Hi there, my name is Christine Santos & I’m a scrapaholic.  I live in South Auckland with my amazing partner & two bubbly girls (a toddler & a preschooler).  I casually started scrapbooking late 2010 after my first daughter was born.  It all started when my mom gave me a baby themed paper stack, ribbons & stickers.  I told myself, what am I going to do with all this? Then I discovered the world of paper crafting, thanks to my sister in law.  It was last year when I really got addicted to paper crafting, & have found my colorful & playful style. 

Photos “speak” to me when I scrapbook.  I choose the photo, then I grab some papers & inks, build up layers, & add finishing touches.  I’ve been creating a lot of cards & altered items as well, which I really enjoy.  Dimension & texture are key to my projects, & color is my main inspiration.  I always add touches of fun & whimsy on everything I do.  I love to mix new & old things when I create, & I use everything in my stash.  Nothing goes to waste! Every single creation has to be special & I never skimp.  I always keep an open mind when I craft…no restrictions.

"I Love Her (So Beary Much)" Layout

 This is one of my new favorite collections from Kaisercraft which is called Teddy Bear's Picnic.  For the background, I muted down the graphic of the bears a little bit, & then added the colors that I like.  I wanted my youngest daughter's photo to blend & stand out at the same time.  She looks like an absolute teddy in this photo, hence why I used this collection.  When I finish off a layout with lots going on, I make sure that it's a collected look.  It's the same principle when you put make up on & style your clothes.  You can put only a few things on, but if not applied properly then it won't look good/natural.  You can put layers of them on & know what look you want to achieve, & it looks beautiful & well put together.

I love working with any scrapbooking brands, but my two favorite scrapbooking brands are Kaisercraft & Prima.  I create with their products all the time & I love how versatile their collections are.  You’re always spoilt for choice & they always come up with fresh new ideas for us to play with.  My scrapbooking tools/products musts are: adhesive foams, Helmar glue, sharp scissors, mists & inks, templates & stamps.  I’m addicted to my templates & stamps lately.  They’re great for adding interest & layers to your work without the bulk.  I love embellishing my creations, & my current favorites are chipboards, flowers, trinkets, resins & sparkle.

For the next year ahead, I’m hoping to create more altered items, & improving my style even more.  I’m always trying to learn new techniques, & would hopefully come up with new innovative ideas.  If there’s only one advice that I can give to people just beginning to enjoy scrapbooking, is to try something different once in awhile.  When I started, I only had the basic tools & papers.  Then, in a couple of months I find myself learning & incorporating new things to my layouts.  By then I gradually found my own style & I’m constantly finding myself improving.  Enjoy the crafty process & sometimes mistakes will be made.  This is normal!  In fact, when I make mistakes, I come up with something amazing because of it.

"My First Christmas" Layout

This is my eldest daughter's first Christmas.  I love making Christmas cards, but I must confess I wasn't a massive fan of making Christmas layouts, so I took this as a challenge (remember what I said about stepping out of your comfort zone?).  I love color so I told myself I'm not going to create a plain red & green layout, & this is what I came up with.  I never used any Christmas collection/products  for this, at all.  Majority of the papers I used are from Kaisercraft's Kaleidoscope collection, among other older papers.  You know the gold bell that comes with the Lindtt chocolate Easter bunny?  I used that for this layout, & it made the page feel like Christmas.  The best part is that there are actually more than 2 photos here.  The top photo opens up to a mini album as well: