Contributor Center Stage: Kelsey McEvoy

This July, we're thrilled to dedicate the Contributor Center Stage to Creative Team contributor Kelsey McEvoy (kelseyespecially)! Kelsey is an active part of the Studio Calico community, sharing her beautiful spreads. Be sure to check out her projects in the gallery this month! Take a few minutes to learn a little more about Kelsey — her crafting history, organization techniques and more! We're so thankful for our talented team that helps to spread the joy of memory-keeping all over the world.


1. How long have you been scrapbooking?

Three and a half-ish years.

I first discovered Project Life® at the beginning of 2012, during the final trimester of my pregnancy with my son. At the same time I was finally invited to join Pinterest (remember when it was invite-only (which wasn’t really special because anyone could request one, ha!)) and also discovered a whole corner of the Internet I had no clue existed – personal and creative blogs.

While on maternity leave I started reading a handful of personal and creative blogs, and followed a handful of Project Lifers religiously, trying to figure out exactly what Project Life was and how to “do” it. I was thoroughly intrigued, but also intimidated. I decided to wait to start documenting life using the Project Life® approach until January 2013. Mostly because my Type A brain couldn’t rationalize starting the project at a random point throughout the year. Plus, I had a newborn, a toddler and a first grader, which means I had no time to dig into something totally new.

I documented our family’s entire life through 2013 using the Project Life® approach, started 2014 off strong but fell off the wagon over the summer months, switched gears in 2015 to random weekly spreads and monthly mini books, and recommitted to the project in 2016.

This year I’ve also begun to try my hand at making traditional one-page scrapbook pages.

2. What’s your go-to technique?

My main memory keeping method is Project Life®, and this year I’ve been *trying to be* really intentional about including more context in my layouts. Basically: More journaling. Going back through past albums I realized just how little context I included, and how much I wished I had a better idea of what was going on at certain times.

So. More journaling this year. Sometimes I have way too much to say, other times I have bits to say that I don’t want readily visible, so my go-to technique this year has been including “hidden” journaling in my weekly layouts.

3. Would you mind sharing some photos of how one such project came together/some text describing the stages?

My standard journaling process is using a Sharpie fine tip pen (black) to outline a card, draw lines and then write whatever I have to say. Seriously so easy.

When I want to add some visual “oomph” to my layout, or if I want to hide a crappy colored photo or photo where we don’t necessarily look our best but I still want to include it, I’ll use flip-up cards.

You can easily make flip-up cards using the Fuse Tool. I really love the Photo Flips from Simple Stories, though. They have an adhesive strip on the back and you just peel it off and stick it on. Fool proof. For real.

Sometimes I get fancy with my flip-ups and sew something directly onto transparency, then paperclip or staple the transparency to a pocket:


Or I use a long piece of card stock or vellum just slipped into the pocket:

I also like using (or making) tags as flip-ups. I use a tag as a stencil to trace over a piece of card stock or a journaling card, then cut, punch, fold over the extra bit at the top and affix to the back of the card I’m “hiding,” and boom. That’s it.


You can read the full “flip-up” cards "how to" post on my blog.
My favorite way to hide journaling that I don’t want readily visible (or that is so much) is to use a tabbed note card.


I usually do this sized at 4x6 since it allows for more room. To make the tabbed note card I use a 4x6 photo or journaling/filler card to trace a 4x6 rectangle on card stock, then use a tabbed file folder to add the tab. I hand cut, then write, and slip in behind the photo.

4. How do you stay organized?

Lolz, I don’t. When I’m not working on a project my goodies are stacked upon or shoved into a Kallax shelf from Ikea. When I am working on a project my physical workspace is spread over my dining room table, my kitchen island and my living room floor, which is to say it is a hot mess and I’m in a constant state of never being able to find what I need until after I use something else in its place and the project is done.

I have a Kallax shelf from Ikea that I originally intended to use as an organization hub, but it’s not really the best piece of organizational furniture for a bunch of teeny items.

Recently I’ve been eyeing the Alex drawer unit. I like that it has drawers, which keep all my supplies out of sight (makes my kitchen look cleaner) and away from prying kiddo hands. I haven’t bit the bullet yet, though, because I need to make sure I can find partitioned drawer inserts that will fit the Alex’s drawers and hold my supplies. Hoping to head to Ikea soon to do some recon :)

I’m also open to any suggestions – what are YOUR favorite affordable and small-space-ready pieces of organizational furniture/storage?

5. What is the crafting tool you can’t live without?

I recently splurged on a sewing machine (this one), and it is absolutely my new fave crafting tool. You can replicate the typewriter look using fonts (this one is my fave), but there’s no replicating stitching detail. I love, love, love it. I still haven’t mastered fancy stitching, and I’m afraid to try anything too crazy, but I’m slowly branching out and experimenting with my stitching skills.

6. Where do you go to get ideas?

In order: the Studio Calico gallery (and my Inspiration Book), Instagram (usually just sifting through hashtags) and Pinterest (both my memory keeping board and my main feed).

7. Anything else we should know about you and/or your style?

It took me years – literally – to find and hone “my style,” which I like to think is fun, bright and clean. Lots of trial and error, lots of frustration, lots of discouragement along the way – and lots of comparing myself to others and feeling like a failure. This memory keeping stuff is supposed to be fun. Always keep that in mind. Keep it simple. Keep it in focus. And keep going.

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2 comments

  1. Hsmith_76 says…
    07/01/2016

    Major fan of Kelsey's style!

    0 Reply 0 Replies
  2. casandraonline says…
    07/01/2016

    love kelsey, love everything she does! seriously always hits the mark. and @kelseyespecially I have the alex drawer units for my craftspace and it's a perfect fit. I'm actually doing a youtube video about re-organizing my space with all ikea stuff.

    0 Reply 0 Replies