If you stumbled across my blog it’s likely for one of the following reasons:
* You have a passion for memory keeping, scrapbooking, and/or digital design
* You love to create on the cheap and live a DIY life
* You’re on the look out for tutorials, roudups, quicktips and tricks to help make your workflow (and life) more manageable
* You’re my mother
Whatever the reason may be, I’m glad you found me today.
As the adage goes: Not all who wander are lost!
My name is Karli-Marie and I am a technologically inclined, organizationally challenged, creative spirit, and digital designer who is just trying to find my way through this crazy thing we call life.
I love to create beautiful things, I seek to transform the world through honest and authentic communication, and I find my bliss in helping others.
I have had a life-long love of memory keeping in both paper and digital format. As the self-designated family photographer I started making scrapbooks for my younger siblings when I was in high school, but my love for paper goes back ever farther than that.
As a kid, I was an indoors kinda girl: I made my own paper dolls, created collages of old magazines, and hated playing outside. I was that kid who would run inside every time my hands got dirty to wash them. And while some things may change (these days I LOVE getting elbow deep in some paint!), my desire to express myself creatively and bring beauty to the world has not waned through the years
During my college years I was formally introduced to the Adobe Suite and while I had dabbled in digital design before, now I was officially hooked. After I graduated with a degree in communications I picked up the hobby of signature making for forums like iVillage. Before I knew it I was plunged into the world of digital scrapbooking. And while the technology and digiscrap industry have changed drastically over the past 10 years,
I think that ultimately, people’s desire to create something meaningful or document a memory will never truly change.
After several years of teaching preschool and living life without much of a plan, I decided to join the Peace Corps. During my service, I worked with a grassroots YMCA organization on various local and national projects, specializing in utilizing design, technology, and social media in the nonprofit sector.
My 30 months in the Macedonia were life-changing in every possible way. I expanded my horizons, I was open to new possibilities, and I gained so many new skills. I also had the opportunity to not just hone my talents in art and design, but to teach and pass those gifts on to others as well. Truly a rewarding experience.
In 2014 I returned home with a new outlook on life and a husband… yes, I got married in the Peace Corps! Over the past few years I have been working on readjusting to life in the states (not as simple as it may seem), and truly learning to follow my passions: Creating digital designs, DIY projects, and crafts.
In 2017 I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and became a Mother. Talk about a big adjustment! The Peace Corps motto used to be: “the hardest job you’ll ever love,” but I found that saying even more apropos of Motherhood!!
The transition to Mom wasn’t always an easy one. I still have to work hard to try and find the balance between baby’s needs and my own. I had to start making a big effort to make sure my creative pursuits were still a priority in my life. Becoming a Mom gave me a renewed passion for memory keeping – having a handsome little muse will do wonders for your creativity!
But, while the memory keeping aspect is an important one, I am also a firm believer that the process is just as important. It’s not always about the destination, but rather the journey as well. So, with this blog I seek to share the ups and downs, ins and outs, and general goings on of all aspects of my Life, Art, and Process.
I look forward to getting to know you better as you join me in this journey!