April

1. When did you start scrapbooking? If you count using paint pens, cute stickers, and obnoxiously loud colored papers as scrapbooking, then I started in high school. It wasn’t until 2001 that I visited my first scrapbook store and started getting serious about it.

2. Why and how did you get started scrapbooking? Six months after my family and I moved to Tulsa, OK, I finally made a friend working for Campfire kids. Laura asked me if I scrapbooked and of course I said yes and then proudly showed her my scrapbooks (which of course were made entirely of obnoxiously loud papers, cute stickers, and paint pens). I knew when I saw hers that she had been entirely too nice about mine, because hers were amazing. She then took me to my first scrapbooking store and the moment I walked in I knew I was in the right place. I wanted to learn everything and use everything, and unfortunately, I think I actually bought everything! Anyway, after that Laura and I started cropping together and she helped me complete my first two baby scrapbooks. I was totally hooked after that, and I haven’t stopped since!

3. Who/what is/are your biggest scrapbooking inspirations? My children are my biggest source of inspiration. They do something funny, or cute, or bad every day, and I love being able to document those moments. I also love scrapbook idea books. My current favs are Scrapbooking with Simplicity, Designing with Words, A Designer’s Eye by Ali Edwards, and I like the annual idea books by Creating Keepsakes.

4. What has/have been your greatest achievements through scrapbooking? I finally feel like I have found my true scrapbooking style. I could not for the life of me figure out what everyone was talking about when they said you need to discover your own style. When I sent in my HOF entry last year, each one of my layouts was completely different…I thought it would be better if they thought I could scrap all sorts of styles. However, after designing several different layouts and projects for Flair Designs, and then scrapping an entire wedding album for a friend, well… somehow along the way I sort of fell into my style. I truly believe I found it because I was scrapping for me and I knew I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, or trying to get something published. I was just having fun and I ended up creating some of my most favorite layouts.

5. How do your family and friends react to your layouts? Are they supportive of your hobby? I have to say that I have a very supportive family when it comes to scrapbooking. It did take my husband a while to come around, but now he realizes how happy it makes me, and that I’m actually brining in some extra income with it. Sometimes if I am stressed out about a layout or project, my husband will take over and act as my “creative manager”, giving me advice and trying to help out. Of course I might not always agree with his advice, but I love him for trying. I got my mother into scrapbooking, and now she and my stepfather actually own an online scrapbook store. She loves the fact that I scrapbook, because she usually gets all sorts of scrap related gifts featuring her grandchildren. Most of my friends are very supportive, and love looking at my layouts, and because they all live so far away, it gives them a chance to watch my kids grow and learn more about me.

6. How does scrapbooking fit into your life? Right now I do something scrap related every day. Whether it’s working on projects for Flair, doing computer work for my parents online store, or just scrapping layouts for myself or for the purpose of trying to get published, I am usually always doing something that has to do with scrapping. I just recently got into the teaching aspect of it and I am loving it. I got to teach at a CK convention in Tulsa this past summer, and I now teach a six-week scrapbooking college course in Hot Springs. I guess you could say scrapbooking is my life right now.

7. What do you wish to communicate through your layouts? What I was feeling, thinking, or seeing at the moment that I took the pictures on the layout. Or, what my family members were thinking or feeling at that moment. I want my family and friends to be able to look at my layouts, even if I’m not around, and understand what that moment meant to me.>br>
8. What are your favorite product lines? I really enjoy using Basic Grey, Daisy D’s, Scenic Paper Route, Flair Designs (of course), Heidi Swapp, 7gypsies, and I have just recently fallen in love with Artic Frog and My Minds Eye “Kaliedoscope” papers. Really I like and use just about everything, but the above are probably what I scrap with the most.

9. Finish this sentence: “A layout is not complete without”. I would have to say that a layout is not complete without efficiently conveying my message. Whatever that message might be…I started my layout with a specific purpose, story, or vision in mind, and I wouldn’t call it complete until that purpose, story, or vision was accomplished.

10. How do you get started on a layout? I always start a layout by deciding what pictures to use, which ones or one will be the main focus of the page, and then I edit them and go from there. Usually my next step is to pick out my papers and then I begin the design process.

11. What else would you like the Scribblers to know about you? Scrapbooking truly makes me happy and I can’t imagine being without it! My goal is to entice as many people as I can into giving scrapbooking a try, and hopefully they will become as passionate about it as I am.