Please Welcome our Second February Guest Designer

I'm thrilled to be able to "show off" the work of Ranjini Malhotra!

I have admired her creations from afar by stalking her blog, so I was tickled pink when she agreed to play with one of our kits and allow me to show you her beautifully creative works of art!

Ranjini has a lovely blog and a fantastic web site/kit club called Scrapologie that I highly recommend.

Here is a bit more about Ranjini in her own words:

1) Tell us a little about you--where did you grow up, about your family, how'd you end up where you live now, do you have a career?

I grew up in Cincinnati, OH. My parents immigrated to the US from India when I was three years old. Though I was born in India, and have visited several times, the US is home for me. I went to school at The Ohio State University where I majored in Journalism and Public Relations. I came out of school during a depressed economy in 1990 and ended up getting a job in the insurance industry. I worked there for 10 years, then had a baby and was a stay at home mother for two very memorable, sweet and short years. At the end of that time I started scrapologie, my kit club and then decided last year to return to work in insurance. Presently, I work as a general liability insurance specialist. I work from home for a wonderful company and enjoy my job, despite its many stresses.

2) When and how did you get into papercrafting?

I really started scrapbooking the way we now know it, when Creating Keepsakes magazine first hit the market, however I have always kept scrapbooks and done some sort of creative pursuits, even as a child. Over the years I've dabbled in all kinds of creative pursuits: needlework, painting, clay, cardmaking, illustration etc. The women in my family have always been very creative - my mother and her mother were both very artistically inclined and my other grandmother was a wonderful, creative cook. I have observed that creativity is a lifeforce for so many people.

3) What inspires you or gets your 'juices" flowing?

Being in a bookstore, or being in my studio. Leafing through my favorite magazines (Victoria, Home Companion (sadly this one is no more), Domino, etc.) Blog hopping and music. Faraway dreamy places and old movies. Nature. Typography. Design. Calligraphy. History. So much inspires me - I think I could create a rather long list!!

4) What is the most annoying aspect of our hobby in your opinion? What is the best part?

For me the most annoying aspect is having to clean up after I am done making messes, and trying to find an organization system that works.

The best part is the joy I get from the creative process. Nothing can trump that.

5) If you could go anywhere/do anything and then capture the memories, where would you go and how would you show off your memories?

I think I would want to spend the time with my five year old daughter and my husband -- anywhere where we could relax and enjoy each other's company and look at the world through my daughter's eyes. I think I would, for once, leave the camera at home and try to bottle the experience viscerally - John Mayer's song "3x5" comes to mind. About enjoying the moment, just for once, and not getting caught up in documenting it, which I usually tend to do more of!

Here are a few photos of the kit I sent to Ranjini to play with: