SYW311 – My Way with April Peebles

April Peebles: [00:00:00] I also find journaling and scrapbooking as a way to process harder times as well. Through hidden journaling. And just getting it out there. That creative process and mentally processing, kind of work hand in hand for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 311. In this episode, I'm interviewing April Peebles for the My Way Series. My Way is all about celebrating the unique ways memory keepers get things done. We're excited to have April as the October featured artist at Simple Scrapper.

Hey April, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

April Peebles: Hi Jennifer. Thanks for having me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, I'm looking forward to our conversation today and getting to know you better. [00:01:00] Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

April Peebles: Sure. So I'm April. I have been born and raised in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Um. My husband and I have now been married for 25 years. Um, we have three children together. Our oldest is now married and had our first grand baby earlier this year.

And the, it, it, it is, um, all new things to scrapbook about now that you know, I have new babies again. And then, um, our middle child is in the army and so they're both flown and grown and we have our youngest still at home with us, uh, while he goes to college locally. And we have two dogs.

Jennifer Wilson: Fun. Fun. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so interesting that you were born and raised in the same place. I mean, so many people move around. I feel like you don't hear that as much.

April Peebles: Nope. No. We met in college and I was getting a teaching degree I wanted to kind of stay local. Um, because I liked the county, uh, [00:02:00] for working and raising families that I grew up in. So, we bought a house here as we got married. And, uh, his job is in, you know, the downtown Jacksonville area, and we've just always stayed.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful, wonderful. So I always like to ask our guests a couple kind of icebreaker questions. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project and why is it special to you?

April Peebles: I feel like every page or project I finish is my next favorite one. Um, but right now having our grandson to scrapbook, um, is just fun watching him do all the new things that four months old do. Um, smiling and starting to push up and all these cute giggles and, you know, just never, never stops right now.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm sure you're having like the, it wasn't just yesterday that I had my own babies, you know?

April Peebles: Yes, yes. And of course our daughter's 30. So, [00:03:00] that seems like a really long time ago. Um, and I was not scrapbooking when she was born. And then as the boys were born, you know, my photography skills weren't great then. And, and now they're much better. And so now there's all these beautiful pictures I get to, to do.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that's exciting. Yeah, that's definitely a change for sure. I, I, I mentioned that because we were in the car this morning, um, talking about various high school classes, and I'm like. It really doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was taking these same classes and preparing for like an AP test and, and I'm like, I can't believe so much time has passed.

April Peebles: No, it's supposed to be, we just, we're just now 18. Right.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Right, right. So what is something new you're excited to do, use, or try either in your hobby or in your everyday life.

April Peebles: Oh goodness. I picked up that pocket planner, um, that you shared, I believe in the Simple Scrapper forum. Uh, so I'm, I'm [00:04:00] kind of browsing through that. I'm a planner, planner. I don't really know the right term for it off the top of my head.

Jennifer Wilson: Planner Person.

April Peebles: Yeah, I, I, am I, and, and I'm excited to try that new, um, with the projects included in the calendar. Um, and I think that might help condense what my stack has been in the past. So.

Jennifer Wilson: So I'm sure our listeners, if they haven't seen it yet, they're gonna be really curious. So this is a Studio Calico product. You know, they've transitioned to more paper goods stationary, um, while still doing, you know, some of their crafty things, but, very much kind of shifting away from memory keeping.

But this particular planner very, is very much like at the heart of so much of what we do and brings in elements of, say, past planners. Like Get To Workbook that so many people loved. Uh, can you tell us more about kind of how it's different from other planners.

April Peebles: Well, it is a more horizontal design and with each week and month the projects are [00:05:00] based, um, so the project boxes are right there with that week and month. Um, so you're not, flipping to one planner or another. They're all guided.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. It was. It was. And it's fun to see something that's just a little bit different. You know, there's lot, there's lots of new planners all the time, but for the most part they're the same. Um, and so it's really fun when someone comes up with something that it really is unique.

