Guest Designer's Space: Melissa Elsner

Hello there! Good to "see" you again! Did you drop by yesterday? If not, go there. Now! Our guest designer Melissa Elsner shared two gorgeous layouts with us. And today, she's sharing her workspace and telling us a bit how she organizes her stash and her workflow. 

Tell us about your scrap space?

I joke that I sleep in my scraproom. Which is pretty much true. It's basically my craft room with a bed and a dresser in it. It works out great for me because this is what I do. Sure I read books and like to be cozy in my room but I also really find enjoyment in crafting. Plus, it's kind of nice to scrap into the wee hours of the night, wearing jammies, and not having far to go when it's bed time.

I also did a blog post about my scrap space here.

How do you organize your stash? (tips, etc)

After a couple of years of collecting, I was finally able to complete my storage system. Every nook and cranny is used. I have Sterlite drawer holders for my small cardstock, photo paper, small canvas and other things. My patterned paper is organized by Manufacturer and then by collection. I have two bins for my punches. One is for border punches and the other is for regular punches. I purchased several 12x12 sized plastic folders that hold punch outs, chipboard sheets and large sticker sheets. Recently, I purchased a jewelry organizer for my embellishments. Not only is it great decor but it's also very convenient. I like color so the rest of my embellishments are organized by color. 

When do you usually scrap?

During the week I usually scrap in the evening. On the weekend it's whenever I'm home. There's something about staying up late though, watching Nick at Nite and scrapbooking. 

What's your process? Photos first? Story first? Product driven? Are you a fast or slow scrapper?

I begin with the story. Because I scrap from an emotion or thought, that's where it begins. Then, I choose product that can help symbolize the thought I want to convey and a then a photo. Sometimes, I do begin with a photo if it speaks to me.. or if it's from an event. I'd call myself a medium speed scrapper. Sometimes I'm slow, sometimes I'm fast. On average, it takes me about two hours to complete a layout. 

Do you listen to music? Eat? What kind of music? Favorite scrappy snacks?

I usually have Friends on. Ha! Love that show and it's noise. I like having noise in the background. I try not to eat when I scrap because I'm pretty clumsy but I always have an iced mocha. Love iced mochas. 

She made a card an altered canvas for us!

Do you have a go-to technique?

I like to layer. But I'm also a clean and simple gal with a linear focus. I recently found out that most of the layouts I love are horizontal in nature. I don't know if you want to call that a technique. I'm not really a "technique-y" person. But I do love to create my own embellishments using my Silhouette Cameo. 

A favorite photo of Melissa and her besties

Favorite food:  Bulgogi with rice and veggies (Korean beef dish)
Superhero power: Fly (cheaper than buying plane tickets!)

Favorite color combo: Pink, green, blue, brown, yellow.... I love color!

Ultimate travel destination: Europe! Haven't been yet. Anyone want to donate to my plane ticket?

Perfect weekend:  A scrapbooking retreat by the ocean. 

Favorite Lily Bee line: All of them. Seriously. I LOVE Lily Bee!

Thanks to Melissa for being our guest this month! And thank you for coming by today. We hope to see you tomorrow!

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Guest Designer's Space: Lisa VanderVeen

Hey there! Yesterday, our guest designer Lisa VanderVeen shared a couple of layouts with us. Today, we get to take a peek into where she creates! We peppered her with a few questions...

Lisa with her hubby Shak (not the basketball player), and daughter Sophie

Do you have a dedicated scrap space?

Yes. I recently acquired my husband’s home office, which is a loft over our bedroom. I love it because it’s my own dedicated area (previously, I shared a room with our guest bed and elliptical trainer) and it feels like my own private scrapbooking treehouse. I love that I can make a mess and no one can tell me to pick it up.

When do you scrap?

During the day while my daughter is at school. I try to scrap in the evenings but, unfortunately, I turn into a pumpkin at around 8:30 p.m. and am thereafter creatively useless.

How do you start your layout? Photos? Story? Product?

