I became involved in scrapbooking at an early age, with scrapbooks from the fifties and sixties era. There were very few supplies available for scrapbookers that I knew of at that time, and many supplies were not acid free. When scrapbooking started to take off in the mid 1990's, I started catching up on scrapbooking for my two children who were fifteen and eleven years old at the time. Compared to today, there were still very limited supplies at that time. Most of the supplies were stickers, acid free paper, die cuts and pens. Scrapbooking has come a long way since then!
2. How do you go about creating a layout? Describe your typical process.
Usually, I begin with a specific picture or group of pictures in mind and print them at home. This gives a greater choice in photo paper, color, contrast and size for each photo. I paste each photo inside a text box and can maneuver the pictures to get more photos printed per photo paper page.When using old pictures that are damaged I sometimes have to do a bit of a touch up on Corel software. If there are too many different colors in a picture, I sometimes make the photo black and white or a sepia color. If using only one photo, the photo size is usually 4"x6" (10 x 15 CM) or larger.
Some things I keep in mind when searching for patterned paper are: color, texture, theme, size of the patterns on the paper, and a mixture of lights and darks for contrast. Floral and geometric mixtures are just as important in scrapbooking as it is in interior design! If the layout has more of a modern theme I tend to use brighter colors, fewer browns and more modern designs when choosing paper. Another thing to keep in mind is the age of the people in the pictures. If the page is juvenile themed, a playful feel to the paper is important. This can be achieved easily with primary colors and childlike designs.
Once I have the paper chosen, I choose embellishments that also coordinate with the era, colors and theme. For heritage LO's I enjoy using vintage lace from my paternal grandmother's collection, which is more than fifty years old. Modern white lace can always be tea-dyed for the same effect. I am also very fortunate to have a collection of antique scrap that was among my maternal grandmother's collection. Also, I like giving more of a vintage look using corrugated cardboard that I paint and distress. Using fabric of some sort is especially important. I have relied on felt, canvas, ribbon, lace, burlap, cardboard, chipboard and metals to create interest.
One consideration that I keep in mind is what kind of techniques I want to include. For instance, if the LO is heritage, I do a lot of distressing and paper tearing for definition. Techniques such as sewing (either by hand or on machine), masking, painting and border punching are high on my "To Do List". Any kind of paper manipulation such as wet distressing, folding, curling and tearing is a must for me, as well.
Once I have chosen the paper, embellishments, and techniques, I lay out the background paper(s) and then play with where I want the picture(s), title, journaling and embellishments to be in the finished product. Occasionally, I draw a thumbnail sketch, but my layouts seem to usually develop without a sketch. Three areas of interest is a good idea to keep in mind: the title, the picture and journaling. The eye should be led to the picture first, in a layout. One way to do this is to surround the picture with interesting embellishments and or techniques on two sides of the photo. Two converging lines in the design, with the photo inside the place where they intersect is always good. Occasionally, I place embellishments on three sides of the photo, but I usually use only two sides. Once I determine where all elements will be placed, I actually do the paper tearing, inking, stitching, masking or painting. The last thing I do on a layout is adhere the paper and add the embellishments. I typically spend about six hours on a typical 12" x 12" album page!
3. What are your favorite products and tools to use on your layouts? If you could have unlimited access to any product or tool what would it be?
My favorite patterned papers:
- Bo Bunnye Press
- Webster's Pages
- Prima
- Graphic 45
- K & Co
- Pink Paislee
Favorite Embellishments:
- Tim Holtz (metals, Grungeboard and journaling)
- Prima (flowers and lace)
- Scrap FX (laser cut chipboard)
- Webster's Pages (vintage look)
- Ten Second Studio (metal embossing)
- Maya Road (chipboard, trinkets pins and ribbon)
- May Arts (ribbons)
Favorite inking and painting supplies:
- Ranger Inks
- Ranger Crackle Paint
- Tim Holtz/Ranger Masks
- Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and Masks
- Maya Road Mists
4. What types of unconventional, unique, or unexpected materials or techniques have you used on your layouts?
The most unconventional materials that I use are antique lace from my paternal grandmother and antique scrap from my maternal grandmother. I also like to use findings such as a feather that was left near our birdfeeder. I used the feather in a small Maya Road album about the birds that we see outside our kitchen window.
5. When someone opens your scrapbooks years from now, what do you hope they will think or say?
My hope is that future generations of my family will appreciate their heritage and have a better understanding of what life was like in our family at a certain time in history. Perhaps the interest and artistry I have brought to each page will help the viewer have a feel for the people in the pictures and the time when each person lived
6. Where can we view more of your work?
Such an honor making it to the the Super Six!!! Now back to my DT duties :) Lil Bee's Boutique will soon release the latest Kit of the Month featuring many classic and vintage products by Tim Holtz. Here's one creation using them....
