FEATURED DESIGNER: Heather Getson

Heather Getson lives in the Maritimes, and warm friendliness peeks through in everything she does. Heather has been on the DT here at S:CY since April and you can count on her to make well thought-out comments—you know that she truly considered the effort that went into the creations she’s commenting on!




Sketches: Creatively Yours Design Team Member
Heather Getson

 Heather  admits  that she is a night-time scrapper, mainly finding time to SB after her family has retired for the night. Heather scraps pretty much by herself.... her Aunt has been scrapping for 6 years, and Heather says she’d love to have her as a real-life scrappy companion, “but unfortunately, we live a fair distance from each other, so we don't have the privilege of being ‘scrappin’ buddies.’ ”

Heather received a very special gift when she was expecting her son, Zachary. In her own words… "The best gift I was ever given was a scrapbooking starter kit as a baby present, when our son was born in 2001. My neighbour asked if I was interested in scrapbooking and I had coincidentally been considering investigating the hobby for some time. Therefore, that was her deciding factor, and she presented me with a beautiful kit comprised of an album, patterned papers, cardstock, gel pens, glue sticks, decorative scissors, stickers, etc. I was in my glory and kept continuously looking at the kit's contents, but it was actually an entire year later before I designed my first scrapbook page. Nonetheless, that gift started me on a journey which I am still embarking on ten years later, and have never once considered looking back. It is my way of tapping into my artistic nature and creating a family legacy all at once."

One of Heather’s favourite projects was created in 2009. It is a tray she purchased from the Dollar Store and altered. Heather tells the story, injecting it with her characteristically warm sense of humour… “I just loved seeing the transformation from a plain tray into a useful and whimsical project. The intent was to use it for my son to serve Santa's snack to him, on Christmas Eve. However, in April of 2009, my son became fully educated about Santa's visit. Therefore, this was one of the traditions which then fell by the wayside at Christmas... but nonetheless, I still used it as part of my Christmas decor. Some things just cannot be controlled! LOL!”


Altered Tray for "Santa's Snack"
created by Designer (and Mom) Heather Getson

 In chatting about supplies, Heather says that her fave CS colour is teal. She loves the rich vibrancy of this colour and the fact that it contrasts well with so many different shades. Heather tells me that her "go-to" favourite brands of cardstock are Bazzill and Core’dinations. She says ”I just love the weight and texture of both of those cardstocks.” Heather writes the name and manufacturer on a label and places it on the back on each piece of CS…this makes it easy for her to determine what she needs to reorder or purchase. She says "I prefer to store both pattern paper and cardstock in open vertical boxes." Like so many scrappers, her "cardstock is sorted and labelled according to color and the patterned paper is sorted and labelled according to various themes."

Heather has a standard plan for getting herself out of a scrapping rut. She browses through online galleries or her idea binder, in search of a project that she particularly likes. Once she becomes inspired to design, she purposefully chooses a smaller project like a tag or a card because, she explains, this keeps her from feeling overwhelmed. Heather says that this “almost always does the trick and I'm on the road to recovery!”
In terms of deciding when a project is finished, Heather always snaps or scans a picture of it. This, she says, enables her to see the overall design and instantly shows any changes needed in order to gain a good balance. She adds “I am also a big fan of incorporating white space, so that, coupled with the balance, determines that a project is finished to my satisfaction.” Heather says she would likely be termed a "slow scrapper” but also feels that “consequently, I am satisfied with the finished project.”

Heather shared an 8.5" x 11" layout as another of her favourite projects today. She felt honoured to have had this published in the BasicGrey Gallery. To create this LO, she used one of Becky Fleck's Page Map sketches. Says Heather "I also used the gorgeous patterned papers of the older Basic Grey lines of Lucky and Fusion."

"For You" layout created by
 Designer Heather Getson

Journaling:
"The gratification of receiving a gift of a flower/bouquet, cannot be surpassed, especially when hand delivered by a 31/2 year old boy, donning an irresistible smile.

While we are out enjoying the great outdoors, Zachary, you simply cannot bypass a clump of flowers without stopping to pick some for your mummy.
As I pretend not to notice, moments later, I am rewarded with not only a bouquet of flowers, but also a memory to cherish for years to come.
On the surface, it may only resemble dandelion weeds, but in the eye of the beholder, it holds the magnificence of a rose, especially when knowingly presented with love. Your reward is a kiss and hug, and hopefully the satisfaction of knowing that your mummy truly loves you.
As adults living in a fast – paced world, we need to be occasionally reminded,to take a moment, to view the world as seen through the eyes of a child. Take the time to enjoy the simple things in life that are so often taken for granted.
Zachary I hope as you mature in years, you will remember take those moments to enjoy the simple things in life,and continue to express yourself with the caring nature you possess today.
Love Mummy"

Heather is a very organized person who has a few tips that she can share about how she organizes her scrappy work in preparation for deadlines. She generally doesn’t have a problem meeting them! Prioritizing is her trick~ as she says: “I usually prioritize the list of projects according to their completion dates, and then estimate how much time needed to complete each project. I then apply an ample time frame to each task and this enables me to be finished several days in advance of any due dates."

Heather worked as the Design Team Coordinator at an online forum until recently.  In addition to being pubbed in  "Ready, Set, Create", Scrapbooks and Cards Today, Stamping Stationery and Scrapbooking, and through Publications International, Heather has been published three times in Crafts ‘n Things Magazine. One of her projects was a Geisha Bookmark.

Heather describes her bookmark project as follows:
"I chose to design a bookmark using the masking technique, and chose colors and patterns to coincide with an Asian theme and this was the end result which I was pleased with."

"Geisha Bookmark" created by
 Designer Heather Getson
 Published by Crafts 'n Things Magazine, April 2008

Heather wanted to design a project using this gorgeous stamp from "Time To Stamp" (presently "I Brake For Stamps") entitled "Geisha,"  as it was one of her favourite stamps in an ever growing personal collection.
The stamp is still available for purchase here:  Geisha Stamp
Heather graciously included the directions for the masking technique that she used on her bookmark:

Basic Masking Technique -

Supplies:
Post-It Note
Scissors
Stamps
Cardstock
Ink

Step By Step:
Step 1.
Stamp the image you would like to have in the foreground (very front) of the scene on your cardstock.
Step 2.
Stamp the same image on a Post-It Note, or a piece of cardstock.
Step 3.
Carefully cut out the image on the Post-It Note or cardstock, around the outside perimeter of the image.
Step 4.
Layer your cut out image, over the image on your cardstock.
Step 5.
Stamp your second image over your mask. This image will appear to be in the background.
Step 6.
Color your image if desired.


Thanks Heather for sharing your tips, projects and the instructions for the Geisha Bookmark with us today during your Designer Spotlight feature.

We're looking forward to seeing more of your work as we roll on into the summer!  
~