ScrapScene

Today we are featuring Vicki Chrisman in our Spotlight on a Designer series. To read past spotlight interviews, please click here.

Vicki Chrisman makes her home in Nebraska along with her family. Her scrapbook layouts and paper crafting projects have been published in countless magazines and ideas books. Vicki is one busy lady! She is currently a Design Team member of Crafty Secrets Publications, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, Picture It PageFrames, Fancy Pants Designs, ScrapMuse, Scrappy Gourmet, and is also the Creative Director for Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine. You can access Vicki’s resume here and her blog here.

Here are the questions we posed to Vicki along with her answers:

{ScrapScene} How long have you been scrapbooking? What got you started?

{Vicki Chrisman} I’ve been scrapbooking in one form or another for about 13 or 14 years. I started by just wanting to find a way to save things, other than just photos in my kids books. I’ve also always incorporated art in to my life, in one way or another, so adding design elements to the pages was my favorite part of the process. Those first books were pretty cheesy. Lol I sometimes cringe now, when I think about how I started out saving all these cut out pieces of this and that, in 9×9 spiral bound albums without sheet protectors…. But you know, I’m so glad I have them. Cheesy or not, they’re full of memories. .

{ScrapScene} What inspires and motivates you to create if you get a creative block?

{Vicki Chrisman} Things that inspire me… nature, music, photography, color, texture, other creative people… just so many different things.

{ScrapScene} What are your favourite techniques and products?

{Vicki Chrisman} I love trying new techniques, but I don’t know that I could say I have a favorite right now. When I was on the Scrapbook Answers Magazine Design Team I always looked forward to assignments, asking us to try out a new technique using a certain product. That was such a great learning experience. It pushed me to try things, I probably would not have thought of trying otherwise, and I learned a lot about a number of different techniques because of that experience.

{ScrapScene} What are your most essential scrapbooking tools?

{Vicki Chrisman} I really don’t use a lot of “tools”. If have the basics..pencil, scissors, trimmer, standard punch, and a file for smoothing edges, I’m pretty happy. I do still love my tracing wheel for those times my sewing machine isn’t handy.

{ScrapScene} Do you have any tips for getting published?

{Vicki Chrisman} I would just say… stay true to your own style and what feel right for you. Be happy with what you create.. enjoy it, and if it gets published that just a bonus. It’s just that many more people you get to share your art with.

{ScrapScene} Are there any other Designers that inspire you?

{Vicki Chrisman} Anna Corba, Jenni Bowlin, Catherine Mathews-Scanlon, and Kara Ward, are just a few.

{ScrapScene} What project are you working on now? Do you have any sneak peeks to share?

{Vicki Chrisman} I have been working on some projects using new vintage images from Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage. You can see the project I just finished here.

{ScrapScene} Please tell us a little about your scrapping space. Do you have any photos to share of it?

{Vicki Chrisman} My studio is just a little bit of this and that.. things that just “please” me. Lot’s of junk store finds and vintage things, because that’s what I love. I’ve always been an organizer, and I like to organize my room… using old jars, bottles, cigar boxes crates ect…. I’m also a very visual person, so I like to find unique ways to display my things , and have them “out” where I can see them. Then, not only does it make my room a place I want to spend time creating in ,but I find that just having my supplies out where I can see them, is inspiring in itself.

All photos and artwork by Vicki Chrisman.

Thank you Vicki!