Meet Cute | Jennie Rey

Good morning, friends! We're excited to share a new "getting to know you" series, called Meet Cute. We plan to share these mini interviews on Facebook and here on the blog. Profiles will include creative team members, community members, AE team members, guest storytellers, and more. 

Our first guest is the amazingly creative, Jennie Rey. Jennie is an AE creative team member and she has just finished an incredible new class called Hybrid All Year Round. Registration for her class opens this Wednesday, March 10th at 9AM EST. More details will be available starting Wednesday, but until then, we wanted you to get to know a little about Jennie!

Where are you from?

I live in the Netherlands, born and raised in Amsterdam, but now living in Badhoevedorp, a little town next to Amsterdam with my husband Michel, our children Mila en Levi, Mila’s boyfriend Magnus and the cutest cat Bowie.

What is a fun fact about you?

My favorite books to read, series and movies to watch are dystopian, post-apocalyptic or fantasy. The more unrealistic the better! Recent favorites were: The Handmaids Tale (books and series), all the books from Blake Crouch, Counterpart (series) and I am now watching Snowpiercer (series). If you have a recommendation, let me know!

How long have you been a memory keeper?

I’ve been a memory keeper since 2003. In a supermarket, I saw this magazine about scrapbooking (full of torn edges, chalk and paper piecings!) and it was a life-changing moment for real! I started on the A4 size in a regular binder with a getaway to Disneyland. I have had so many awesome adventures through scrapbooking and met so many amazing women! With a friend I organized Scrap Camps, we did online events (all in Dutch!) and I even worked in a local scrapbook store for a while. In 2006 I was so lucky to be able to attend an in-person workshop from Ali and I am a big fan ever since. She has inspired me so much, in scrapbooking and in life.

What formats do you document in? The 12x12 size was too big for me so I started with making my own albums and using the 8x8 size (a tiny bit bigger because I cut down the A4 size to a square). I also did a lot of mini-albums (in all the sizes and shapes!). When the 6x8 pocket page albums became available I dove in and never looked back!

What is your favorite AE project?

My all-time favorite AE project is December Daily (with Week in the Life not far behind!). Our Decembers were always a bit complicated due to our far from normal family 😉 but Ali taught me to look through the lens of joy and gratitude and go find the stories that make me happy. I did and filled my albums with so many stories, not only the good ones but also the harder ones, because they are there for sure, but I can look at them differently now. I can honestly say that last December, in spite of all the hard parts of a crazy year, was one of the happiest months of my life. My December Daily albums (and my Week in the Life albums) are one of my most precious possessions because there are photos and stories inside that I wouldn’t have had now without these projects.

Why do you love hybrid documenting?

Hybrid scrapbooking is my absolute favorite because the products can be adjusted to whatever you want or need at that moment. You can go really really big or small, you can change the color, combine elements, leave things off if it doesn’t fit your story. Hybrid scrapbooking (and being able to print my photos and elements at home) has made my storytelling process so much easier!

What is one thing you hope people take away from your class?

I have to quote Ali on this one: “One of the things I really want you to take away from this class is the ability to look at digital kits with POSSIBILITY. I want you to understand that there are so many things you can do with digital kits to customize them to fit the stories you want to tell - and I want you to "see" that when you look at digital kits.”

Anything is possible!

Thank you so much, Jennie!! We loved getting to know you. For more inspiration from Jennie, find her on instagram at @thereypie.