BIO: Katie Nelson aka “Katie the Scrapbook Lady”
I became a scrapbooker when I was only 14 years old and got my hands on a jar of rubber cement and a large construction paper scrapbook album. Later on I began using archival supplies and I was a die-hard paper scrapper for more than 20 years. I created thousands of scrapbook pages for my friends and family to enjoy. In 2005, my Mom showed me an issue of a Simple Scrapbooks special digital scrapbooking issue and knew I had found my “true love.” I haven’t created a paper layout since!
My main hobbies are photography and scrapbooking, but I also love to read, and bake cookies. I am a team member here at The Daily Digi, and also a contributing writer. I’m also on the Shabby Princess creative team. I have been blogging about scrapbooking since October of 2005 on my blog “Saving lives…One page at a time” and that is truly the way I look at scrapbooking. For me it is all about the stories and sharing the memories with people I love.
Utah is my home and has been for most of my life. I have 2 children (a 13 year old daughter, and a 16 year old son who has autism) and I homeschool both of them using a virtual academy charter school at k12.com. I have been happily married for 19 years to my wonderful hubby who I have known since we were 13 years old! (We met in our 7th grade art class.)
5 PRODUCTS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
1. Layered templates – I didn’t even start using layered templates until 2008, but now I can’t scrap without them. They save so much time!
2. I really love solid papers and I wish designers would always include them in their kits. I also love softly blended papers that are almost solid in color.
3. Subtle patterned papers are also important for me. It’s fun to have bold prints with lots of color, but they can be very overpowering. I prefer prints that don’t compete for attention.
4. Flowers are probably my favorite embellishment. I think they look good on almost every layout.
5. Fonts – I love them! I really like fonts that look like handwriting or big and bold fonts that are great for title work.
MY STYLE: This is always a hard question for me to answer because I am comfortable using many different styles. One of the things I love most about digital scrapbooking is that it is so easy to try new techniques. A computer is a powerful tool and I love that I can blend, shadow, and layer to my heart’s content, or simply place a photo on a canvas and add some journaling. Either way, I end up with a wonderful finished product that I can share with my family. I guess my style leans more toward clean and classic, but I’m not afraid to try new things.
MY SCRAPPING IDOL(S): While there are so many talented scrapbookers out there, I would have to name Ali Edwards as my ultimate scrapping idol. She seems to find new ways to keep her layouts fresh and innovative, while keeping the focus on the photos and the stories behind them. Ali is someone who is always growing and evolving in her scrapping and that is important to me. I feel a bit of a connection with her as well since she has a son with autism. My own son was diagnosed more than 12 years ago (he’s 15 now) and I really appreciate Ali’s willingness to share part of the journey that her family has gone through.
WHY I AM EXCITED TO BE ON THE TEAM: Ever since Daily Digi began, I felt like I wanted to be a part of it. I believe so much in the vision behind the site and the mission of making digital scrapbooking accessible and do-able for anyone. I love the positive nature of the posts and the fun sharing of ideas and resources. Even though I consider myself a seasoned digital scrapbooker, I have learned many new things from visiting the Daily Digi. I’m excited to be able to contribute and share my love of scrapbooking and creativity with others. I can tell already that this will be an amazing experience!
MY FAVORITE LAYOUT:
