Hello, my name is Nicole Harper.

I am 39 years old and am married to my high school sweetheart, Mike. Together we have one daughter, Allison, who is nearly 13. I work full-time in surgery and have been playing with paper + stickers since the 80's.

I have been scrapbooking for 7 years, in my current style…but as mentioned before, have been playing with photos and newspaper clippings since high school.

I started because I wanted more than just a 'baby book' for our daughter…but in the end realized how much I just enjoy being creative.

I generally scrapbook three days per week. I work full-time, but this is my 'ME' time…so I make it a priority to work it in. It definitely got a bit easier when my daughter was old enough to be at school for the day.

I find I am most often inspired to make a page because I either have a photo I love or a story to tell. More often than not, it's the story for me. Without the stories, I'd just have a fancy photo album!

A few of my go-to techniques are: painting the edges of my photos, hand journaling with a ruler + pen and clustering little 'tidbits/elements'.

I could NOT scrapbook without the following products/tools: ledger/graph paper, .03 black pen, stickers, die-cuts, my old typewriter, a few basic stamp sets, staples and paint.

How and where do you store/display your completed pages? I've always kept my albums on a shelf that my daughter was able to reach…even when she was smaller. There isn't anything better than seeing her flip through and ask questions about the photos + words.

Where do you shop for scrapbooking supplies? Online: Studio Calico (kits make being pinched for time much more manageable!). My favorite store is in a suburb of Detroit, two hours away…but I road trip up there every other month or so.

What page size do you generally scrap? I mix it up…12" x 12", 8 1/2" x 11" and mini albums.

Do you prefer single or double layouts, why? Single. With my daughter being almost 13, I don't do nearly as many 'event' layouts…it's more about things she is doing/saying/feeling right now, so I don't have as many photos. Single pages allow me to document these things without having lots of 4" x 6" photos available.

What is your favorite photography App? Instagram, without a doubt! I'd be lost without it!!

Which is your favorite adhesive? Tombow tape runner.

What is your best advice to someone just starting out?
I think that starting out can be overwhelming with so many options. I found it helpful to find somewhere online that I 'clicked' with, and I continue to draw inspiration/encouragement from there. I also stress to people that it's OK to not be 'caught up'…I scrap out of order all the time, and it can actually be fun to jump around in time!