Interview with Life with Evi

Tell us about yourself.

“Hello fellow crafters, my name is Evi and I reside in Palm Beach County, Florida (for the last 14 years). I am originally from the Bronx, NY and have been slowly running away from winters. I did undergraduate studies in Maryland and graduate school in Florida. I am a 39-year-old chiropractic physician by profession, and a paper crafter enthusiast by trade. I am engaged to my fiancé for the last 6 years, but we have been together for 14 years. We are both chiropractors and own our practice in Boynton Beach, FL. We are parents to our almost 3-year-old daughter, Valentina, and dog parents to a Doxie, name Zoe who is 15 years old, and Maui, a 6-month Goldendoodle. I am addicted to French fries, donuts, ice cream and coffee. Quarantine made me gain 15 pounds and sparked my love of reading once again. I was reading one book a month and now I can read two a week. I love documenting my life one memory at a time with my family and friends. It’s a true passion of mine and I love sharing my process on my YouTube channel.”

How did you start scrapbooking?

“I have been scrapbooking since I was in high school. This is back in the day, when you sent a whole roll of film in to be processed and received your photos a week later along with the negatives to make duplicates. I used to cut out the silhouette of all my friends and family and stick onto patterned paper. Or I would use decorative edged scissors or templates. My favorite completed scrapbook was done when I went to study abroad in Spain for a semester in college. I saved every menu, business cards, train tickets, receipts and took so many photos. I also kept all the email correspondence between my parents and me. I studied abroad in graduate school as well, and have a scrapbook of my trip to Brazil. So, I have been scrapbooking for 25 + years. I took a break for some collegiate years, but was always a journal-er. I have so many completed journals that house thoughts, emotions, events and heart ache. Scrapbooking and journaling have been my form of therapy for years.”

What is Life with Evi all about?

“Evi is actually my nick name from my middle name. My first name is Taína (ty-ena) but no one ever says it right or remembers it. So, I came up with Life with Evi, as a way I would document my life. I had big dreams that it would be a lifestyle blog and YouTube channel. I filmed and wrote content about products I used and loved, how to go gluten free and dealing with a ‘leaky gut’, vlogs about my life, but never actually shared that content. I was comfortable sharing my crafty side the most, and that is what I started posting about. Five years ago, I started Life with Evi on Blogger and my YouTube channel. They were mirror images of each other for a few years and now I think I lost interest in the blogger aspect of it. Paper crafting and memory keeping is what I am all about now.  But I have an itch to blog again and will be considering it very soon.”

Where do you get your inspiration to create your designs?

“I get my inspiration from other paper crafters. I follow so many amazing creators on YouTube, Instagram and in Facebook groups. I am constantly taking screenshots on my phone of other things that inspire me. That way when I have time to craft, I can gather some quick inspiration. I do try to give credit where credit is due.”

Made with our Neon Cardstock!

Made with our Glitter Cardstock!

Made with our Pastel Cardstock!

What made you decide to use YouTube to showcase your work?

“I truly enjoy YouTube. I am a visual learner. I watched other videos and thought I can figure this out and do it too. I told myself I could do it, so I did. I purchased my filming camera, a tripod, some photography lights and went to work. When I was able to up-grade my laptop after showing my commitment to myself I did, to a Macbook Pro, and it’s so much easier to use. Filming and editing are just another form of creativity for me. It takes extra time after filming, but I tend to keep my videos simple and short.”

Do you have a favorite holiday or life event to create scrapbooks for?

“I scrapbook all year long documenting my life. For my day to day scrapbooking, I used the pocket page format, also known as Project Life. I document all holidays in some creative way. But, my favorite album to do each year is December Daily, termed by Ali Edwards. It’s a month-long project documenting the magic of the holiday season. I have done it six years in a row and I’ve only been a mom the last two years. There is still plenty to document even without kids. I get asked a lot, ‘what if I do not have kids… what do I document?’ There is still plenty to document. Because each story does not need to be holiday related. I’ve documented morning and evening routines, cooking, lounging, people I hang with, self-care, favorite things I use and love along with the holiday events. It’s my favorite project and I am definitely doing it this year even though it may look a little different because of the pandemic.”

Any advice for parents or grandparents wanting to start scrapbooking?

“If you are wanting to start scrapbooking, the first decision is if you are more digital or physical. For my digital scrapbookers, download the Project Life app or Day One. I have used both, and these allow you to memory keep right on your phone and then send out to print. Another version are apps like Chatbooks or MixBooks. These sync with your Instagram or Facebook account, and will print out your posts every 50 photos into paperback books. No extra work is required if you post often to social media.

For my physical scrappers, start printing photos off your phone to Walgreens, Walmart or Costco, etc. You can print 4×6 photos for 10-20 cents. I would pick up a basic album that holds 4×6 photos from a craft store, amazon or TJ Max along with some index cards to jot down the memories and stories for the photos. It’s a simple way to get started and as you get into the habit, then start investing in all the pretty patterned papers and embellishments.”

With all the different options to express creativity, why do I choose paper?

“As a child, I always enjoyed school supplies and carried a book bag full of coloring books and notebooks. My mom was great at encouraging creativity. As I grew up, it stuck with me, and I enjoyed writing all on my own. I have kept a journal most of my life through the different chapters of my life and I continue to do so. Scrapbooking and memory keeping let my creativity shine and the need to use my hands. I enjoy art supplies and all forms of paper crafts. I hope I can share my love and joy with my three-year-old daughter. She is enjoying our craft projects already.”

What other products/endeavors are you working on with Life with Evi?  

“I would like to diversify my YouTube channel content. I would like to offer lifestyle, motherhood, kid crafts/activities in addition to my memory keeping videos. I have also wanted to host personal workshops/classes, but just have not yet. I have a few ideas for beginners at memory keeping as well as experienced memory keepers. I can film and edit the content that is exclusive to the workshop or class and charge a reasonable price for the content. There would be an agenda to follow along with as well as a supply list. I have been trying to organize my ideas to execute this sooner rather than later.

My other idea is to use the Patreon platform. I understand it as a paying subscriber platform. There are usually different tiers to the membership for different options hosted by me. It would be daily content, behind the scenes and projects not featured on my YouTube channel. It’s a way to make a bit of income from the work I do. This has always been just a hobby on YouTube, and some YouTubers are trying to make it into side income with this additional outlet to be featured on.

I want to learn how to monetize my blog as well. Once again, it has just been a hobby and I have never learned how to make money from blogging and would love to do so. I journal everyday, why not just put it into a blog?

Thank you so much for interviewing me. I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know me a bit. I hope you subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on Instagram!

~ Evi”

Watch Evi’s video below:

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