About.com Scrapbooking Scrapbooker of the Month April 2009 - Tammy Birkhead

"Scrapbooker of the Month" is a way to honor a scrapbooker who is a member of the About.com Scrapbooking Forum. The SOTM is someone who regularly provides inspiration for other scrapbookers by participating in discussions, sharing scrapbook page layouts, and both participating in and creating challenges.

The SOTM for April 2009 is Tammy Birkhead. Tammy is a long time member of the About.com Scrapbooking forum. We asked her to tell us a little about herself and answer a few questions about her love of scrapbooking.

To see some of Tammy's scrapbook pages visit the April 2009 SOTM Gallery.

From Tammy - A little about me, my name is Tammy Birkhead and I live in Illinois. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, David, for almost 20 years and we have two teenage sons, Bryan and Brandon.
How long have you been a scrapper? 8 years
What started your journey into scrapbooking? My sister Trina
What is generally the main focal point your pages? My boys
What kind of camera do you use? Pentax *istD and occasionally my iPhone
Where & When do you scrap? I am fortunate to have a room dedicated to scrapping. I also try to go to a crop once a month with a friend or my sister. I also will go to a local retreat 2-3 times a year.
How much time do you devote to scrapbooking? It depends. I don’t try to set scrapbook time, I just let it happen when I feel inspired. I’m a stay at home mother so I can scrap whenever the inspiration hits.
What/Who inspires you? My biggest source of inspiration comes from blogs and scrappy forums. I love doing challenges although I don’t get to them as much as I would like. I have also collected quite a few sketches that I refer to all the time.
What types of layouts do you do most? Most of my layouts are centered around family events. I don’t scrapbook in any particular order, I just scrap what I feel like at the time, although my albums are in chronological order.
What is your favorite part of scrapbooking? I love everything about scrapbooking – taking photographs, working with my hands, etc.
What are your 3 scrapping essentials? My ATG gun, cardstock, and my Wishblade.
Do you have a color preference? Since I have two boys, I tend to use lots of blue, brown, green, and red.
What are your favorite scrapbook products? I love Cuttlebug embossing folders! I also don’t know what I would do without my ATG gun or my Wishblade.
What was your latest scrappy purchase? I just purchased 4 more embossing folders earlier today.
Do you have any other hobbies? I love to read but don’t find the time like I used to. My family loves to camp and go boating. We also have a lake and spend lots of time fishing.
Is there anything you do differently now, from when you first started scrapbooking? When I first started, I would go crazy when Hobby Lobby would have their paper on sale. I also felt that since Michael’s had a coupon almost weekly, I needed to use it. I ended up with a lot of paper and embellishments that haven’t been used. It’s sad to think of the money I’ve wasted! Now, I try to plan ahead and I will take my pictures to the store when I need to find paper that matches.

Visit Tammy's Scrapbooker of the Month gallery to see some of her favorite scrapbook pages.

Read all about what it takes to become the About.com Scrapbooking Forum Scrapbooker of the Month.