Design Team

Rachel Kaufman

Founder and Owner

I have been scrapbooking in some form or another for as long as I can remember. As a small child, I made books about movie stars, poster collages of my dreams and wishes for my future, and magnetic albums with family and friends' photos, embellished with stickers and handwritten journaling written on construction paper. I graduated to a wedding 'storybook' album made for close friends in 2000. Soon after, I was introduced to the 'new' world of scrapbooking...

The publication of my album called "Sedona Moments', about moments of clarity in my life, in the Write from the Heart section of Simple Scrapbooks in Nov/Dec 2007 (click here and here) played an important role in helping me develop my teaching business, and for that I am so grateful.

When I first started scrapbooking, I covered events, trips and the like. I came to realize that the things I loved to scrapbook about were about my heart and soul. I'm a firm believer in the value of psychotherapy - and found that while other people were journaling as part of their therapy to get their feelings out and expressed, my best and most complete way to do that as part of my therapy was by scrapbooking and then studying and discussing it - so I created a unique tool for helping process my life. I am so thrilled and so motivated to share my 'way' of scrapbooking with others as it has helped me so much, and continues to, even to this day.  I have really enjoyed the chance to watch others take my vision and transform it into something that speaks directly to their hearts. It is my passion and my dream to help others understand themselves, deal with life's difficulties and celebrate their inner and most private victories through our craft.

I live with my family in beautiful Santa Monica, California, just 10 blocks from the beach. Seriously, you gotta come out here-it's amazing!

Rachel's Blog:  Inside Out

Tammy Onderdonk Klass

Creative Director

Hi everyone! My name is Tammy Onderdonk Klass and I am thrilled to be a part of the SFTIO team! I have recently joined the team to work on the integration of our brand image with new business segments and projects. And, I am sure, lots of fun in between!

I keep busy during the day as a professional in the apparel industry. I am truly excited to bring my knowledge of design, marketing and my creative background to SFTIO. I know that it is a perfect fit! I believe that scrapbooking is about what is inside. The feelings that you get from hearing a word, seeing a picture. Releasing dreams, fears, inhibitions, and hopes on to a page. It is something that is magical.

I live in NC and have two beautiful daughters. I am involved with community theatre and am passionate about the art community where I live.

Melissa Elsner

Design Team Coordinator

Hi everyone! My name is Melissa Elsner and I am from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I'm a Program Coordinator at an Early Learning Center and when I am not working I do a lot of singing and traveling (I lived in Guatemala for a year) and, of course, scrapbooking!

Speaking of scrapbooking, it is by far my favorite hobby! As a former art teacher, I needed something to keep my creative juices going and what better way to still be creative and preserve memories at the same time! A lot of my layouts are about me. Being a single gal, I'm taking advantage of this time to scrapbook my lifestory and also express my emotions. It's therapy! I have been published in Paper Crafts Magazine, ScrapStreet and have had work displayed in various other venues. I also teach scrapbooking for EK Success.

I am beyond thrilled to be part of the SFTIO team and look forward to digging deeper together as we explore our inner worlds!

Melissa's Blog: The Profound Brunette

Bonita Rose Kempenich

Hello! My name is Bonita Rose (Kempenich) and I live on the plains in Fargo, North Dakota, USA. I'm originally from Winnipeg Canada, where I was raised and grew up. Previously in my lifetime, I was a travel agent before the internet took over the world. I love discovering new places, time up in my Studio, and playing with paper and paint and pretty things.

I'm a mother to two teenage daughters, and started scrapbooking many years ago when they were born. Papercrafting is something I'll always have a passion for. I love to write, and for me, journaling comes easy. I believe in telling the stories behind the photos. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I believe in sharing more of ME in my layouts and projects. I want to leave a legacy for my children. I want them to really know the woman their mother was. How I felt. The pain I felt. The challenges I faced. The happy moments and the sad moments.

Art and scrapbooking has always been therapeutic for me. As an emotional abuse survivor, it's very important to me to finally stand up for myself, and let others know about the real me. Not just the face they see, but all that makes me, me. I love lots of bold color and clean lines. I love mixing it up.

I am so happy to be part of the SFTIO team and look forward to sharing more about the real me with all of you!

Bonita's Blog: Bonita Rose, Life.Love.Color.Art a life unrehearsed

Jennifer Matott

My name is Jennifer Matott and I live in Liverpool, New York (Outside of Syracuse, NY). I have two little boys and a husband of 12 years! I am an art teacher in a K-6 public school but have taught 7-9th grades for 14 years. I love to "play" with materials and media and sharing that love with my students is my joy in life! I have my BFA in Sculpture and Painting and while I do create my own fine arts, I have found with 2 little ones, scrapbooking has become my creative art form. I've been scrapping and creating mixed media for over 15 years. Mixed media allows me to get creative with imagery and still create a 3D effect using a variety of media. My pages lean towards the dramatic and I love experimenting with papers and pushing the limits of what can be done. Distressing, inking, paints, and textures are a constant in my work. There is nothing that I won't attempt to put into my printer and print images on!  However, I think my goal in all this crazy creation, is to capture my spirit and the spirit of my family on my pages for the future in a style that reflects my love of art.

Currently, I am a member of the Pencillines Sketch design team and Faber Castell DMC. I've been published in several paper and online magazines, including Scrap N' Art, Scrapbooking and Beyond, Scrapbook Trends, and others. I hope to inspire you to record your memories, feelings, events, and passion in a fun and unique way.  I'm honored to be serving on this design team!

Jennifer’s blog:  Art Talk

Nicole Martel

My name is Nicole Martel.  Currently, I work for a credit union. In July 2010 I received my bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a 3.32 GPA. I live in Crownsville, MD with my wonderful husband of 7 years. This October, it will be 12 years that we have been together! We have a beautiful son named Edward Zane who we love to pieces. We have a dog named Daisy a cat named Scarlet.

I began scrapping in January 2002 but I didn’t get really serious or discover the online scrapping forums until August 2006. I remember when mom asked me to go to a Creative Memories party with her. I laughed telling her no way, I'm not creative enough! By the time I left that party, I had my first album, cardstock, pens, trimmer, scissors and lots of stickers and templates. Little did I know that I'd be addicted! I totally love this hobby. It makes me happy to create layouts for my friends and family and to inspire others to scrap. My friends call me the Paparazzi. (laughs) My camera is always with me! I love taking photos and when my friends get annoyed with me, I tell them that one day, we will be old and we'll appreciate the goofy photos that we took. After all, scrapping is all about keeping the "Memories alive!" I may be a simple scrapper but I’m far from being a boring scrapper.

My main style is simple and journalistic with a bit of an eclectic feel to my work. Not only do I enjoy creating layouts but I also enjoy creating mini albums. I love using paint and ink on my layouts to make them stand out. I do not like cluttered pages because I believe that with the right photos, design and fewer embellishments, one can still create a beautiful piece of art.

Nicole's Blog: I'm Just a Simple Gal

Rita Barakat

Teen Program Coordinator

My name is Rita Barakat. I have been married to my wonderful hubby for 19 years. Before I had children I painted life size murals for a living. I am blessed to be a SAHM (stay at home mom) to five beautiful children ages 18 down to 4! My talents are all in the fine arts. I direct a youth choir and drama team. I sing and have always been a crafter and an artist. When I ran across scrapbooking I was immediately hooked! Scrapbooking is my passion.

I love being a part of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out! I love the process of journaling your emotions through scrapbooking; what a wonderful legacy we are leaving for future generations! I love that SFTIO gives us the opportunity to explore and express our feelings, I really enjoy hearing what everyone has to say and it's nice that we can be so honest. (WTG Rachel!) I am so excited to work with Rachel and the SFTIO team.

