10Here’s a little bit from the fabulous Rita Oliverio:

How did you get into scrapbooking? 
Like many new moms, I wanted to make a baby book when my oldest son was born.  That was pretty much the extent of my scrapbooking until I became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of my second son in 2005.  My obsession began when I discovered the online scrapbooking communities and products that were available and I haven’t looked back!

What is your favorite thing to scrap?
Definitely my kids.  I use scrapbooking as my creative therapy so it’s a great way for me to get my feelings down on paper.

What is your favorite color combination to scrap with?
I really love turquoise and red.  I find myself going back to that combo a lot.

When you are in a rut, what do you do to get out of it?
Usually I look to some of my favorite designers and scraplift a layout or idea.  It takes the pressure off of creating something original and is a great starting point.  Sometimes the end result looks nothing like the original, but it just helps jump start my creativity.

Which of the kits from KGK is your favorite?
Before I received the September kit, I would have said August without hesitation.  Once I got started working with September, I couldn’t put it down.  Some of my favorite layouts and projects that I have completed in a long time were made with the September kit!

Where do you look for inspiration?
I get inspiration from everywhere!  I was recently at Target and saw this great T-shirt that had a very simple argyle design across the front.  I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate that into a layout, and I did!   

What is your best scrapbooking tip?
Scrapbook what makes you happy.  I don’t worry about being caught up, or if I’ve scrapped all of my kids’ big moments.  I scrap what I want, when I want, how I want. 

How do you make the most of your kits?
I try to pre-plan a few pages before I start cutting.  If I know that I want to use a certain piece of patterned paper on more than one layout I cut it so it can work for both pages.  I don’t throw any scraps away until I’m done with all of my projects because you never know when you might need it for the perfect little handmade embellishment.  In the September kit, I used the Jenni Bowlin Bookprint paper on four different layouts/projects!  I just kept cutting or punching little bits out of my scraps because I loved it so much!

Tell us 3 things that might surprise us.
1. My husband and I were set up on a blind date and we just celebrated our 12th anniversary.  2. I only make my bed when I change the sheets.  It’s just going to get messed up again, right??  3.  I can be very shy in certain situations, but once I’m comfortable you can’t get me to stop talking.

Let’s get to know the wonderfully talented Jenn Emch a little better:

How did you get into scrapbooking?
When my oldest son Zachary was a year old I went to a Creative Memories party. I was hooked!

What is your favorite thing to scrap?
My family.

What is your favorite color combination to scrap with?
I really love red and turquoise with a bit of yellow mixed in. I love orange too!

When you are in a rut, what do you do to get out of it?
I pick a sketch to work with and that usually helps get me going.

Which of the kits from KGK is your favorite?
I loved March’s kit with all the October Afternoon goodies! The September kit is a close second.

Where do you look for inspiration?
I look online at galleries and blogs. I also like to look at magazines. I almost always find an ad or a color combo that creates a spark.

What is your best scrapbooking tip?
 I would have to say don’t feel like every layout needs to be a work of art. That creates stress and this is supposed to fun!  Create for you and your family, nobody else.

How do you make the most of your kits?
I like to save all the bits and pieces and combine current kits with previous ones.  I almost always find that papers from one kit coordinate with embellishments from another one.

Tell us 3 things that might surprise us.
I am afraid to fly.  I love to watch sports especially football. I was born in Brooklyn, NY.

Up next is the mucho talented Christyn Holmes:

How did you get into scrapbooking?
 I’ve always been a collector of pictures and ephemera like movie tickets and playbills, so when I wondered by chance into my first LSS 13 or so years ago it was a match made in heaven.

What is your favorite thing to scrap?
I love to scrap everyday pictures of my niece and my crazy dog.

What is your favorite color combination to scrap with?
Oh, hard to pick a favorite, lately I’ve been drawn to the cheery combo of red and yellow, I also love aqua and red.  When in doubt red, black and kraft. 

When you are in a rut, what do you do to get out of it?
When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.  I’m inspired by products, so a quick trip to the craft store usually does the trick. If that doesn’t work, I’ll start by scraplifting a layout from a favorite scrapper.

