Back to back Saturday tours here on the blog; I am not sure I can stand the excitement.  For some reason I really enjoy seeing the areas where our creative team works their magic.  They are usually even more beautiful and organized then I imagined they would be.  This week we are touring the room of our creative team member Kristen Swain.  To visit Kristen’s blog just CLICK HERE.  There are lots of fun projects to preview over there.

We hope you enjoy the tour while reading more about Kristen.

Scrapbook Style: I don’t think I can define my scrapping style in a certain phrase, not because I can’t be defined but more that I’m just not sure what I might call my style. I can say my work is typically full of color. I love texture and dimension, glitters, patterned paper and buttons. I enjoy variety, but once I find a new technique, I like to use it in a lot of ways. I think my style comes across as colorful, slightly shabby, with textures and clean lines.

Inspiration –I find inspiration in clothing, and trendy stores. I love the new print and metallic t-shirt designs so popular right now. You can also get a hint of the newest colors for the upcoming seasons this way. I also love to look at other scrapper’s work, online and in magazines. I love seeing new, exciting ways to use products. I like to read magazines for the advertisements. I often find inspiration in advertisements, either through the design or the colors.

Favorite Product – Patterned paper, buttons with twine, and glittered chipboard are my top favorites. I tried recently to scrap without patterned paper, and found it so difficult. I prefer my creations to have designs on them, and pull out many sheets at a time when I am creating, pulling from my choices as I create.

One Wish- I wish hat I didn’t have allergies, my girls as well. They aren’t strong enough for shots, but just bothersome enough to pester us a couple times a year. I wish itchy eyes, stuffy noses and feeling cloggy were a thing of the past!

Favorite Movie – I have to pick just one? There are so many that I truly love to watch again and again. The Princess Bride, Goonies, Finding Nemo, Lord of the Rings, and A Christmas Story are all family favorites. Many of these movies we can recite line for line along with the characters!

Guilty Pleasure – Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. It’s just the perfect way to get me going. With fat free creamer and sugar, and a little ice, yum. I love to have them in the afternoon’s to get me through the rest of my day.

Favorite Memory – I’m a homebody. I love spending vacation time with the kids and hubby at home, in our pool during the summer. Not a specific day, but all summer long, days that we’ve spent in the pool and watched the sun set while we sit around a bonfire, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, talking into the evening and watching fireworks across the trees, while the kids chase fireflies. Those days are just so special to me.

One Fear – For me, dying young. I lost my own mother when I was just 16 years old. She passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 44. It was one of the toughest times in my life and something I hope my children never have to experience.

First Job –I worked with several members of my family in a small video rental store. It was a lot of fun, and a good first job experience.

Music –I enjoy a lot of different music, from classic hits to today’s pop. I would rather listen to something with a good beat when I am working.

Typical Day – My typical day starts after hubby leaves at 5 am, a quick shower, up to make coffee and help my oldest get ready for school, get her on the bus and start the routine over again, getting my youngest daughter off to her school. After I have a bit of breakfast, I get online for a while, checking emails and such. I typically do some laundry and light cleaning. A couple times a week I try to fit in walking on the treadmill. In the afternoons I watch a few tv shows online, while creating a project. At 3 my oldest gets home, and I spend one on one time with her, doing the same when my youngest gets off the bus at 4. By 5 homework is done and the girls are sent outside to play for a bit. I flit around the house, cleaning and picking up, and sometimes get online. Around 6pm I start dinner, hubby gets home sometime after that. After dinner is eaten and cleaned, the girls are sent off for baths, and hubby and I chat. When everyone is finished their chores, we’ll sit for a bit and watch tv while snuggling until bedtime.

Kristen’s Studio Space:

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, this four season room became my office. I furnished it with a limited budget. I wanted a huge workspace, so my hubby partially built this desk, using some smaller desks and adding plywood and another leg. The desk is 4 feet by 8 feet, perfect space for me to spread out on, and still have room. My children often use the other side of the desk for computer use, and doing their homework.  I prefer my scrapbook supplies to be behind doors, guests can come through and just see it as a home office. I love the windows, it feels light and airy,even when outside it’s rainy.

I bought drawer units from the hardware store for my altered storage.  They are also small enough not to block my windows and my view.

My view of the hills outside is spectacular; especially in the fall.  Sitting here working when the storms come across is amazing and I often see wildlife out in the field.

My office is not just an office; we also furnished the rest of the space with a spare TV, couch and table.   Even when I am working, my kids and husband can hang out with me.  We often eat breakfast out on the round table in the summer.

I purchased inexpensive cabinets and a laminate countertop for the area behind my desk.  I keep baskets with my most often used embellishments and it holds my machines.   I also like to display my recent creations, cards, and small items up top and my layouts across the wall.

The bulk of my supplies are in these two large cabinets, again bought from the hardware store at an inexpensive price.  I also store certain design team supplies in the 12×12 snap totes which sit up top nicely.

Using scrap wood and plywood, my husband added more storage space for my papers. I have also have small iris drawer units holding additional supplies.

So that is it!  Thank you for taking the time to peek into my space!