I generally start a layout with photos. I take way too many of them (who among us doesn’t?) and have trouble cutting them down so 80% of my layouts are 2 page layouts. Once I’ve chosen the photos, I consider the design I want to use and then choose product. My stories are generally closely tied to the photos, because I am more of a photojournalistic type photographer. 

Are you a fast or slow scrapper?

I’m fairly fast. I try not to get bogged down in getting it perfect and I try to embrace happy accidents.

How do you organize your stash?

Paper (including scraps) and alphas by color, embellishments by style/material. I have a ton of clear plastic bead boxes and I store all of my buttons, brads, etc. in there by manufacturer. Tall sheets of alphas (12x12 sheets) and chipboard stickers, etc. go into large standing baskets that slip into my shelves. My scrapspace isn’t as fancy as some others, but I love it. Over the years, I’ve learned what organization works for me.

Do you listen to music while scrapping? Eat?

I LOVE ‘70s music. I am also a total news junkie. So, since I don’t have a TV in my scrapspace but I do have a computer, I either listen to ‘70s music on Pandora or I listen to CNN on my computer. I rarely eat while scrapping, but a cup of coffee is never far away.

Do you have a go to technique?

I am ADDICTED to punches. It’s a problem. I rarely complete a layout without a punch.

Dream travel destination: Egypt

Favorite food: Cheeseburgers and fries.  If they weren’t bad for me, I would eat them every day.  And tostadas from Poquito Mas. Well, and sushi. And Greek yogurt. Oh. You said “food”, not “foods”. Sorry ;).

Superhero power: That I want? Or that I have? I guess I have eyes in the back of my head where my daughter is concerned. But I would rather be invisible… Or be able to fly. Flying would be cool.

Favorite color combo: Right now, muted colors (yellows, blues, oranges) and ALWAYS neutral backgrounds (kraft, cream, white, black).

Perfect weekend: Staying home. We travel a lot and I really love just spending weekends at home, catching up on reading and scrapping and working out and hanging out with my cats.

Thanks Lisa for sharing your beautiful creations and lovely home with us. And thank you for dropping by today!

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Studio Peek - Georgia Keays

Hi Everyone, Georgia here to answer some questions from the lovely Linda about myself and my scrap space:

1. Do you have a dedicated scrap space?

Um, sort of... Just under 5 years ago we moved into our dream home where we plan to stay until our kids move out. We spent many months thinking, planning and trying to cover every possible scenario to come up with a design which would suit us for the next 20 years. Six months after we moved in I started scrapping and it's been musical rooms ever since.

Last month when Linda first asked me to share some photos my space I was using the study...

which left my husband, who does quite a bit of work from home, in the games room in the noisiest part of the house. The kids are getting older now so we have decided to turn the playroom into a scrapbooking / homework room for the kids and I to share and my husband can have his study back!

This is the playroom at the moment, I'm really excited about getting it set up.

2. When do you scrap?

I'm almost exclusively a night scrapper. Normally a couple of times a week I'll sit down after the kids are in bed and scrap until the wee hours. If I'm lucky I can sometimes squeeze in a bit of scrap time on the weekends too.

3. Would you say you are a fast or slow scrapper?

Definitely slow. A single layout will take me around 4 or 5 hours to complete.

4. How do you organise your stash?

I sort all my paper by manufacturer and then by collection and my embellishments by type. I have this weird ability to remember not only which manufacturer and line each embellishment belongs to but also when and where I bought it. I'm pretty sure that and old song lyrics account for around 90% of my memory.

5. Do you listen to music while you scrap?

I can't scrap without music but I MUST have dead silence when I am journalling.

6. What is your dream travel destination?

I love to travel, pretty much anywhere will do - so long as I need my passport I'm happy!

7. What SuperHero power would you like to have?

What I really want is a cone of silence like they had on Get Smart. I have three gorgeous, beautiful, LOUD children so a few moments of quiet now and then would be lovely.

8. Favourite colour combo?

Probably yellow and navy blue - with black of course!

9. Perfect weekend?

Spent with family around the pool.

10. Favourite family picture?

I'm really bad about getting in from of the camera so I don't have a pic of us all together but this is a recent one of the kids I like.

11. Favourite Lily Bee layout?

This is a really old layout but still one of my favourites.

