July's Guest Designer | Kelly Xenos

Hello! My name is Kelly Xenos and I will be your guest designer for July. I have always loved October Afternoon products so this is definitely an honor and I'm very excited to be here! I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois and still live in the same area that I grew up with my husband and two kitties. We just celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary and have been together for a total of 13 years!! I have worked for the same company for the past 13 years as a Flow Equipment Coordinator for the food processing industry. Not necessarily my creative dream job, but I really enjoy it and I have great co-workers who bring donuts once in awhile! I've been scrapbooking since 2006 and it is truly my passion. I love documenting our life and I know I'm going to love looking back through my albums 20 or 30 years down the road. I'm excited to have joined the Gossamer Blue design team this month and you can see more of my scrapbooking at the following links:

Blog: kellyxenos.typepad.com
Instagram: @kellyxenos

Now for some questions:

 

Are you a layout person, a card person...or both?

 

I am a layout and pocket pages girl. I currently document my weeks with pocket pages and then I pull out photos from the week to tell longer stories with layouts. I love that my album is a mix of both and I think I will continue doing it this way until the end of time. :)

 

What is on your scrapbook desk right now?

 

Right now my desk has piles of finished projects that need to be put in an album and piles of products that I am going to use soon. It's not as messy as it usually is but I actually like when it's messy because that means I'm making lots of stuff!

 

 

What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product?

My favorite October Afternoon products are the word stickers and label stickers. I have so many sheets in my stash and I love them all! I also LOVED the patterned paper in Silent Night. It really was the perfect holiday collection. This month I will be working with the Summertime collection and it is amazing.

What can you NOT scrapbook without?

I could not scrapbook without my roller tape. It gives me anxiety just thinking about running out in the middle of a project. I also couldn't scrapbook without stamps. I'm not a very advanced stamper but I have ALWAYS loved stamps and think they are so versatile. Stamps are a must!

 

 

What is your favorite source of inspiration?

I go to Pinterest for inspiration. I could spend hours on Pinterest and not feel guilty because I will always walk away with ideas. There are so many wonderful memory keepers out there and every time I'm on Pinterest I find someone new or something I haven't seen before and I love that. Having everything in one place makes it super easy to get inspired!

And a few more...

What is your favorite movie or tv show?

I have so many favorite shows and watch them over and over again and it drives my husband crazy! My favorite movie is Elizabethtown because of the story and the soundtrack. I also love her scrapbook map she gives him (awww..so cute). And my favorite shows right now are Scandal, Impractical Jokers, and The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. Honestly, I could watch the Food Network all day and be happy.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza! Deep dish, thin crust, double decker, Chicago style....my husband and I are pizza lovers and equal opportunity pizza eaters. It's all good! Second to that would be chocolate chip cookies (especially my Mom's) and sushi.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Growing up my parents would take me and my brother to Door County, Wisconsin for the 4th of July and we would stay at the same place on the water every year with their friends and kids. It is one of my most favorite memories as a child. I remember the swimming pool and the ice cream store we always walked to every night. The fireworks were always terrible but it brings a smile to my face when I think about it.

If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what power would you possess?

My power would defiantly be to get people to work quickly so they don't have to sit in traffic. Especially in the winter. Ha! I'm a commuter so I feel the pain. :) I don't know what my name would be but I think I would be extremely popular.

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

 

I would have dinner with my older brother, Mike. He lives in Portland, Oregon so any chance to have dinner with him, I'd take it! 

 

Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to be back here next Friday! I'll be posting sneaks on Instagram throughout the month if you want to follow along: @kellyxenos