Meet Marilyn! :)

Hi!! My name is Marilyn, I live in Puerto Rico with my husband Israel (we've been 20 years married) and my two teenagers Alexander (16 years old) and Paola Sofia (12 years old). Also, I have another son my dog Sponky (11 years) lol! he has only three legs but is a happy dog.
I'm a Fashion Designer so during the day I'm surrounded by fabrics, sewing machines, threads and dress forms and when I'm not playing with fabrics it's with papers. I love to create!

I started scrapbooking four years ago and now I'm totally addicted, It's a therapy for me.
My scrapbooking style is "eclectic"...I love to mix different elements on my pages. I can't make a page without stitching and 3D-dots...I love it!! I love meeting people with the same interest in this hobby so I made my blog Treasuring Memories one year ago, and now I have many friends bloggers around the world. I love photography and with the pictures I take, I do my best to create art via Scrapbooking!

Some samples of my work:

Meet Melissa! :)

Greetings, scrappin’ babes! My name’s Melissa, but most of my scrappin’ friends call me Mel. I’m a wife and aspiring writer, living in Michigan with my husband Daniel. After resisting the call for a couple of years, I finally started scrapbooking in 2003. I began by embellishing a photo album of our wedding with scrapping supplies, and then I was hooked. I’ve been stamping and card-making a lot longer, though in the beginning, it was much more like dabbling. What I find appealing about all paper-crafting is the element of creative play, exploring new ideas, and adding my own unique perspective. I’ve tried lots of different styles, in scrapbook pages, as well as cards and other projects, but I find simplicity most fulfilling. My focus has been in the process of shifting from photo-driven scrapbooking to story-driven scrapbooking in the past year or so, and I’m excited about where that new direction will take me.

When I’m not playing with scissors and glue and paper, I’m usually on the Internet, keeping in touch with my friends and family scattered across the country. Or you may find me writing an essay or story, knitting, reading, or taking photos. I’m so delighted to be part of The Paper Variety Design Team, and I’m looking forward to all the challenges in store.

Here are some favorite projects I’ve completed this year:

Meet Mindy! :)

Hi there! I'm so very excited to be here on The Paper Variety Design Team! I'm also excited because it is my first DT position! Let me introduce myself! My name is Mindy Gallagher and I am currently living in Hollywood, FL. There's nothing like being able to wear flip flops mid December! I just turned 30 this year and had an extremely difficult time with that! I am married to my wonderfully supportive husband who I'm happy to say no longer questions what I've got in the bag when I walk in the door and we have a beautiful daughter who is 7 going on 17. I work full time and I create in the evenings and on my days off, I'm not sure if it's cheaper than therapy, but it is a lot more fun!!


I've been scrapbooking since high school. I look back on my earlier work and laugh, but that's what also makes it great. The star of most of my work is my daughter Julia! I dabble in all sorts of crafting greatness, but there's nothing like working with pretty papers! I'm really excited to be here and to be part of an amazing group of ladies!

Meet Patti! :)

Hi everyone! My name is Patti West and I've been scrapbooking since 2002.

I live in the country, outside of a small city, in upstate New York. I've been married to Tom for 26 years - and I've known Tom since we were children. We grew up on the same city street, and went to the same schools and church. We have two sons. Thomas is 24 and graduated in August of 2010 with a Bachelor's in Marketing. He's now working at his first "real job". Matthew is 21 and is a senior in college. Our family also includes a yellow labrador retriever, Filbert, age 9. Filbert brightens everyone's days with his friendly personality and silly antics.

I work as an administrative assistant at our local university and have been employed at the same job for almost twenty years! When I'm not paper crafting, you'll find me in the kitchen. I love to bake. Cookies are most often requested, but I make a mean cheesecake and my scratch carrot cake w/cream cheese icing is to die for.

Tom and I love to travel, so vacation photos are some of my favorites to scrap. My favorite technique is stitching, whether by hand or machine. I love to create colorful, happy projects that make people smile.

I am so excited to begin my DT spot with The Paper Variety!! Thank you, Abby and Suzanne for this wonderful opportunity!

