Interview with a Scrapbooker

If you've read any of the scrapbooking magazines or e-zines lately, then chances are that you have read interviews with the various scrapbooking celebrities out there. Well I got this idea about doing this on myself and putting a picture or three of myself working in my Scrapbook Nook. I've gotten the idea of asking myself a series of questions and then answering them. I got these questions from the interview with Tim Holtz and I've added a few more of my own...

What scrapbooking tool could you not do without?
for me the tool I could not do without would be hands down my paper trimmers! My big rotary cutter by Fiskars and my 12 inch and the personal size Cutterpede trimmers by EK Success! I at least one of use these tools every single time I scrap!

What scrapbooking staples could you not do without? For me...hands down cardstock and adhesive!

How many hours a week do you spend scrapbooking? IS this a trick question? It can be anywhere from 5 to 55 hours a week depending upon what I have going on. If I have a scrapbook for hire project, count on it being more in the 55 hour range.

What advice would you give to a beginner scrapbooker? Take classes when ever and where ever you can! You can never learn too much! Also what ever you do, don't start with your wedding photo's, save those until you feel more secure/comfortable in your scrapbooking style. Get yourself a subscription to a magazine such as Simple Scrapbooks and read it cover to cover!

Why do you Scrapbook? First of because it's a wonderful creative outlet for me! Secondly, it has to do with my husband being career military. That means we move quite frequently. On top of that we like to go on trips all over the place. I want to have a means of being able to being able to document the friends that we've made, day trips , vacations and places we've been to/lived at. For us to document our lives for ourselves, our children, and our future ancestors down the road.

How long does it take you to make a page? between 15 to 50 minutes, depending what I'm working on.

What inspires you to scrapbook? I feel it's something inside of me that drives me to create. It's a gift that I truly do feel that was given to me by God. Now add to that the reactions, and smiles from my family and there you have it! That is my driving force to keep scrapbooking!

What are your favorite embellishments? Buttons, brads, eyelets, name plates, ribbon...just to name a few!

What things in your Scrapbook Space make you Happy? Color, seeing a rainbow of color makes me smile! Pictures of my family on the walls just acting goofy and of course my little stuffed toy collection.

Who inspires you to scrapbook? My family. Their reactions to new layouts I've created with pictures of them.

When looking for creative ideas where do you go? or who do you turn to? I'm such a subscriber to scrapbooking magazines. I look through them and feel the inspiration being pumped into my veins! Then there's the Internet, there's such an unending source of ideas out there!

What would you call your scrapbooking style? clean lines, but I do from time to time do some stuff that is not what most would consider clean lines.

What size pages do you make the most? I'm all about 12x12 layouts, but do the mini sized scrapbooks from time to time, such as 6x6 and 8x8.

What color or colors would you consider to be your favorite? When I sit down and really think about it, the one color that comes to mind is GREEN, for me green is the color of life.

Do you have a designated scrapbooking room or space? I do and I have named it The Scrapbook Nook. My husband is so wonderful! He made my dream come to life! He built what I dreamt up for that small space. He in essence me helped me to create a cozy scrapbook nook out of the utility room in our base house here at Ellsworth AFB, SD. I share the space with the water heater and furnace, but they don't complain!

When did you start scrapbooking? I officially started scrapbooking in October 1999 and have never stopped!

What sparked your interest in scrapbooking? It was while meeting/making a new friend and seeing what beautiful scrapbooks she had made for her son. I knew that THIS was the craft for me!

What colors are you drawn to using most in your layouts? Believe it or not it's NOT green, although there tends to be a bit of green in my layouts. I like to use a variety of color, from gem tones, to muted and bright colors too! Rarely do I use pastel colors.

What style and/or brand of albums do you use most often? I use 12x12 post bound albums. I made the switch from strap hinge to post bound back in 2000 and have never looked back! I prefer to use Colorbök and K & Company albums.

There are all sorts of questions to ask. Feel free to add to the list of questions that I've started. I plan on getting started on an interview layout on myself sometime this summer. Some of these topics I have covered/answered in various layouts that I've done this year. I'd love to incorporate your questions too!