Growing up in a family that owned a printing/copying business, paper has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I loved to go to my dad’s shop and take home several sheets of all the beautiful colors to make books, drawings, and cards with. My love for paper bled over to Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, mini Hello Kitty stationery sets, markers, colored pencils, watercolors, and art classes in school. When I was in high school, my mom attended a scrapbooking home party. She came home and showed us what she had made. I immediately thought to myself, “I want to do that!” Ever since then, I have been scrapbooking in one form or another.
About 4 years ago, I started to make scrapbooking a part of my daily life. As a mother of young children, I loved the creative outlet it gave me. I began participating in online challenges and design teams, which helped me to push myself creatively and try new things.
My scrapbooking style is eclectic, layered and detailed. My work has an organic feel with a whimsical edge. I love to mix manufacturers, play with color combinations, cluster photos and embellishments, and add lots of dimension and detail. My designs are usually centered in the middle of the page, or coming off of one edge of the paper.
For me, inspiration is everywhere! I love looking at the designs in print ads, children’s clothing and interior decorating. I especially love to study the shapes, color combinations and textures in interiors and then try to translate those ideas into a scrapbook page.
My favorite colors to work with are candy colors. They are happy, bright and juicy, but not too garish or over-powering. I almost always include dark brown, cream or kraft on my page. I LOVE the color brown. I love to use it to ground my designs. I feel like brown adds definition without being too harsh.
My creative process usually begins with the products. I love to mix together the latest-and-greatest with vintage finds or “classic” scrapbook supplies. I select my photos and print them out. I usually use wallet-sized photos because they give me room to play around them. Next, I play with papers and start building layers on my page. I don’t really have a plan. Sometimes I sketch out ideas, but other times I just go with the flow. Once I have my basic design in place, I get to my favorite part of the process . . . embellishing! For me, adding the finishing touches to a page is like putting together a puzzle. I get absorbed with finding “just the right piece” for each corner. I especially love adding dimensional details.
It is such a satisfying process for me. And the best part is that at the end of it all, I have created something that pays tribute to something that is most important to me, life with my family.
Jana's work is a beautiful example of using our gifts as a tribute for our family. You can also be inspired at her blog, From My Feathered Nest, and at her Sketch Blog. You can also follow her on Facebook!
Create Well: Begin participating in online challenges and design teams, which can help push yourself creatively to try new things.
P&P giveaway still going on in the post below...
