Behind the Scenes with Jen Matott

Today we are going Behind the Scenes with design team member Jen Matott. She chose one of her favorite layouts using the March GRACE kit and has answered a few questions for us.

Heart by Jen Matott

What prompted you to pick this take on Grace?
This layout is all about my relationship with my Mom and how much I worry about a time without her.  I wanted to do a page with mostly journaling about my feelings and love for her. 


Why did you choose this photo?
This is a photo of my Mom and I when I was in college.  It's not a recent one but it is my favorite one of the two of us.  It shows so much love between us.  This photo just makes me smile. She came to visit me at school for a Mother/ Daughter sorority event.  It was a great day and this photo brings out the memories. 

What symbolism did you try to bring through your design?
I used Kraft cardstock as a base and wrote the journaling first.  I placed the photo and papers down so that I knew how much room I'd need. Then I took them off and sprayed over a heart mask and the wooden doily in the kit.  I wanted the rest simple with the focus on the journaling but also muting it with the spray to make it less prominent. It's kind of like bearing your soul and how vulnerable you feel... having a comforting blanket to shield you makes it less scary. I wanted the veil of spray to be that buffer.  I can still read the words, but it's less threatening then leaving them on a bare page. 


How did you feel about the message of the layout?
After I reread what I wrote, I cried.  It was just a spilling of my worries/ fears and love for my Mom.  I wanted to write what I felt on that day of her surgery. To remember how scared I was. She was so calm and my Dad and I were a wreck inside but trying to hide it for her sake.  We were thinking along the same lines (all of us)... what would happen and how could we live without her here. Fortunately, it turned out fine.  I still worry about her as she has more medical issues but I know we can get through them as a family. 


Why did you choose to show your journaling?
I chose to show the journaling and use it as a main part of the page but also "hide" it with the sprays a bit.  It's a bit like putting it all out there but covering up to keep it less scary. 

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that this layout is done?
I feel relieved that the event is over and my Mom is okay... this layout is proof of my thoughts and feelings towards my Mom and how I feel about our relationship.  We are close and I love her with all my HEART.  She is a very strong woman and I hope she's around for a LONG time!  This layout is a tribute to her strength and my own.  Everyone has a relationship with someone in which voicing your feelings is therapeutic in the end. I loved how simple this page was and how much I treasure the photo and memories. 


You can visit Jen's blog here: Art Talk
Visit the Design Team Gallery to see more of Jen's and the rest of the teams amazing work using this month's GRACE kit!