DT Intro - Robbi Bell

Today we welcome ROBBI BELL!!!

Keep reading right to the end to find out how to win two packets of Manor House Flowers! Everyday there will be another prize to win... so don't miss a day!

 

Hello Everyone in "Scrappy" land. Robbi here and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life for the next 12 months.  Q & A time now...you might need a coffee, I get a bit long winded sometimes!

How were you introduced to scrapbooking?

To tell you the truth I can't remember, except 8 years ago I thought I was pretty good putting photos and stickers on the same page and being able to call it scrapbooking...isn't it wonderful to look back at those first pages we all create and see how far we have come?!

What Inspires you for layouts, project and cards?

Anything and Everything as my Darling Hubby will tell you, it can be the smallest of things or the pattern on the back of a large truck. Sometimes to get a page started if stuck I scroll the pages of well worn books and usually something will pop out that puts a whole page into context for me, however its not very often that the idea in my head is actually the finished article!

 Graphic 45 Box and Book set, absolutely love the vintage feel of this and the pages of the book are jammed packed with lots of goodies.

What other projects do you like to work on besides scrapbook pages?

I love OTP items, I love changing things, especially vintage type goodies. I love the browns and creams of vintage style and usually always include an OTP item or 2 in my class schedule for the year. I do enjoy creating cards however they usually end up "front" heavy as I forget to stop putting embellishment's on the front so the end up a bit OTT.

I found this clock at the Warehouse and instantly knew what I was going to do with it. the Graphic 45 Ladies Diary papers look amazing inside it and yes there is dimension and distressing

What is your favourite scrapbook brand and why?

Sorry that is a impossible question to answer, I can not pick one or even 2, I tend to use a lot of Prima, Kaisercraft, Manor House, Simple Stories, Glitz Designs and of course a little bit of Tim goes a long way.

Manor House is definitely one of my Favourites this last year, the soft pinks and patterns are awesome to work with. This is from the Bright side of Life collection

What is your current favourite technique or embellishment?

Distressing...it always has been and will be, creating dimension is the next one, unfortunately I can not do flat I love layering and the more the better. The Ladies that take my classes all know now that they are going to be tearing and inking before anything else.

Favourite embellishment(s) will always be flowers, lace and pearls.

Lots of cardstock and inking, amazing what you can do with a little ink and the bottom of a cup!

What do you hope to try or improve on this year?

I am hoping to be able to get Ladies to not think about what they are doing and just let it happen. Sometimes stressing about it being "right" can make you not enjoy the process and everything does not have to be measured to the last mm, sometimes things look good out of kilta a little. The other thing I need to improve is my photography, so I can put up better photos that show the dimension involved in one of my layouts.

A whole lotta Tim Holtz for this layout about my eldest Son Chris, the envelope with the key has some hidden journalling. It is not very often I get a nice pic of Chris so this worked well with the range from Tim.

What advice can you give to someone just beginning to enjoy scrapbooking?

You don't need to have all the latest gear, especially if its going to be left sitting in a corner because you are not sure how to use it correctly. Buy the basics and build your stash up slowly buy items that you are comfortable with and experiment. So long as you have a good cutter or knife and steel ruler and a good cutting mat then your already away laughing. Don't be afraid to put colours together, and different brands...most brands compliment each other so go for it.

The scrapping fraternity is amazing and the friendships that are made from this awesome craft are wonderful and long lasting. I can guarantee that if you asked any one of them for guidance then you will be greeted with a smile and a helping hand. We all started somewhere...and are only to happy to point "newbies" in the right direction.

Thank You to Liz and the Team for allowing me this opportunity to tell you a little about myself and I look forward to being able to hopefully give you some ideas and perhaps inspire you a little over the next 12 months.

Take Care, Robbi

Liz's Note
We're very excited about having Robbi on board. She's a talented lady and we hope to enjoy her company in Timaru sometime soon! Her blog is called Little Scraps of Heaven and she'd be thrilled if you started following her.

Now head to Robbi's Gallery and leave a comment on the project which represents your favourite type of papercrafting (cards, layouts, albums, projects, papercrafts etc). Since Robbi enjoys working with Manor House flowers, we're going to give away 2 packets of flowers to one lucky commenter. You have until midnight Friday Sept 6th to make your comment.