LOD 2023 - February 24 - Rachel Jefferies

I'm excited to present today's Daily Crush: Rachel Jefferies!




Welcome to the 2023 edition of Love Our Designers (LOD)
This event isn't a traditional challenge in that there aren't any real rules.
It’s a fun event to scrap with products from a fave designer or try a new (to you) designer. It’s all about having fun and celebrating the uniqueness of all of our Lilypad Designers!

There are all sorts of ways to find and follow Rachel:
TLP store
newsletter signup
blog/website
facebook fan page
other social media links
Instagram (Tag me using hashtag #racheljefferiesdesigns)
Pinterest
TLP username: Rachel Jefferies​

I credit Rachel for taking me outside of my clean and simple comfort zone and exploring the world of mixed media. Even though I considered her designs to be "outside my style" I always loved her color combinations and focus on natural elements. So one day I just decided to go for it. I reached into my stash and just started playing, and was instantly hooked! Her neutral tones and nature-themed elements (think flowers, leaves, butterflies, branches, etc.) incorporated so easily into many of my photographs that she has honestly become my go-to designer. Imagine that - a mixed media designer is the go-to for a clean and simple scrapper! But that's the beauty of Rachel's designs - they're versatile enough that they work for literally any kind of style. And so I feel like I've morphed into a "messy and simple" scrapper. Or a "clean media" scrapper. Is there even such a thing? I think there is!

To show the versatility of Rachel's designs and collections:

Playing with some serious messy using Just Imagine:


Kind of a messy and simple page with Step by Step Mixed Media Paperie and Artistry:



A true clean and simple example with Inglewood:


And bonus - not only does she design individually, but she has a gorgeous monthly collaboration with Lynn Grieveson called Hear My Voice, and she recently joined the Memory Pockets Monthly subscription team:

With Hear My Voice: Remembering:


And with the newest MPM - Current, and Rachel's Mixed Media Signature Kit: Current:



As if that wasn't enough, Rachel has also created her first ever Print, Cut and Create Printable Kit for our hybrid scrappers! So many Rachel options! And to help enable you just a little bit more, Rachel's store is 40% off today only (with some exclusions), or 55% off when you spend $35 or more!

Please note that whilst Rachel's Memory Pockets Monthly Add On's are 40% off due to way these subscription related products are added to the shop they won't go towards your $35 subtotal for the extra tier savings - thank you for understanding! Memory Pocket Monthly Subscriptions are excluded from the sale.



In addition to being a designer and a scrapper, Rachel is just a super nice person! I asked her a few questions about herself so we could all get to know her better:

How did you get started as a designer? What brought you to this craft?
Believe it or not it was creating forum signatures. Years and years ago I was a member of a non scrapbooking forum and I asked some online friends how they were making their forum signatures. They pointed me in the direction of Paint Shop Pro and I started to learn about working in layers and how to use graphics to make things pretty. In my spare time I started to teach myself how to create my own graphics and this then morphed into creating Scrapbooking Kits after seeing friends create their signatures with some Kits. Soon after I offered freebies on a blog and then I created my business which was named Captivated Visions. I took a design hiatus whilst pregnant with my second child in 2017 and when I returned I rebranded to Rachel Jefferies.

What's your creative process for coming up with new product ideas?
Creating just for me keeps me in a creative flow and sparks new ideas for collections. It always almost starts with my sketchbooks and art journals etc. This is where I experiment with colour schemes, texture, mark making and mindless collage. I enjoy all styles of creative journaling and collage in my spare time and I scan my favourite pieces that I think might work in a Kit and thoroughly enjoy having hand crafted pieces from my art in my collections, they make my work uniquely mine. I pull from my own life experiences and moods when picking themes and am influenced by the things that are happening around me. Recording all of the little details of everyday life as I have young children and nature are also big inspirations to me with regards to themes and it's much easier for me to get into the flow of a digital kit if I have something relatable to work with first.

What do you love most about designing?
Mostly that it completes me. It's part of my being and soul and whilst I never imagined myself to become a designer as I'm all self taught it feels so natural now and is such a huge part of my life. It allows me to be home for my young children and to work around school hours and that’s priceless. In terms of what I love the most about designing actual product it's firstly the papers. I normally always start with them and they always really set the tone of the kit from the get go. Then I love seeing it all come together at the end, it's such a warm and fuzzy feeling to see the finished collection loaded into the shop and surprising everyone with the reveal on release day!

