And The Paperlife Spotlight With the Big Secret is.........

INTRODUCING AND ANNOUNCING THE PROUD NEW OWNER OF LABEL TULIP, THE FABULOUS JENNIFER CHAU!

Now, before we get into this awesome Label Tulip announcement, let me introduce you to my friend and fellow Paperlifer who above all "gets it" and lives her Paperlife in celebration and to the fullest! And yes fellow PC livers you know her as Jenibug. So, without further ado, here is Jen, proud new owner of label Tulip's, PaperLife:

I have spent most of my life in the arts, no matter what the specific discipline. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia during the 70's and 80's, I was actively involved in children's theater both with my school and external theaters. In high school I continued my theater work, but also became very interested in photography and spent my senior year in the darkroom, smelling like the developer chemicals almost every day! Although I went through several majors in college before deciding on one, I finally graduated in 1997 with a BA degree in Film and Television with a minor in Theater.

After graduation I thought I had it all worked out; I was interning at a post-production house and was set to follow a path in Film and Television production; however, I soon realized that the actual business of filmmaking was a lot different than making student films -- it's a very cut-throat world and my sensitive personality isn't meant for that sort of life. So, I took a temp job with IBM and began to grow my IT career; as the daughter of an IBM'er, computer work came naturally to me even if it wasn't my favorite thing to do. I ended up working in the IT industry for more than 10 years, and when I lost my job last year, I was actually the Email Manager for over 5,000 users.

Although I had been scrapbooking on and off for a few years before I lost my job, I really started to get into it afterwards because I had more free time on my hands. Around the beginning of 2009, I realized that I really wanted to be a part of the scrapbooking industry, and not just a customer; I was intrigued with the family-like unity that many of the kit club message boards conveyed, and I had developed quite a passion for "everything paper". I began to look around for job opportunities within the online industry, and was lucky enough to be introduced to the then-owner of Label Tulip; she was interested in selling the business, and after talking with each other, we realized I was a perfect match to take over the business she had grown for more than 2 years.

I am so proud and honored to now be owner of Label Tulip! It truly is a dream come true and although it's a lot of hard work, it doesn't feel like it on most days because the customers are the greatest and I am blessed with the most talented design team around! I have so many awesome plans for the future of Label Tulip, I cannot wait to bring my fresh ideas and perspectives to an already thriving business. After being laid off last year and feeling like I'd never find a job, much less one that I loved, I think my story is a great example of "if you want something bad enough, and you work hard enough, you can making anything happen". I worked very hard to get where I am today, and it was not without a lot of obstacles and emotional times (my baby was in the NICU for 2 months right after I was laid off); but I never gave up and now, I just feel so humbly lucky and honored to say that I own Label Tulip, one of the internet's top scrapbooking kit clubs. Dreams do come true!

-why do you scrap?

I have to! I have a degree in film, so I've always got my camera handy and I have an obsession with paper products! I'm an artist at heart and I need a way on most days to get my feelings out artistically; whether good emotions or bad, scrapping and paper crafting provide me that outlet. I create almost every day of my life whether it's an entire layout or a little greeting card, I try to do something for myself.

-who or what do you scrapbook?

When I scrapbook it's mostly about my children. They are so amazing and beautiful (spoken like a true mom!) and I want to capture everything they do and say: their silliness, innocence, and all the fun times. I have to admit though, it's those few times that I get to scrap a page about myself that are the most beneficial to the soul -- I always learn something about myself when I'm challenged with those "scrap something about you" suggestions. I love doing art journaling, it's such a great way to play with my scrappy products and learn about myself at the same time. Scrapping and Journaling definitely make me a better person.

-what is your scrapping style?

Oh wow, that's a tough one! I'm all over the place, but as a whole I'd have to say it's modern meets vintage, crazy meets conservative, girlie meets punkrock. I love to use vintage items, but give them a modern twist. I love color, and lots of it, but try to only use the really bright ones in small amounts. I love flowers and have them on almost every page. I'm also guilty of scraplifting; there are so many talented scrappers out there, that more than once I have lifted their designs and made them my own -- I think that's one of the greatest aspects about the scrapping community, we are all here to share our lives and our art with each other. I've been so lucky to share with a group of really amazing people.

