MEET OUR JUNE GUEST DESIGNER - JAMIE PATE

We are so excite to share this month's Guest Designer with you... meet the uber talented, Jamie Pate!   We are always amazed by her creations and wanted to see what magic she could create with our Life Crafted kits.  Let's just say you are in for a real treat!

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GET TO KNOW JAMIE

Hey creative friends…I’m Jamie Pate (pronounced just like ate)…my family and I currently reside in the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado. I’ve been married 30 years and we have 5 children ranging from 23 to 8! And I confess: I am a paper nerd. I love to craft with all the papery things plus all the embellishments and mediums that goes right along with that. It’s addictive as well as therapeutic along with legacy making. In a phrase, being a creative is a beautiful thing. I can’t stop! My time in this lovely hobby and industry has allowed me to work with Heidi Swapp and Paige Evans plus Bella Blvd, Pink Paislee and Studio Calico and many other wonderful companies. I am just so very blessed and humble to be here and share some of what I love with you. Thank you so very much for having me.

Q & A WITH JAMIE

• When did you start scrapbooking?

Scrapbooking officially started for me when my oldest was 2. I was gifted a Creative Memories pre-made page all prepped with mats for photo placement. I added photos and journaling, and the rest is history. My oldest is 24 this year. I have been scrapping for a very long time now. There are lots of stories in my album library to show for this effort. These mini albums and traditional albums and everything in between bring me so much joy. I am forever grateful for this creative outlet.

• What is something most people would not know about you?

Recently I heard that a former president read a book a week. I was amazed. To be one of the most powerful and influential people in the world, and still take time for self education at that rate. It spurred me to challenge myself this year to read a book a week as well. I just started about a month ago. I am loving this new endeavor already. And highly recommend.

• What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

Well. For one…I could not live without my hot glue gun. I know. It’s probably not scrapbook correct to use a hot glue in my photo memory keeping. But I do. (wince).

Secondly…my Pilot G-2 .38 pen. I buy them by the case full. I have to have a good pen around. And this one is my ultimate favorite. I like how it writes on smooth or textured cardstock. And even in my art journals full of painted pages. And everyone I have suggested this pen to has found it a winner as well.

Thirdly an item I can’t live without is my Silhouette Spatula Tool. Traditionally it’s purpose is to help lift cuts from a cutting mat. Which is how I use it too. But that tool is much more than that for me. It distresses paper edges beautifully. I use it to place alpha stickers on my projects. And my most favorite use of it is for clear stickers as I don’t want to get finger prints on them. I use this tool so much I have two of them. 

• What do you love about the June Life Crafted kit?

It may be easier to answer what I don’t like about it…which actually that answer would be nothing. I loved the fresh pinks and florals found in the pattern paper. Mixed in with some of the digital papers was pure magic for me. And those Tiny Alphas…can I get those by the case too? The floral die cuts from the Ephemera are always a fan favorite and just needed to be their own item. And have I mentioned the puffy stickers yet? I think I was just so lucky to be guest to this month’s kit. It was all very happy to craft with and there may be a few hoarding issues going on as well.

• Finish this sentence “If you could see my scrapbooking space now . . . “

You would probably say wow. I know that sounds pretentious. But it’s the very first room you walk in when you come in my home. While not renovated as I have planned…yet, it’s a big wide open and airy and well lit space. I commandeered our front room and formal dining room for my ‘studio’ several years ago. And while it is accessible to all the people whenever they think they need me, I am super happy it is the space it is. Oh…and this causes me to have to clean up daily. So I am always working on decluttering the extra things and keeping it as streamlined as I can for just what I need. Not always easy. But it works for me. And yes, you are welcome to come craft with me anytime.

And here is a peek at Jamie's beautiful creative space:

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For my blog project I chose to use the LifeCrafted Album as the base of a sort of photo essay album.

 It’s a work in progress. And I just love it. That Goldenrod album is GORGEOUS> And perfect play against this kit.

The album starts off with a clear acrylic page. On it I adhered fussy cut flowers from one of the pattern papers. An ephemera label plus the Tiny Alphas are layered over the collection of flowers. Digital stamps rounded out the layering as well as the tabbed feature.

Under the clear page can be found those oh so fabulous Foam Words. In addition layers of notched papers were used from the digital kit. This layering of paper and words plus ephemera is repeated throughout the album. It’s my go-to technique for embellishing. I adore the layers and the patterns and colors up against each other. The possibilities are endless and a wonderful invitation to play.

Don’t you love a good journal card? I went heavy with the digital kit in this album. Bringing in bits of pattern paper plus puffy stickers causes this album to feel connected and cohesive. The theme of this book is photos of the everyday that may seem ordinary, but they add up to life for me.

After the intro pages, there are tabbed sections. The first section focuses a bit on my home. I included journaling that support my current feels on the subject of home. 

I loved these Page Protector 3 pockets. That little space at the bottom is perfect for journaling…

or even a little photo…I enjoyed adding different sizes of photos to this photo essay. For this album I stayed with 4x6, 3x4 plus the 4x2-inch sized photos. I found it easy to simply print a bunch of photos up all at once and just play.

The page format now repeats itself in this Life Crafted Album as it now moves to the subject of Creativity. 

The tabbed pages were created by printing the digital paper onto vellum. That sheer factor brings to these pages so much softness. Plus a little peek into the pages behind the vellum.

I have plans for adding pages that celebrate my obsession love with coffee. Because all those fun coffee ephemera that are dying to be used on these pages. But for now, I hope this album has inspired you. I hope you find this June kit as fabulous as I did. And I hope you also find ways to celebrate the ordinary yet beautiful aspects of your everyday life.

WOW!! just wow!!  we are so honored to have Jamie create such a beautiful project with our June Kits and Life Crafted album.  Make sure you follow Jamie (if you aren't already) so she can keep you inspiring you with her beautiful work.