What an amazing collection of layouts this week! I saw some great techniques, fun new kits and amazing compositions!! Just when I thought I had it narrowed down I’d run across another spectacular page! So, this LOTW was a little harder for me to decide on than in the past! In the end I went with the layout that I kept going back to and really caught my eye in the gallery to begin with, so much so I had put it in the GSO’s!! The layering, composition and shadowing are all incredible and the journaling made me giggle, so congratulations to CAITS (Caitlin)for her Not my Family layout!

You just did an AMAZING job on this page!!!! Head on over to the forum or the gallery to leave her some love!

-Keslseyll

Yeah!! It is time for one of my favorite Sunday Spotlights…our Guest Designers!  This month we have Rachel of Captivated Visions and Mariella of Laitha Designs.

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My Screen name is Captivated Visions and my real name is Rachel Jefferies.

2. What is your main job/career? Digital Scrapbook Kit Design is my Full Time Job

I design with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS3, I’m currently using a Bamboo Tablet but when i move into my new studio (we are decorating our spare room and re-organising) I have a brand spanking new Intuos 4 Tablet which I’m itching to use! I occasionally use Artrage but I haven’t played in there for a while, it’s so fun to make glitter and use paint!

18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? My Everyday Stuffs Grab Bag

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My name is Mariella and my nick name since many years on the net is Laitha. Laitha is the Celtic name of Guenevieve of Camelot: I am very fond of the Arthurian legend .

2. What is your main job/career? I work on the Stock Market as a day trader.

3. Are you married/children/pets? Happily divorced since many years, I have no children. I am single at the moment and I have two siamese cats that live with me.

4. Where is home for you? Here where I am I am from Italy and I love my country, though I have been living in the USA few years ago.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Oh well .. I am Italian so I can’t live without spaghetti and pizza , even if when I can I love to eat sushi!

6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I work with PC with Windows 7 x64.For designing I use Phostoshop CS5 and ArtRage.

8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I love to make creations with polymer clay but I have always few time to learn new tecniques and tricks …

9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? My favorite series are Criminal Minds and Dr. House. Favorite movies? I have tons Anyway at first place I can put ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ and “Legends of the Fall”.

10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
Oh well .. normally I have TV in the background that I listen here and there and always a cat near me that try to bring my attention on him/her And obviously I can’t miss my (big) cup of coffee

11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be? I think that I can’t do without some grungy & glittered overlays and flowers flowers flowers!!

12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? There is no much to say about my life .. I am absolutely serene, enjoy my family and friends and I love to stay at home. When I go out I love to go to dance Salsa or to go shopping in big commercial centers. When I can, I go for a week in some islands near Italy, particulary I love Djerba that is in Tunisia: there are a wonderful sea, smells and colors that make me relax totally.

13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? I started around two years ago; my main job is very stressfull and I have to stay in front of PCs all day long. In some moments of the day, when the market is quiet, I started to play with some scrapkits to dress my photos. Then I try to make my own papers end started playing with photoshop in a deeper way and I discovered what was possible to do with it … In that moment I discovered to be more creative than I thought and I start creating my own kits and someone suggested me to try to sell them. And people liked them Since then I never stopped designing: I reduced my main job to part-time and for the rest of the time I design!

14. How would you describe your design style? My style is always realistic, shabby with a bit of vintage.

15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? Normally it’s a picture that gives me the inspiration for color palette: only after I choose the theme. Motivation is always very high as I love to make what I do

16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most? I think that ‘Natural Glory’ collection well represents my style.

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I love natural colors and when I can I mix them with blue and purple.

18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Midsummer Dream

Wowee!! I just love looking into the lives of  these fabulous guests!  It is so interesting to get know a little more about them!  Check out all of Laitha’s fab Designs here and Captivated Visions store is here!

Have a great week!

-Amanda (Panders77)

This weeks has, as usual, been a super busy week in the gallery. And of course there has been no shortage of amazing talent! After thinking long and hard, I chose this layout by mommy2boyz. She’s got a pretty amazing gallery and I’m so in love with this layout called Pure Beauty. The photos are so sweet and the layering and scatter of flowers just make this layout gorgeous! Go check it out by clicking the picture and leave some love while you’re at it!

Congrats again Jordan on your awesome LO!!