12. Is there one last thing you'd like to share?

I'm always a bit intimidated when I see pictures of scrap studios because I am a very messy scrapper. Just in case anyone else feels the same I thought I'd share a photo of my scrap desk right now...

I hope it makes someone feel better about their own!

Thanks Linda, that was fun! I'll make sure to take some more photos to share once I have my new space set up - before it gets too messy!

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Studio Peek: Virginia Tillery

Virginia is a mommy of four adorable kids and a really fun gal. Follow her on Twitter and you'll know what I'm talking about. Beware, there will be posts about Dr Who. Not only does she create sweet, whimsical, vintage-y layouts, but she also makes altered items. So we asked her to share a little bit about where she creates all her beautiful projects.

Tell us about your studio.

My "studio" is basically any room in the house I decide to work in! I don't really have a designated scrap space right now; we have four small children and for now, it just doesn't work the best for our family for me to have a whole room to myself. However, with that said, our dining room does double duty as my studio and our general "work on crafts together" room. :)

Are you a day scrapper or a night owl?

I'm TOTALLY a night owl scrapper. I will occasionally scrap during the day (during nap time!) but the creativity really gets flowing at night. 

What do you do with all your altered items?

I use them to decorate my home, give as gifts, and sell at craft shows. 

Do you have a go-to technique or sketch?

I'm a big distresser. I love to sand edges of papers, ink them, paint on them with mists, and fold down corners. 

Dream travel destination:

Ireland, to visit some dear friends there. Or England, to geek out on Harry Potter and Dr. Who stuff. ;)

Or Greece, to eat yummy food and to relax. 

Superhero power:

To freeze time, so I can fit in all the things I want to do each day! 

Favorite food:

Greek (see above with the travel destinations!)

Favorite color combo:

turquoise and pea green

Perfect weekend:

Sleeping in, lunch with friends, rainy weather, lots of candles, a stack of good books from the library, catching a great live music show with the hubs, scrapping late into the night, and worship with friends at church.

Her favorite photo of her family.

Her favorite Lily Bee layout.

Thanks Virginia for sharing your beautiful home and work with us!

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Studio Peek: Julia Stainton

I must confess that I'm nosy and love checking out other people's scrap spaces. So I confess, yes, I did want to start this feature here on the Lily Bee blog just so I could see what my teammates' spaces are like. But I hope you are with me, and that you are just as happy to see them.


Today, we are visiting Julia Stainton's space. Julia is a master stamper, cardmaker, and scrapbooker. And if that wasn't enough, she is also the designer of our new line Picket Fence! Phew. Did I mention she has five kids? Her blog, Belle Papier, is fab and always filled with great projects.

Onto what you are waiting for. 

Tell us about your scrap room:

I love my little scrap room. It’s not very big and is actually much smaller than it looks in the photos. The space is about 8’x8’ and I’ve used every single inch of it. I’ve only had my own craft room for just over a year. Crafting in a corner of the family room was not working at all and so my hubby built this small room for me in the basement when we added on a small addition to the house. The window is a southern exposure and there is infloor heating so it really doesn’t seem like I’m in the basement at all.

To get the most out of every bit of this small space, I started off by designing a floor plan to fit my needs. I work at the desk and have lots of tools within easy access. I love stamping and inking paper and my ink pads are really handy on some storage shelves above. The Clip-it-ups are perfect for holding stamps and embellishments to my left so that I can see them and use them.  Most of my paper and other supplies are stored on the opposite wall with the counter. The counter is great for sorting product on as well as die cutting. This little room may be small but I love every single inch of it. It’s my happy place.

What is your favorite "go to" technique when putting together a layout or card?

I’ve been sewing longer than I’ve been paper crafting so stitching must be my “go to” technique. Sewing is so natural to me that I don’t even think of it as a technique and took me a while to think of it. This question was set aside to think about until I passed my sewing machine and thought about how I never ever put it away. I love how stitching can be subtle or bold and really adds beautiful texture to a project.

What were your inspirations for the Picket Fence collection?