April Peebles: It is.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

April Peebles: I had, um, an Erin Condren project planner for my scrappy things. And then I had, um, a separate calendar based planner with, um, you know, a weekly spread for my weekly, all the non scrappy things. So having them combined will be rather nice, I think.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. I can't wait to kind of follow your progress in using it and, and see how it works out for you. All right, so this is a My Way episode because you're one of our featured artists. You also happen to be, um, a member of Simple Scrapper as well. Um, what would you say to a non scrapbooker about why you [00:06:00] love this hobby?

April Peebles: Oh, goodness. Um, you know, I, I love scrapbooking. I think most because I have a really terrible memory. Looking back at some of our earlier pages that I've created, I'm like, oh. glad I got that recorded when I did. Um, I also find journaling and scrapbooking as a way to process harder times as well. Through hidden journaling. And just getting it out there. That creative process and mentally processing, kind of work hand in hand for me.

Jennifer Wilson: And how did you get into this hobby?

April Peebles: Uh, I was a card maker long before I was scrapbooking. But I took, uh, our daughter to Disney for the first time after Christmas when she was, I think she was just turned five. And I'll never forget it, walked into the Grand Floridian, uh, gift shop. Uh, we had kind of taken the monorail around all the hotels, uh, for a thing before we came [00:07:00] back home. There was this kit with an album and pages, and then there was a little booklet with, um, all the different types of Disney papers and characters. And I'm like, this deserves a scrapbook.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh my gosh. I can see that that's, yeah, that's gonna be anybody's downfall there of, you know, at the place you're at. And if you're already having crafty inclinations and you're already a, a card maker, like, Ooh, this is definitely something I need to dive into.

April Peebles: Exactly, and I was a teacher then, so we had the big Sizzix machines in the teacher work room that we could go in and on titles and.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Nice.

April Peebles: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So bringing, bring us back to the present day. What sizes or formats are you typically creating in.

April Peebles: Uh, most of my pages are all in 12 by 12. Uh, I focus mainly on like a Library of Memories system, uh, with themed albums. then every once in a while I'll throw in a six by eight album, especially for Journal Your [00:08:00] Christmas or, um, the Week in the Life. There are a few projects that I'll, I'll try and work on, but I'm not very good at finishing those.

Jennifer Wilson: Can you tell us more about why you love Journal Your Christmas? So this is a class that Shimelle Laine has, has taught every year for a very, very long time now. Um, and it's a little bit different than how some others, uh, like to scrapbook the holidays.

April Peebles: You know, I think I like that one a little bit more than say December Daily because it's not just focused on the present. Uh, you can do flashbacks in that Journal Your Christmas to really think about times in the past. Uh, and just see what comes up. Um, hopes for the future, memories all intertwined together for Christmas time. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it's definitely gives you some like alternate fun perspectives and and ways to explore some of your stories that you might not have thought of on your own. So

April Peebles: I also don't have the pressure of the larger community. Um, I'm [00:09:00] almost intimidated by December Daily with how interactive everybody does their pages. And I just, I just went simple.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yeah. I was looking through some of my past albums and trying to decide, or trying to really understand, okay, what made this album more finishable than others? It was the year that I really embraced the pockets and didn't do a lot of interactive or extra creative things. It still looks beautiful, but I really kept it simple and it was finished probably the most promptly of any of the albums. So yeah, there is something to that.

April Peebles: That's awesome.

Jennifer Wilson: So are there any particular like kind of projects or activities that you're focused on this year or are you just, you know, one layout at a time scrapbooking.

April Peebles: Generally it's one layout at a time. Uh, I do have a plan to be done by December with the previous years Journal Your Christmas. Um, I was hoping to do in Christmas in July, and then, you know, life happens. And so here we are trying to finish up a project as we [00:10:00] get closer and closer to October and the release of all the new things. So.

Jennifer Wilson: For someone who's not familiar with your work and hasn't checked out your Instagram yet, how would you describe your style in three words?

April Peebles: Oh goodness. That's probably the hardest question. Um, I love pattern paper and bright colors. And they're usually single layouts, single page layouts.

Jennifer Wilson: And what are some of the kind of the products, tools, or techniques that we might find on many of your pages? Are there any kind of common trends or threads there?

April Peebles: Uh, punches. Love getting like circle shapes tend to be like the start of an embellishment cluster for me. Definitely like my letter stickers and mixing and matching font types. Always have handwritten journaling on there. And usually ink splatters somewhere. And enamel dots to go along with those ink splatters.