-Melanie (scrappymelly)

Before we get to our regular post I wanted to remind everyone that the Scrapmatters Girls Call is still running!! It ends on September 10th so hurry and get in your application!  This is an awesome team to be a part of!!

-Amanda (panders77)

This week was pretty easy to choose a winner for LOTW.. I had to pick Ophelia by Strange.bird that Wendy found and nominated for GSO. Seriously I’ve never seen anything like it; so much time, effort, and pure technique was put into it.. I think its one of a kind and definitely deserving!

Congrats Strange.bird!! Head on over to the forum or the gallery and leave her some love!

-Whitney (Whit)

I had the chance to interview a designer with possibly one of the coolest store names in the digital scrapbooking community- LawTeeDa Designs! Her kits are always full of inspiration, unique elements, and tons of personality- they are perfect for so many occasions! Now is the time to find out a little more about Christa:

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My screen name is LawTeeDa Designs (clever, I know, LOL)… my real name is Christa

2. What is your main job/career? I work full time in the business office of an outpatient surgery center.  I’ve only been there for about 3 months now.
3. Are you married/children/pets? I’ve been married to my hubby, Derek, for 7 years now!  We have one little boy, Cade Lucas, who is a huge inspiration in my designs… he’s 2 and a half and an absolute doll baby!  My boys are my life!

4. Where is home for you? Home is where ever my family is!  For the past few months, we’ve been in the process of making a HUGE move, across the state of KY.  So we’ve basically been living in 3 different cities and living apart most of the time.  It didn’t take me long to realize how much I missed my family… the house or city doesn’t matter, as long as my family is together, I’m happy.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Homemade pizza, homemade vegetable soup & anything Mexican.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Anything chocolate….

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Salty… unless chocolate is an option, LOL

8. Beverage of choice? Coffee is usually my beverage of choice!

9. What’s your least favorite food? I haven’t met many foods I didn’t like…

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I have a desktop PC that is a dinosaur but I do most of my designing on my laptop and I use Photoshop Elements.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been digi scrapping since my son was born, so over 2 years.

12. What was your 1st LO about? Unfortunately I don’t have any of my 1st layouts posted in galleries.  I believe that once I started designing, I hid my early stuff, LOL, but everyone starts somewhere!  Pretty sure my first digital layouts were of my son, probably around the time he was born.
13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? Oh yes, I LOOOOVE photography!  My dream is to be a professional photographer!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Getting started… usually once I get something in my head, it flows quickly and easily.  But putting down that first paper or element or picture is the hardest!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? Photography.  Anything related to photography.  You will rarely see me without my camera hanging around my neck.
16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I love anything funny!  Right now we are HUGE Dexter fans!  I also love The Office, and of course Friends, Seinfeld, Family Guy & the King of Queens…
17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? Usually sitting in the floor with my laptop, in front of the TV.  Usually with Cade driving his cars around me and throwing balls past my head.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? I love ribbons and I love buttons & brads…. I think with the right pictures, I could make a layout work with those elements!
19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I work a full time day job, I have a transcription business that I do at home, and then I’m a digital designer, wife and mommy.  I wear a lot of hats, LOL!
20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed? I started designing about a year ago.  My favorite product is probably “Faith”… I loved the kit, loved the color palette, but more than that, a LOT of the layouts that came from my own CT and from the site CT were so incredibly touching.  I felt like the kit helped people scrap things that were difficult or things that were just hard to get out.  So that kit is definitely special to me!

21. How would you describe your design style? Fun & bright… I like for pages to look like they’ve been paper scrapped, so I try to include a lot of elements that just look like something you’d find on an actual scrapped page.
22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?
I get my inspiration from everything around me… my son, my family, my spiritual life…
23. Which of your kits showcases your style the most? I think “Faith” is a good example of my style.
24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? I like neutral colors, like in “Faith”, I always love to include solid kraft papers in every kit because I love a lot of white space in layouts and I appreciate a good solid!  I have designed a lot of fun colorful kits though!  I’m really not partial to one color scheme.

Thanks so much Christa for letting us get to know you better!! Check out all of Lawteeda Designs in her store here!

-Whitney (Whit)

// <![CDATA[// // <![CDATA[// // <![CDATA[//

Here is my pick for this week, “Capture This Moment” by Sasha:

I love the way the bright colors on her page contrast with those gorgeous black and white photos! And the clustering is seriously amazing. Kudos to Sasha for capturing these precious everyday moments.  Head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!

