by Sara Naumann

Shauna Berglund-Immel

Shauna Berglund-Immel's pages inspire me! It's true: I've known Shauna for nearly four years, when she first became a published designer. Since then, she's consistently inspired me with her amazing layouts. What I love is how she turns simple techniques, like vellum and chalking, into gorgeous layouts.

You may recognize her name—Shauna not only took top honors in Memory Makers' Page for the Cure contest, she was also the winner of Creating Keepsakes' Best Layout at CKU-Anaheim. Her work has been featured in both magazines, plus Simple Scrapbooks, PaperKuts and Scrapbooks Etc. She's also on the Paper Pizazz® design team, creating layouts for Hot Off The Press idea books like Making Fabulous Scrapbook Pages and Totally Tag Art. This summer, Shauna spills her secrets in a book all her own: Shauna's Secrets of Scrapbooking. This month, I caught up with the busy designer, full-time mom and certified scrap-a-holic to find out what inspires her creative spirit.

Sara: We first met almost four years ago, when you started scrapbooking professionally. How did you feel about "going pro"? shauna: when i "went pro" i had only been scrapbooking for about 3 months. i was thrilled, but nervous at the same time because i had a newborn and a 4 year old at home and i wasn't looking for a job! it's one of those things that fell in my lap when i was in the right place at the right time. i was torn between my commitment as a mother and my opportunity to work at my dream job (i couldn't believe people actually get paid to scrapbook at work!). scrapbooking, and going pro, came along at a time in my life when i was going through the baby blues, when i wasn't feeling very good about myself. it gave me a direction for my creativity. it was therapy when I needed it most (and i couldn't believe i was going to get paid for it!).

Sara: You've got two kids, a job and you're active in the scrapbooking community. When do you make time to do your own work?

shauna: i usually scrapbook at night, after the kids have gone to bed. I have my own studio, where i can shut the door and where i can store my stuff and leave layouts in progress sitting out over several days or weeks! i also store my children's art and scrapbook supplies in the same room, so they can work with their own supplies if i'm working on layouts during the day. having a studio means i can start a layout and then leave it out where i can walk by and think about it overnight or throughout the day. i may have a new perspective after leaving it sit for awhile.

Sara: You use the internet a lot for resources and socializing. What is the online scrapbooking world like? shauna: the internet is a wonderful resource! not only for fonts, but ideas, inspiration, song lyrics, poems, sayings, quotes, shopping, chatting, timelines etc! i belong to a local online group "metroscrappers", which is a group of women from oregon and washington who post about scrapbook store openings, crops, sales, expos, finds, etc! it has made oregon a smaller place for me. i also belong to the cropping cactus, an online group based in arizona, but with members spanning the globe! I feel like the world is a smaller place because of this experience! One of my best friends lives in new zealand and I met her over the internet, yet we've been to two cku's together. I also frequent twopeasinabucket, where you can shop, read the message boards and look at layouts.

Sara: What are your scrapbooking must-haves?

shauna: bottled coffee flavored starbucks frappaccinos over ice are a must for my late night and early morning creations. they go hand in hand! i have always dreamed of opening a scrapbooking store/coffee shop called "scrappaccinos"! like in college where you had all night coffee shops to study at, an all night coffee shop to scrapbook in!

Sara: Your design area at work is a scrapper's dream—you have access to every product available. What are your top picks? shauna: i can't scrapbook without my self-healing cutting mat, my clear, metal edged ruler and my x-acto® knife, with a sharp, fresh blade! another must is a true color light, such as an ott light. i often work late into the night, and it allows me to see the true colors of the papers and embellishments for better matching. my light source stays constant throughout my project, whether i'm working during the day or night. it's also is less straining on the eyes. then i have to have my metallics, vellums, patterned paper, glue dots, black, gold, and silver sakura gelly roll pens and an arsenal of lumpy embellishments!

Sara: I love your journaling. Any advice for people wanting to add more heartfelt journaling to their books?

shauna: i've wanted to be an illustrator of children's books since i was in junior high. scrapbooking allows me to do that. i'm not only the author, but the illustrator of my family history. just like an illustrator, a scrapbooker must portray the mood of the photographs. as an author, you write the stories. think about it as being an author of your own book, tell the story from your heart. more than the who, what when, how and why. write a story that will engage your reader and entice them to read more of your book. i want my albums to be best sellers with my family!

Shauna is the author of Shauna's Secrets of Scrapbooking, released this month from Hot Off The Press.