Teri Cutts

Six-year old daughter Elise is the topic of most of Teri Cutts' scrapbook pages.

Teri, who taught sixth grade before she became a stay-at-home mom, has been scrapbooking since just after Elise was born, and feels that the best thing about it is the friends she has made.

Encouraged by meeting designer Shauna Berglund-Immel at a weekend retreat two years after she began scrapbooking, Teri went from her very simple scrapping style to using patterned papers. “I was amazed at her (Shauna's) pages. I had never used patterned paper, and I loved how it looked.” Shauna prompted Teri to get started, and after a few Disney pages using Paper Pizazz™, Teri was hooked.

“I really enjoy scrapbooking because it allows me to be creative. I love that it is individual, and everyone has their own unique style.”

Journaled on the title page:

“My eyes are the ocean in which my dreams are reflected.?/blockquote>

Teri also enjoys trying new techniques and products. She learns a lot from fellow scrappers, but says, “I look for inspiration in everything—even signs in Target.”

Her inspiration here came from her family. As the oldest of eight children, Teri's mother had to be inventive to make the family's food budget stretch. “This layout reminds me of the goulash that my mother used to make every Thursday night. She would take all of our leftovers and combine them into a wonderful stewy mixture,” explains Teri.

“That's kind of what I did. I needed to make a two-page spread, but didn't have enough pages of the paper I chose, so I tore and combined papers to make my background. Then I took all of my leftover embellishment letters and such and made my journaling block on the first page. I overlayed all of the tan cardstock with beige vellum so that it would match. What I came up with was a collagy hodgepodge that I hope you like.”

Supply List:

Vacation Collage Papers
Jacie's Watercolor Naturals
Tan Vellum
Alphabet Tiles Cut-Outs™
Poetry Dog Tags
Making Memories: pewter and silver letters; large silver eyelet
Boxer Scrapbooks: small eyelets
2 Peas in a Bucket: copper letters
Magic Scraps: starfish, magic mesh, sea glass
Fibers: EK, Adornaments
Letter template: Wordsworth, Brush Cursive
Fonts: CK, Bella; 2 Peas, Flea Market, Vintage
Sticker letters: Sonnets, Flea Market Blocks

Journaled on the vellum:

“Elise, your eyes have always reminded me of the ocean. Not only are they the vibrant blue of a tropical sea, but they also show your depth and hint at the mysteries of your mind. My beautiful Ocean Eyes, what do you dream of? Whatever it is, I pray that it comes true.”