Stolen Moments: Spotlighting Marlen

One thing I love about being on a CT is that I get to "meet" people from all over the world. In a way I get to see the world through them. There are a few members on the Stolen Moments team who are not from the US. Today I get to introduce you to one of these members. Sit back and enjoy a different part of the world as I introduce you to...

Marlen

My name is Marlen, I`m 34 year old and live with my partner and our 2 sons (7 and 1 1/2) in Berlin, Germany. I just started working again after my parental leave, I`m working as sales assistant. Besides scrapping I LOVE to read, music (I`m always singing around even though I`m not the best singer). I also LOVE meeting my girls... it`s just not so easy to find enough time to meet as often as we`d like to. I also love movies and tv-series like Grey`s Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, and Desperate Housewives.

How long have you been scrapping? Have you ever paper scrapped? When did you make the switch to digi and why? I started digi-scrapping in 2006. I saw a few layouts around on the web and I liked what I saw, so I just tried it by myself :) I never was a paper scrapper. I think I´m not patient enough to do this.
What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill? Your weakest? I think I`m good in a clean and straight scrapping-style. My blendings also are not too bad. I`m not so good in making FULL pages. I always LOVE to look at pages that are full of elements, pictures, layerings and clusterings - but I never made it to perfection on my own pages.
What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Look for some inspiration and find out what you like, then just start trying. Learning by doing, practice is everything.
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? The program I use is a very simple one, it`s called PhotoImpact. Most of the time I have pictures on my mind and a basic idea how my page should look like. Since I work on photobooks it`s easier for me to scrap.I just want to tell the story of my pictures, saving the memories. For my "work" as CTM I see a kit and think about pictures I may have, most of the time I find something in my files and if not I think about a photoless-page or I do a RAK for people I like. I also love to browse to galleries and let all the talented scrappers out there inspire me. To complete a layout I need 2-3 hours, sometimes more. Actually I just scrap one layout a day, when I`m ready I look at it, think about how I like it and change something here and there.
On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? That`s very different. I it`s a matter how often I have to work and how my mojo flows. But I try to scrap a lot, I want to finish my photobooks and there`s still a lot of work to do :)
Describe your perfect scrapping - coffee? soda? music? snacks? I love to have coffee on my desk and listenig to radio in the background, and the web. No snacks.
What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? Spending time with my family is the most important thing. Making pictures, reading books, music, meeting friends.
Who inspires you in the scrapping community? Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? There are a few scrappers I like, but actually I just LOVE browsing through galleries and letting them inspire me. I love the galleries at DST, SM & TLP to do that - so much creative stuff to find there, wow!
If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Today I`d say a summer kit, with bright colors, FUN and colorful elements, just to feel the summer warmth. I also had ideas for a darker vampire-themed kit, since I love Twilight and Vampire Diaries.