-Kendall (Kendallt)

This week I was so excited to get to talk to our two guest designers this month!! First up is Val from GeniaBeana Scraps!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?   geniaBeana, but my real name is Valerie and usually just go by Val
2. What is your main job/career? SAHM
3. Are you married/children/pets?  Married, 12 years.  2 Children.  A boy and a girl.  1 elderly Calico cat.
4. Where is home for you?   Central Texas
5. What are your 3 favorite foods?  Sushi, Cheesecake, Chocolate
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  PC.  CS4

7. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  I like most of the Cable TV (Showtime and HBO) Series and have recently fallen in love with Glee.  My all time favorite movie is Young Frankenstien.
8. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  On the couch with TV for background noise or my desk upstairs with the cable on the Alternative music channel.
9. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be?  I NEED string and ribbons.

10. When did you start designing? How did you get started?  I started playing with designing around December of 2008.  Then got serious about learning more and doing better after the ScrapMatter’s Design Star competion.
11. How would you describe your design style?  I like realistic elements and papers that look like real paper.  Not sure how to label my style as I’ve never really given it much thought.
12. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  Colors usually speak out to me.  Usually they give me a very good idea of what THEY want to be.  If I try to force it into something else it just doesn’t work.  If I listen to the colors the kit usually flows right out of me.

13. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most?  Queen for a Day

14. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?  I don’t really have a favorite scheme to work with.  I like working with brights as much as I enjoy muted colors.
15. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Boho Chic.  I just finally scrapped with it, too, and I LOVE my layout.

Check out Val’s full shop here!!

Next up here is what Sherry Ferguson had to say!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  Sherry Ferguson, Sherry Ferguson…how original, right?
2. What is your main job/career? being a mom is my main job, designing comes next
3. Are you married/children/pets? I’m married to my DH of 10 years and we have 2 beautiful daughters. We also have one female boxer dog named Miracle.
4. Where is home for you? Texas
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Mexican, Italian, and Home-style
6. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  PC, PSCS3 and AICS3
7. What is the most challenging part of designing for you? I guess I would say extracting. I am still so slow at it!
8. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I would love to learn to sew better than the basics I know now!
9. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  My favorite TV series is Little House on the Prairie. I watched it growing up, and now I have the boxed set that I am gradually watching with my girls   And in this day and age I enjoy Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Movie wise, my top favorites are: The Family Man, The Notebook, Sweet Home Alabama, Titanic, and Click
10. Describe your “designing” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  I like it quiet. Always something to drink, usually diet sprite because caffeine makes me edgy. Always at my desktop in the front room. Not a formal office, but it has to do.
11. If you only had 2 elements in a kit, what would they be?  A flower and a folded or looped ribbon
12. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Maybe that I have 3 tattoos?
13. When did you start designing? How did you get started? I started designing over 4 years ago. A friend of mine introduced me to digital kits and I was so intrigued I bought a book. The book explained a lot on how to create papers and elements and I’ve been expanding on that ever since
14. How would you describe your design style?  Clean and neat, sort of like paper scrapping.
15. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  My kids and music.
16. Which of your products in the Scrapmatters Store showcases your style the most? As of now, it would be Rain Showers and Flowers. I have much more I hope to add before my guest spot is up

17. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? Nothing in particular. I just really love bright colors with a lot of contrast!
18. Favorite kit you’ve designed for Scrapmatters? Well, that would have to be Rain Showers and Flowers. I’ll have another next week, but not sure yet if I like it better or not

Thanks Sherry for letting us get to know more about you!  Check out all her goodies here!

-Amanda (panders77)

(Sorry this is a day late… I put it all together and was sure I published it!! Enjoy!)

My pick for LOTW is Explore your World by iJenny.  I love the blocking, the different alphas in the title and how she has everything in the pocket! It is seriously adorable and so creative!  Check it out!

The image is linked so head on over to the gallery or the forum to leave her some love!  Congrats iJenny!!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

This week I was able to interview Chelle of Chelle’s Creations!  It was so fun to learn more about her!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  Chelle’s Creations aka Markyzmom  — I was markyzmom before I started designing so I use both names now.  Real name:  Rachelle

2. What is your main job/career? My main job is definitely Mom.  But I help my husband with a financial services small business that we own.

3. Are you married/children/pets?  Married 17 years.  7 kids:  DstepS 23, DstepS21, deceased dd@3.5, dd15, dd13, ds9, and ds6months  No pets…aren’t I busy enough without pets?

4. Where is home for you? Rural Northern Utah

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?  steak, salmon, homemade whole wheat bread.  Yum!

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Pineapple Sherbet with a scoop of pineapple on top.  Yum!  (I think I’m hungry now)

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?  Definitely sweet.  I can’t leave the Werther’s caramel candies alone.

8. Beverage of choice?  WATER!!!

9. What’s your least favorite food?  Any green vegetable. LOL!

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?  I use my MacBook Pro with Photoshop CS4 and Illustrator CS4

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?  For 5 years…but the first 3 I didn’t know I was digi scrapping.  I printed books with my photos, the story, and a few primitive “elements” I’d designed.  Then one day I stumbled on ScrapMatters and realized you could BUY what I was making.  I was in HEAVEN!

12. What was your 1st LO about? Um…this IS embarrassing.  Here’s one of my first “real” layouts.

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?  I like to crochet, paint, and read…but I spend very little time on those hobbies…scrapping is more fun.  LOL!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?  Creatively fitting the story on the page.  I usually have a LOT of journaling and a lot of photos…just fitting everything in.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?  Whenever I go into the ‘quilting’ store I think, “Someday this will be one of my talents.”  And I’d always like to improve my drawing skills….hmmm…and photography…and….

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  I’m not much of a movie or TV watcher, but I am hooked on White Collar.

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?  At the kitchen table.  A handful of almonds or Werther’s and a bottle of water nearby.  Baby in my lap, kids around with their laptops or they’ll watch TV or do homework.

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

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  I have a master’s degree in mathematics education…I actually understand ALL of my kids math homework.

20. When did you start designing? I started designing a couple years ago, but only for myself for the first six months…then I entered the ScrapMatters design star competition and it took off from there.

21. How would you describe your design style?  Realistic, fun, bright

22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  The longer I do this, the more I see ideas everywhere.  For example, a few weeks ago in the grocery store checkout lane I saw a Martha Stewart magazine with a light blue gingham background, red napkin (I think) and a grilled hamburger.  From that came the revamp of Chillin’ & Grillin’

23. Which of your kits showcases you style the most?  Wow…this one is hard…Probably the Celebrate! combo.  It’s got some felt, some “real” items, and some doodles.

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?  Anything with blue in it.  LOL!  I have a hard time NOT including some blue in a kit.

25. Favorite kit you’ve designed?  I always like my most recent kit the best, but my all time favorite would have to be Sunnyside Up.  It reminds me of fond memories of my childhood:  my Dad made waffles every Saturday morning while I was growing up.

Thanks Chelle!  Check out her full store here!!

-Kelli (Kellig)

Another patriotic layout this week. I just kept coming back to this amazing layout by Denise. I absolutely love the photo and the scrapping is superb. Congrats, Denise, I’m sure this will be a cherished page for your family.

Congrats, agrievingmommy!  Head on over to her gallery or the forum to leave her some love!

-Judy (jupiter394)

This week I got to interview on of my fellow Scrapmatters Girls, Msbrad!

1. Your screen name? msbrad -everywhere, so I don’t forget who I am Your real name? Michelle Bradshaw

2. What is your main job/career? Teacher. Just completed 36 yr. Retired at 30 and returned….part time.

3. Are you married/children/pets?married to Bill. 2 DD’s + 2 SIL, 1 DGS

4. Where is home for you? Tampa, Fl.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Italian, Seafood and salad

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Butter Pecan

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Salty, but love choc covered pretzels

8. Beverage of choice? coffee in the am, water most fo the day, then wine…after 5pm

9. What’s your least favorite food?  brussel sprouts

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? made the switch in 2006

How did you get started? creating digi titles for my paper pages. Then I tried to create a digi bow…I still can’t.

12. What was your 1st LO about? grandson

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? sewing, photography, photo restoration

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?  Thinking of the page arrangement

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? photography

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? hmm, don’t do much of either. I’ll have to think

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
MY ROOM! TV, computer, sewing machines, serger, Pull out couch.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? f lowers, stitching

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I’m shy.

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? It all depends on the LO, and what book it will go into. I’m all over. Prefer larger photos.

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?

Thanks Michelle for letting us get to know you better!! Check out the rest of Michelle’s awesome gallery here!

