What made this layout special to us?
We love the way Kate's leaves look real and how she creatively used one of the scalloped pages from the ABC Bucket as a frame for her feature photo!
a little about me……..
My name is Kate and I have been scrapbooking in the modern sense for about 9 years, since the birth of my oldest son. While growing up I was always interested in taking pictures and putting them into albums. My favorites were two albums (the old magnetic ones) filled with nothing but stickers. I was constantly taking all the stickers out and rearranging them. Was that a scrapbooker in the making or what?
a little about my family……..
My husband, Dave, and I have been married for 11 years. We have 5 children. Jacob and Clara are the oldest at 9. Chris and Benji are 6, and Debbie brings up the rear at 2. Four of my kids are adopted and there are no twins in the bunch, even though they are the same ages. Our house is a very active house. Kids are always playing, imagining, running around, and arguing. Needless to say, there is never a shortage of photo opportunities.
a
little about my scrapbooking……..
I absolutely love to scrapbook! Not only is it so much fun, it is something very important I can do for my children (and for myself). One of the things I love about scrapbooking is there is no right or wrong way to do it. I am completely free to do whatever I want on my pages! It is a way for me to express myself in my own way.
a little about my digital cutter……
I love it! I love it! I love it! What an amazing invention! It amazes me what I can do with it. And with what ease. I look forward to being on the Wishblading Well's design team so that I can push myself, my scrapbooking skills, and my cutter to new limits.
Which cutter do you use, how long have you had it, and tell us something that was really helpful to you in learning how to use the machine?
I have a Craft Robo and I've had it only a few months. I had my machine for only about 3 weeks when I tried out for this design team. I used it as a chance to really see what this heard-lots-about-but-had-to-save-pennies-forever-to-get-one machine could really do. The thing that helped me most during that time was my good online pal Thea. We had a long phone call where shared a bunch of her secrets with me.
Describe your crafting process (for example: are you a planner? Do you create layouts or cards "off the cuff"? Do you like to create alone or with friends? With or without music? etc.)
I think my crafting process could best be described as unorganized. I really don't have a set process. Sometimes I start with some awesome pattern paper that I just NEED to use! Then I have to find, or many times take, pictures to use with it. Other times I have an amazing picture that is just screaming to get put on a layout. So then I have to search for just the right paper. After the pictures and papers are decided upon I start "playing" with them. I arrange them, rearrange them, and rearrange them again. Then I decide on whatever die cuts or embellishments I want to use on them. Sometimes, I scratch that whole process and start with a page idea in my head and go from there. Basically, the process is pretty unorganized.
I usually scrap at home and with the help of my five kids. No wonder my process is so unorganized!
What do you typically pack to take to a crop?
I attend a yearly crop in Chicago put on by my favorite online scrapbooking group. It is always a wild time! I have to be very organized in what I take with me. I spend the months before the crop putting together page kits so that when I'm there I just have to slap them together. This is good because I like to talk and chat with all my buddies and the page kits help me be able to multi-task. Last year I was able to get 79 pages done at the 3 day crop! I'm going for 80 this year!
Tell us a fun or little known fact about you. (This one doesn't have to relate to scrapbooking or cutting at all.)
I am a huge adoption advocate! Four of my five kids are adopted and I think adoption is a gift from God. I joke around that all of my kids had different bio-dads. Although they all have different bio-moms too! It's amazing how God has knit my family together. I am so blessed!
