Member Spotlight: "ShellyJ"

Hi Everyone! Susan here again today with a member spotlight post...!

I had so much fun finding out more about ShellyJ - Shelly Jaquet - and browsing her GORGEOUS gallery here at Studio Calico. I love the way that Shelly uses a whole clustering of photos to really, REALLY tell a story on her layout. Her 2 page layouts are completely fabulous as well! These are a few of my favorite projects from her gallery...

Pink + Yellow + a sweet, sweet newborn photo + a completely classic design = perfection!

How cute is this card?! I almost want to frame it on my wall I love it so much :)

This layout - "favorites" - would be such a fun one for me to lift!!!

I am amazed by how many photos Shelly can put on a 2-page spread and still have it look clean and organized and beautiful!

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And so here are the questions that I asked Shelly so that we could all get to know her better... Enjoy! and thanks Shelly, for letting me spotlight you :)

When did you start scrapbooking and why?
It all started that fateful June day in 2001. I had just graduated college and traveled to visit the man I started dating 2 months earlier. We wanted to spend some time with each other before I started my “real” life adventure into the working world. As we sat down to have dinner, he pulled a coupon booklet from under a stack of mail. He told me he knew that I liked “crafty” things and that there was a coupon for a scrapbook store that was just down the street. I remember giving him a puzzled look… like where did this come from? You saved me a coupon because you thought I liked crafty things? … Which I do, I just never thought he knew that about me. It made me smile. He was always surprising me like that. I had no idea that there was such a thing! I couldn’t wait to check out this “scrapbook” store. The next day, we venture to the store… And there you have it. The minute I walked in, I knew this was something for me. I remember the smell of that paper. It smelled so good. I bought a few sheets of paper and some stickers too. I believe that they were Halloween themed. AND that was the start of this fabulous addiction. That same man became my husband three years later. Little did he know what he was getting himself into by saving a simple little coupon for that girl? I still get a smile and an eye roll when I remind him that he started this crazy obsession for me. We may give each other a hard time, but he is my biggest supporter; Eager to see my latest page.

What products, themes or trends are inspiring you right now?
Studio Calico is my inspiration. I never in a million years thought I would become a “kit” person, but I did. Between the awesome gallery and the fabulous kits, I never run out of ideas. It inspires me to pull out my pictures and record my memories. I was in a dry spell for well over a year (probably closer to two) prior to discovering SC, they pulled me out of it! … I know, it sounds cheese, but it is true.

Sketches also do their part. I jumped on that band wagon with Becky Higgin’s sketches in Creating Keepsakes years ago, and love that sketches have spread out to be everywhere.

What or who are most of your pages about?
Most of my pages are for my little ones. I have an almost 4-year-old daughter, Elsie and an 18-month old son, Sam. Each of them has their own albums. I have, however, started to go back in-time to do my own Family Albums, thanks to Davinie’s Project 12.

How would you describe your style?

I guess I would say that I am pretty clean and linear? I love straight lines and grids. I guess that is the engineer in me.

What's your favorite Studio Calico kit?
My all-time favorite kit would be January 2009’s Bibliography. It was my second SC kit. I remember seeing the sneaks and being a little bummed because I already had some of the contents. I was starting to think maybe I had made a mistake subscribing, but that all changed once I started cutting everything up. The colors were (and still are) fabulous; Perfect for boy or girl! I have done so much with this kit that I even hunted down more of that paper just so I could create more with it. The little bits and pieces that are left, still reside on my shelf to this day. I am pretty sure I will never be able to disassemble that lovely kit.

What’s your favorite scrapbooking tool or product?
My favorite tool is tweezers. Not just any tweezers though; the most AWESOME pointy tweezers ever. Back when I first started, I spent a lot of time on the CKMB. There was this sweet lady that offered to send out some tweezers to anybody who wanted them. Her husband worked in the electrical field, and he used them until they were charged. Once they couldn’t be used, they would toss them out. Well, he was nice enough to save them for his wife. She was nice enough to share. I wish I could remember her name, but I still remember I sent her some of my fibers to thank her! A very close second favorite would be brads. I love every size and color. Love them. I couldn’t live without them.

What are your favorite “scrap-snacks”?
I am absolutely addicted to M&Ms washed down with a Coke Zero. It’s a weakness really.

Choose a layout of yours that best represents you as a scrapbooker.
I would have to say the layout of my son’s first birthday, “One.” It is a two pager, with lots of pictures, lots of stitching, and it pictures that just make me smile. They totally tell the story. I also used a sketch and my favorite SC kit ;)