Member Spotlight -- Nicole Polhamus

Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

I am a 34, almost 35 (my birthday is coming up soon) wife and stay at home mom from rural West Virginia. I have three sons, one daughter, two stepdaughters, a husband, and a household that I am in charge of or at least help out with. I am an aspiring writer and although I do have my own online column with my local newspaper, my real dream is to write a novel someday. My other interests include reading, photography, blogging, ATC trading, and pretty much anything artsy crafty.

How and when did you start scrapbooking?

I have no simple answer to this question, as it was a lifelong process that led me to the type of scrapbooking that I do today. When I was very young, my grandmother got me started with the type of scrapbooking where I kept memorabilia and taped it into “scrapbooks.” I still have my first scrapbook, which contains things like my Cabbage Patch doll birth certificate, school papers, little drawing, greeting cards, etc. In addition, I have always kept photo albums. About 5 or 6 years ago, I bought my first scrapbook kit from QVC. At this point, I started adding photos to my scrapbooks, but my pages were very simple, basically photo albums on ugly patterned paper.
In addition, I have always loved art. When I was in my senior year of high school, I only needed two classes to graduate, so my art teacher, who is a wonderful woman that I am still in contact with 16 years later, literally invented classes for me to take in her room. Five of my seven class periods of the day were spent in her room doing projects varying from oil painting on canvas to taking inventory in her supply closet.
My love of scrapbooking and my love of art did not merge with each other until about two years ago when I discovered a few online scrapbooking communities and galleries. I was completely amazed and somewhat intimidated by the incredible things those scrapbookers were doing with their pages. I took it one step at a time, learned one technique at a time, and have came a long way since then. A few weeks ago I started digital scrapbooking and well…. That’s another story.

How would you describe your scrapbooking style?

I don’t have a good answer to this question, because I just don’t know. I do know that I am willing to try any style and any technique at least once. I might consider myself to be very eclectic. Some of my pages are similar, but I don’t have one way that I always scrapbook.

How often do you journal? Is it important to you?

I would say that I journal on about half of my pages. It is important to me if I feel the need to tell the story behind the photos. If I am just playing or being creative then I don’t always add any journaling.

Do you have a dedicated scrap space? What does it look like right now?

Yes, I do have a dedicated scrap space in an extra bedroom. It is a total disaster right now. For the past few weeks, I have only been purging and cleaning. We all know that things get really messy right before they get clean when we take on organizing the scrap room.

What are your "go to" tools or supplies when you scrap?

To get an answer to this question, all would have to do is look at my scrap table and see the things that never ever get put away because I use them so much. In no particular order, it would be my stamps, my chalk inkpads, my glue dots, my Bic mark-its, my rotary trimmer, my Spica clear gel pen, my Cuttlebug, and all of my Bazzill, Basic Grey, and Thickers.

Where do you start when you get ready to create -- sketches, supplies, photos...?

I very rarely start with a sketch unless it is for a challenge. I would say about half the time I start with paper and half the time I start with a photo.

Are you a scrapper or an artist?

Definitely both.