am so happy to introduce my first installment in a monthly feature I am planning for the blog this year, My Favorite Scrapper.  This series will be dedicated to the scrappers who inspire and amaze me with their talent, their layouts and their love of this hobby.

It only made sense to begin the series with a lady who is a personal favorite, Kim Walker.

I first discovered Kim and her layouts through her gallery, Kim 21673, at Sweet Shoppe Designs late in 2010.  Every time I went through the gallery looking for inspiration, her pages jumped out at me.  With her wonderfully, detailed clusters, her beautiful layout composition, and her crisp, clear photography featuring her adorable family, Kim’s scraps are bound to catch anyone’s eye.

Not only is Kim an amazing artist, she is a wonderful person and I am thrilled that get to show you just what it is that makes her so special.

Q:  Kim, please tell our readers a little about yourself.
A:  My name is Kim and I am a princess…or am I a queen?  I am a SAHM to FOUR boys, my partner in crime is my hubby, Tim and together we live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.  Oh, and we have a furry cat, Houdini.  Yes, testosterone fills our house, which is why I am the queen of our castle!  I love to scrap, love to travel, love photography and love sports.  I have recently taken up reading in my spare time too.  My life is crazy busy but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Q:  Why do you scrap?
A:  I scrap to preserve the memories of my wild and crazy family.  I don’t ever want us to forget the moments that we have shared, big or small.  As time goes on, some memories will start to fade in our minds, but I know I can keep them alive in my scrapbooks.

Q:  How would you describe your scrapping style?
A:  I don’t really have one particular style.  I experiment a lot.  I used to be a traditional scrapper but am embracing my messier side now.

Q:  You are a very prolific scrapper, so how long, on average, do you spend on a scrap page?
A:  On an average I would say 1 -1 1/2 hours.  Some pages take less than 30 minutes and others take a few hours.  My ideal time to spend on a page would be 30-45 minutes because with 4 boys my scrapping time is limited.

Q:  In your opinion, what is the best kind of comment to get on a layout?
A:  I really like heartfelt comments.  I love hearing WHY my layout caught your eye in the gallery.  What was that one thing that stood out or what do you really like about it.

Q:  Scattered throughout this interview, have been my favorite layouts of yours, but if you had to chose a favorite layout, which one would it be?
A:  I have a lot of favorites, but this particular page was the first time I took the plunge and scrapped completely different than what I was used to.

Q:  You already know you’re a favorite of mine, so I would be interested in knowing who is your favorite scrapper, the one that inspires and amazes you?
A:  I have a lot of favorite scrappers, but one that has always stuck out to me is iscrap  Her pages are gorgeous…the shadowing and details are perfect.  Her clusters are always beautifully done.

Q:  So tell me, what do you look for in a scrap kit; what are your favorite elements?
A:  The first thing that draws me in are the colors.  Since I mainly scrap about my boys, I have to have colors that will work well with their pictures.  I will use pink as long as there are other colors too!  There has to be a balance of yummy papers (solid and patterned) and lots of elements.  I am NOT a minimalistic scrapper…I need stuff on my page!!!  The kit MUST have foliage, flowers ribbons and strings.  I am not afraid to use flowers on boy pages.  I am a sucker for buttons too!  If it is a themed kit there has to be enough non-themed elements in there.

Q:  What creative teams are you currently on?
A: Oh, let’s see if I can name them….The Lilypad, Traci Reed, Connie Prince, Shawna Clingerman, Julie Billingsley, Libby Pritchett, Heather Roselli, Melissa Bennett,Penny Springmann, Bella Gypsy and Krystal Hartley.

Q:  That is an impressive list!  Tell me, why do you CT? 
A:  I love being challenged and love having to think outside the box.  Being on creative teams has helped me grow as a scrapper.  I have tried new techniques and new styles over the years and being on creative teams has helped me become the scrapper I am today.  I have come a long way since I began digital scrapping back in 2008.  I love the friendships I have made over the years and love staying busy too!!

Q:  Finally, do you have any scrapping goals?  What are they?
A:  To have fun….when it stops being fun or I feel pressured to get something done, it will be time to re-evaluate what I am doing and what I need to change.  I always want scrapping to be fun!

I want to thank Kim for taking the time to answer all my questions and sharing her amazing work with us.  She is such a lovely person!  I enjoyed getting to know her better and I hope you did too.

The layouts you see here are only a small sampling of Kim’s talent, so I encourage you to check out her galleries at The Lily Pad and Sweet Shoppe Designs.   Once you do, I am confident Kim will be one of your favorite scrappers too.