Author: Karen

I’ve been married for nearly a quarter of a century and have two awesome kiddos currently off at college. I’m a bit of a hobby collector—I love learning new things and trying out creative projects. Right now, some of my favorite pastimes include painting, art journaling, making hand-bound books, crocheting, and reading. In the past, I’ve also dabbled in stained glass, cross stitch, knitting, printmaking, and sewing—if it’s artsy, I’ve probably given it a try!

My scrapbooking style is messy, full, and journaling-heavy. I usually start with my photos and the stories behind them, but sometimes a kit is so fun and colorful that I’ll go find a photo just so I can scrap with it. Bright, vibrant kits always draw me in.

Photoshop is my home base when I scrap. I especially love working with shadows on separate layers so I can warp them for a more realistic effect. The pen tool is another favorite—it helps me create text boxes that fit any shape or space. And templates? I absolutely cannot scrap without them.

If you’re new to all this, remember: Ctrl-Z is your best friend. And more importantly—be brave enough to suck at something new. That’s how the magic starts.

  • June Challenges

      Hello everyone!  It’s Polly Karen and we are back to regular monthly challenges!  Phew!  Last month was wacky and as you probably know, tech gremlins ate the entire challenge forum.  It just went POOF and was gone and none…