From Deseret News archives:
A Halloween sampler: Scrapbook designer loves working with fall colors
What began as an organizational mission has evolved into a hobby she loves. She knew right out of the starting gate that she liked it.
"It was creative, it was fun. It was kind of like being back in school when you got to do art projects and play," she said in a phone interview from her home. "It's really gratifying to see the end result."
She seems to have taken to the tools of the trade — paper, stamps, ink, stickers, ribbon — like Van Gogh took to paint.
In addition to cleaning out those boxes of photos, she is trying to capture moments in time. "Most of my pages are about my children and my husband, so that someday they'll be able to share them with their families. All my life I've been horrible about keeping a journal until I found scrapbooking. To me, this is how I keep a journal."
Easter, a designer at Memory Preserve Scrapbooking in Gardner Village, particularly likes doing Halloween pages, which is why we asked her to pass along her design philosophy. "I like the autumn colors, and the autumn pages are my most favorite."
She begins with card stock to provide support for all the other elements. And then she layers. First decorative paper, then photos and journaling. Embellishments include stickers, rubber stamps, ribbon, even metal brads.
She alters most of the elements. "Almost (everything) I use doesn't end up the way it started out," she said.
For example, she uses a raised-bed, linen-covered ink pad to brush ink over paper or stamps to give them a vintage look. She has also used water-colors to add dimension to stamps.
Her design philosophy developed in part to camouflage what she considers her mediocre photography skills. "Scrapbooking has made me more aware of photography. My photography has gotten better because I'm seeing it in use."
How long does it take to do a page? On average, about two hours, she said.
Does she have any regrets about that? Not at all. "I wish I had more time to devote to it," she said.
E-mail: kclayton@desnews.com
