to suggest you hoard everything you touch, and never throw anything away. I’m just nudging you to consider the possibilities of say, a tea bag container-box, or using the cardboard from cereal boxes, maybe even that really cute shampoo bottle. Once I started considering my throughput (my preferred word to trash), I realized I was trashing a bounty of good stuff.

The winner will be sent an organic cotton reCREATE t-shirt, and a bag of yummy scrap paper donated from local printers and my local scrapbook store.”

Thanks, Donna! Now here is the template so you can play:

***Download here***no longer available – thanks!

I made a bunch of notepads for a stationery swap we did recently. Aren’t they cool? Britt’s Shiver Me Timbers kit was a hit with the boys I made them for.