Capturing the Everyday | A Scrapper’s Style Interview with Jennifer Hignite

Hi Jennifer!  Welcome to Simply Tiffany Studios.  Tell us a little bit about yourself and your digital scrapbooking.

I am a 33-year-old single mom of three (not so little) boys who keep me very busy, are the love of my life and the reason I scrapbook.

I started scrapbooking traditionally back in December of 2001 with the birth of my first son, Dylan, and a copy of BHG Scrapbooks Etc. magazine.  I was looking for a way to document all of the photos I was taking at the time and fell in love with the layouts in the magazine.  With the birth of my second son in 2003 this simple pastime turned into a full fledged obsession!

I found online scrapbooking websites like Two Peas in a Bucket, and fell even more in love with the creative side of memory keeping.  As my boys got older, my scrapbooking took a backseat to everyday life, and the amount of my memory keeping sadly dwindled.

In 2008 I again found myself pregnant and in need of a way to document another baby boy.   I discovered the simplicity and creativity I longed for in digital scrapbooking!  I have been completely digital since 2010, and am more in love with this hobby than ever before!

In 2012 I started documenting our daily lives with the help of Project Life (in digital format, or course!).  I absolutely love the simplicity that Project Life brings, and that it captures so many of those everyday moments, those small hours that make life so precious!  This year I am honored to be part of the 2013 Project Life Creative Team!

Congratulations on making the Project Life Team!  

How would you describe your scrapbooking style?

Clean, simple and colorful.  I gravitate toward creating Project Life pages that are clean and graphic, with a focus on keeping it rather simple (photos and journaling) with lots of bright colors!

Is there a special technique or page element that you gravitate toward on your layouts?

My personal calling card is the title pages I use for my Project Life album.  One of the perks of being a digital scrapbooker is how easy it is to change things up!  For me, that involves changing color schemes each week.  I start with a specific kit in mind or a certain color combination.  These color-coordinated title cards are how I make it all come together cohesively.

With all the photos and journaling your include on your pages, how long would you say it takes you to complete a layout?

On average it takes me between 2-3 hours to complete a one week spread.  Definitely the most time consuming part is picking out and narrowing down the photos I want to use!

Has your style evolved over time?

 Over the past year I have stayed pretty true to my style throughout this project.  Some weeks I find I like to add more embellishments and fun stuff, but for the most part it has been the photos and journaling taking center stage.  I document the simple, everyday moments of life.

Do you ever step outside your style comfort zone?

I am not big on change.  I definitely like to stay inside my comfort zone and create pages in my own personal style.  I believe that once you find a style that makes you happy and works toward the goal at hand, then just go with it!   The beauty of Project Life is that you can make it whatever you want, so there is really no wrong or right way!

What types of digital kits are you drawn to for your Project Life layouts?

For Project Life I am drawn to simple kits with lots of simple graphic designs and journaling cards.  Of course Becky Higgins Project Life digital kits are my go-to supply. The Clementine Edition was my kit of choice for 2012, and the Seafoam Edition is making my so very happy for 2013!  I love to add in word art, and Karla Dudley is always a great go-to gal for those!

You mentioned you started Project Life last year.  What was it that drew you towards this style of scapbooking?

I was totally inspired to start on this Project Life journey when I saw what Ali Edwards and Lisa Truesdell were doing with their albums!  I just fell in love with how they captured little snippets of everyday life and had them recorded forever!

I have heard many people vow to start on a Project Life album, but after a few weeks they find themselves falling behind.  What would you say to help those people keep going?

Just do it!  Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be.  Photos + journaling cards + a few words can be enough!  Your family won’t care that you used the new & wildly popular products. What they will cherish is that you took the time to document real life!

Take the time to capture those simple things you will forget tomorrow or five years down the road.  Always have a camera nearby, be it a phone or regular camera.  The photos don’t have to be perfect.  Most times the best ones are the imperfect, spur of the moment photos!

Jot down little moments as they happen too!  Keep a little notebook in your purse or use an app on your phone. I use Oh Life to jot things down daily.  When you go to put your layouts together it is amazing how easily you forget those little things you told yourself you would remember!

This has been such a fun interview!  Thank you so much for joining us and sharing some insight into Project Life.

You can see more of Jennifer’s beautiful work at her Two Peas gallery.  You can also keep up to date on her life’s happenings on her blog, Facebook and Instagram.