Introducing - Megan Gourlay

Hi everyone. Today we welcome Megan Gourlay onto the Artfull Crafts Christmas Countdown!
Megan is currently serving her time on the Bo Bunny Design Team - so it's fabulous to have her join us here at Artfull Crafts. Here's what Megan has to say about her addiciton....

Hi There!  :)

Some of you may know me already, but Im Megan and I live just outside of Christchurch with my husband and our two dogs Dougal and MacKenzie.  I work part-time as a Registered Nurse in a busy general surgery/colorectal ward, and Ive been nursing for about 24yrs now.

How were you introduced to scrapbooking?

Well, to be honest I was NEVER going to do scrapbooking!!  I started off making cards and if I remember rightly I had gone to a Krafty Kids party - anyone remember them lol?  At this stage I was still mad into cross stitch and embroidery which is surprising because they're a slow process and Im the most impatient person on the planet ;)  Anyway, I altered a few things and it sort of just snowballed from there, although I still prefer OTP and cards over layouts.

What inspires you for layouts, projects, cards?

Pinterest!!!  Theres a huge treasure trove of information and pictures there!  I have favourite blogs I look at and drool over and of course manufacturers blogs and websites as well.

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

I seem to have a fetish about OTP projects lol.  I have a cupboard that has lots of different things in it waiting for me to 'makeover'  I'd rather do that than anything else really.  Someone once said to me they thought they ere just dust collectors - they might be, but I give most of them away as gifts so they don't become my dust collectors ;)

I picked this mannequin up at a craft stall for $10 and had it for ages til it got a makeover. Its become one my most favourite things I think I have ever altered.  I just love it!! Ive used BoBunny Somewhere in Time and lots of fussy cutting to create that cluster.

What is your favourite scrapbook brand and why?

I have a few favourites, BoBunny has been a favourite since I first saw their Flutterby Collection years and years ago.  I have a bit of a die collection just quietly :) I do have a Cameo but my dies are my favourites.  Kaisercraft is another because of their awesome OTP projects ;)  and Prima because no one makes flowers and resin embellishments like they do!  Ive also recently become addicted to Blue Fern Studios chipboard and papers!!

This layout using the new BoBunny Madeline Collection and three of my favourite dies to create my clusters, the leaves, the vine and the flowers - a mixture of Memory Box and Spellbinders.

What scrapbooking tools/products can you not do without?

I prefer a knife and ruler to a paper trimmer so heaven help if I had to go back to that :(

My Making Memories edge distressed - its an oldie but a goodie!

Pinecone Ink - goes with just about everything!

What is your current favorite technique or embellishment?

Im not sure!  I generate towards anything heritage or old fashioned so I like distressing.  I have quite a supply of stamps and I love layering them over my cards and layouts. 

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

Oh mixed media!!  Not one of my favourite things, sometimes I think I really suck at it and then other days it seems to come together - its not one of those things that comes naturally to me, so I'd love for that to change.  It might have something to do with my neat and tidy anal tendencies lol because it is after all a mess process!, and I hate mess lol.

This is one of my mixed media projects that did work out, its a card I made for a young lady who's 9yrs old and very much a girly girl.  I layered three different stamps and two different stencils to create my background.  Those Prima dolls have become a new obsession for me!!

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

Start off small and enjoy the process!  You don't have to have the latest and greatest to make great projects, and to be honest if you love what you're doing then thats all that matters.  Its a great way to meet new people and make new friends too!

I have a blog where you can see more of my work, and you will find that here.