Jamie Pate astounds us every time she creates. Her ability to layer on her projects to better tell her story is what makes her work stand out. We are delighted to have her as a guest designer!  

How long have you been scrapbooking?

I have been scrapbooking since my youngest was about 2, so that was sixteen years ago. A friend gave me a pre-made scrapbook page and I have never stopped. I have been documenting our life ever since. While my style has changed dramatically since those early days, it has always been an important part of my life. This amazing creative outlet and community has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people and work on some of the best design teams out there.

What keeps you motivated to document your life?

Life keeps me motivated. The everyday moments. The grand events. The nuances of changes in my children. Because I don’t want to forget what happened when, where, and why. I relive the moments every time I create a new page, or mini album, or project life spread. That emotion and connection keeps me documenting and organizing these memories all the time. Not to mention how my family connects to the photos and words so very often. I can tell by virtue of their facial reaction, or even the fact that they look at the albums all the time, that it is important to them too that I keep documenting.



What do you use the most to take photos with? Point and shoot, Digital SLR, or your phone camera?

It really depends on what is happening, but I am very often reaching for my Digital SLR. It sort of ebbs and flows as to which is my go to. Currently the SLR is getting a lot of my attention But I do love the convenience and capacity of my phone camera too. Instagram has really transformed that device. So both of those cameras do indeed get my attention.


What is on your scrapbook table right now?

Ha ha! Too much to list! Let me tell you what is always on my table...
I have a six foot by four foot work surface my husband recently made for me. It’s big enough that my three daughters can sit at it too if they want to be creative or just simply hang out with me while I work. I love that.

My basic tools are on there housed in a large caddy. A piece of poster board is what I work on to at least attempt and try to protect the surface from my creativity. My sewing machine. An assortment of stamps. My glue gun (always on). The iPad. And always a large beverage container usually of ice water. And right now I am working on an altered book so all the supplies for that project are sitting in a large tray. And that’s how I roll.