Which of the kits from KGK is your favorite?
The November kit was the first one to catch my eye when I heard about Kraft Girls from Paula many months ago.  The Scenic Route Sonoma line is one of my all time faves, so much so I have a whole pack that I can’t bear to cut into it, I’ve been thinking of buying the November kit to have a second backup.  It also has mists and other fun goodies. 

Where do you look for inspiration?
My biggest inspiration comes from my scrappy friends, I am blessed to live near some of the most talented scrappers, seriously 2 CK HOFs, 1 MM Master, a Simple Girl, a QK Ambassador, design teams galor, and we get together every couple or months or so.

What is your best scrapbooking tip?
I often layer lots of small elements on my page and I used to forget where everything went when I moved it to glue everything down. The I discovered I could take a picture with my cell phone and keep it by my desk as I glue down, I can see the whole layout and zoom in when I need it.

How do you make the most of your kits?
I wish I were as organized as Paula said she was and sketch things out. I  pre-plan by pairing papers and embellishments with photos for at least 4 layouts before I start cutting anything.  Then I keep all of the scraps/leftovers together in the bag until the end of month and keep pulling things out as I go.  I think a kit is similar to a great outfit in your wardrobe, not only does it go look great by itself, but also goes with other things in your stash, so after the month is over I file the scraps by color and see what I have that works well together.

Tell us 3 things that might surprise us.
1. I watch more MTV now than I did as a teenager (we didn’t have cable) and have developed a crush on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs because of it.
2.I have bungee jumped out of a hot air balloon.
3. When I grow up I want to be a fashion designer, watch out Project Runway.  (I’ll be the contestant that can’t sew)

Up next is the fabulous Paula Gilarde:

How did you get into scrapbooking?
My sister-in-law introduced me to scrapbooking back in 2001 – she made an album for her first child and I loved the idea when I saw it. I started with a wedding album after I got married in 2002. I’ve always been interested in paper crafts and collecting memorabilia so it struck a chord with me.

What is your favorite thing to scrap?
I have to say that my kids are my favorite subjects right now. They change so fast and I want to remember every single stage, especially now that I see how sleep derivation can make you forget all kinds of things!

What is your favorite color combination to scrap with?
Not sure that I have a favorite color combination but I definitely favor green in my layouts. It’s not even my favorite color (blue is!) but it just works for me!

When you are in a rut, what do you do to get out of it?
I’m often in a rut! I have many things I do to break myself out of it. Sometimes I just take a break, walk away. Going back to things with fresh eyes and a good night’s sleep often helps. I love to look through magazine ads for inspiration – I hosted an ad challenge for 3 years on 2peas and looking for new ads is a hard habit to break! I look through online scrapbooking galleries and magazines. I look through all kinds of books – kids books often have fun ideas that can be translated into layouts. Of course there are also challenges – sometimes having decisions made for you e.g. to use specific items, can make the design process easier.

Which of the kits from KGK is your favorite?
It’s a tie between the August kit and the April kit. There’s a few others that I loved too but those ones just jumped out at me as favorites!

Where do you look for inspiration?
I answered that in the rut question above.

What is your best scrapbooking tip?
Don’t feel like you need to scrap every picture or scrap in order. Make layouts about topics that are meaningful to you and you will be happy with what you make

How do you make the most of your kits?
I generally spend a day looking at the kit before I use it – sounds crazy, I know! I don’t want to use something up and decide later that I want to use it on something else. I generally plan out a bunch of layout for a kit first before I start cutting and gluing everything down. Once I’ve made at least 3 layouts I’ll start thinking about making cards from the scraps and sometimes more layouts! I always limit myself to the kit items (apart from digital frames) and have never found them lacking

Tell us 3 things that might surprise us.
I’m from Ireland, a country that drinks more tea per capita than any other country in the world. Oh and I don’t drink tea.
I won’t eat anything from the sea.
I lost a contact lens in a mosh pit once.