-Kendall (Kendallt)

22. What is your favorite part of being a member of the ScrapMatter Girls?  Love this site, love the consistency of it. Great designers and fab. supportive members.

Kelli here with your LOTW!  I selected American Girls from WenRob for LOTW. I was immediately drawn to this amazing page from Wendy. Her composition and use of the curved templates to create the American flag are just perfect. I love the cluster around her photo and that awesome title work too! Just the perfect patriotic page!!! Congrats Wendy!

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

-Kelli (Kellig)

This week I had the opportunity to interview Connie Prince- the powerhouse kit & template maker! Friday after Friday she releases some of the most creative and perfect kits for any and every occasion! I couldn’t wait to learn a little more about her!
 
1.Your screen name? Your real name? My usual screen name is conniep & my real name is Connie Prince.

2. What is your main job/career? Designing is my main career.

3. Are you married/children/pets? I am married to William & we have been married for 14 years.  We have one son, Hayden who is 12.  I’m also mama to our two dogs Widget & Mokka as well as a very fat kitty named Pringles.

4. Where is home for you? I have lived in Georgia my entire life, just outside of Atlanta.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? tacos, nachos, & quesadillas (see a trend there?)

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

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Typically I reach for salty, I love chips!

8. Beverage of choice? Caffeine Free Diet Coke

9. What’s your least favorite food? Anything fishy.

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC, I design using Photoshop.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? 4+ years now.  I had been designing print material, logos, & web sites for others, so digital scrapping just made sense for me!

12. What was your 1st LO about?

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?  I enjoy reading and love to watch movies & television!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Finding time to do it all is the most challenging thing for me!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I’d love to improve my writing skills!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I love reality tv, Big Brother & Survivor are my favorites!

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? I do best if it’s quite, I usually have a Diet Coke while I’m working!

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? Flowers & ribbon

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  I am a neat freak, I’m also a bit afraid of anything that could be germy lol..I drive my family a bit bonkers with my constant wiping & disinfecting.  Not to mention moving things back to their rightful place before people are finished using them!  It’s a blessing & a curse I think!

20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed? I’ve been designing several years, my favorite product is usually my most recent!

21. How would you describe your design style? Happy, I love bright & happy kits the most.

22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?  I find inspiration in many places, colors are usually my spring board.

23. Which of your kits showcases you style the most? I think Growth Spurt is the most current one:

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? Primary, bright colors!

Thanks for sharing a little bit a personal life with us, Connie! Can’t wait to see many more of you future creations here at Scrap Matters!  Check out Connie’s store here!

-Whit (Whitneyt)

I chose this layout, Soar, by andrea4376 for LOTW! It just really stood out to me, I love the picture and how the foam alpha just flows right with the journaling. Such a gorgeous LO! Congrats girl!

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

-Whit (Whitneyt)

Happy Father’s Day everyone!  This week we are going to spotlight two community members!  We got behind in our interviews way back when during QOS when the site was being wonky so we are catching up on some interviews we missed! 

First up..

1. Your screen name? Your real name? Screen name is Breeze80 my real name is Breanna but I go by Bree usually {unless I’m in trouble}

2. What is your main job/career?  I am a domestic engineer and circus leader of two beautiful children!

3. Are you married/children/pets? Married to the love of my life, Dave. We have 5 yo girl and a 2 yo boy. And man is our house getting more lively the older they get!!! We have no dog *yet*. we are waiting to buy a house. Breed is TBD

4. Where is home for you?  Home is in the Salt Lake Valley. It’s amazingly beautiful here!

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Tiramisu, almost anything chicken and food I don’t have to make

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I have to pick ONE!? I really really really like Farr’s Lime Ricky. It’s fantastic! If you’re ever in Ogden, Utah stop into their shop. It’s fab!

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Usually sweet, but I’ll never pass up popcorn with some chocolate

8. Beverage of choice? Water, ice tea or wine

9. What’s your least favorite food?  any thing that stinks funny

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I love my PC. {hubby is a mac guy} and I use PSE 7

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been digi-scrapping for 2 years now. I was a “tagger” and then realized that digi was so much more efficient than paper and I started experimenting.

12. What was your 1st LO about? Oh geeze. I did a layout for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. I made the bowling ball. I didn’t want to have to buy anything…little did I know *facepalm*

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I really enjoy cooking and being outdoors. Right now I’m trying my hand at container gardening, with so so results.  And sometimes I read
 
14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Trying to get past the perfectionist in me!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I want to learn how to build cars. My dream is to build my own 1959 Corvette

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I’m a total Glee junkie right now. Movies? I love a lot. I saw Sex 
Well, I’m set up on my desk in the “playroom” area of the house. My desk is a disaster, and I listen to the kids usually, but sometimes I’ll jam out to some iTunes or Pandora

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

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I have a double uterus and one kidney.

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I don’t really know. I’m always changing things. I’m kindof in this whitespace area right now. I didn’t think I could do whitespace, and so I worked on it, and that’s where I’ve been for probably 9 months. I really LOVE it. lol

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?

Thanks Bree for letting us get you know you a little better! Check out all her great LOs here!

-Apachetear (Amanda)

Okay and now for our “bonus” inverview for the day!!  I think it is kind of fun playing catch up!  There are more fun things to read!!

Good morning SM! This week I chose to interview Becky (hoo-rah), a member of our SM Creative Team. I am a huge fan of her scrapping style and new that she would be super fun to interview!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My screen name is hoo-rah (a combination of my last name and full initials), but my real name is Becky (short for Rebecca). I also answer to momma, muther, babe, chicken, smeck, hun, Becks….etc.

2. What is your main job/career?  I am currently a SAHM, but I’ve been taking online classes for the past 4 years and feel like I’ve made a career out of going to college.

3. Are you married/children/pets?
Yup – I\’ve been married to a wonderful husband (Doug) for 6 1/2 years and am the proud mama of 4 1/2 year old twin girls (Aiden and Reilly)

4. Where is home for you?  Southern California…the land of sun, sand, surf…and smog.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Anything Mexican (especially carne asada burritos, fresh guac and salsa, loaded nachos, or a spicy chicken bowl w/rice and black beans….YUM!), gooey brownies, and strawberries.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I’m actually more of a popsicle/otter pop gal, but if I had to choose a favorite ice cream flavor it would be Chocolate Malted Crunch from RiteAid/Thrifty or Half-Baked by Ben & Jerry’s

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Both

8. Beverage of choice? Dr. Pepper…or ice cold water

9. What’s your least favorite food? Ummmm…sauerkraut or liver?! I don’t know…I’m pretty easy going and will try just about anything when it comes to food.

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? Sony Vaio laptop with Corel Paint Shop Pro X2
 

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been scrapping since the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. I used to paper scrap and make cards, but we moved around a LOT and my stuff kept getting put into boxes and never getting unpacked. Once my girls started crawling and getting into everything, I didn’t have the time or space to devote to “my craft.” I overheard some people talking about digital scrapbooking and decided to check it out….I lurked in the galleries and forums for a while, completely amazed by all the talent, but finally got the courage to join in the fun!! I’ve been hooked ever since!

12. What was your 1st LO about?
My first LO was made for a color challenge at another site….it took 3 days to make (yikes!) and I was so discouraged afterward that I didn’t try to make another page for about 3 months after!!

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?
I love to read, hunt for bargains, hang out with family and friends, wander aimlessly around Target and Ikea, and go to the beach. I used to run 3 miles a day, but am slowly working to get back into shape. It’s a great stress relief…but just so dang hard to do after having the girls!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Not having the time…or the money…to scrap with all the wonderful goodies out there!!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?
I would love to learn to surf…I’ve gone water skiing, boogie boarding, snorkeling, and am scuba certified…but I’ve never tried to surf.

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?
We don’t have cable, but are able to catch most of our favorite shows online. That being said, I’m a crime show junkie and LOVE all the Law & Order shows, CSI shows, Cold Case, Mentalist, Chuck, Modern Family, The Office, Glee, Gordon Ramsey’s shows, and HGTV.

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?
On the couch in our front room, usually with a movie going on to distract the kiddos. If it’s late at night once everyone has gone to bed, I’ll either put a movie in for background noise or listen to music on the computer. Dr. Pepper is a must, snacks are optional.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? Something doodled and some stitching.

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I am terrified of heights…can’t ride the ferris wheel without having a mild panic attack.

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style?
I guess I would describe myself as a little eclectic?! I love to mix and match and try new things, but I ultimately try and make my pages look like were paper-scrapped. I love doodles and stitching and textures and ink/paint smears…and I LOVE to try out new fonts.

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?
Of Aiden (Twin A):

Of Reilly (Twin B):

Of Doug:

Of Me:

Thanks Becky!  Check out all of Becky’s awesome work in her gallery here!

-Amber (jeffsamber)

This week we get two LOTW for the price of one!! Last week was not posted so I figured I would post it today instead!  Better late than never! 

For the LOTW 6/6 I choose Ddamsel’s Scrapload of Fun layout.  I loved how it captured the true spirit of QOS and how all of the contestants feel towards the end of the competition!  And check out how she warped those pages so they looked stacked?!  How creative is that?! 

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

-Amanda (panders77)

This week’s LOTW is Park Play by mommy22girls. I love the scattered feel, yet it looks so put together! Also love the cluster in the corner & the title work! Congrats!!

Congrats Mommy22girls!  Head on over to the forum or gallery and leave her some love!

-Heather (snowdrop)

Today I got to interview the Scrapmatters Girls very own frog!! Terin (scrappyfrog)!!

1. Your screen name? Your real name?  Scrappyfrog….my real name is Terin

2. What is your main job/career? I’m one of several supervisors for LAPD’s 911 center.  LOVE my job!

3. Are you married/children/pets?  I’m not married and I have no little ones (I rely on family and friends to supply those!)  I have 2 dogs, Danny Boy and Shadow (both 10 years) and a cat, Rana who just turned 16!

4. Where is home for you? Lancaster, CA (It’s about 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles)

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? Toughie…hmmmmm….turkey, spaghetti and squash (any kind)

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  I don’t eat much ice cream, but prefer mint chocolate chip Italian Gelato (I fell in love with it in Barcelona, Spain).  Here in the states I like Rocky Road.

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Salty any day!!

8. Beverage of choice? Water (yes, believe it or not)

9. What’s your least favorite food? Olives and mushrooms…yuck!!!

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I have a PC, but being greedy would love an Apple notebook so I could have the best of both worlds.  I use Photoshop Elements 6 and hope to get CS5 sometime in the near future.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been digiscrapping since June 2008 (so about 2 years).  I was actually trying to figure out what I could do with my PSE 4 and did a search.  Lo and behold up comes digiscrapping and the rest is history! 

12. What was your 1st LO about?  My very first layout was done of my 3 beautiful nieces in front of Snow White’s castle at Disneyland (I didn’t even know Britt’s kits existed back then :giggle:!!!  Here’s my first layout:

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I LOVE to read, play on the ‘puter, but mainly travel, even if it’s just a drive somewhere! Put me on a plane I’m in 7th heaven!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Shadows, though I think I’m doing better.  Oh…and 2 pagers….they kill me!!!

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? Cook.  I’m jealous of my older brother as he is a self-taught gourmet cook and I wanna cook  like he does.  He’s awesome!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?  TV is easy cuz I don’t have cable, etc. and don’t really watch it.  I do have a TV, however.  I do watch American Idol and Project Runway on the computer.  My all time fave movie is “Silence of the Lambs.”  I know, ewwww, but the psychology just gets to me and Anthony Hopkins is my fave. 

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? At a desk with country music going in the background.  I’m in my den drinking either water or, as a treat, some lemonade or soda (Squirt).  No real snacks but I do sometimes have chips.

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? I love to use ribbons or strings so I can play with their shadows…and I LOVE to try to find a spot to put a butterfly!

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?  Most people would be surprised to find out that I LOVE to live alone with just my furbabies.  I cherish alone time as much as I cherish time with friends and family.  My nieces can’t believe I don’t want to get married!  I even go to movies alone (cuz I don’t talk to myself through it!! )

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I enjoy doing whimsical layouts and layouts with some humor.  But if I see something someone has done that I like… I’ll go out of my way to try to learn how it was done!! So…I’m thinking…eclectic?  Isn’t that where you steal ideas from others? :giggle:

21. What is your favorite part of being a member of the Scraps Matter Girls? I LOVE to leave love…I just don’t have time to leave as much as I like.  I also love the camaraderie among all the girls…it’s unbelievable and so much fun!!

22. Favorite LOs that you have done?

I have 3 that I really love.  This one is of my gorgeous niece, Rachel:

Next is my friend’s little guy, Jackson (he’s so cute!):

And finally, my fave whimsical layout.  It’s my cousin’s daughter, Sam:

Thanks Terin for letting us get to know the awesome person behind those great comments!! Check out Terin’s full gallery here!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

My pick this week is this fabulous layout by tanyarank. Just look at that picture! It is just awesome and I love where she put the name cluster and the quote used. Great job!!

Congrats!!  The image is linked so head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some love!

-Tanya (TanyaH666)

This week I got to interview Erica Zane!  I love her designs and she is so much fun!  I loved learning about her in real life!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? erica zane for both, I’m very imaginative with my usernames….lol!

2. What is your main job/career? I can sum it all up in one word – MOM (oh, and I design on the side!)

3. Are you married/children/pets? Married with 4 kids (2 boys, 2 girls) and 1 lizard

4. Where is home for you?  Virginia – 30 miles or so outside of Washington, DC

5. How long have you lived in your city? I’ve been in this general area for about 11 years now I think

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  We just had the yummiest stuff yesterday, I think it’s my new fave – vanilla with real caramel in it (not the thin stuff – but real semi-hardened stuff, sooooo good!!)

7. Beverage of choice? usually water (but every now and then I crave Stewart’s orange cream soda)

8. What is your favorite childhood memory and have you scrapped it?  I don’t have specific one that jumps to mind, but I loved growing up in my super small hometown with my grandparents next door and my great grandparents down the street.  We had a huge yard and a creek behind our house, it was awesome!
 
9. What kind of camera do you have? canon rebel xt

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC with Photoshop CS

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I think it’s going on 4 years now but I’ve been addicted to Photoshop since 1994!  I stumbled across some digital kits while checking out paper scrapbook supplies online – it was love at first sight!

12. What was your 1st LO about?  Oh my goodness, I can’t even remember…I never posted my early LOs and I deleted them all off my computer years ago, lol!  But here is one of my oldest ones that I still have in an online gallery

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I like baking sometimes…really I just like the eating part… I used to like to do craft projects but haven’t done much off my computer in a loooong time!  I did make my kids some aprons a few months ago, that was fun!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Time!  Where does it all go and why don’t I have any extra?  If I get interrupted too many times during a LO I just lose all mojo and have to start over later.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? Does photography count – or is that too closely related? hehe!  I used to be way better with a camera, but since I had kids I’ve gotten lazy, lol!

16. What is one thing you tend not to use on layouts? A lot of layering…try as I might, I just can’t seem to pull it off!  I put everything from a kit on a page determined to layer…I move things around for ages & slowly remove one element at a time until I have a simple LO again, lol!

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?Usually fairly quiet…unless my hubby is playing a video game, hehe!  Sometimes if he’s not in his computer I’ll watch/listen to shows on Hulu while I scrap/design.  I always have water and lately lots of swiss rolls!  (I was trying to quit and that crazy Denise Beatty brought me 5 – yes FIVE – boxes of them…sadly I’m down to only 1 box – ack!!  Ok – after typing that I went to the fridge and grabbed a handful of baby carrots, I now feel much healthier…sort of…)

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

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I love green!!  On wait – everyone knows that already….and now my swiss roll addiction has been noted.  How about…   I hate heights.  Roller coasters freak me out, I won’t ride them.  I’m allergic to cats.

20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed? 3 Years ago I think…time keeps rushing by, it’s hard to keep track!  I’ve been having fun coming up with date sets lately but I always like my new kits the best!

21. How would you describe your design style? Realistic & fun

22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation? My motivation comes mainly from colors…if I don’t care for the colors I’m working with, I just can’t pull anything together.  Usually if I start with a different swatch that I DO like, it all falls together!  I get inspiration from everywhere – clothes, stores, magazines, fashion and especially from nature!  I was looking through my cell phone photos the other day & saw a photo of a random house I pass on the way to pick my son up from school…I was trying to remember why I took it & then noticed the colors – I thought the colors of the flowers in the yard against the house shutters was a fab combo, lol!

23. Which of your kits showcases your style the most? Hmmm, maybe “Forest Friends” or “Cute Lil’ Kaylee”…?

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with? Anything with green.  Seriously. I think I have a problem…

25. Favorite kit you’ve designed?  One of my current faves is “What Say?” but I also love the feel of “EZ Breezy”

Thanks Erica for letting us get to know you better!! And I know that these kits have you hankering for more so check out Erica’s full store here!

-Dawn (Aussiegirl)