member spotlight

Hello, my name is Michelle De Leon (SC username : portablemichelle) and I live in Canada. I am a university student pursuing further studies in rehabilitative sciences. If you notice many pictures of myself in my layouts, it is because of my boyfriend's photography hobby! I am trying to pick up tips and work on my own everyday photography, which is one reason I am glad I started scrapbooking. I discovered the scrapbooking world last year while making a homemade mini-book for a birthday present. Through many Google searches for neutral patterned paper, I stumbled across Marcy Penner's blog, which eventually led me to Studio Calico. The different ways people used photos, papers, and embellishments really drew me in, and I decided to give it a try. I am very happy I found a creative outlet that doubles as memory keeping!

What are your top 5 favorite products and why?

1) Pop dots: I like to layer on my pages, and pop dots are an easy way to add more dimension. I also love the look of pop dots underneath a tone-on-tone title for subtle emphasis.
2) Mister Huey's in Gold: I'm not too big on misting yet, but I love the subtle depth and shimmer this colour adds to backgrounds.
3) Washi tape: When I got my first roll of washi tape, I wasn't sure what to do with it. Slowly, I started using small amounts, and soon grew to love it! I think it's a fun way to add splashes of colours and accents here and there.
4) Vellum: I am a fan of soft, muted colours, and vellum is a great way to tone down busy patterns and bold colors. To add different texture, I also enjoy using vellum when layering.
5) Badges: There are so many fun badge designs, and I love using them in embellishment clusters. I also like using them on little gift tags or gift wrap.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Like many scrapbookers, I quite enjoy browsing Pinterest! I like to look for color or design inspiration in images that are not necessarily scrapbook-related. Sometimes when I'm listening to music, a certain lyric will stand out to me and will give me an idea for a page. One of the pages featured here called "Closer" happened this way!

I also find that I seem to have more inspiration to create when I'm busier and on-the-go, so I started taking a little notebook with me to jot down little thoughts or ideas.

What is your favorite color and/or color combo?

Sometimes I feel that I struggle with bolder colour combinations, so I usually gravitate towards soft, romantic colour schemes. A favourite of mine is yellow and white with pops of red and/or light blue. Having a variety of items in the Studio Calico kits helps me try colour combinations I may not initially choose for myself.

Tell us a bit about your design process.

My design process differs depending on the reason I am scrapbooking. When I am looking more for a creative outlet, my page is often driven by a certain design, technique, or colour as a starting point. Most of the time, these ideas are vague and don't pan out, but I have fun with the process. Other times, I am inspired completely by the photo and will use that to build the page. I am trying to work on adding more journaling, but it doesn't always end up happening. To make up for that, I try to journal more in my Project Life.

When I'm in a bit of a "creative rut", I like to change it up by working on a different project. If I'm stuck making a 12x12 page, I'll switch to working on Project Life for a bit, or even a mini book.

Tell us a bit about what else you do since we know you are creative in more ways than just scrapbooking.

Trying to answer this question reminded me of how boring I must seem! Scrapbooking is the only crafty hobby I've had, I've never considered myself particularly artistic. If I'm not studying or working, I do some volunteering and enjoy quality time with my friends and family. Lately, I've been catching up on watching movies. One day when I am done school and have a career path set, I would love to do some traveling!