Meet Amy
I’m so excited to start introducing our fabulous new contributors here at Outstanding Mini Albums Blog!
First up is Amy Sotolongo. You can visit Amy’s blog here
Welcome Amy! Please tell us a bit about yourself:
Thank you so much for having me here!
I’m a Southern California girl! I live about 15 minutes from the beach but I rarely go (it’s ridiculous, but being a redhead I burn quick!).
I’m a junior high special education teacher by day and a creative soul by night. I’ve been married to the love of my life, Josh for almost 11 years. We love to travel and visit new baseball parks around the USA. In recent summers we have been to Ireland, England, France, Italy, Spain and the east coast of the US. We also spend a lot of time with family and have two infant nephews we are really enjoying. I love to bake and always have a new recipe ready to try. I just made some yummy carmel corn last night! Cupcakes are a big favorite for my oven as well.
How and when did you start scrapbooking?
I started working at a bank while going to college and one of my co-workers was an amazing crafter. I had friends who were making Creative Memories albums but I wasn’t fond of their stickers or embellishments. My co-worker, Judy introduced me to a local craft store that had everything. At the time “everything” was gingham, polka-dot and plain paper in maybe 10 colors tops and Mrs. Grossman’s stickers. I started by making an album of all the fun things my husband and I were doing while dating. It slowly evolved into making mini albums, altered art, etc.
What are your favorite subjects to scrap about?
I love to scrapbook traveling adventures and everyday life. I love recording the happy, blessed moments in life because when the tide turns and life is hard my albums become a wonderful reminder of all I have to be grateful for. I do record the rough, hard times occasionally, but not as often.
What is your favorite type of mini album to create?
I love chipboard mini’s with lots of layering, thick and chunky and bling is a must! I look forward to creating a Christmas mini album every year and I also love creating travel mini’s.
Do you have a lot of mini albums? How do you store/ display them?
I do! My husband would say way too many 
I store them in plastic containers in the top of my closet and I display a few in my livingroom in a basket. I rotate them so I don’t get bored with the same ones all the time.
What are your top 5 favorite items to use when scrapbooking?
1. Border Punches
2. Helmar or Glossy Accents for wet glue
3. Patterned Paper
4. Small Embellishments (stickers, punched items, journaling spots)
5. Stamps with Jenni Bowlin Ink
What is the most unusual item you’ve used in your scrapbooks?
Hmmmm….that’s a hard one. I don’t have any really unusual items in my scrapbook but I do use a dry wall sander to sand the edges of my mini albums! My friend Sally has the most amazing gift of going to home improvement stores and picking up scrapbook tools (it’s purple, they sell it at Lowe’s in the paint section and it’s a must if you paint your nails!)
What is your favorite technique when making mini albums?
I love stamping and all it adds to mini albums. Right now I’m back to embossing using American Crafts Zing Embossing Powder and I’m loving it! I used to use the embossing technique when making cards, but it’s even more fun in scrapbooking!
How would you describe your scrapbooking style?
I would say it is fun, colorful and playful. I enjoy scrapping using color combinations and sketches, but I will also create all on my own. I definitely love to layer both paper and embellishments. I love thick pages and thick mini albums.
Do you have any other hobbies besides scrapbooking?
I love to bake, travel and read.
I love to bake desserts, I love to travel to other countries and I will read just about anything, I have a definite magazine addiction!
