My name is Wilna Furstenberg. I grew up in South Africa, in 1991 I met and married Jaco who is still my heartbeat. When we got married, he was second year med school and shortly after that I decided to go to University too (he was having way too much fun) and we both graduated in 1996: he in medicine and me in fine arts. In 1997 we had our first girl, Tia. Even today we wonder what we did to deserve such a sweet child. Of course I tell my husband she takes after me. His response to that remark was not very gentlemanly (which just proves my point). Anyway, in 1999 Kirstin was born. She is the organizer and fashionista in the house. Jana (from our names JAco and wilNA) is our last born. I think if I was not as strong willed as I am, Jana would have her own Credit card. Yes, I said no. In 2005 we moved to Canada. I joked about our coming to Canada to all my friends: the only reason I am coming is to win the scrapbooking hall of fame. And in 2006 I won HOF. After that I have just been making pages and enjoying the journey. We live in Saskatchewan: it really gets very cold here (-40 degrees celsius). Jana learnt early on not to lick the fence when it's that cold. In April this year we got a Mini schnauzer. We all totally adore him and his name is Mac. Just because I love mac computers. Very, very much. A last few facts about me: I homeschool our girls. It's one of the best things I ever decided to do...i love it! I love coffee and right now I am not having any because I read this book that told me how bad coffee is for you. I hate that book. I also love cookies... same thing... same book, now I even like the book less. I am so happy that we dont have to eat scrapbook papers! We can just enjoy it by being creative!
How would you describe your scrapbooking style? One word that comes to my mind when I look at my scrapbook pages collectively is Lyrical. Lyrical means "expressive of deep emotion, of personal nature" and another meaning is "poetic." I love the combination of words and art on my pages and try as I might, I just cannot change those two aspects of scrapbooking for me. Lyrical also refers to the romantic in me. I love subtle colors and muted tones.
What makes your style your own? I think the way I combine things. In some strange way, each page looks different, but there is some aspects that make them the same: I love to use only one photo on my layouts (always expect sometimes). I love to work in linear aspects. I always use text as part of the design. I tend to group embellishments. I love muted colors.. as opposed to bold patterns.
What inspires you to be creative? Oh, many things! Pretty scrapbook product, paper or digital. I love a good photo that speaks a 1000 words. I love the idea of producing and leaving a legacy. I create to tell my stories. To teach my girls in my own way how much God loves them. I create to bless.
Who are your favorite scrapbook designers and why? I have many. Right now in digital it’s Carina Gardner and Chelsea Parsons. I love the freshness of their designs. I love the subtly of the colors. I just want to say my favorites change weekly! In paper it’s Making Memories, My Minds Eye, Sassafras, Cosmo Cricket and the one and only Jenni Bowlin. Personally I love lines and collections that helps you tell the stories and are great supporting actors and let my pictures + words be the main character.
What are your favorite color combinations to design with right now? I am so into browns, greens, and blues right now. With splashes of red and happy colors.
What is your creative process? I usually start with the papers. Then I would choose pictures that will work with it. That’s one reason why I love digital scrapbooking so much. I can change a layer in under 10 seconds. But with traditional paper, I would stack the page without adhesive and see how things go together. Sometimes I would “test” the photo and embellishments on different background papers. So, in a way I would compile the page totally until it works and them adhere everything.
What is your story that you are trying to tell? How can this inspire others? This is an easy one for me. I tell the story in my pages that we are innocent and in favor with God. This is my bottom line. We have a savior in Jesus that paid an incredible price for us to be able to stand before the father and have confidence. We are important to our Father. This message comes in lots of shapes and forms, but is always the same. We are so completely and utterly loved.
From her blog, My heART, you can get artist inspiration, spiritual inspiration, but also a good laugh now and then! You can also follow Wilna at Facebook and Twitter!
Create Well: What makes you jump out of bed in the morning? Whatever that is, live it with passion.
