Shimelle grew up in the middle of nowhere – outside a small town in Kansas. She knew she wanted to go somewhere very different and had a feeling she was meant to be a city mouse instead of a country mouse. It was university that brought her to Britain – she did her Masters at the University of Sussex in Brighton before becoming a secondary school teacher and settling in London long term, she’s now lived in the UK as long as she’s lived stateside!

Shimelle remembers a strict school teacher who deemed her handwriting too atrocious and made her stay inside for playtime, erasing what she’d written and copying it all out aain.

At the very same time, her very creative and crafty grandmother kept encouraging her to keep making and keep trying. By the time she finished school, she was doing calligraphy and lettered the announcements for graduation. She was already in love with photography by that age, but it was a few more years before she discovered scrapbooking even existed as an actual hobby – she made my first album as a gift, and never looked back…

What is it that you love about crafting?

I say in jest that scrapbooking is my therapy, but it does do so much for my balance. It keeps me in check with gratitude and helps me notice the days so they don’t fly by in a blur. I tried digital scrapbooking at one point, but it didn’t give me the same clarity as working with my hands and writing with a pen. Sometimes my scrapbooking students have moments when something similar clicks, and then I know it is always worth it.

What’s your favourite crafty hobby?

Scrapbooking! I dabble in sewing, knitting, and cardmaking, but scrapbooking is my perfect combination of photography, writing, and creating things from pretty paper.

How would you describe your crafty style?

Bright, colourful, and layered. I don’t believe in too many layers, just too little time.

If you had to pick between all forms of crafting, and it was only this craft you could do for the rest of your life – what would it be?

I have scrapbooked for more than twenty years now – it is what’s in my heart forever.

Is there a form of crafting you’ve not tried yet, that you still would like to try?

I’ve tried to learn to crochet about twelve times and never got it! Maybe thirteenth time lucky?

Do you have a designated craft space?

Yes, I’ve long had a separate work space within our home, but we recently moved house so I’m in the design phase at the moment. For the last ten years or so I’ve worked in what most families would probably make into a formal dining room, with a central standing desk and shelving to the sides to hold my supplies and finished albums. Our new house is quite open plan, and I’m working temporarily in the front window while we design just the right space for creating and filming!

What’s the most used item in your craft supplies?

My scissors! In the Glitter Girl collection, I got to include my own pair of scissors with glittery handles, and it was lovely to share how practical bigger scissors can be for all sorts of techniques. I don’t really use tiny scissors, and instead love a pair of scissors that I can use for everything and use them so much they just feel like an extension of my arm. Scissor zen is a great thing!

What one crafting supply couldn’t you live without?

Patterned paper gives me so much joy. In downsizing my craft space, I slimmed down my collections of pretty much everything, but not paper. Pretty patterned paper is what always catches my eye whether I’m shopping or crafting.

What brand/s are your favourite craft supplies from?

Well, I work for American Crafts, so of course the vast majority of my stash comes fro