In this weeks getting to know our design team we travel all the way to Western Australia in the leafy suburb of Woodvale where Maxine Hazebroek lives with her family.
Surprisingly Maxine’s scrapping space is not in her house it’s actually in her backyard that she does all her scrapping. She has her own studio that was purpose built for her crafts. It was built in 1998 and back then it was stamping, card making and folk art that were her passion- but since discovering scrapbooking way back in 2000 there has been little time for anything else. Although those previous crafts still make a come-back every now and then in her creations it’s scrapbooking that has remained her focal point.
The biggest bonus about having a scrapbooking space in the backyard is the beautiful view Maxine has. Directly outside the window is a tree where two doves have nested and a baby bird has only just hatched a week ago. Maxine has been able to watch as the birds have gathered sticks and built their nest. As yet the bird hasn’t opened its eyes or got any feathers, but she anxiously awaits the time when it ventures out of the nest and learns to fly.
From her vantage point she can watch the kits ride their bikes around the backyard and see Lauren playing in her cubby.
The following layout shows the view Maxine has from her studio. In the front yard they have a tree that has recently died and you can often find Maxine looking at it; watching the clouds move above it and watching as day turns to evening. Behind the backyard images in the layout she has included a large picture of the dead tree. She has used Crate paper, ribbons, paper & rub-ons because the texture and colours match perfectly to her theme. She has also used Hambly rub-ons with a touch of orange paint to blend them more to the layout.
In tribute to her backyard Maxine created this gorgeous canvas. The bird, flowers & leaves are from Jeni Bowlin patterned paper. We love the texture in this design from the tree bark and the way she has scrunched the leaves, such eye candy!
The beauty of having a scrapping space outside of the family home is that it doesn’t need to be kept tidy; Maxine can create into the wee hours of the morning with her music blaring loudly and not have the worry of disturbing her family. Although she may have a mess when she’s finished creating something, Maxine cannot start something new until everything is cleaned up and put away.
For Maxine everything has its own place. One side of her studio hosts wall to wall cupboards, where loads of ‘stuff’ is hidden away. She uses Cropper Hopper Paper Holders to store her cardstock, which is filed by colour. She also uses clear ones to store her patterned paper, by brand name. Maxine also has a love for baskets & tins and she uses both of those to store embellishments.
One of Maxine’s favourite storage items is this rolling drawer set; being able to move it from place to place is a huge bonus.
If you were to ask Maxine what two items she couldn’t live without, hands down it would be her Cropper Hopper Supply Case, it goes everywhere with her and because she teaches at scrapbooking stores her Crop In Style XXL is a must for going from place to place.
Its here that Maxine leaves us to head back down to her scrapbooking studio, as she gets busy with her next creation. And if you happen to be passing by late at night, and you see the lights blazing and the music blaring from her home away from home; just give her a gentle toot.