In addition to designing, you are also a scrapper/memory keeper for your family. What are some of your favorite pages you've scrapped yourself, and why do they speak to you?

'Exploring 1' is one of my faves as it captures memories of a favourite family holiday in the forest and I had so much fun using these templates from one of our Hear My Voice releases. I love the mix of masks and frames and for the first time experimented using Pocket Cards clipped to masks and loved the results.



'Fun' is one of my faves from another forest holiday, Keaton was younger here and just look at those smiles. I just love the colours and textures and joy in this page.



'Into the Woods I will go' there's a theme here isn't there - trees - nature - smiles - he he



'Sew Happy' and finally this photo is one of my faves, and I love the mix of white space, clustering, collage and mixed media all in one space on this page!




In addition to designing solo kits and products, you also contribute to the Memory Pockets Monthly subscription kits, and you have a monthly Hear My Voice collaboration with Lynn Grieveson. How is it different to work with a partner or group versus designing by yourself?
It keeps me accountable, and whilst I used to struggle to work to more deadlines I need it now. The routine of these regular releases really pushes me to release as much product as I can and keeps me on my toes that’s for sure. I have found that being a digital designer can be a lonely business. Working at home, spending so much time on the computer can become solitary. I have found that I enjoy bouncing ideas around with others and it's fun how we inspire each other. I have made some very special friendships thanks to collaborating. Creating the Hear My Voice Series with Lynn has been the highlight of my Digital Scrapbook Career thus far, she is an absolute gem and I love her with all of my heart!

Where do you see scrapbooking and memory keeping going in the next five years?
Honestly I don’t actually follow trends all that much per se nor let them stress me out. I have always stayed true to myself and followed my heart with all things design related. It does make my creative muse happy though that Mixed Media, Vintage and elements of Junk Journaling are more prevalent now in scrapbooking and I see that continuing. Textile, fabrics and hand stitching is creeping through which excites me a lot I think we might see more of a push towards minimalism and cleaner photo book style scrapbooking as our world just seems to speed up and get more stressful as time evolves if that makes sense.

How do you maintain a work/life balance? Any advice for the rest of us?
Ahh . . . well I don't think I'm the best qualified person to answer this one
I was actually sitting at work whilst typing the answer to this question at 12am whilst everyone else was in bed sleeping. I'd just uploaded the last piece of my collection that releases this week. It's Half-Term at the moment in the UK and the kids are off school so I have had no choice but to work until my eyes can take no more and have had lots of late nights this week. It's actually the hardest thing for me, the work and life balance. I start work after I have dropped the Kids at school and stop around 2.30pm before I leave to pick them up again and then I start again around 9pm and work until it's time for me to go to bed. This normally includes Saturday and Sunday evenings too and there still isn't enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done! I am better recently though about taking more time for myself, I have started to have a lunch break away from the computer screen during the working day rather than eating whilst still working on the computer. I also take at least 40 minutes to an hour after the kids have gone to bed to sit with hubby and catch up before I start work around 9pm. If I can manage my workload without working those Saturday and Sunday evenings I'll take them off wherever possible though. I think no matter is what is going on we have to make that time for ourselves, if we don’t include ourselves near the top of that priority list then we’ll just be too burnt out and disconnected anyway won’t we?

A huge thanks to my wonderful creative team who are a great support to me with critique and product ideas and working at short notice with no complaints when it needs to happen. Not to mention the incredible work they do behind the scenes helping me with things that I can delegate to them and for their help in hosting and organising the scrapbook challenges we host in the forums. And to my wonderful husband Simon who has always supported me and knows how much my little business means to me. This man is amazingly helpful and a tech genius and has the patience of a saint! Without their help and support the work life balance would be even more lopsided so I guess having that support network is crucial too

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would that be?
Without hesitation that would be my Dad who passed away suddenly in 2001. I'd give anything to hear his voice again, give him a hug and have a catch up

A big thank you to all of my fans and followers for supporting my small precious business, it means so much to me

I'm super excited to see what you create with Rachel's gorgeous stuff! Don't forget to check out her store and take advantage of today's sale! Be sure to post your page here, and in Rachel's gallery (but please make sure you meet the TLP gallery guidelines of at least 50% TLP product).

Thanks for helping me celebrate Rachel today!