Jennifer Wilson: So I'm curious, you know, a lot of folks tend to, um, maybe [00:11:00] use a combination of handwritten and typed journaling. Um, and there's certainly some that use exclusively typed. But I think a lot of people have used both. Why do you choose to use exclusively your own handwriting? Is it like a practicality? Is it a memory keeping, you know, reason? Is it just, that's just the way it happened and you didn't think about it otherwise?

April Peebles: Right. it, it tends to be a little of both. I think there's something to be said for when I look back at my grandmother's handwritten journaling or letters to me. And everything is text savvy and email these days, and there's not a lot of handwriting going around. And I would like my kids and grandkids to kind of have that connection.

But also typing something up and printing it out is just another thing to get in the way of getting it done. So I'd rather have handwritten journaling and have it not look as perfect. Uh. I do tend to go hand, um, typed and printed if it's a [00:12:00] longer journaling block.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Okay.

April Peebles: Typically those are hidden journaling that is like in between the page or something. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. And so by in between the page, do you mean on the back or like you're doing a pocket? What does that, what's your method for that?

April Peebles: Usually there's like a pullout tab, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

April Peebles: It could be a pocket. Um, I think I did like a four by 12 sheet of paper with like an over flap. Um, bent over the top so you could pull it from the outside of the page, protector that way.

Jennifer Wilson: That's cool.

April Peebles: It had like, um, it was basically like a question and answer that I had recorded from my daughter back when she graduated high school, maybe college. Um, so I, I had just done that and I just, you know, focused on the design and the pretty stuff and not a lot of words on the outside. And then had that tucked in the back 'cause it was a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. No, that's a really cool strategy. Are there any particular trends or just things you're seeing other folks do that you are, you know, considering or already trying out for yourself?

April Peebles: One of [00:13:00] these days, I'd like to start sewing on my scrapbook pages. I have a sewing machine and would love to get doing that. Um, but otherwise, no. I tend to kind of stay in my lane and try not to find something else to buy and store and remember that I have.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. I get it. Yeah. So my recent podcast guest, Caroline Gatenby, she is a, uh, former home economics teacher who sews on all of her layouts. We need to like, get her to do like a video live to, uh, teach those who maybe are a little more intimidated about sewing on their layouts to, uh, to develop some confidence with it.

April Peebles: That would be awesome.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. Um, is there something that you've tried in scrapbooking, whether it's, you know, a particular type of supply, a technique, a size, a format that you've decided is not for you at all?

April Peebles: Digital scrapbooking. I, as a photographer, I had great knowledge of how to use Photoshop and I just, that was just too much [00:14:00] digital. And I love the tactile experience of paper. Uh, so I've contemplated getting into hybrid a little bit, uh, especially with the close of more brands and paper being harder to access. Uh, so printing my own, but you know, that's kind of like printed journaling, right. Like it's one more thing that might get in the way.

Jennifer Wilson: One more step. Yeah, for sure. Maybe we need to all go back to like Polaroid cameras too, so that we have the, the, the photos already printed.

April Peebles: Right? Right. Well, I don't know if you saw it, but my son, the 23-year-old in the Army actually bought a Polaroid camera.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice, nice. That's awesome.

April Peebles: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Where and when can we typically find you scrapbooking?

April Peebles: I tend to scrapbook in the afternoons. I'm lucky enough that I don't have a full-time job and I usually try and get 15 minutes first thing in the morning before the house wakes up. To just kind of look and see what's here. Um, but then in the afternoon [00:15:00] after I do some chores and run any errands and make it to the gym. I'll come up here and try and craft for an hour or two. I do have a craft room dedicated upstairs in my home. So, you know, online crops with Simple Scrapper.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. So that 15 minutes in the morning, are you, is it more of just like a, a, connection, a wake up moment. Or are you actually doing kind of any planning or preparation for what you might do later in the day?

