Designer Spotlight with Paige Evans: Elizabeth Gardner

Hi everyone! Paige Evans back here today to spotlight a super great and awesome and talented scrapbooker – Elizabeth Gardner!

Name: Elizabeth Gardner
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Blog: elizgardner.blogspot.com
Instagram: @myscrappylife
Pinterest: @elizgardner

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started scrapbooking: Hello there! I am Elizabeth. Mom to 4, wife to a hottie, teammate to some epic roller derby chicks, loving owner of a wild animal Weimaraner puppy and supposedly master of my own domain. I spend my days freezing my buns off in Northern Ohio (practically Canada), car dancing, pausing the television, and wondering how on earth there is always a load of laundry to do. I’m super passionate about bright colors (thus the rainbow colored wall in my scrap room), photographing every second (helloooooo, Mom-a-razzi!), and alone time with my scrapbook goodies (enamel dots, how do I love thee? let me count the ways…) The scrapbooking bug bit me hard one Valentine’s Day years ago when I decided to make an album for my husband as a gift. Once I realized all of the fun things you could do with embellishments, ink, and design, I was all in!

Favorite thing to scrap: I love scrapping everyday moments. The simple things that are typically forgotten or passed by. I’m also a big Project Life nerd. This is my fourth year of documenting and haven’t missed a single week!

What do you love about scrapbooking? Scrapbooking combines all of my favorite things. Design, art, photography, journaling, capturing a story. I’m really drawn to every aspect of this awesome hobby. I love the idea that years from now my family will be able to look back at these pages and see a part of their lives documented… and I love that I get to do it in my own creative way.

5 fun facts about yourself:
1. In the past year my hair has been purple, blue, and pink. Next time I am seriously considering going all-out rainbow.
2. I am a chartered, All-Star skater for my local roller derby league. I’m super excited for our upcoming season! Skater Name: Lucky Harms Tagline: magically malicious.
3. I’ve lived in Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Alabama, Kentucky, and Ohio. So, I’m pretty much an expert on the US. 😉
4. I worked professionally as an artist for many years in the art department at Trader Joe’s until deciding to stay home with my kids full time.
5. I am ridiculously good at car dancing and will dance to just about any song that comes on the radio. (Which of course my teenagers love.)

Here is Elizabeth’s Scrapbook Expo exclusive layout:

BEST BUDS by Eliazbeth Gardner

I’ve really been enjoying adding little bits of watercolor and ink to the background of my pages. I like how it can make an otherwise monochromatic page pop in all the right places. Also, how fun is placing the title right on top of a photo? Try it!

And here are four of Elizabeth’s favorite layouts that show her signature style:

RIGHT HERE by Elizabeth Gardner

The background of this page was created with the extra dye from our Easter eggs last year. I’m always looking for opportunities to explore and think outside of the box with different materials that might have been wasted otherwise. I’m also a sucker for that lovely splattered look.

FLASH by Elizabeth Gardner

The background on this one was created by taking a sheet from an 8×8 paper pad and cutting it into three pieces, then sewing them into place. I knew I wanted to use this old photo strip and the patterned paper has those awesome rectangles of goodness. Seems like a good match to me! I also love the way sewing adds just the right amount of texture to a layout. I even sewed a place for the journaling.

TO BE CONTINUED by Elizabeth Gardner

This is one of my favorite all time layouts. Yes, I fussy cut all of those flowers out of a patterned paper. Yes, it was totally worth it. This was one of those pages that just sorta, happened. I started with the photo and built from there. Once I had the frames in place I knew I needed a touch of yellow and dimensional adhesive to help them pop off the page a bit.

THIS HAPPENED by Elizabeth Gardner

Not a perfect photo? Not to worry! You can highlight it anyway… it still totally counts as a great Mom moment. I like to pair bright, vivid colors and corresponding embellishments with a nice B&W snapshot. This way they aren’t competing with each other for the spotlight. Again, see how sewing the shapes down lends a polished, finished look?

Thanks for letting me feature you, Elizabeth! See you all again next week!