Today I’d like to introduce you to Lori Gentile. She is the TES October Featured Scrapper. She is a full time job stay at home mom. She’s into lots of creative outlets including mixed media, scrapbooking, stamping, beading, and knitting. She’s been scrapbooking for 11 years, and loves recording her family’s history. I first got to know Lori through the My Mind’s Eye blog. She received an honorable mention for their PageMap Challenge with this layout using the Spider’s Web papers.

In September, Lori was introduced as the newest member of the Creative Imaginations Design Team. In addition, she scraps for Lily Bee Design and the Creative Therapy Challenge Blog. She’s also been featured in Scrapbook Trends magazine’s 2009 Mini Albums Idea Book.

Lori was kind of enough to let me pick her brain with a few questions.
CB: What products are you working with at the moment?
LG: I work with Lily Bee Design and Creative Imaginations every month for my design team work and I love, love both companies. I recently purchased some Prima and Crate Paper and have been having fun playing with those. I use American Crafts Thickers on nearly every layout and some type of tiny font, be it Making Memories, Carolees or My Little Shoebox. Those are a must. I, also, have to sew or use paint on everything or it doesn’t seem finished.

I love this layout Lori made using the Crate Paper Lillian collection

CB: Where do you go for scrapping inspiration?
LG: I look in galleries and on blogs. I love looking through home decor magazines for inspiration. I’m in love with mixed media art and try to buy all the Stampington magazines I can find. It’s amazing how those techniques can quickly translate to scrapbooking. There is a big crossover between the two these days, which I love. I really try to let the stories of our lives be the inspiration for any layout.

Here is a Halloween-themed altered card Lori did recently.

CB:How did you get started in scrapbooking?
LG: Back in the late 90’s, my Cousin pulled out her scrapbook and showed it to me. I flipped over it and knew I had to find a consultant so I could start scrapbooking. I thought it would be easy way for someone like me, who didn’t feel creative, to be creative. When I started I was all about the photos, memorabilia and stories. I veered away from that, but have recently come back full circle.

CB: What’s it like being on your first manufacturer design team?
LG: It was a HUGE thrill to get an email asking if I wanted to join Lily Bee. I freaked out and did some crazy dancing. I was really excited and then the fear set in. I imagine that’s fairly normal. Most of the scrapbookers I know have self doubt now and then, maybe more than now and then. I have to say that both of my teams are warm and friendly. Everyone is really supportive and the companies are very generous. I feel really lucky.

Here is a Halloween banner Lori made using Lily Bee Design Audrey paper and flowers and a Maya Road Scallop Banner book

CB: What kind of projects can we expect to see from you?
LG: Wow. Well, definitely a lot of scrapbook pages. I think I’m actually a better alterer, mini book gal than a layout gal, so I’m going to start doing more of that. For an upcoming Lily Bee Blog post, I’ll be doing some altered items for Halloween. The great thing about both teams is the flexibility we have to do whatever we want, so I can just run with my mood.

We are very lucky because Lori also created this layout for TES.

Layout Title: Our Little Cuddle Bug
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper: Prima Marketing, Journaling Page: Fancy Pants, Alphabets: Carolees and American Crafts, Flower: Prima Marketing, Rub-ons: Crate Paper, Pen: Zig, Other: Sewing machine thread, Photograph: Michelle Riddle Photography

I want to say a big thanks to Lori for her time and awesome work. We look forward to seeing more from her in the future and wish her the best of luck!

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Featured Scrapper. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.