Jan. 2017 Member Spotlight

2017 is off to a great start with our amazing community! It is our pleasure to introduce to you our first Member Spotlight of the year, @jamieleija! Jamie is an outstanding asset to SC and she is eager to share with you all a bit about her life! Continue reading for the inside scoop.

Hiya! My name is Jamie Leija (said Lay-ha). I'm a native Texan who loves to travel and scrapbook. I've lived in London, Thailand and Spain and have been blessed to travel to so many more places. Traveling and scrapbooking go hand in hand for me. I love that one hobby supports the other and that scrapbooking lets me relive and share all of those fabulous memories. Scrapbooking has been a big part of my life since I was very young. At 11 or 12 (too long to remember!) I went to a Creative Memories party with my mom and have been scrapbooking ever since! My first job in high school was for a local scrapbook store. I loved working there! And it helped me learn to love sharing this hobby with others. In college, I worked at Hobby Lobby and then another local scrapbook store. I've been published in Northridge Publishing's Scrapbook Trends, CARDS and Create publications and a guest on three episodes of the Paperclipping Roundtable. When I'm not scrapbooking or on a plane, I'm spending time with my pets, boyfriend or adorable nephew.


Member Since:

I’ve been part of the Studio Calico community since 2009 and received my first kit in 2010. It was the Continental kit which was travel themed. It was the first kit I ever purchased and I had so much fun mixing and matching the products to make several travel pages, my favorite kind of pages. Since then, I’ve loved seeing how Studio Calico has grown and changed. The products just keep getting better and better.

Why SC?

When I think of Studio Calico, I instantly think of great graphic designs. It’s what attracts me to the products and keeps me coming back year after year. And can we talk about the stamp sets?? Oh man, I want every last one it seems! I literally have an entire drawer full of Studio Calico stamps and keep wanting more. I’m also so inspired by the creative team and especially a few designers who’ve been creating with the kits for years—Catherine Davis and Anna Maria Wolniak! I’ve been inspired by Geralyn Sy and Tina Aszmus over the years too!

Must-Have Product:

Of course my product recommendation is going to be a stamp! And it’s probably one of SC’s most popular stamps…the mega date stamp! I mean, you can’t go wrong! I date stamp on nearly every one of my pages and this one adds a fun twist. I love using it at the top of 3x4 journaling or on a layout when the date is of extra significance.

2016 Highlight:

It’s hard to pick a favorite project from last year but I’m going to try. I think it has to be this Three Musketeers layout I created. It features me, my boyfriend and our dog. It was such a fun whimsical page! We look goofy but that makes it fun! Here's a link to the process video I put together.

Its a new year! What's your New Year's resolution? 

I have a few intentions for 2017, mainly around good habits to help increase my happiness. I put together a project around it but can’t share just yet. Check my blog for an update on that in February. As far as scrapbooking goes, I have a plan that involves, what else, stamps! I have so many stamp sets it isn’t even funny (hello! I admitted to a whole drawer of Studio Calico stamps!) So this year, my plan is to use a stamp on every project possible. Whatever doesn’t get used in 2017…well it will have to be sold or donated. So far I’ve used this year I’ve used 8 different stamp sets. I also implemented a stamp buying freeze. I have more than I will ever possibly use.

What would you like to see from SC in 2017?

Lately, I’ve become obsessed with all things traveler’s notebook! I would love for SC to create or offer products specifically geared to this smaller format. I’ve asked about this in the forum and was happy to hear that a traveler’s notebook tag is coming to the gallery! Can’t wait to filter it to see traveler’s notebook inspiration!

Shout Out!

I’d love love love to give a shout out to @JulieMcIvor who works behind the scenes at SC! She’s a doll to work with and so sweet :) Also shout out to my fellow traveler’s notebook babes! My friend Andrea aka Retrohipmama got me hooked on this format! And lastly, I’d like to shout out to Brandi Kincaid aka @Brandeye8. Girl, you keep doing what you’re doing and inspiring us all with your designs, photos and words.

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3 comments

  1. CeliseMcL says…
    02/04/2017

    Great to see you here Jamie! Congratulations! I enjoyed your workshop, hope to see you back again.

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  2. Brandeye8 says…
    02/04/2017

    Oh my goodness. I finally got a moment to come checkout your spotlight (which is awesome!!!) and saw your incredible and unexpected shout out at the end. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love seeing your work in the world ❤

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  3. amyscalze says…
    02/05/2017

    This was so much fun to read! Love that SC does this!
    Congratulations on being featured Jamie! Love your projects and wow are your travel photos amazing!

    1 Reply 0 Replies