Spotlighting Juli

Hey all, Jewelle here popping in with a guest spotlight!  I'm super excited about introducing you to this lady because I know her personally.  We are friends in real life, and it is always fun to be on a team with someone you know.  Let me introduce you to...

Juli
(aka julijewelz)

My name is Juli and I am 27 years old. I have been married to my best friend for almost 5 years now and we have a 9 month old baby boy named Joshua. This is my 5th year teaching science in a middle school. I am struggling to find a balance between being a teacher and a mom this year, but I do love my job. Hobbies other than scrapping include reading, hiking, white water rafting, playing games like Pinochle, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, etc.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I have been scrapping since October of 2008. So 3 years. I paper scrapped for several years. I made the switch to digi because I like that there is no mess, I don't have to print out pictures, I can redo things, and I can share the pages with people. 
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest?  Strongest scrapping skill? Yikes, I have no idea! I know that my weakest is clustering by far! I also could work on making my pictures look better. I am still not familiar enough with all that photoshop can do. There is SOOOO much to learn! 
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?  My advice is to read about organizing your materials and start off with a good system. You will soon have so many supplies that making it better will be daunting. Also, read tutorials and don't be afraid to try new techniques. Learn from criticism!
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling?  Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you?  How long does it take you to complete a layout?  I use Photoshop to scrap. I start with the photos first and usually get them all situated on my page. I will look at frames in the kit first to see if I want to use them. Then I go with papers and get them all situated. Elements come next and then title and journaling. I usually have some kind of idea how I want the LO to look. If I don't, they usually don't turn out as well. I have definitely started over many times because I didn't have a clear vision to begin with. It usually takes me about 2-3 hours to complete a LO. 
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  I used to spend about 9 hours a week scrapping, but since I had my baby that has changed dramatically. I am lucky if I get to spend 2-4 hours a week. 
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks?  I sit on the couch. Usually my husband has something on the TV, but I don't pay attention. When I am alone, I will sometimes play music, but not often. I get into the zone and don't really pay attention to anything around me. I am loving scrapping to the Christmas tree lights right now :)
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping?  Favorite thing to do besides scrapping is play with my baby boy! Besides that, play Pinochle.
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it?  One thing I would love to do just so I can scrap it....put my baby in a big pile of leaves! I haven't done that yet because it has been too cold, or rainy, or I am too tired! There is always next year right? I am also regretting not getting newborn professional pictures done, so I am excited to have another one to do that with.  
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration?  I don't have one particular person I follow in the scrapping community. There are SO many talented scrappers out there! I usually look in the Scrap Orchard or Scrap Matters galleries for inspiration. Those are both great communities and have some fabulous scrappers. 
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Wow, hard question. I think she already created my kit! For the Love of Boys. I just love that color combo and the theme is perfect for me. I've had other designers ask this question and I can never come up with a good answer. I just don't think like that I guess! 

First Layout

Celebrate Life's Moments.

It was fun to find this LO. It definitely needs some help! It only has like 10 layers total! Maybe I will redo it sometime. Anyway, I remember deciding I was going to try out this digi scrapping stuff after seeing some digi layouts on a friends blog. I opened up Photoshop and couldn't figure out how to do anything! I couldn't even move the photo around. I think I actually cried for a bit before enlisting my sister's help. After that frustration, I knew I needed some more help. So I decided to take some lessons. I took 3 or so classes from Jessica Sprague and learned TONS! She really helped me learn the program and some of the basics of digi scrapping. I am thankful I spent the money on the classes as it is a hobby that I still love to this day.

Favorite LO

SOOO hard to choose!! I think this one is it for now.  Probably because it represents the last hurrah of ours before our lives changed forever with the birth of our beautiful baby boy. The pictures were taken on our 4th wedding anniversary. 

Most Recent Layout

My most recent LO is this one that I created with one of Amber's products I have been eyeing for awhile. It is also a favorite LO for me now. I would have chosen it for my favorite except it fit this category too! :) I am doing much better with layers and clustering. I feel that I did a pretty good job adding the fabulous elements to this LO. 

 

To catch more of Juli's amazing and inspiring layouts be sure and stop by her GALLERY