Meet Aly Dosdall

This month, we opened our cover contest up to the members of the Write. Click. Scrapbook. collective—a group of 30+ scrapbookers who all support a philosophy of simplicity and sustainability in scrapbooking. Aly Dosdall's meaningful layout caught our eye immediately.

Enjoy a quick Q&A with January's talented cover girl, who's equally comfortable in the digital, hybrid, and scrapbooking worlds—as these layouts prove!

My name is: Alyson Dosdall, but just Aly’s fine.

My cover layout was inspired by: another page I made a few years ago. I’m into recycling. ~We're sure Aly just made the EPA very proud.

I've been scrapbooking since: my twins were born in 1997.
~Making time to scrapbook when you have twin infants (aka, "twinfants")? We admire this woman's tenacity.

The Cover Layout: At the beginning of this new decade, it's a great time to reflect on how our lives have evolved since the year 2000. In young James's case, much has changed, but a penchant for striped t-shirts clearly has not. Digital Supplies: papers, tailed alpha, and cardboard alpha (Katie Pertiet, designerdigitals.com) • stitching (Tia Bennett, twopeasinanbucket.com) • chipboard star (Celeste Rockwood-Jones and Natalie Malan) • brad (7gypsies) • 12 x 12 page by Aly Dosdall

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I spend my days: as a stay-at-home mom of five by day, and a crazed chocolate-snarfing scrapbooker by night.

My favorite guilty pleasure is: watching a little TV with my hubby after the kids go to bed at the end of a busy day. If we were smart, we’d go to bed sooner, but...
~We believe Aly has just stumbled upon the very definition of a "guilty pleasure." Secret indulgences (like eating Marshmallow Creme from the jar or watching Knight Rider reruns) are rarely the "smart" thing to do, right?

My family is made up of: my super amazing husband of 13 years, my energetic 12-year-old twin boys, my creative older daughters (9 and 7), and my sweet 3-month-old baby Faith.

People are always surprised to find out that I: teach voice lessons.
~Where can we sign up? Do-re-mi-fa-so...

A Favorite Hybrid Layout: I like this page because it's my favorite format (8½ x 11), it includes digital elements (the stitching and the photo frame collage), there's a little pop of red, and I'm a sucker for winter weather since most of my life I've lived where there's hardly any of it. Hybrid Supplies: cardstock (Core’dinations) • patterned paper (Black River Designs) • pearls (Recollections) • ribbon • gem (Prima Marketing) • white pen (Uniball) • border punch (Fiskars) • digital frames (Photo Clusters No. 7 by Katie Pertiet, designerdigitals.com) • digital stitches (Spools of Stitches by Tia Bennett, twopeasinabucket.com) • Brush Script and CK Truetype fonts • Photoshop CS2

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I'd describe my scrapbooking style as: uncluttered, linear, thoughtful, interesting (hopefully), and budget-friendly (always).

In 10 years, I hope to be: a better person, and as happy as I am today.

If I could go back in time, I would: say “I love you” more often.

I've loved elephants ever since: I got to ride on the back of one when I was 21.
~Uh, can we trade lives with you just for a little while? The coolest thing we’ve ridden on the back of is a Merry-Go-Round ostrich.

A Favorite Paper Layout: This page is one of my favorites because it captures my son Jeffrey (James's twin) at this age in a nutshell, and because it incorporates some of my go-to design principles: white space, asymetric balance, and visual triangles. Paper Supplies: patterned papers (Fancy Pants) • cards, journaling sticker (Fancy Pants) • letter stickers (American Crafts) • buttons (Creative Café) • dimensional adhesive (EK Success)

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If I were a scrapbook supply, I'd be: kraft cardstock, because it’s not flashy or trendy. It’s a classic, always a great background, and lets the other products and the photos on your page shine.

If I were to author an eBook, I'd title it: How to Start a Million Projects and Not Finish Most of Them.
~We'll be happy to help you start that project! As for finishing it... what were we saying again?

My favorite Ella eBook is: 40 Top Tips for Better Photos by Rebecca Cooper. I love her style!

Many thanks to Aly for subjecting herself to our prying questions! You can keep up with Aly daily by visiting her blog or checking out her contributions to Write. Click. Scrapbook.