The Picket Fence line was inspired by that wonderful feeling of freedom you get from being outdoors in spring and summer. I’m Canadian and winters are oh so long. I love getting outside after a long winter when even the dirt smells good. Picket Fence is inspired by the feeling of sunshine warmth as I garden and the wind on my face when out on the lake. Simple pleasures.

Do you use all those amazing cards you create? Or are they neatly filed away?

As I create a LOT of cards, no, I don’t use them all. My cards make their way to many different places. Some are published, some mailed out to family and friends, some are sold on-line or at a local shop, some are filed away for the future and I donate quite a few.

Dream travel destination: Hawaii

Superhero power: Is there a superhero power that magically cleans at the snap of your fingers? With five kids at home, I could really make good use of that power!

Favorite food: Chocolate!

Favorite color combo: Aqua and Green

Perfect weekend: a night away with my hubby and a day on the water

And Julia sketched a floor plan for us!

Julia's lovely children, ranging from 5 to 20 years old.

And her favorite Lily Bee layout (which she loves because it holds a list of all her dreams!)

Thanks Julia for sharing your space with us! 


Hope you've enjoyed this visit. Y'all have a great weekend!

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Studio Peek: Lisa Day

Hello there! Today, we are doing the first Studio Peek. Every so often, we'll visit the workspace of one of our design team members and get a tour. Plus, we'll ask them a few nosy questions (the design team submitted the questions.)

Our first test subject designer is Lisa Day. Lisa's work is clean and linear, with lots of color and details. Not only does she do a super job here at Lily Bee, but she also teaches at Big Picture Classes (I mean, aside from her day job, and being a mommy and wife). You can check out more of Lisa's work on her blog, This Is My Life.

1. Tell us about your scrap space.
My scrap area is in the basement which we are in the process of finishing right now. It’s connected to the main area and the kids play room so we can all be together. Although I can’t show you pictures of that right now because the play room is full of stuff we had to move out of the way in the basement! It’s my favorite part of the room. It’s nothing fancy, but it works great for me!

2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a hoarder are you? And what products do you hoard the most? 
Um, I guess I’d say a 7. I’m not too bad of a hoarder but I do have more stuff than I could probably ever use in a lifetime! I definitely hoard letter stickers the most. They can make or break a layout so I always think I need to have the perfect ones on hand. Plus it’s hard to use up an entire sheet so I have lots!

3. What is your oldest, most prized scrapbook item? The one that has been discontinued and you just don't want to use it up?
I’d say my oldest, although probably not most prized, items are all my brads and doo dads. Lately I have been challenging myself to include them on my layouts since I have so many. I have them organized in an old type drawer which makes me happy. So, even if I don’t use them at least they look pretty!

4. What do you do when you have a creative block?
When I feel blocked I take a nap or go for a walk. I’ve learned not to force it.

5. Who inspires you? 
There are so many wonderful scrapbookers that inspire me. Too many to name as they inspire me for different reasons. In life, my family inspires me a lot. Also Dr. Seuss! Weird I know!

6. What's your favorite Lily Bee product? 
I have to pick a favorite? Sorry. Not gonna do it. 

7. How long does it usually take you to finish a layout? 
If I am time crunched I can pull of a page in 30 minutes. But, if I have more time I tend to hem and haw and take an hour or longer to finish a page.

8. Do you eat while scrapbooking? If yes, what? 
Not really. Sometimes I like to have m&m’s or some kind of chocolate on hand. I spill too much so I’ve stopped having much near by!

And because we wanted to know more!

Favorite food – Chips and Salsa from Chili’s

Dream travel destination – its a tie between Savannah, New Orleans and Italy


If I could choose a superhero power, it would be – Flying! Because I spend too much time commuting plus I'm always late. 

Favorite color combo – Turquoise and Red

Your perfect weekend – Sitting on the beach next to my husband with my feet in the sand and a book in my hand, the kids playing and laughing nearby.  Luckily that’s half of our weekends in the summer!

And finally, we asked her to share her favorite layout using Lily Bee products.

Lisa says, "It’s an oldie but this was the layout that made me fall in love with Lily Bee products!"


Thanks Lisa! 

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