- Come On Get Crafty

Happy Friday, everyone! Please join me in welcoming Malika Kelly as our Featured Guest here at Come On Get Crafty!

My name is Malika Kelly. I am a stay-at-home mother to three fabulous children (two boys and a girl) and wife to a hard-working husband. I grew up in Toronto, Canada, but have lived in central Illinois for the past 13 years. I have always been artistic in one form or another, even as a young child. I started scrapbooking over 10 years ago. In the last couple of years, I became more active, teaching classes at a local store and creating a blog. My style is whimsical, yet eclectic. I love to layer, starting with ink splatters and stamps, and then building layers of patterned papers. I almost always stitch on my layouts (either with my machine or by hand). Finally, I add clusters of embellishments such as bits of wood veneer, sequins, and enamel dots. Layouts, mini albums, and Project Life are some of my favorite projects right now. I currently design for Belle Blvd, Chic Tags, and Epiphany Crafts.

Angelina Ballerina

Shop Items Used: Basic Grey (Hipster Wood Veneer Die Cuts, Mint Julep Bottle Cap Stickers), Pink Paislee (Cottage Farms Basket, Bushel, and Market Patterned Papers, Paper Goods, Photo Frames, Journal Cards), Jillibean Soup (Wise Words Stickers - white)

A Warm Day

Shop Items Used: Basic Grey (Hipster Wood Veneer Die Cuts, Mint Julep Bottle Cap Stickers), Pink Paislee (Cottage Farms Barrel, Bushel, and Market Patterned Papers, Paper Goods, Photo Frames, Journal Cards), Jillibean Soup (Wise Words Stickers - white)

And so we could get to know Malika even better, I asked her these 5 questions...

1. What's your favorite scrapbooking trend right now?

I have kind of been stuck on arrows and chevrons these days. I love that you can add them to any layout!

2. What time of day do you usually find time to scrap?

As a mother of three kids, I always feel like there is never enough time! I have a scrapbook room set up downstairs so I can leave unfinished projects out and stop by and work on them throughout the day, even if it's just 10 minutes here and there. I like to take a bit of time on the preschool mornings to scrap ...and then in the evenings when everyone is in bed. So pretty much whenever I can find the time!

3. What's your favorite color combo?

Aquas and grays are catching my attention these days. Especially with of pop of gold.

4. What's your favorite embellishment to use on a layout?

I love adding little bits of sequins, tiny wood veneers, and a single piece of flair to a layout to finish it off. Usually in a cluster.

5. Where do you go to find inspiration for your creations?

I find inspiration all over the place in my everyday world! An ad in a magazine, a sign at a store, even artwork my kids bring home can inspire me. Pinterest has also changed the way I scrapbook these days. I keep a board of sketches that I like and a board of layouts that I admire and color combinations, etc. I will look at it as a starting point thinking, "I want to make something like that...", but usually by the end of my process, I have made something completely different. I love to know that just browsing Pinterest boards can get me thinking about being creative.

To see more of Malika's work, you can visit her blog here.

Have a great weekend!