Rita's Blog: Let's Embellish

Kai Baldwin

Marketing Coordinator

Vertically challenged, blonde (most of the time), easy-going yet verbose scrapbooker seeks strong, bold, colorful and funky patterned paper for long-term, yet vulnerable and intimate love affair. I can’t stay away from a good line that coordinates well with other fun pals, especially “Chip” and “Tag”. I love to be adventurous with stamps and Stickles. Got flowers? If not, no worries, I do! I adhere to few rules and hope you like cutting and tearing it up as much as I do. If you’re ready to dig deep and expose your inner self with me, then you bring the bling and I’ll bring the ribbon and we can meet up for a sticky good time!

Whoops! How did my ScrapperMatch.com bio sneak into this one? Sorry! How embarrassing! Boy, is my face red. Let’s try this again…

Hi, my name is Kai. It’s pronounced K-eye or rhymes with tie, bye, hi, sigh… well, you get the picture. I currently reside in central Ohio, but only under duress. I'd much rather be "home" in western NY state. I started scrapbooking in 1999 after visiting a friend who had just attended a Creative Memories workshop. Looking at her completed page just sent little electrical impulses through me. I realized then that this was what I had been searching for. Prior to this day, I was a “craft nomad”, dabbling in a lot of different crafts. As a child I remember spending hours making my own cards, paper-storybooks, and collaged photo pages in those static-cling albums with hand-cut pieces of paper with journaling or quips on them. But I was never satisfied. I never realized what was missing until that day… when my friend’s scrapbook page opened my mind. I took a class and started to explore my own creativity. Years later, I started working part-time at the LSS where I had taken my first class and remain there today.

After a few years at the LSS, I again grew unhappy and disillusioned with scrapbooking. At this point in time I had only really had time to scrapbook two basic albums, a few gift items and handmade cards. I just felt unfulfilled. What I created didn't feel good enough, or just... enough. I considered quitting until a friend of mine pointed me here to SFTIO. I immediately realized that I had found my new home. Scrapbooking as a form of journaling, therapy, release, catalyst or just to share who I really am inside is where it’s at for me now. I will be forever thankful to Rachel for bringing her vision to life and I am very excited and humbled to be a part of it!

Kai's Blog: Enjoy the Ride Today

Paige Ramos

Special Projects Coordinator

Hi, I'm Paige. I live in Peoria, AZ but I was born and raised in NY. I've been married to my hunky husband for 17 years and we have A fabulous 12 year old son and 2 beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 10 who are typically the focus of my scrapbooking. By day I am a Reunion Coordinator as well as the Director of Collections for an internet travel consortium.  I'm a devoted soccer and swim team mom, AND when time allows I throw in a load or 19 of laundry and clean my house. When time doesn't allow, I watch “Once Upon A Time”, “Dancing with the Stars”, “Top Chef”  & “General Hospital” on my DVR.

When I grow up I want to be a professional writer and I'm currently practicing my craft on my blog "The Bumpy Ride." Although my life might sound like that of the average girl next door - trust me, IT'S NOT. The most bizarre (usually comical) things seem to happen to me and I love to write about them and share my insane experiences and observational humor.  So PLEASE take a peek...

I’m delighted to say that I’ve been working at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out since its inception and I’m so pleased with all of the lives that we’ve touched and how we’ve changed how a lot of people approach scrapbooking.  For me, SFTIO is important because I want my children to REALLY know and understand me. I also think that Inside Out LO’s will be a great gift for them to use to learn more about themselves and who they are as a part of our family and as individuals. By Scrapbooking from the Inside Out I am able to give them art and information about their heritage and their history, while at the same time sharing with them how very much they are loved and why. 

Scrapbooking in general allows me to satisfy the artist in my heart, and the writer in my soul. Endeavoring to do so from the Inside Out is a challenge and experience that I treasure and I'm sure you will too.

Paige's Blog:  The Bumpy Ride