We are excited to introduce our new Design Team over the course of the next few days.


Hello everybody! My name is Michelle and I am a scrap-a-holic, with an obsession of hoarding gorgeous papers, stamps and anything scrapbook related! (Well at least I’m honest!)
I live in Mosgiel, just south of Dunedin with my husband and our 10yr old son and 8 year old daughter.

How were you introduced to scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking was a natural progression for me with my crafting as I have always loved making and creating things. I had also developed a love of capturing memories through photography. Years ago I was happy to stick my travel photos in plain black paged albums, but when my children were born I thought the pages needed to be something more special. Friends showed me their albums, and I found scrapbook shops online and the rest is history!


What inspires you for layouts, projects, cards?
Inspiration is everywhere for me – it may come from reading a magazine, flicking through scrapbook blogs and pinterest, or through completng an online scrap class. But it can even come from a photo I take, a painting I see, or seeing gorgeous colours combined together.

What other project types do you like to work on besides scrapbook pages?
I am currently compiling a Project Life style album for 2013, which I am pleased to say is almost up to date. I also like creating simple cards (nothing as fancy as Miss Betsy’s fabulous ones though), and mini albums for the children.

What is your favourite scrapbook brand and why?
That’s not a fair question ... can I pick more than one? I love American Crafts, Simple Stories and My Minds Eye. Actually more often than not it’s not the manufacturer’s name that draws me to a product – it’s the funky fresh designs of paper that I fall in love with!

What scrapbooking tools/products can you not do without?
That would be my Fiskars trimmer, double sided tape, VersaMark Pinecone mini ink pad, and my colourful collection of buttons and DMC threads (from my previous cross-stitch obsession).

What is your current favorite technique or embellishment?
I have a couple favourite techniques include inking the edges of my papers and photos with my Versamark Pinecone ink pad, and a bit of hand stitching with my DMC threads. My current favourite embellishments would be a doily or two, buttons and enamel dots.

What do you hope to try or improve on this year?
I want to push myself to try some different techniques with my scrapbooking and off the page projects. After being inspired by Donna Downey earlier this year, I would like to attempt some more canvas art.


What advice can you give to people just beginning to enjoy scrapbooking?
Don’t feel that you have to start at the beginning and scrap photos in a chronological order, I have never done this! Instead start with scrapping the photos that inspire you, record the story to capture that special memory.

Don’t worry if your style isn’t like everybody else’s -we all have different tastes, like different colours and designs.

I am so excited to be part of the Artfull Crafts team this year, and hope that I can inspire you with your scrapbooking over the next 12 months.

Cheers
Michelle