October Afternoon is pleased to welcome Suz Mannecke as its guest designer for the month of December.
Suz has been papercrafting since childhood, when she would create homemade cards from her hand-drawn doodles and save all kinds of tidbits, notes and ephemera to paste them into what would loosely be called a “scrapbook.”
She currently spends much of her crafting time creating layouts, cards and doing her best to keep up with Project Life. She also enjoys creating December Daily albums each year, as well as working on other home decor projects.
When she’s not papercrafting, Suz enjoys playing tennis, working towards her black belt in taekwondo (she tests for “Recommended Black” in January), reading and spending as much time as possible with her family and friends at the lake.
She and her husband Michael, or “Mick”, have been married 17 years and are the proud parents of two sons, Ian, 14, and Ethan, 11. They reside in Nixa, Missouri (Yes movie buffs, the birthplace of Jason Bourne!).
Suz is a former optometric physician who turned SAHM after the birth of her youngest son. She has long carried the title of “family photographer and family historian,” and although she loves playing with pretty paper and embellishments, Suz finds the greatest joy in documenting stories with words and photos that capture life’s little details and extraordinary moments.
Suz’s scrappy experience has included designing for Freehand Scraps, and currently for Little Black Dress Kit Club. Her creations have been published in several issues of Scrapbook Trends, Create and Cards magazines.
Now, let's get to know Suz even better:
Are you a layout person, a card person ... or both?
Both! I love creating layouts and making cards with the remnants of the kits or collections I play with.
What is on your scrap desk right now?
Besides my old (or new) reliables; a Mac computer, printer, and Cameo. I have the full collection of Make It Merry (swooning) and some of the lovely new Farm Girl collection as well. J
What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product?
Seriously? That question? It’s so crazy difficult to answer! I love everything October Afternoon creates, but to choose one line I would say Make It Merry for a holiday theme, with Witch Hazel a close second, and Midway for a non-holiday line.
What can you NOT scrapbook without?
This is such a tough question, but I guess if I had to narrow it down I would say pretty patterned paper, mist, lovely embellishments, stitching, and most definitely Cameo die cuts!
What is your favorite source of inspiration?
Pinterest is certainly a popular source for me, but my favorite source is when I am randomly inspired by something I see or hear. Oftentimes, I dream up scrappy stuff and rush to try to draw it out in a notebook I keep on my nightstand before I forget it.
What is your favorite movie or book?
Favorite comedy is What About Bob?. Favorite chick flick is You’ve Got Mail. Favorite motivational movie is Rudy. Favorite classic movie is The Wizard of Oz (minus the flying monkey and tornado scenes, which have caused a few nightmares and restless nights.
Asking me to pick a favorite book is like asking me to pick a favorite child! I really loved Harry Potter #7 and for a classic, To Kill A Mockingbird.
What is your favorite food?
I love chips and salsa from our local favorite Mexican restaurant, my mother-in-law’s homemade toffee recipe, my grandmother’s “Etta Chip Dip” and a candy apple pie recipe I make. Yep, that about covers the four good groups … or is there five now? If there is, I’m calling it the beverage group, and my favorite is Diet Pepsi!
What is your fondest childhood memory?
Hanging out with my sisters at our family’s lake resort. Swamping the canoe, having blueberry pancake eating contests (my sister Karen ate 14!), playing Tripoli with rocks for chips and candy for money, and using the porch screen door to catch minnows in the lake while singing “Crocodile Rock” are just a few special memories I cherish from that time in my life.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
My sister, Linda or “Linny,” because she was taken from this earth all too soon and all too suddenly in March of 2011. I would have my niece and nephew that she left behind go to dinner in my place. I miss her. Every single day.
Watch for Suz’s blog every Friday during the month of December!