-where do you get your inspiration?

Sometimes it's from a photograph; I'll start with the photo that contains a great memory and get an idea of how I want to convey that experience on paper. But more often than not, it's from the products themselves. A certain sheet of patterned paper that is so beautiful that I must have it -- I'll purchase all the embellishments and add-ons just to go with that one sheet of amazing paper. Or a kit club that puts together the most exquisite compilation of scrapping items, I can't wait to dive in and create. Being a member of kit clubs is definitely what drove me to want my own; I felt like I was getting so much joy out of belonging, that if I could own one, I could hopefully share that joy with so many other scrappers and artists; and here I am!

Some of Jen's breathe-taking work:

I told you I loved flowers! I love the stitched Prima paper, I'm so excited about the new line they have out! Journaling reads: We were at Rudy's when Matt was visiting in April. Sophie went off to make friends and instead found a flower bed she just had to lie down in.This page is about my mom, a very tough subject to talk about and deal with. The journaling reads: You were beautiful, talented, and loving - why did you stop caring?

This layout is one I did right after I lost my 18 year old doggie Daisy. I lost her but a few months ago and the grief is still very strong. I've had Daisy all of my adult life; she saw me through college, moving out on my own, moving to Austin, she was in my wedding, and was here when I brought both my girls home from the hospital. She was my "soul dog" and I miss her so much. I took the photo in the grass to always remind me of the hilarious way she used to "tiptoe" in the grass when it got too high -- she was such a princess for being a pound puppy.

All are so beautiful Jen, just love the dimension and depth you bring to your pages with all the details and meaningful stories!

Ok Jen, now what we have all been waiting for, some questions about your exciting new Label Tulip adventure!

-what do you want for the future of Label Tulip?

Most importantly, I want to continue to provide our current and potential customers with the highest quality kits I can! Label Tulip has always provided the newest/hottest products out there and I want to forever ensure that level of quality. I want to make sure each and every kit is beyond gorgeous and that it provides tons of potential for many scrapping projects. Moving forward, I also want to inspire our members with some alternative projects that aren't necessarily your standard scrapping layouts; I think it's important to remember that we're all artists and we can use these products for more than just scrapbooking! I'm also very interested in supporting the independent artists out there, and that's why I'm so excited to be adding a new feature to Label Tulip called "The Etsy Extra". Each month we'll be featuring an Etsy artist and will be including one of their items in our main kits! I'm so excited to reveal our September kit and the gorgeous hand-made item we are including, it's hard to keep it a secret!

Another one from Jen its a "me" layout. I love it when I get to see Paperlifer's "me" layouts, they are so poignant and telling about the person.

A minimalistic layout about me.

If you think Jen's Paperlife is exciting so far, hold on tight for her super amazing giveaway for all of you this week! It's a.........

.............................Label Tulip September Main Kit valued at $36! (yes you read that right!......now breathe!)

from Jen: I wish I could show you pictures of the kit now, but we are a mid month kit and our customers haven't even seen it yet! So, please check back on http://www.labeltulip.com/ for sneek peaks(and maybe even a few here Friday) and on September 15, the kit will be revealed! I will ship it out to the spotlight winner ASAP! I can promise you this, it's gorgeous and is definitely reflective of my "old meets new" style!

Thank you Jen, for letting us have a look inside your Paperlife, for caring enough about what this hobby is truly about to make it your life's work, and for inspiring us with your talent and story! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you and Label Tulip! You are a SUPER STAR in my book! And now Paperlifers, comment here to get in on Jen's unbelievable LT kit giveaway and then hurry on over to http://www.labeltulip.com/ to get acquainted with their fabulous kit club and hop on their message boards to meet some new friends! (you may even see me hangin over there) And until Friday, when I will have some more weekend inspiration from Jen and Label Tulip, go make a beautiful mess of your Paperlife!

Hugs,

Amy
oooooh and almost forgot 2 more great Label Tulip links for you to check out:

Label Tulip Blog -- http://www.labeltulip.blogspot.com/

Label Tulip Design Girls--http://www.labeltulip.com/designers.shtml

SEE YA FRIDAY FOR MORE!