Happy New Year! and we need guest designers!

so i am starting the new year off with our January featured member:
each month we pick a new member of our ning group so if you havent already please come and join us!
http://letsscrapdivas.ning.com

so this month our featured member is vicki! aka skrapkat
Hey Girls
I am so flattered to be chosen for this month...thanks so much! I am also going to apologise in advance for my photos being so big, I still have not mastered how to shrink them down yet!!
I am 33 years old. Single mum to my gorgeous 7 year old daughter Ashli and we live in Australia.

I have always been a "crafty" person. But the most I made was photo frames as gifts, or cards. Then a friend invited me to a Creative Memories demonstration. I really enjoyed it, but at the time it didn't stick. Then 7 years ago, I welcomed my gorgeous girl into the world, and I made her an album from mdf and cardboard. I went into a newsagent to find some stickers for my album when I came across scrapbooking mags....I have not looked back...suffice to say the album had to be redone though with acid free products....lol

For me scrapbooking is a creative release, but its also my way of leaving a witness to our lives. I am definately a "less is more" scrapbooker most times. I love a blank background with lots of colourful embellishments. My fav embellishments I would have to say are journaling boxes, rhinestones, glitter and chipboard. Oh and I have to mention my white gel pen, I can usually find a use for it on any of my layouts....lol

If I had to choose a favourite line, I would have to say Urban Lily - they are an Aussie company, and they just have gorgeous, funky,colourful paper, with flourishes and butterflies all over. Another favourite is a small company called Blueyedezines, they just some gorgeous felt embellishments.

Last year I achieved 3 of my scrapbooking goals...I made it into a Design Team, which I had so much fun with. I had a layout published for the very first time, and I very recently opened my own online scrapbooking store. So as you can imagine this all keeps me very busy on the computer. I would have to say I spend way too much time online, but as not one of my friends scraps, finding like minded friends online has been fantastic.

For inspiration I like to check out other peoples blogs....one of the blogs that truly inspire me is this one:

http://nadgmb.over-blog.com/

The site is french, but her layouts are awesome, and at the bottom of the page she also has blogs that she finds inspiring which are just fabulous. I love them so much I found a translation program online so that I could read them.

some of her favorite LO's

This layout is very sentimental. That bear was given to me by my best friend when Ash was born. So everyone that visited us at the hospital, and everyone that attended her naming ceremony signed it. Plus when Ash was born, she was exactly the size of that bear...weird to think about it now!!
I just love this layout, I think its those colours with the black background, and I adore those photos!!
This is one of my all time fav photos of my girl...her personality just shines right through...lol
vicki thanks for sharing your wonderful layouts and we love having you over at LS
and please go check out her blog!
http://skrapkats.blogspot.com/

we also need guest designers for February
so what i need you to do is head over to our ning group and sign up! say hello and then email me 2/3 pieces of your best work, a short bio & photo plus blog link
we need 2 card girls and 2 LO girls, i will supply sketches and so forth
and a blog button for you to use!

cant wait to see your creations and hope everyone is having a great new year