interview by Amy Kingsford
GIS Username: MaryC
joined: January 2009
posts: 695
most active in: The “NSBR” (non-scrapbooking-related) forums
alum of: Embellishments: Beautifully Handmade, Get It Stamped, Oodles of Doodles, Mad Digital Skillz, Product Pizzazz 101, Scraproom with a View, Souvenirs of the Season, Sweet Treats Fall
Mary’s blog: Something about Mary
We are happy to have Mary at our “online home” here at Get It Scrapped! Mary is a fun and inspiring presence in classes and in the public forums. In fact, she’s kicked off the new year by working with Jane (justjane) to get an RAK (random act of kindness) Club going in the forums. We thank Mary for being a part of our community and for participating in this Member Spotlight! Read on to learn more about Mary and see some of her creations.
A little bit about Mary
My name is Mary, just like my username in the forums. I am a fifty year old housewife. I wasn’t always a housewife. I had a fairly successful career in sales and customer service. When the RGH (Really Great Husband) started working two-week shifts out of state, I retired so I would see him when he is home. We have three daughters, all grown and on their own. Two are married, one divorced and they have given us four grandchildren. J,T & G are boys, ages 10, 5 and 6, and M, the only girl, is 6 weeks old. We are originally from California but relocated to Nevada in June. My hobbies are paper crafts (obviously), cooking and reading. I also enjoy contemplating exercise and then running out of time to actually do any. Thank you to Debbie and Amy for asking me to be their first spotlighted Member. I consider it an honor. Get It Scrapped! is my online ‘home’.
When asked a few questions about herself and her scrapbooking, here is what Mary had to say:
- I started scrapbooking in 2001 as a way to keep busy after losing both my parents. They passed away three months apart. It was a way to keep my mind busy. It turned into a way for me to love life again – and to make friends – and to document my life – and to use my creativity.
- I mostly scrapbook my grandchildren. They are most prominent in our lives right now. But I really alter things more than I do layouts. I love to alter stuff. I think about every item before I put it in the trash: could this be something fun if I tweaked it a little? So I end up with a lot of stuff that resembles trash in my studio. The RGH doesn’t get it, but rarely comments.
- I scrapbook (craft) when I am alone and in the mood, or if there is an online crop. I get tons of things done in online crops if the RGH is gone. I just stay up all night and eat chips and drink Merlot and craft away, all the while chatting with friends all over the globe. The challenges help too. I have my own studio (or room) with all my goods in it. I’ll try to post some photos in the gallery.
- I don’t know what style I am. I don’t like things to look too planned, or too busy, or too perfect. I like distressed things but not to the point that they look dark. Is there such a thing as feminine-shabby- grunge? That would be me–like Tim Holtz meets Donna Downey meets Heidi Swapp.
- My scrappy must-haves are my ATG gun, glossy accents, zip-dry glue, brown ink, ribbon, rub on and cardstock letters and coffee (or Merlot).
- Three things I have on my wish list? That’s hard. I just buy something when I want it. I would like the stamp of the old car that Tim Holtz used in the tags of Christmas this year. I want to take a digi class and a Photoshop class here at GIS. That’s three, right?
- I want to learn digital. I will never be an all-digital girl. I need to touch and feel things when I am creating– but the way you can make photos look so awesome, and the great papers and brushes and stuff people are using now intrigue me. I like to learn things so this is next on my list.
- I get my inspiration from all the crafters on GIS, plus a few magazines, and I look online a lot for things that attract me. I use sketches a lot and then tweak them to work for me. That’s how I did the baby album this Christmas. I used Debbie’s sketches here and tweaked them for my style.
- I have loved every class I have taken here at GIS. I learn a lot every time. I felt bad at first because I tend to read the lessons a few times, try a couple of things and file them in a binder for future reference. I am horrible at the assignments. But I have come to realize that the things I learn even from reading the lessons, show up later in projects I am working on. It’s really cool that each teacher here at GIS has a specialty, but their ideas can be interpreted in many different venues. I can use stamping for a layout, or handmade embellishments on a purse I made or turn a lesson on the visual triangle into a picture collage on a wall in the hallway. So they are all my favorites. I can’t pick just one!
- My favorite layout has always been ‘Pirates’ because the photo is so exceptional. I laugh every time I see it. It captures the essence of J like nothing else has. He is the kid who bragged about being fearless but was scared of everything. It isn’t the best looking layout I have ever done, but my favorites are rarely the great art, but, instead, the story behind the layout. We will never forget that time because it is there for us to enjoy as long as we are here. That is what this hobby is really all about. To remember.
