Guest Designer :: Tina Aszmus

It's "Guest Designer" Monday here at the Crate Paper blog! Today, we have the brilliant, highly artistic Tina Aszmus joining us. Many of you know her from Studio Calico as she's been a member of their design team since the very beginning. She's also an avid photographer. As a Polaroid enthusiast, her photos often gloriously portray the imperfections and beauty of everyday life. We thoroughly enjoy her photography and eclectically simple scrapbook style here at Crate Paper. It's with great honor and excitement that we present three of her projects using our wares - thank-you Tina for guest designing with CP!

Tina Aszmus :: Life.Love.Paper.

Tina Aszmus lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband Jeff and dog, Jesse. She works full time in a office and finds scrapbooking to be her creative release. She currently designs for Studio Calico and was recently featured in the Artful Blogger magazine.

A little more about Tina...

When did you begin your creative journey with scrapbooking and how did you get started in the hobby?

I started a very awful scrapbook the year I graduated high school in 1996. I wanted to scrapbook my school day memories while they were fresh in my mind. That lead to rubberstamping since scrapbooking supplies were very limited. I moved onto collage and altered arts but I was still wanting to add more of my personal stories. By then more supplies were readily available. I haven't stopped since.

If you were to describe your scrapbook style in five words or less, what would they be?

Simple. Detailed. Eclectic. Personal. Fresh

What inspires you to create? What are your primary sources of inspiration?

So much inspires me. Everyday images, the texture of a building, the graphic on a coffee cup. I love decor magazines as well as graphic arts and skateboard magazines. As far as blogs go, there are so many. I favor decor blogs such as Decor8 and sfgirlbybay.

Where do you do most of your scrapbooking? What time of day are you most creative?

I can tell you when I'm most uncreative and that's during the work week. I don't like creating when I'm drained and tired. It feels forced when I do. My favorite time is Friday nights and Sunday afternoons when I feel calm. Most of my scrapbooking is done in my own little creative room. I have a huge solid wood desk that I love to work on.

What is your current favorite scrapbooking technique and why? What scrapbook techniques have you enjoyed previously and of those, which do you still use?

I'm a huge fan of acrylic paint. I love it because it's cheap, comes in a variety of colors and is simple to use. A few swipes on can add so much depth and texture. I don't feel like my page is done unless it has a touch of paint. Sewing is another technique I love to incorporate in my layouts.

What is your favorite Crate Paper scrapbook collection of all time?

I'd have to say Seasons and Brooke. The paper with the birds saying "hi" from the Season collection is my favorite paper of all time and I love the blues and greens from the Brook collection. I'm so drawn to those colors.

Tina suggests mixing different Crate Paper collections together on a single project. They work really well together..she's used both the Brook & Pink Plum collections above.

Also, try mixing B & W photos with color photos in a way you've never tried before! Incorporate Crate Brads with Crate's chipboard - it's a perfect combination!

Lastly, use paint and an empty tape roll or bottle cap to create circles of your layout's background - it's an economical means of adding detail to your layout and is sort of an unexpected surprise that creates strong directional movement.

Thank-you again Tina for being a Crate Paper guest designer this month! We adore what you've created with our collections and appreciate them greatly...our next guest designer, Kimmithy Achord, is our next scheduled guest designer. She'll be joining us the week of May 3rd - be sure to stop by then for more guest design features!