I’m so lucky to have a wonderful, supportive family in my life. And when I say family, I mean both the amazing people who are biologically related to me AND the many loving and fantastic friends in my life. Every day I create wonderful memories with these people that I want to hold onto and remember for years to come. These five ladies are helping me to do that in beautiful, artistic, and even easy(!) ways:
Ali recently launched a new site, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Her photos, videos, and projects look stunning. You also really get a sense of who Ali is – she’s authentic, fun, and open about her life, imperfections and all. That authenticity is also reflected in her approach to memory-keeping – there are lots of ways to tell stories, and the most important thing is that you actually tell them to make your life and the lives of people around you better.
Amy Tangerine
Amy makes success seem effortless. She started out as a successful fashion designer, with a t-shirt line that was featured in places like Bloomingdales and Barneys. Since expanding her interest to scrapbooking, she’s launched several different product lines, all of which can add modern style and flair to your layouts.
And as a busy mom, she knows time is precious. She said “Right now I am really into mini books and decorating my planner. Sometimes work (and life!) gets so busy that I don’t have time to work on a larger creative project. It’s nice to prioritize crafting, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. With a smaller format, I’m able to infuse a bit of creativity into my every day, which makes me happy.”
A photo posted by @amytangerine on
Her passion for her life is apparent in her layouts. Amy said “I truly love living life, experiencing it fully and recording it in various ways. It’s so cool that in this day and age we’re able to capture our memories so easily through digital devices. But I do think I am more drawn to the tangible aspect of creating. It gives me a chance to pause and reflect, and I love that the creative process is therapeutic.”
Becky revolutionized scrapbooking when she invented Project Life. With a wide variety of kits and journaling cards available, Project Life allows you to quickly and easily document your family’s stories while still keeping things beautiful and colorful. This past September Becky launched the Project Life App, which allows you to create layouts and share them directly from your phone – from anywhere you may happen to be!
It’s hard not to love Cathy, whose motto on design is “Taking the Crap out of Scrapbooking.” This kind of ‘tude is apparent in everything the does, which makes her feel so much like the best Get-a-Grip friend a girl could have. Cathy is an experienced graphic designer and her hybrid layouts reflect a clean and stylish eye. Her use of typography is particularly lovely, and is actually something she urges scrapbookers to think about. “Learn all you can about design and typography. I realize that seems like a pretty tall order for someone who is just starting out, but here’s the thing: understanding how design works will help you to create beautiful pages,” she said.
However, Cathy’s designs aren’t the basis of her layouts – the stories of her life are. She adds “The core of my passion for scrapbooking is the opportunity to report on the stories of my life. I feel like a memory journalist who uses design to bring words and images together with the goal of saving authentic stories that reflect the real experience of being human.”
Jennifer has been sharing her stamps, cards, and scrapbook layouts for more than a decade. While she primarily focuses these days on stamping, her tutorials are gorgeous and make it seem easy! She features tips, techniques, and videos, which she feels are important for the beginning stamper. She said “There are so many great tutorials out there that are helpful to stampers of all levels…especially beginners. It is also helpful in deciding which products you feel are best investing in.” Each of her projects comes with a detailed list of supplies along with links to find them, to help guide you.
Jennifer’s techniques can also be applied to help you make stunning, artistic scrapbook layouts. “Projects can be awesome with or without techniques. However, using fun techniques makes the process of creating SO much more enjoyable,” she said. You can tell your family’s stories while playing with inks, foils, stencils, and, of course, stamps!
Want to get better at scrapbooking? We’re putting all of our scrapbooking classes on sale starting today through March 22nd.