April Peebles: That usually depends on if I left myself any breadcrumbs.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

April Peebles: From the last time I actually crafted. I would tell you that there are times where I'm just kind of browsing through a supply or I will journal, or I will look at a page that might still be out on my table and be like, what's this missing? So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Well, I think like there's productive, creative puttering. Like, it's just like in the, in the garden, you [00:16:00] know, you're, you're walking around, you're enjoying, you're taking it in and you're strategizing what's gonna be planted where. And then, oh yeah, I need to pull that weed. So, um, very similar.

April Peebles: And I have the, Ali Edwards had story prompts, or what did she have that.

Jennifer Wilson: Just Write ones.

April Peebles: Write prompts. Yes. So sometimes I'll pull those out. I have them in a binder and I'll, write.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Are there any organization strategies that have particularly worked well for you? And it could be, you know, anything within your hobby.

April Peebles: Uh, you know, I actually just came back to color bins. I had tried sorting all of my embellishments by type. Um, almost the way Ali did. I was kind of puttering around with that idea, uh, and decided it did not work for me. So my embellishments, if they are you know, in a color family, then they are in my color bins.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Nice.

April Peebles: Letter stickers and die cuts, they stay separate, um, and paper. But, [00:17:00] but other embellishments are definitely color bins. They work for me and I'm happy with them, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I think it's important to always, there's not one right way to do it, period. And there's not even one way that's gonna work best within your stash. You're gonna have certain things that need a certain strategy. 'Cause that's how you're thinking about it. That's how you're gonna try to find what you want.

And other things are not as color associated, they're not as shape associated or manufacturer. So it really depends on what. Yeah. How you scrapbook and what that process is. And so you have to pay attention and, and sounds like you've done that.

April Peebles: It. It has been a process for sure.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Do you consider yourself kind of a tidy person or less tidy?

April Peebles: Absolutely messy. I'll have, uh, all kinds of things out here, scattered all over the desk from project to project. And then I have to turn around and actually make the effort to kind of put things away and clean up so that I can think again.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. Sometimes that we, just clearing the decks really [00:18:00] makes a difference to be able to, to feel that reset. So, um, kind of stepping back here, where would you like your scrapbooking to be a decade from now?

April Peebles: Still here, still making it work for me. Um, 10 years from now, goodness, I'll have a 10-year-old grandkid. Um, so yeah, just fitting it into my life the way. Life first. Live your life and do things and keep fitting in my hobby when I can.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, I love that. Uh, just that perspective sounds just very peaceful and delightful.

April Peebles: It's a hobby. It's supposed to be fun, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, we're so good at making it, you know, uh, less fun, more complicated, um, adding guilt. You know, I think that's, that's what some of these conversations ends up teasing apart is why we do those things. Um, you know, last night at our, our Simple Scrapper meeting for our refresh retreat, we talked all about kind of how we cope with stress and

whether or not scrapbooking is a stress reliever or we need to relieve our stress in order to [00:19:00] scrapbook. And yeah there's there's so much, there's so much in it.

April Peebles: There is a lot to unpack there.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So April, what has being a scrapbooker taught you?

April Peebles: Oh, scrapbooking taught me to really slow down and reflect while I'm living my life. So that I can remember what I did so that I can remember what I wanna scrapbook. And just kind of make those journaling notes.

And, And, I'm not so frazzled anymore of a young, uh, mom with young kids to, know, not do a little bit of journaling here and there. And, and, I can take the time to really remember what things were like, especially with the grandbaby. When my kids were that age, my daughter will ask me questions, Hey, what was this like? Or, Hey, how did you do this? And it's like, oh goodness.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. I mean, wrapped up in like, there's a lot of facts, feelings and memories that go into that to use a strategy that we talk about a lot inside the community. [00:20:00] April, thank you so much for spending time with me. I'm excited to see what, um, our members do with the style challenge that's inspired by your work.

Um, can you share where our listeners can find you online, anything you might be, uh, doing or sharing later this year?

April Peebles: Sure. Um, well, aside from inside the Simple Scrapper community, uh, I tend to post mainly on Instagram. Uh, I have my personal account at April290. And I have a more scrappy account at Sunshine_Scraps. Uh, if you want to follow me there.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. I'll include both those links in the show notes for this episode.

April Peebles: Perfect.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, thanks for chatting and to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to Scrapbook Your Way.