Some samples of my work ~

Meet Shannon! :)

.... <3 my name is shannon morgan...i am your resident griswold....if it's humorous or weird...it's probably happened to me, and i often will share my experiences with you....i am a northern girl living in the south....sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is a bad thing....i'm learning to find the balance....i obsessively take pictures and document the lives of my two beautiful kiddos, (who are loud, vibrant and sometimes snotty).....they make life worth living and they make my days long...but the happiness they bring outweighs the banshee screeches and lack of being able to play together for long periods of time...oh and i can't forget the stepping on of the legos...i also can be found making my dogs nuts by taking pictures of them too...imagine one dog burying her head under a couch cushion and the other getting up and huffing at me and going upstairs....because really how many close ups of a dog laying down on the couch do you really need? ...this wouldn't be possible without the support of my husband, who is a really, really patient man....he lets me be who i am and i hope one day won't want to move the furniture around on me when i am old and can't see as well....he who loves me despite my whining,complaining, OCD germ-a-phobe quirks, dorky obsession with watching King of the Hill, chips and salsa, baking when stressed and battling my caffeine addiction to Coke Zero! ....if for some chance i'm not actually scrapbooking, you can find me baking, volunteering at my kiddo's school because i think i truly am a child at heart, or pretending that i am exercising. <3 :) ....here's some of my work, i hope it inspires you and thank you as always for lookng! :)

Meet Suzy! :)

Hi everyone! My name is Suzy, I'm a stay at home mom to one lovely little girl, Ivanka she's 5yo and I've been married to my wonderful husband for 7 years. We just moved to United States in Summer 2009 and we live in Newton, Massachusetts. We were originally from Jakarta, Indonesia.

I just started Scrapbooking 10 months ago when I joined a monthly scrapbooking class at one of library in the city, and I love it since then! Paper crafting is always been my passion since I was in elementary school, I love making something out of paper. I love scrapbooking about my daughter and our little family, I wanna preserve all the memory we had while we live here. And I'm also like making cards, for me making card is like a way to get my mojo back  when I get stuck with layouts or journaling.  I love using bright color and pattern on my layouts/cards, and I also like to "pop" almost everything on my layouts/cards so I can't start scrapbooking without my pop dots or foam square.

Beside scrapbooking, card making or other paper crafting, I like to play video games! I used to play with my daughter and my hubby, he's a gamer (that's what I love about him!) but now mostly I choose scrapbooking over the games when I have a spare time :)

This is my first design team ever and I'm so excited to be here and be part of an amazing and talented group of crafters!

Here's some of my favorite projects :

Meet Tessa! :)

 I am a happy mother to three energetic, wonderful boys and wife to an amazing, supportive husband. I began scrapbooking in high school and became seriously addicted when we started our little family. I love being able to record my family history in a creative, artistic way and am constantly seeking out new techniques and styles to try.  I also enjoy making cards, altered art, and other crafty things.  When I am not scrapbooking or creating for my Etsy shop, Precocious Paper, I am choreographing and teaching as a professional dancer and actively serving in my church.  I'm grateful to Abby and Suzanne for having me back as a designer at The Paper Variety and look forward to sharing my passion for paper crafts with you for another term.

Meet Yara! :)

Hi! My name is Yara Freytes, and I am very excited to be for a second term as a Design Team Member for The Paper Variety. I live in Puerto Rico with my husband and our two boys, Luis (6 years old) and Diego (4 years old). I have a BS in Chemical Engineering, but currently I am a happy Stay at Home Mom. I started scrapping on 2003, when I had been on bed rest from the pregnancy of my first child, and I had not been able to stop. I love it! Love to document my family stories and travels. 

I love to do 12X12 scrapbook layouts from my two boys and our family travels. Occasionally I do clean and simple cards with my stamps and punches. I am a morning person, most of my scrapping, I do when my kids are at school. On 2010, I started blogging and discovered many online scrapbook challenges, from which I love to participate!! If you find me at blogland, the name of my blog is It is Summer Everyday!!

I love to work with pattern papers and using bright colors. I love to embellish my pages using stickers, chipboard, journaling die cuts, buttons, punches and some hand stitching. Sometimes, I like to distress my papers, and occasionally use glimmer mist, COPICS and stamping. My hobbies other than scrapbooking, are walking/jogging, reading and spending time with my family. Most of my time is spent commuting back and forth between school and my kids extracurricular activities.

Here are a few of my favorite projects: