Member Spotlight | Diana Tuckwell

This month, get to know Studio Calico member Diana Tuckwell (dctuckwell). Diana lives in the small town of Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, with her husband of eight years and three sweet children. She got her first taste of scrapbooking at age 13, and has continuously scrapped since the birth of her first son in 2008. Learn more about Diana and her style below!

Hi everyone, I'm Diana! I'm a wife to my better half for eight years and momma to my two crazy boys and sweet girl. I live in a small town, Three Hills in Alberta, Canada. I'm a lover of coffee, photography, gardening and of course all that pretty paper. I'm lucky enough to be a stay at home mom and even though days can be hard with two toddlers while big brother is in school, I wouldn't change it for the world. Those sweet little faces, "I love you mommys" and crazy amount of love they have to give is nothing short of amazing.

I've always been a creative heart, from when I was little I would love drawing and as I got older art class was my favorite class and I spent many hours sketching. Art and creativity has always been my passion. I started scrapbooking when I was, I think, around 13. We lived on a farm a far distance away from my friends so my aunt is the first person to introduce me to this wonderful hobby. When I was barely a teenager, I scrapbooked my entire childhood into three fat albums. Looking back on them is so fun. To see how much the products and my style has evolved. Those books are filled with cut out silhouettes of photos, traced letters, shaped scissors and ridiculous stickers. Fast forward to 2007, I created a wedding album after my husband and I married and started my son's albums when he was born in 2008. I've scrapbooked continuously since then, and have created about 15 albums, not including my mile high stack of layouts waiting for albums.

I started Project Life® last year and have been in love with documenting the everyday in that way. I take so many photos, there were so many that were just sitting on my computer because they really didn't hold a big story or there were just to many to get onto layouts. Now, I document daily, everyday life in monthly Project Life® and my 12x12 layouts are just my little pieces of art (to me)—not usually a big story there, just a picture that I love.

---

SC Member since:

I've been a member since last May. My first kit was the Camelot Project Life® kit. I started because I felt like the big core kits felt boring after just a few layouts and I wanted something different. The idea of getting new stuff every month right to my door was just perfect for what I was looking for. I started the Scrapbook kit in January because I felt like I continuously loved the contents, and for me, where the closest store is three hours away, it was perfect.

All-time favorite past kit or collection:

My all time favorite past kit is definitely a tie between January's Far Far Away Project Life® kit, Cirque Scrapbook kit from February and this month's Pop Art kit. The colors in all these kits were just perfect.

What do you do when your kit comes?

When my kit comes I HAVE to open it right away. I stalk my box online and when it gets here everything else has to wait, just 10 minutes. I open it all up, then put it all away and start brainstorming. My son always knows when that truck pulls up mommy's scrapbooking box is here! My UPS guy doesn't deliver until close to 5 so the day my box is on the truck I am counting down!

What's your go-to technique?

My go-to technique is some kind of grid style. I love to work with different shapes and circles are a clear favorite for me. Normally, I pull a photo I really love, look at what papers go with the colors and then start to think of how I can really show off the papers. I love those really layered layouts but I have such a hard time covering up all that pretty paper! Often I will have an idea in my head that I want to try and then start searching for a photo that will work and papers to match.

Share your top 5 products:

1. Patterned paper - especially 6X6 pads. I love getting a little bit of every pattern.
2. Wood veneers - they work with any project and you can so easily customize them with ink, paint for embossing.
3. Sewing machine - I bought one just for scrapbooking and no layout feels finished until it has some stitching. It's also the perfect adhesive. :)
4. Chipboard or puffy hearts or stars - they are so perfect to add a little touch and go with any kind of layout.
5. Paint or mist - every layout needs a little ink splatter.

Where do you go when your mojo is low?

When I'm feeling stuck, I often try to look at Pinterest or the gallery. If I'm stuck in the middle of a layout (which can happen when you leave something to finish it later because someone needs you). I find, for me, I just have to keep going. Keep pushing things around, and sooner or later it comes together. I also like to open my Silhouette software and see if there's some sort of background that I can create or cut to kick start. If all else fails, I just close the door and go do something else, wait until I see something that sparks an idea. I often get my best ideas when I'm in the middle of another layout or project.

---

Thank you for letting us spotlight you, Diana! We loved getting to know more about you! If you'd like to see more of her work, be sure to follow her here at SC and on her Instagram!