Boy was this a tough week!! I finally decided on Good Bye from 4noisyboys, because seriously, look at this layout! I love the placement of everything, the picture is so precious and I love the placement of the journaling. It broke my heart but it is such a great memory layout that it HAD to be picked!

Congrats 4noiseyboys!!  Head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

This week I was excited to interview one of our very own Scrapmatters Girls.  We get to know each other pretty well but there is alway something new to learn!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? whitneyt/Whitney
 
2. What is your main job/career? I’m a senior at the University of Northern Iowa and I graduate in December. I’m going to school for social studies education and middle level education. I do work part-time as a secretary at a non-profit organization while I’m in school though.
 
3. Are you married/children/pets? I live with my boyfriend of 6 years and our dog, Spud. No ring yet lol!
 
4. Where is home for you? The great state of Iowa!
 
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Chicken anything, potatoes, & pickles.
 
6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Watermelon from Schwans. It comes with little candy seeds and everything… absolutely delish.
 
7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Um, can fried be an option lol!
 
8. Beverage of choice? Dt. Cokeaholic
 
9. What’s your least favorite food? I’m not much of a BBQ anything fan.
 
10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC & CS4 to scrap! I love my computer!
 
11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been DS since April 2009. One of my graphic design professors asked if I would help her scrapbook a wedding album for a friend. She gave me a list of all the freebie sites she always browsed and I kinda just started going from place to place, learning as I went. I have yet to finish that wedding album… HAHA!
 
12. What was your 1st LO about? My first LO was of my brother and the girl who asked him to prom. I am pretty proud of it being my first LOs, I have others that are much worse lol! 

 
13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? Not really.. but that’s fine with me because that would mean less time scrapping lol! I would like to find time to sit down and read a good book now and then, but I have other priorities (meaning LOs that need to be scrapped!)
 
14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Journaling and coming up with titles!
 
15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I would love to learn how to make pies, I know that’s random. I love to bake but I’m scared to try hard things like that! I’m also determined to learn how to quilt- but that may be many, many years in the future!
 
16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? My favorite movies are Jumanji and The Hangover. I watch a lot of TV when I’m not scrapping: Biggest Loser, Intervention, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Unwrapped… I could go on and on and on lol!
 
17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? I sit in the same spot, the TV is always on but I’m never watching it and I ALWAYS have a Dt. Coke within reach. Usually, my darling boyfriend sits across the room from me on the couch and does his own thing, usually playing Call of Duty or Madden.
 
18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? Buttons and stitches.
 
19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I’m related to Albert Einstein! No joke.
 
20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I like to use a lotta layers, pictures and a cluster or two somewhere! I also love to use templates!
 
21. Favorite LOs that you have done? 
 This is one of my all time favorite LOs! The kit just worked perfectly with the colors in the pictures. I love all the clusters and scatters too!

 
I just adore this LO! I was so proud of it when I was done! I love the scattered flowers and the few colors used throughout. But the best part is that it includes a picture of my family!

 
Here are some other favorites:
 

 

 
22. What is your favorite part of being a member of the Scraps Matter Girls? Oh man. There are a lot of great things, but the best is leaving love. I know how much it means to get feedback on a layout, and it makes me happy that it makes other people happy! I also love to chit chat with my fellow SMG!

Thanks so much for letting us get to know you better Whit!! Check out her awesome gallery here!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

Before we begin our post today… I am here to remind you that the second installment of the SMG Your Scraps Matter Scavenger hunt starts today!!! Melanie (scrappymelly) has some really creative clues for you.  Be sure to head over to the forum and check it out!! 

-Amanda (panders77)

This was a difficult decision because there were so many great layouts in the gallery, but I picked this layout, Disneyland Memories by corsicar:

I love all the paper blocks, the stacked photos and all the different frames she used to make a fantastic Disney layout!  Be sure to head over to the forum or gallery and leave her some love!!

-Amanda (Apatchetear)

This week I had to honor of interviewing Melissa (Yzebear19).  I always admire her awesome journaling  so I was excited to hear about the woman behind these all those fabulous words!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? Yzebear19 / Melissa

2. What is your main job/career?   I work full time.

3. Are you married/children/pets?  I’m not married and the only children I have are of the furry four-legged persuasion. My sister and I are sort of crazy cat ladies. We have 12 cats: Draco and Isis (8 years old), Morgana (7.5 years old), Cassie (3.5 years old), Addie, Chunky Monkey, Sadie, and Wednesday (almost a year old), and Andromeda, Butterscotch, Loki, and Hades (6 months old). We also take care of my oldest brother’s two cats Sam and Syd (3 years old). All but the three oldest cats we rescued or found. Each one has a unique personality. It is fun to see that personality develop and to watch them all interact. For the most part they all get along, though every so often they will disagree about something. They are all fairly well behaved cats, which is good.

4. Where is home for you?   I live in the beautiful state of Michigan.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?  There are lots of different foods I like, but I think my favorites would be lasagna with lots of cheese, but no meat, a cheesy Chicago deep dish pizza, and turkey.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  I really don’t eat a lot of ice cream anymore, but one of my favorites has always been Pistachio. I also really like cookies and cream.

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?  I like both, but if I had to pick I would pick sweet. I love milk chocolate.

8. Beverage of choice?  I drink mostly water. Though my favorite beverage would be St. Julian’s sparkling white grape juice. It’s made in Michigan and so good. I also really like Sparkling Punch from Kroger’s. It’s a carbonated punch that is really good. The best part is that it still tastes good if it goes flat.

9. What’s your least favorite food?  I’m a very picky eater and there are a lot of foods I really don’t like. Some of the foods I strongly dislike are mushrooms, coconut, candy conversation hearts, circus peanuts, and beans. I remember growing up my Grandpa feeding us circus peanuts because he really liked them, but I couldn‘t stand them. Recently when we went to put the holiday wreath on his grave we took him a bag of circus peanuts.

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  I use a PC, a pretty red Dell laptop which I love. I use Photoshop 7 and Photoshop Elements 8 to scrap.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?  I started digi-scrapping in March 2007 because I was frustrated by the lack of paper and elements for Civil War related topics. I had all these beautiful photos from the battlefields and paper scrapping wasn’t really doing them justice. I saw a bunch of beautiful layouts on another message board and decided it would be perfect for my Civil War battlefield layouts. Once I started I was hooked.

12. What was your 1st LO about?  My first layout was of Antietam National Cemetery using one of my favorite photos of “Old Simon” who stands at the center of the cemetery. The words on it are from the poem “Bivouac of the Dead” that is displayed around the cemetery on plaques. I didn’t really use a whole of scrapbook elements on the layout.

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?  I have a lot of other hobbies! I love to read and write, though finding time to do either is often a challenge. I have probably close to 1,000 books and keep adding more. I also love to travel. I love to go to museums and places of historical interest, especially Civil War battlefields. My favorite battlefields are Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA and Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD. I also love to go to Disney. My sister and I have been lucky enough to visit both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I love listening to music and going to concert. My favorite band is the Counting Crows and I’ve seen them 8 or 9 times. I’ve sort of lost count!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?  I think for me layering is the hardest. I will try adding a lot of elements and then not like the way it looks so I usually take most of the off. The other aspect I struggle with are titles. I usually struggle to think of an interesting title.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  I would like to learn to take better photos. My camera has a lot of manual features, but I have no clue how to use them. I tend to stick to the preset or auto modes. I have always thought it would be lots of fun to be a Civil War reenactor, but I haven’t been able to convince Melinda that it would be fun. Maybe someday.

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  I love movies! My sister is a huge movie buff so we have tons of DVDs! My favorite movies in alphabetical order are Gone with the Wind, Legends of the Fall, Mulan, and Titanic. I love historical dramas. I really don’t watch all that much TV anymore. I’ve been watching a lot of older shows on DVD lately like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Enterprise, and My Name is Earl. The shows I do watch though are Pysch, Cold Case, The Tudors, and the Amazing Race.

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  I pretty much scrap wherever my laptop is. Sometimes its in the living room, sometimes in the computer room and sometimes in my bedroom. Though usually wherever I am at home there is at least one cat watching as I scrap. I like to listen to music while I scrap, though often the TV is on.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?  This is an easy question! Definitely flowers and leaves. I love flowers. I’m sort of addicted to them!

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Most people know I like history, but I actually have a bachelor’s degree in history. My focus was mostly American history. My favorite part of American history would be the Civil War. My dad was a history buff so I was exposed to history at an early age. I used to love talking to him about history. We often would watch the same programs on the history channel. That is one thing I really miss.

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?  Not sure really how to describe my style, but I think my style is pretty simple.

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?  My favorite layouts:

-The Sunken Road (2009) - This is my favorite part of the battlefield. When we were there on the anniversary of the battle we were the only people at this part and it was so quiet and serene. A far contrast to what it was like the day of the battle.

Full layout:

Page 1:

Page 2:

-It’s magic – I love this photo of Melinda in front of the castle. I love how perfectly the paper matched the photo.

- This feels like home – I love the journaling on this one. I tried to channel all of the feelings I had when we crossed back into Michigan on the way from Pennsylvania. It had been a LONG drive and it just felt sooo good to be back in Michigan where things were familiar.

22. What is one thing you tend not to use on layouts?  I try to use a little bit of everything, but if there were one thing I use less than others I think it would be buttons. I tend to not use a lot of buttons and I’m not sure why.

23. How long have you lived in your city?  I have lived in the city where I live my entire life.

24. What is your favorite childhood memory and have you scrapped it?  That is a difficult question. I think my favorite memory would be when my family went down to Florida for spring break in 1987. We drove from Michigan to Florida with a pop-up camper and six of us crammed into one station wagon. On the way down we stopped in Panama City Beach, FL to see my Great-Grandma and maternal grandparents. After that we headed to Orlando to go to Walt Disney World. I had been to Walt Disney World when I was two years old, but this was the first trip that I remember. We camped at the campground at Disney, which was fun. I remember one night the laser show from EPCOT knocked out all of the power. I remember being scared of Dumbo at first and wouldn’t let my brother go high, but once the ride started I loved it. I loved the tea cups. I remember spinning so fast. We met a bunch of characters. My mom likes to remind me that I was terrified riding Spaceship Earth. On the way back home we stopped in Chattanooga, TN and went to Lookout Mountain. It was beautiful! It was such a fun trip. I scrapped it as part of the “My Story Matters” challenge

Full layout:

Page 1:

Page 2:

Another really happy memory I have from being a child was going to Florida in October 1990 for my Great-Grandma’s 100th birthday. There were so many people at her birthday party. There were family members I had never met. It was awesome. The hotel we stayed at was right on the beach and in the morning you could see the dolphins! I remember the day of my Grandma’s birthday the cable wasn’t working at the hotel so everyone went to a local restaurant to watch the Today show to see if she was shown during Willard Scott’s segment, but she wasn’t. I was so glad that we were able to be there for such an awesome event and that I got the chance to meet my Great-Grandma who was an amazing woman.

WOW!! Aren’t you inspired to go and really record your memories??!  That is what looking at Melissa’s LOs always does for me!  Thanks so much for letting us get to know you better, Melissa!  Head on over to her gallery and leave her some love! 

-Melanie (Scrappymelly)

Happy Sunday everyone!! I am going to interupt our regularly scheduled blog post to bring you some really exciting news!!   The ScrapMatters Girls are thrilled to be hosting our very first challange!! We love spending time hanging out in our amazing gallery and have found it is so inspiring! Going through all the fabulous layouts posted during the day keeps us up on the trends and we find awesome LO’s to scraplift!! So with this challange we are hoping you will go past the first page of the gallery and discover the inspiration that your fellow ScrapMatters members can provide! (and earn you a MOS point in the process..)

Kelli is our first host and she has some great clues to search for!! Check out all the details here!  The challange was posted late last night and we already have a few entries!! So come join in the fun!

-Amanda (panders77)

Whew, once again it was really hard to choose this week’s LOTW!  I finally decided on Thankful for you by becca1976.

I fell in love with the beautiful photo and her awesome composition. The ornate frame, title work, and shadowing are just amazing! So head on over to the gallery or forum and leave her some love!

-Kelli (Kellig)

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My screen name is y_baros and my real name is Yolanda.

2. What is your main job/career? I am a stay-at-home-mom.

3. Are you married/children/pets? I’ve been married to my wonderful husband since July of 2002. We have 3 beautiful little boys, ages 5, 4 and 8 months old. No pets, but we’d like to get a dog when the boys are older.

4. Where is home for you? Home is a small town in Northeastern Oregon that is famous for its watermelons! I was born and raised here and don’t think I’ll ever move too far away.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Oh man. I can only choose 3?! Well then it has to be pizza, baked ziti and my mother-in-law’s chicken cups, in that order. Mmm!

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Mint chocolate chip – hands down!

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Both! I’m weird, so if I’m eating something sweet, I need to have a little bit of something salty to sort of balance it out and vice-versa.

8. Beverage of choice? A Pepsi from one of those fountain dispensers, with lots of ice.

9. What’s your least favorite food? Seafood! Ick.

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I’m a PC ) I use Paint Shop Pro Photo XI and I love it!

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? A couple of years, maybe? I don’t really remember when I started, just that I instantly became addicted once I did! I used to make signature tags and blinkies for others, but when I was introduced to digi-scrap, I found it much more gratifying and a better use of my time because I was creating something for me and my family to treasure. I haven’t looked back since!

12. What was your 1st LO about?My first LO was about my husband and 2 oldest sons.

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I love to read, listen to music, go to concerts with my husband and sporting events with my family and take pictures of my kiddos. I’m a total mamarazzi!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying a new style of scrapping. I like my style, but I worry that my LO’s are all beginning to look the same. I like to participate in the GTLO and Tuesday Template challenges to help broaden my horizons and give me that extra push to try something new.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? Cook! I can cook, but I definitely want to do it better. I admire people who can whip up a great tasting meal with ease. I lack the confidence in my ability, so cooking is such a stressful thing for me. I feel a sense of pride when my family raves over something I make, but the kitchen still scares me.

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? My favorite favorite movie is Gone In 60 Seconds, with Nicolas Cage. I could watch that movie over and over again! On TV, I can’t get enough of Sons of Anarchy, Burn Notice and The Office. Good stuff!

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? I do all of my scrapping kicked back on the couch with my laptop, my feet up, something to drink and there absolutely HAS to be music playing.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? Stitches and something sparkly/glittery!

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I stay in my pajamas all day. Seriously. I’ll take a shower and then put clean pajamas back on. If we go somewhere, I will change out of them, but as soon as I get back home, the PJ’s go back on.

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I love white space! And clusters. Oh, and layers! And concentrating on one, maybe 2 photos in a layout. I’ve started journaling more on my LO’s and have come to the realization that it’s almost always necessary to include some amount of journaling on them. I hate doing extractions. A lot.

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?
Snuggling Weather

Chicks Dig Scars

Big Bro

Thanks for letting us get to know you better Yolanda! Check out her full gallery here and leave her some love!!

-Amanda (Apatchetear)

Man, everyone is making it tougher and tougher to chose a LOTW! You’re all so awesome!! So here’s my choice after lot’s of hard decision-making!!
Brothers by ninigoesdigi.  I love her mixture of techiques, the blending, curves…and the almost monochrome with the pop of red!!

CONGRATS!! Head on over to the forum or the gallery to leave her some love!!

-Terin(scrappyfrog)

This week I had the honor of talking with our very own Geeky Diva!  I had so much fun learning more about the woman behind those amazing hybrid goodies!

1. I love the name Geeky Diva, can you tell me where it came from?LOL! I’m so glad you like it, but you’re in for a story…
For the past several years, I was part of the advisory group for an online/IRL group called Columbus Scrappers (i just recently stepped down as Director to concentrate on my family and hybrid designing). Instead of being referred to as Admins, we were called the Divas. Add to that, I am, and have always been, a bit of a nerd. Teacher’s pet, band geek, socially awkward, science fiction fan- the whole bit. I’m only now really becoming comfortable in my own skin, and so I started, jokingly, referring to myself as The Geeky Diva. I like the alliteration! So, when it came time to come up with a design name, it just felt comfy.

2. What is your main job/career? I am a research technician, a member of the Mendell Lab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. We are working on gene therapy treatments for Duchenne and Limb- Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Have you seen the “Not So Humble Pie” blog? (Check it out here) Do a search for “Science Cookies”- I do that stuff.

3. Are you married/children/pets? Married to Jeff, mom to Natalie (7) and Braeden (almost 3), and my geriatric kitty, Buff

4. Where is home for you?  Columbus, OH, but I grew up on Long Island outside of NYC

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Chocolate-covered cherries, Seafood, Samoa Girl Scout cookies (SO glad I have a Girl Scout in the family now!)

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Coffee

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?  Hmmm, it depends- but if pressed to choose only one, it would probably be sweet

8. Beverage of choice?  Dr. Pepper

9. What’s your least favorite food? Anything very spicy

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I’m a PC girl! I just upgraded to PSE8 over Christmas

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?  I started paper scrapping in 1997, and did “hybrid lite” for most of that- adding text to photos, photo editing on the computer and printing out, printed text and clip art. I first noticed digi in 2005, but didn’t conquer the learning curve until 2008 when my friend Heather sat down and taught me the basics of PSE

12.  What is your fave hybrid project to date??
Hmm, my favorite hybrid project is probably the autograph book I made for our last trip to Disney:

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I’d like to get back to ice dancing. I also dabble in video games and cake decorating.

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Remembering to journal my LOs!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? DH gave me Ballroom Dancing lessons, so I’m looking forward to that!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? My all time favorite is The West Wing, but current favorites include Castle, Leverage, Glee, and Burn Notice

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
I now scrap with my laptop in the living room, with the TV on (usually not actively watching, but I need the drone in the background)

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?  No question- ribbon and flowers!

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? As a senior in high school, I got to sing with Rosemary Clooney (our show choir was selected to do a White Christmas holiday show with Clooney and Debbie Boone- so cool!)
 
20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed? I started designing in the fall of 2008- I made shape ornaments for the 2008 Black Friday Blog Train (the Hybrid Dice Bag Collection). My favorite template, truthfully? The Chinese Take-out Box- it was a real puzzle for me to plot out all of the shapes and fit it all together. I’m really proud of sticking with it!

21. How would you describe your design style? I haven’t designed too much digi stuff, but I’m working on it- V E R Y slowly. I think I do happy stuff, with definite roots in the paper world. Glittered edges, brads on templates (oh, I love my IRL brads!!!), and lot of acrylic!

22. I love the dice templates you created and know you got the inspiration from your hubby’s collection, but how do you come up with the rest? Pretty much everything in my shop has come from hybrid projects that I’ve either done, or have wanted to do. Handmade valentines for my kids, the tagbook autograph book, and I just love little gift bags. The inspiration is “hey, I need a pattern to make this”- how can I make it so others can do it, too, and not have to reinvent the wheel?

23. Which of your kits showcases your style the most? It might be the Paper Bag Album templates. The Paper Bag album is one of my favorite mini projects, so it was really fun to make templates to make it easier for others. It’s a paper project translated into digi- single photo templates so the details can still be seen on a smaller project, a guideline on the template to give you a reference of where to bind it, the brads- yup, that’s me!

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? Jewel tones

25. Favorite kit you’ve designed? My Tag Book templates- it’s a fun twist on the mini album concept! Those templates came together so easily.

This is my first time picking LOTW and I gotta say it’s a TERRIBLE job!!!  How do you pick?!?!  They’re all so great in their own way — beautiful kids, funny stories, their moments….ugh – so hard to choose.  I finally decided on Soulmates by alahnasmommy.  It’s a super v-day page with some really cool stuff going on.  Makes me smile!
 

Congrats Alahnasmommy!! Head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!

-Amber (Jeffsamber)

This week I got to interview AlliJ2008 who is one of our awesome CT members.  It was so fun to learn a little more about her!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? AlliJ2008 (not very original but when I first used it I didn’t realize it would turn into my screen name at all these different sites forever).  LOL.  My real name is Alli (shocking I know).

2. What is your main job/career?  I am an educational diagnostician for a public school district specializing in assessments of children with Autism.

3. Are you married/children/pets? Married, yes.  Children, yes.  Pets, no.  It is enough work taking care of the people. (That was a joke).

4. Where is home for you? My true home will always be Houston, Texas.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Do I really have to narrow it down to 3?  Um, cheese enchiladas, ice cream, and guacamole. 

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Crème Brule from Ben & Jerry

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Yes!  Both, together!

8. Beverage of choice? Really good coffee.

9. What’s your least favorite food? Um, I pretty much love it all!

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC but I am dreaming of a Mac.  I use PSE 7.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? Consistently since Jan 2009.  I can’t remember how I got started but I haven’t looked back since.

12. What was your 1st LO about?  This one was done in Oct. 2008.  Don’t laugh at the drop shadow on the text.  Ack.  A very nice digi scrapper sent me a PM when I posted this & suggested that I didn’t need to put a shadow on text! 

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?  Photography is quickly becoming a favorite hobby and it just goes hand in hand with scrapping, doesn’t it?  I run, read, and cook but not always in that order.

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?  I like to try new things so that I don’t get stuck in a rut but it can be hard to scrap outside of my comfort zone.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  I am always striving to be a better parent.

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  TV shows:  Dexter and Gossip Girl.   Movie: Pretty in Pink

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
Sitting on the couch with my laptop.  Usually TV on in the background but I often end up with it on mute. 

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?  stitches and bubble paint (or whatever it is called when you can stamp on the paper like paint)

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Even though I now live a pretty typical suburbia life at one point I was pretty adventurous.  I have lived in Guatemala, gone skydiving, almost joined the peace corps but got married instead, and have owned three Ford Mustangs consecutively in a row (even though I now drive the family friendly Honda).

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?  I think I am all over the place!  I love the clustered LO’s but mine usually end of pretty clean cut even though I have given the clusters a good try!  I have found that my style has just continued to change throughout the last year as I keep learning new tricks and trying new techniques.  One reason I love templates is that they give you the chance to scrap something different from your usual style.

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?

Thanks Alli for letting us get to know you better!  Check out her full gallery here.  Head on over and leave her some love!

-Amber (Jeffsamber)

My pick this week is Frosty by Kim21673. I really like this kit and she made a really pretty page! Be sure to head over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!!

Congrats Kim21673!!
-Judy (Jupiter394)

This week I had the honor of interviewing all of our guest designers for the month of January!! How fun is THAT?!  They are all so amazing I am sure you are dying to know more about them (I sure was..) but in case you don’t know..they are the amazing and talanted..By Becca, Connie Prince, and Kaye Winiecki!!  Yay! So I am going to start with By Becca and go on from there.  Get ready for some interesting reading!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  By Becca now that I’m designing, but I scrapped using fourluvbugs, so you’ll find both names depending on where you are!  My real name is Becca.
2. What is your main job/career?  My main job if you look at how much time it takes is being a mama and wife and all the things that go along with those jobs — cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, nurturing my little ones and trying not to neglect my husband.  But if you look at my fancy degrees and years of schooling, I’m an attorney.  I practice part time (15-20 hours a week) with my husband.  And of course I design, too.
3. Are you married/children/pets?  Yep!  to all three.  I’ve been married for ten years and I’m a mama to four: a boy, age 8, and three girls, ages 6, 4, and 2.  We also have two cats and some fish. . .  maybe 6 fish?  I’m not really sure.  They’re all in one tank.
4. Where is home for you? I live in northwest Pennsylvania but I was raised in Wisconsin, so both are “home”.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods?  You have no idea how much I’d love the truthfully answer “lettuce”.   But really its all things dairy: anything with cream cheese, really good ice cream (custard really, like ice cream, only richer creamier and even worse for you).  Oh, and crab legs  (definitely not together!)
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  PC.  I mostly work on an HP laptop and I design in CS4.
7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you?  elements, elements, elements.  I can design papers that I love all day long but I have a harder time creating elements that I adore.  It takes me forever to make something that I’m happy with.
8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  Photography.  I dabble.  I wish I had time to really study and excel!
9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? Movies: Gone With the Wind and Cassablanca from the old days.  more recently, I really loved August Rush.  for TV: The Tudors. House. Heroes. Grey’s Anatomy.  We have the TV on a lot in the evening, but my husband almost always picks the shows.  I DVR mine and fit them in when there’s nothing on that he wants to watch or when he’s feeling generous with the remote.
10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  I always sit in the same seat on the couch — my command center!  I have a table, the phone, and all the stuff I need right where I can reach it.  I usually design amid the chaos of my life when I can steal a minute, for an hour or so while my youngest sleeps and my four year old plays quietly,  and in the evenings after the kids go to bed.  I don’t usually snack, but I like to have a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew.  In the evenings the TV is usually on.  We watch way too much TV, but we’re usually worn out by the time we get everyone settled for the night.  TV is about all we can handle.
11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be?  flowers and ribbons.
12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Hmmmm, not sure if there are any.  I’m an open book!  I hate brussel sprouts.  I’d love to travel.  I wanted to be an air force pilot when I was a young teen. 
13. When did you start designing? How did you get started?  Well, three years ago I started designing signatures and from the start I tried to make things when I couldn’t find what I wanted.  My early attempts were really dismal.  Then a little over a year ago I started scrapping and never looked back.  I haven’t designed a signature in months, but I’ve scrapped and scrapped!  I landed a gig on Kim Broedelet (KimB’s) CT and one of the things she asks her CT to do is participate in her color challenge.  Since I had nothing to lose, I thought I’d try designing something for the one in June 2009.  That was my first minikit, it was teeny tiny, more of a micro mini.  LOL!  To my shock, people downloaded it!  So I made one in July too.  It was so much fun!!  And then Chaos Lounge (who I also CT for) and Color With Caryn encouraged me to answer a designer call at Enchanted Studio Scraps.  I felt like a bit of an imposter since I’d never designed more than a few papers or a handful of elements, but I designed the application minikit anyway and to my surprise the store took me on.    I opened my shop doors on August 14, 2009.  Not that I’m keeping track or anything.  lol!  I was fortunate in that I had, and still have, several designers encouraging me and answering my questions when I get stuck, I’d never be here without them.
14. How would you describe your design style?  Pretty.  Everything I make turns out pretty even if I try to make it boyish or edgy or whimsical.  I guess pretty is just what I do. That’s how I scrap and its also how I design.  I wish I were a bit more versatile and maybe that will happen down the road, but for now, my style is. . .  well. . . me.  Its pretty easy for people who are familiar with my style to pick out my stuff.  That surprises me actually, since I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly unique, but I’ll take it! 
15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  Some days I stare at a blank screen.  Other days, the ideas flow and I have to write them down before I forget them.  I love color and I almost always start with colors as my inspiration.  My Frosted Jubilee kit was a request from one of my CTMs.  I made a palette that I loved, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it and I asked my CT for ideas (I’d be lost without them, seriously, I have the greatest, most supportive CT ever!) and one of them suggested a jubilee kit for winter birthdays and celebrations.  Today I’m working on another kit for my CT, a baby kit for one of my girls who is due this month.  My finished kits rarely look like the idea I had in my head when I started.  They kind of evolve during the process. 
16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most?  Have you seen my products in the store?  They all look exactly like I made them even though they are all unique.  I found out pretty early on that I can only do this well if I design what I love and forget about the current trends.  I think my favorite kit to date is actually a collab (am I allowed to pick a collab?  how about if I pick only my part of it?) with Designs by Helly — Wintersong.  I love its colors, its sparkle.  It has some wonderful original elements in it and of course I love the papers.

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?  I can’t pick one color scheme, but I gravitate toward muted or pastel colors with some lights and darks for drama.  I don’t do terribly well with really bright palettes.  I like cool colors better than warm ones and even when I use a color like red its usually a purple-ish red instead of an orange-ish one.
18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters?   Well, so far the only kit I’ve designed for Scrapmatters is Frosted Jubilee, so I have to pick that one.

Thanks Becca for letting us into your world!!  Check out more of Becca’s beautiful products here!
Next up is Connie Prince…

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  My screen name is conniep & my real name is Connie Prince.
2. What is your main job/career?  Designing is my main career..second only to being a wife & mom.
3. Are you married/children/pets? Yes, married to William for 13 years.  We have one child, Hayden, who is 12, plus two dogs & one cat.
4. Where is home for you? I live in Georgia, just west of Atlanta.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? I love Mexican food (any of it), fried chicken, and French fries.
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I’m a PC and I design with Photoshop.
7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you?  The most challenging part of designing to me is not having enough hours in the day to finish up all of the projects that I typically have started!
8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  I’d love to have time to learn to decorate cakes & pastries, Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes) style cakes..not your typical rose covered birthday cakes!
9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  I love reality TV, I’m a Survivor & Big Brother junkie!  I also love Heroes, House, Modern Family, Cougar Town, CBS comedies (especially Big Bang)..I really like TV lol!
10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  I listen to music sometimes while designing, but typically I like it to be completely silent.  I always have a diet coke or coffee close at hand!
11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be?  String & buttons!!
12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  I am also a musician, I play many different instruments!
13. When did you start designing? How did you get started?  I’ve been designing for a couple of years.  I started playing around in Photoshop and my design career just developed from there.
14. How would you describe your design style?  I don’t think that I really have a set style, I move back & forth between many different styles. 
15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  My designs always start with a color palette!
16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most?  Party On!  It has my favorite colors & it’s just fun kit!

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?  I love bold, bright colors, they make me happy!
18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Plugged In, it was created with my son in mind.  He’s really into technology and I wanted something that I could scrap pictures of him pursuing his many interest like gaming, computers, etc.

Thanks Connie for answering all of our questions!  Checkout all of Connie’s awesome products here!

And finally we have Kaye Winiecki…

1. Your screen name? Your real name? nockosh, Kaye Winiecki

2. What is your main job/career? My main career now is motherhood and I also work from home as a Graphic Designer

3. Are you married/children/pets? I have been married to DH for nearly 10 years and we have 2 children. Jaylen is 5 and Tayla is 3. We have a dog named Taggart and 3 goldfish named Thomas, Duncan and Donald

4. Where is home for you? Australia

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Chocolate, Mexican and Thai

6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? Pc (though very tempted to get a mac next time) and I use photoshop and illustrator

7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you? Having to clean up the mess my felt makes when I get it out, I hate that bit, all the little off cuts everywhere!

8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I would love to learn how to do computer generated animation like they use for the Shrek movies, Star Wars etc

9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I’m not really into watching that much tv or movies so don’t really have favourites

10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? My favourite designing environment is when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet, I have a chocolate chip cookie and a hot chocolate. But mostly it is not done in a quiet house, as I either have children noise or DH watching tv noise in the background. If designing during the day I must have a diet coke!

11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be? A flower and paint

12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? Hmm sure, but I can’t think of anything that would be interesting!

13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? I started designing in 2006 (gosh I cringe at those products now LOL) I started by making papers and elements for myself and a friend to use and then applied for a store designer call.

14. How would you describe your design style? Fun, bright and happy

15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? A lot of my inspiration comes from my kids, from what they are into or do. But I also get inspiration from magazines, clothing, just everyday things around me

16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most? Definitely my bumps and blahs kit. It is full of felt elements and is bright and fun.

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I’m a bit partial to red, green and orange, they can be found in most of my products.

18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Well there is only one in the store so far, so it has to be bumps and blahs, but maybe next week when I release my next one that will be my favourite.

Thanks Kaye for letting us get to know you better!  Check out Kaye’s amazing store here!!

Thanks for sticking with me for that extra long post this week!  I had so much fun learning more about our awesome guests this month!! 

-Amanda (Panders77)

Happy New Year Everyone!! For this weeks pick I had such a hard time narrowing it down, I decided to pick one of the awesome new years LOs that were in the gallery this week!  I finally decided on Live like you mean it by dida1357.

 
I love the awesome picture, the clustering, wordart and how she used the brackets!  And it all just pops off the layered white background!!  Be sure to stop by the forum or the gallery and leave her some love! Congrats Dida1357!
-Amanda (panders77)

 This week we are getting a chance to meet one of the newer ScrapMatters Girls.  Tanya (TanyaH666) has been such fun to have around our forum, I couldn’t wait to get to know even more about her.  So here we go:
1.   What is your screen name? Your real name?
TanyaH666 aka Tanya =)

2.   What is your main job/career?
I am a Hair Stylist and I waitress a couple days a week.

3.   Are you married/children/pets?
I am not married, though I have been with my BF Chris for almost 7 years! We do not have any kids, but we have 5 pup pups.

4.   Where is home for you?
I live in southern California about 15 min north of Disneyland!

5.   What are 3 of your favorite foods?
Doughnuts, Iced Vanilla Lattes and Taco Bell.

6.  What are your favorite T.V. shows or movies?
I watch and record so much TV, it is probably unhealthy!!  A couple of my favorites right now are Dexter, Sons of Anarchy and Grey’s Anatomy. My Favorite movie of all time, is and always will be Robin Hood Men In Tights =)

7.   What is your favorite color?  And do you use it often in your layouts?
My favorite color is green and I do find myself drawn to green elements, but I usually just go with whatever kit I am using at the time.

8.   What type of camera do you use?
I have a Sony Alpha 350 with a 17-70 f2.8 macro lens and some totally complicated flash that I got for Christmas and haven’t quite figured out yet. I also have my Sony Cyber Shot point and shoot that I always have in my purse.

9.  PC or Mac? What program do you use to scrap?
I have a Macbook and I scrap with PSE 6.0. I can’t wait to get a iMac so I can get PS and actually warp shadows!!

10.  Do you print out your pages for scrapbooks?  If so, how?
I have printed LO’s, but I have not put any into scrapbooks. I usually print them out and put them in am 8×8 frame to give as gifts.  When i print them I use my Epson R1900 printer.  I can print 12×12, but it is a lot harder to find 12×12 frames.

11.  How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?
I started digi-scrapping in March? April? of this year.  I have been a traditional paper scrapper and stamper for a very long time, but I have always hated dragging out my supplies to spend hours making one thing only to not finish it and have to put everything away. Then I never finish the project because I do not want to drag everything out again. It is a pain! I had heard of digital scrapping, but always decided that I liked the look of actual paper better. So after learning more about it at the scrap expo earlier this year I decided to give it a shot! And like most, I fell in love and haven’t looked back!!

12.  What was your first layout?
Oh man, the dreaded first LO! Luckily I had already taken a photography class so I new the basics of photoshop and how to edit my photos. The pin in the heart was already there, but I did at the swirl brush on the yellow paper. I was so proud of myself!

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping?
Recreational photography and video game playing! lol

14. What is the most challenging part of digi-scrapping for you?
Remembering all the techniques that I would love to utilize. I will forever do a LO and think it is fabulous and then I will look back at it a day or two later and realized that I should have done this or I should have done that. I am also horrible with ribbons, I can do string, but ribbon strips give me an awful time.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?
Organization!! Oh man, I am all over the place ALL the time. So organization and time management would be lovely.

16. Describe your creative environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
I always have the TV on. When I scrap I watch whatever is saved on my DVR. I don’t snack too much, but I always have either Iced Tea or an Iced Vanilla Latte by my side.

17. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?
I think my style tends to lean towards the look of a paper scrapper. I like lots of layers and the more elements I can cram on a page the better! I have tried the minimalist approach, but it is really hard for me to be satisfied that way.

18. If you could only use two elements on a layout, what would they be?
I love staples and stitching.  Staples aren’t usually necessary but I love the little bit of glimmer they add to a page. Stitching on the other hand, I just love the handmade feel they give a page. 

18. Any words of wisdom for anyone just starting out with digiscrapping?
Be patient and realize that you are never gonna stop learning!  There is always something new to learn or a new technique to try, it is the best part!

19. What is your favorite part of being part of the ScrapMatters Girls?
I have been on a number of teams this year and I must say that until I joined the SMG I have never felt like I had a digi-home.  Now I do! I have made so many friends and met so many wonderful people that I really feel like I have finally found my place in the digi-world.  I love being able to greet newcomers and hopefully make them feel the way I do about SM!

20. Would you like to share a little known or surprising fact about you?
I go everywhere in my pajamas! lol, no joking. I probably own about 50 pairs of pajama pants which I then pair with some comfy old t-shirts. The supermarket, the movies, the mall, doesn’t matter! =)

21. Are there any favorite pages that you have done?
I do have a few =)
This is my baby! And she is playing Nintendo! =) This is one of the first LO’s I did where when I finished it I thought, wow, I am really proud of this one.

Most of my favorite LO’s are Disney related and this is one of the first ones where I was actually starting to get a hang of the whole shadowing thing.

And a couple more that I am particularly fond of =)

Tanya has a fabulous gallery here. Make sure to drop by and leave Tanya some love.  Thanks Tanya, it was great to get to know you better.
-Judy (Jupiter 394)

Here is my pick for LOTW, Let it Snow by gavins mom. I love the crisp colors and the beautiful side clusters. It was the perfect choice for this holiday season!

Congrats Gavins Mom!! Be sure to leave her some love in the forum or the gallery!!
 -Whit

This week we are interviewing one of our awesome designers!!  I choose Tracy/Trixie Scraps.  It was great to learn more about her.

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  Trixie Scraps is my screen name (also my design name).  My real name is Tracy.  Trixie is a nickname given me by my husband and father-in-law, so when I started designing, I figured it would work.

2. What is your main job/career?  Designing digital scrapbook kits and templates!  I love it!

3. Are you married/children/pets?  Yes, I am married for seven years to my husband, Erick.  We don’t have children, yet, and have been trying without much luck ever since we’ve been married.  We do have to furkids we love and spoil rotten – Diamond and Lucy.  They are both pit bull mixes that we rescued from shelters and they are just awesome, sweet dogs!

4. Where is home for you?  In the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?  Anything Mexican tops the list.  I love Italian food, too.  And eggs… I have a strange love affair with eggs, lol.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food… I don’t get to eat ice cream so much these days!  Ice cream is one of those foods that I am prone to overeat in excess.  So I really try to avoid it.

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?  Usually sweet… chocolate is a big deal, esp. lately!  I do groove on salty occasionally though, too.

8. Beverage of choice?  Alcoholic?  Lambrusco (wine).  Otherwise, I drink fresh-brewed iced tea like it’s going extinct soon.  And lots of water, too.

9. What’s your least favorite food?  Lima beans, brussel sprouts, peanut butter… in that order, lol.

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  PC and I just upgraded to CS4 a few months ago.  I hated it, at first, and still find a few of its quirks to be quite annoying, but I’ve mostly gotten used to it, now.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?  I’ve been digiscrapping for just over 2 years, now.  I started over 6 years ago as a paper scrapper and Creative Memories consultant.  When Creative Memories introduced their scrapping software, I was hooked on digi.  By three or four months later, I was attending Creating Keepsakes University, where I took an all-day class with Jessica Sprague and learned how to use Elements 6.0.  And then about six months after that, I started learning how to design.  I’ve been designing now for 14 months.

12. What was your 1st LO about?  Gosh, I don’t even remember!  And I don’t think I have my first layout… I am sure it was trashed a LONG time ago.  Let’s just say my first few layouts were nothing short of embarrassing!

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?  Yes… I also enjoy knitting and crocheting, reading, photography, and cooking, too.

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?  Most times, it’s the title.  Sometimes I struggle with shadows and can’t get them the way I want them to look.  But titles are usually what I struggle with most.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  I’d love to learn some foreign languages.  I always thought it would be fun to continue my education in French and be able to speak it relatively well, then go visit Paris.  But, sitting down and finding the time to continue learning the language is the biggest challenge!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  Reality TV is a big deal in our home.  We watch a bunch of reality TV shows, with Survivor and Biggest Loser topping the list of favorites.  And I love Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.  And sitcoms.  LOL, we watch a LOT of TV, and maybe I shouldn’t admit that.  But, with no kids to tend to, our time at night is mostly our own, and that’s pretty much how we spend it!

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  I don’t have a typical scrapping environment… it can be anything from music to daytime soaps on the TV in the background.  I do normally have a bottle of water or iced tea parked next to me.  And I usually scrap on my laptop in my reclining chair in my family room.  But, I’ve been known to take the computer in the car and scrap on long road trips, too.  And, my mom and I try to go to 2 or 3 scrapbook weekend retreats a year.  I’m normally one of the few (or the only) digiscrappers in attendance.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?  Ribbon and flowers.  Reach for them all the time.

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Hmm… I graduated from my Associate’s Degree program with a perfect 4.0 GPA on my 28th birthday.  I toy with the idea of going back to finish my bachelor’s, but can never make up my mind what I want to do, so I haven’t! lol

20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed?  October 2008 was my official launch date, but I started dabbling a bit last September.  My favorite product is normally my most recent kit, lol.  So, I am pretty fond of my Yuletide kit at the moment.  And my second favorite kit I’ve ever designed would probably be a toss-up between Carly and I Lost My Tooth.  One elegant, one cute… kinda like my split personality, lol.

21. How would you describe your design style?  I don’t think I have one, lol.  I seem to do “cute” well… and when all else fails for me, that usually works.  But, I do try to replicate a “paper-scrapped” look as much as possible.  I’m not into the fantasy-look and I don’t like things that look very “digital.”

22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  ANYWHERE.  From a swatch, a photo, a theme, some cute bedding, home décor, the list goes on.  Carly, for example, is based on the colors and patterns I saw on one of my soaps (General Hospital).  One of the characters (gee, named Carly!) got a “new living room” and the day they moved in on the show, I just fell in love with it and knew I had to make it into a kit.  And then, I am such a fan of the new show Glee (especially of Mr. Scheuster!) that I had to make a kit inspired by that, too.  Inspiration is a funny thing and really can come from anywhere, lol.

23. Which of your kits showcases you style the most?  I suppose the “cutesy” kits have more of a leading role in my store… so kits like I Lost My Tooth, It’s a Slumber Party, Rainbow Promise, Softball Stars, Me & My Teddy, Santa’s Workshop, Snow Day, The First Feast are probably the best examples of the style I most often reach for… but I still don’t think I’m stuck in any one particular style and will give just about anything a try, even if only once.

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?  My CT would tell you that I use a lot (maybe too much) pink.  And if I’m being honest, I find girly color schemes to be easier for me.  But, I also love seasonal colors and boy colors, too.  About the only thing I really don’t much like is designing with pastels.  I tend to go bright and bold most of the time, since that’s my happy place.

25. Favorite kit you’ve designed? If I have to pick just one, right now its Carly.  Or Yuletide.  LOL, how do you pick?
Carly

Yuletide

Thanks for interviewing me, this was fun!

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy holiday schedule to answer my questions!! Check out all of Trixie Scraps Designs in her store here! 

-Amanda (dznyscrapper)

Here is my LOTW choice: Xmas Outtakes by quietangelsb.  I just couldn’t help myself when I saw these pictures!  Just look at that sweet face =)  I love the classic christmas colors and how the elements are all placed on the edges of the page.  It is just busy enough without taking anything away from those adorable pictures!  Congratulations!!

Head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

This week I interviewed Jen Davey from our fab CT team. She is so fun!  You have to read the whole interview..lol!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?
screen name is jendavey and real name is……Jen Davey

2. What is your main job/career?
We aside from being a mother and wife, I also work at our local hospital as a Recruitment Coordinator for the Area Health Education Center. I get to do cool stuff with high school and college students to get them ready for a career in healthcare…LOVE IT!!!

3. Are you married/children/pets?
Yes, I am married with 3 children: Landon (5), Ledger (3), and Lauren (2)…and we also have two dogs and two cats….it’s one crazy house around here!!

4. Where is home for you?
The great “Show Me” state: Missouri

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?
Olive Garden salad (and any other salad), Crab Legs, and Grilled Cheese….nice combo huh

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Almond Mocha…it is to die for!!!

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?
I have to have both and one right after the other!! When I find snacks that are both I am in heaven!

8. Beverage of choice?
Coke Zero or Bud Light (depends on the day I’ve had LOL)

9. What’s your least favorite food?
Coconut!!!!

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?
HP Laptop…PSE7

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?
I have been digiscrapping for almost 2 years now and I got started with a Speed Scrap at SM…no kidding!! I have the worst LO ever to prove it!!

12. What was your 1st LO about?
Oh man…I can’t find it right now…it was on the “old” SM forum…here is the oldest I have on the new forum. And yes this was also from a SS here at SM

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?
I love exercising and running. Would like to train for a marathon but not sure when that will ever happen…

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?
Paper and photo placment is my biggest challenge.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?
I am seriously thinking about going back to school to become a nurse…

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?
Criminal Minds, Glee, Trauma, and Private Practice right now. I LOVE way to many movies to even list them!

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
TV in the background, and usually on the couch with my laptop on my lap….kids in bed =)

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?
ribbons and stitches

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?
a little know fact…or an unknown fact? How about an unknown fact, when I was born I wasn’t supposed to make it through the night because my lungs were not developed….but look at me know!!!

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?
I LOVE to cluster….and use tons of elements! I also like to scrap everyday random photos!

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?
I love this one so much because the elles just look so real and Christmas is our favorite time of year

I also love this one because I adore this picture of my oldest when I was pregnant with my second child. Huge love of Sahlin Studio!!

I have a huge obession with patterned backgrounds right now, and this LO was so much fun to do:

And this is the last one…I just love the blocking and colors on this LO…and I LOVE my family

22. What is one thing you tend not to use on layouts?
I tend to stray away from buttons for some reason, you will see very few buttons on my LOs

23.What is your favorite childhood memory and have you scrapped it?
I haven’t had the chance to scrap any of my vintage photos, but I have always loved my birthday and really love all the pics of my birthday parties growning up!
24. Do you have a common saying or catchphrase that you use all the time?
I (TanyaH666) am gonna answer this one for her. Jen always says “Just Sayin’”. As a matter of fact she says it so much and we all love it so much, that it is the source behind the Just Sayin’ Word Art packs from WM[squared] Designs!

Thanks Jen for letting us get to know you better!! Check out Jen’s full Gallery here!  Stop by and leave her some love!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

Today’s LOTW is Snow Nice by mommamandy!  I love the pops of red against the white blended background!  The placement of everything is perfect, along with the journaling and the great use of white space!

Cngratulations to Mommamandy! Be sure to stop by the forum or gallery and leave her some love!
-Dawn (Aussiegirl)

This week I interviewed Jan (Quiltymom).  If you were here for the Queen of Scrap competition you will remember Jan was one of the top scrappers and earned a princess spot!  It was fun to learn more about her!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? 
My screen name is QuiltyMom, otherwise known as Jan.

2. What is your main job/career?
I’m a full-time SAHM, a quilting instructor, and a Creative Memories Consultant.

3. Are you married/children/pets?
Yup – I’m married!  John & I will be celebrating our 13th anniversary on the 28th.  And we have two kids – one of each, ages 9 & 11 – but no pets, much to my daughter’s chagrin.

4. Where is home for you?
Falls Church, Virginia, just a few miles outside of Washington, DC

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?
Chocolate, bread and Dodger Dogs.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Peppermint Candy, especially with hot fudge dribbled on it.  And with peppermint candy sprinkles on top.

7. What type of camera do you use?
My “big” camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, which is just a glorified POS with a Leica lens.  But I love it!  It’s even lighter than my old POS, believe it or not.  And I have an Olympus Stylus Tough – 6000 for underwater stuff or just to stash in my purse, just in case of emergencies.  I missed my son’s Brown Belt graduation in Tae Kwon Do because I forgot my camera, so now I don’t have an excuse.  

8. What is one thing you tend NOT to use on your layouts?
Brads.  I really don’t see the purpose in them.  About the only time I’ll use them is for a Speed Scrap or a Roadmap To Scrap when it’s required.  Other than that I ignore them!

9. What is your favorite childhood memory and have you scrapped it?
I have paper-scrapped all of my childhood stuff, a whole two albums full.  But the one that I have digi-scrapped is of a favorite Christmas tradition we had of making and decorating cut-out sugar cookies.  We would spend all day frosting the shapes as realistically as possible, adding decorations and bits of other candies to get each individual cookie just right.  They were miniature works of art.  And Mom would be there to make whichever color frosting we were needing so we never would run out.  It was hard to eventually eat them, but we did.  And they were yummy!  (The page is from a cookbook I made for my family last Christmas of all of our favorite family recipes.)

 
10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?
I have a PC, and I use Creative Memories StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0.  I absolutely love it!  There’s so much packed into it that I’m still discovering more stuff all the time.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?
I started digi-scrapping when CM came out with StoryBook Creator a few years ago (sorry – I can’t remember when that was!).  At the time it was just all pre-designed pages where you’d drag-and-drop your photos.  It totally frustrated me that I couldn’t change anything except for the fonts used.  So when SBC+ came out, I was thrilled!

12. What was your 1st LO about?
My first digi-scrap project was about our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone using all pre-designed CM pages.  But my first “real” LO as a ScrapMatters member was about our family trip to Disneyland, made for my first-ever Speed Scrap.  I was so nervous about doing it and getting it done on time, but now I’m addicted to them.  I seem to do some of my best work during a SS.   I’d really love to delete this partiucular one from the gallery, but then we all need to start somewhere, right?
 

 
13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?
Absolutely!  If I could tear myself away from my computer long enough (ha!), I love to sew.  I’ll sew just about anything.  I even made my wedding dress and my kid’s baptism gowns.  But I also paper scrap, bake, cook, knit, crochet, and quilt, all thanks to my mom’s influence and mentoring.  And I love to sing, and take photographs – too many of them.  Does being a Disney nut count as a hobby? or as an addiction?

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?
Coming up with a layout design.  I’m addicted to templates because blank pages scare me.  Templates let me concentrate on getting the story told without having to figure out how or where to put things onto the page.  Sometimes I use a template as a starting point and change it around so much that it doesn’t resemble it’s original form, becoming something totally new.   

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?
Become more organized.  I find the older I get the more scattered I become.  I don’t like disorganization because then I can’t find anything.  So right now I spend a lot of time just looking for stuff that’s somewhere… I think.

16. What is your favorite challenge at ScrapMatters?
The Tuesday Template Challenge, of course.

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
Absolute quiet.  It’s my peaceful time where I can settle myself and create.  I have a large desk in my room that’s all dedicated to scrapping – both paper and digi.  Sometimes I’ll snack on cookies or have a cup of tea with me.  Every once in a while I’ll play music, but not often.  

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?
This is a very hard question!  How about a fun swirl and a glitter splat.  Yup – that sounds good.

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?
I used to be a professional photographer.  And I’m happy that I’m not anymore!

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?
I like to use lots of photos in my layouts to recreate the event as best as possible.  It’s a bit like photo-journalism, letting the photos speak for themselves to tell the story.  I’m not big on lots of journaling and I usually only include the basics.  I don’t know what you’d really call it. 
 
21. Favorite LOs that you have done?

This one was a lot of fun to do.  I just adore Dodger Dogs so why not scrap about it?  And Mary’s kit was a blast to use with it.  I did this during a speed scrap, too. 

 
This is another one I did for a Speed Scrap.  It’s even more special to me since these photos were from my last visit to California before my Dad passed away.  I took so many photos of him those three weeks, and I’m so glad that I did.
 

 
I did this during the QOS contest.  I wanted to make a layout without using a template, and it was hard!  But I’m very pleased with how it (eventually!) came together.
 

 
This was a Tuesday Template challenge.  Sometimes pages just happen.  And this one did. 
 

 
One last one.  My favorite time of year in DC is Spring, when the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom.  There is nothing that compares to the beauty of walking under those clouds of blossoms. 
 

Thanks Jan for letting us get to know you better! Check out Jan’s huge gallery here! Stop by and leave her some love!
-Dawn (Aussiegirl)