Happysnappy, a storyteller with a camera: Ann Freeman has a wealth of scrapbooking ideas to share

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Ann Freeman has a wealth of scrapbooking ideas to share

Ann has been scrapbooking for almost 12 years now, started off more in card making (which she still does now and again), made her own wedding stationery in 2003 and then found an advert for scrapbooking in a cardmaking magazine. She was hooked and the rest as the say, is history.

She has designed for the UK retail store A Trip Down Memory Lane for a number of years now and teaches a lot of her scrapbooking ideas at their twice annual retreats as well as running her own scrapbooking crop in North London. ScrapMates is coming up for its 10th birthday!

The day you stepped into your creative space for the first time, did you already know how you wanted your studio to look like or did the design evolve from the actual space?

I started with a fold out table stored alongside the sofa with a bag of paper craft supplies 11 years ago! I called my husband from my first retreat full of excitement at how awesome it was and by the time I’d returned I had a small corner of the kitchen set up for me! That was in our last house, here I have a small but dedicated craft room. I’d like to empty out and start again storage wise (and maybe declutter) especially after I see all the gorgeous craft spaces on Pinterest!

Smile – layout from 2011 featured in The Scrapbook Magazine (UK)

After the work is done, do you clean up after each piece, after each day or whenever you can´t find the table any more?

I try and tidy up after each piece but sometimes there’s a tidying purge!! If it’s too messy I’ve been known to grab what I need and head elsewhere to create usually just cards as I need my space for larger scrapbooking projects.

A Good book – layout from 2010 as part of a “tell your own story” challenge

Which is your best time of the day to create?

Evenings usually (I work full time as an Accountant and days off are usually reserved for family). I’ve been known to scrap into the early hours, especially when I am away at a crafting retreat! I do listen to music most of the time when crafting (my favourite album to create to is the Soundtrack to the film Eat – Pray – Love) but anyone who knows me is more than aware I’m a huge Matt Cardle fan so he gets played often and has featured on several layouts too.

Gromit – layout from atdml gallery 2013

Which is your next project?

Always have monthly Design Team commitments and am working on December projects at the moment. That coupled with me preparing to join in with the online December Daily project everything is rather festive and sparkly right now!