Category: Designer Spotlight

Categories
Designer Spotlight

Day 4 of Celebrating our newest MouseScrapper Designer, Book Lady Designs

Today is the final day before Pam’s kit releases at the MouseScrappers Store.  Yay!  You’re gonna love it!  I figured it was fitting to end my interview with Pam by learning more about her from a designing standpoint.  I’m always curious about a designers beginning.  Since Pam is a brand new designer, we are fortunate enough to get to know her from the start.  I couldn’t wait to learn more about her journey into designing… so I had to ask her more about  it .

I know you are new at Designing.  What piqued your interest to start dabbling in designing?     I hadn’t really done much designing except for a couple participation prizes, but when I saw the Design Challenges here at MouseScrappers, it looked like fun. It’s making me learn a lot about Photoshop since, other than digital scrapping layouts, I had only used it for photo restoration.

What is your inspiration in creating a kit?     I guess I don’t have an answer to this yet. 🙂  We’ll have to wait and see what gives me inspiration for my next designs!

Any things in a kit that you feel are must haves?     I must have strings and ribbons! These are elements that I always use so you’ll always see them in my kits.

Do you have a favorite color or color combination?     I can’t say that I have any favorite colors, but what I do love are bright colors so you’ll see a lot of that from me.

Your designing name – Book Lady Designs – Is there a special meaning behind the name?    As I mentioned before, I was a Children’s Librarian and I love books! Our house is full of books! Yes, I do have an e-reader, but I use that more for traveling. I must have those real books around me.

We’ve been sharing glimpses of your first release.   Anything specific that prompted you to choose this theme?     I always seem to come home from Disney trips with several Goofy photos. I always seem to run into him! When thinking about what to do for a first kit, I looked around and didn’t see too many Goofy themed kits so that prompted the theme.

The Goofy theme is perfect for me!  He is the one character we see on every visit.  I’m sure I am not alone with the Goofy photos.  Of course, Pam’s awesome kit isn’t just for character greets.  It has many great uses as you will see tomorrow with the full reveal.  🙂   I can tell you that the MouseScrapper CT really enjoyed Pam’s fully loaded kit.  Keep an eye on the forums today for a sneak peak of all the goodies being released this Friday.

Thank you Pam for taking the time for us to get to know you better.  I’m so glad that we are able to share in your designing journey.  It is fun to be a part of something from the beginning.  I’d like to encourage you to check out Pam’s blog.  Here is the link:  http://www.bookladydesigns.blogspot.com/   You might want to become a follower so you don’t miss out on any Book Lady Designs news.  Just sayin….   You’ll be glad you did!

This is my final interview with Pam, but the party continues.  Tomorrow Pam’s first relaease will be in the MouseScrappers Store and then Friday evening, Julie (liriel) is hosting a Speed Scrap.  I hope you will be able to join Julie for some chattin and scrappin fun.  Here is Julie’s announcement with all the details.  She also has a preview of the PP (donated by Book Lady Designs!) in the forum.

Remember the Speed Scrap PP coordinates perfectly with Pam’s new release.  🙂

Thanks for joining me this week as we celebrate the newest Designer at the MouseScrappers Store.  Three cheers for Book Lady Designs!  I hope you have enjoyed the fun and I’ll leave you with one final sweet treat made for you by the creative genius, Roxana.  Thanks Roxana!   Here is a preview to her goodness.

Download Link:   Link has now expired

See ya Friday night at 9:00 EST in the chat room for more fun with Book Lady Desgins!

 

 

 

Categories
Designer Spotlight

Day 3 of Spending Time with Pam of Book Lady Designs

I’m back today with more of my chat with Pam (Pooh46) of Book Lady Designs.  I thought it would be fun to learn more about Pam, the scrapper.  I’m always curious to know how long someone has been scrappin and how they became passionate about this great hobby.  Of course my interest drove me to have this conversation with Pam.

How long have you been scrapbooking?  Always digital or did you also do traditional?     I made a traditional scrapbook for the library where I worked each year which would chronicle our summer reading programs. I was scrapbooking before it became popular! I had to cut out shapes to use on the pages as well as alphas. I had to make everything! One day I came across the scrapping forum on the DIS and there was a section for digital scrapping. I had to check that out. My very first digital layout was made in 2008 for a challenge at the DIS hosted by Britt of Britt-ish Designs.

How long have you been a part of the MouseScrappers community?  How did you find MS?     I’ve been a member of MouseScrappers since 2009 and Britt was responsible for that, too. I followed her over to MS.

Do you think you have a scrappin style?  Something you notice that you include on most pages?     My layouts tend to be very colorful with clean lines. I usually use the whole page and have a hard time leaving much white space! It seems that I always have to have ribbons and strings.

I know journaling is hard for many.   Does it come easy to you or do you prefer no journaling?     I have to admit that I don’t do a good job of journaling. The only pages that I really try to journal on are my heritage layouts.

Do you have a method to your scrapping?   (Start with a template and then look for a kit)….     Templates are so popular now and I’ve always loved templates. However, I usually look for a kit first to match my photos and then go looking for a template.

Are you currently working on any specific books/projects?     No projects at the moment, although I recently came across some old photos that I’ve been having fun scrapping as keepsakes for some relatives.

I can so relate to the days of those decorative scissors.  We have come a long way baby!  Thanks Pam for satisifying my curiosity and telling me a little more about your scrapping style. 🙂  I’d encourage you to jump over to the MouseScrappers Gallery and check out some of Pam’s awesome pages.  Here is a link to her MS gallery:  http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos/showgallery.php?ppuser=739&username=pooh46  I know you will find some amazing inspiration from her beautiful creations.

Today, I’d like to share with you the perfect border made by the amazing Andrea (tukogirl).  Thanks Andrea!  Here is the preview and the link to this treasure.

Download Link:  Link has now expired

Before I close, I’d like to remind you that Julie {liriel} is hosting a Speed Scrap this Friday night.  Pam has donated a super cute PP for the event and it coordinates with her upcoming release this Friday.  You don’t want to miss these Goofy Goodies.  So… mark your calendar and get ready for some Speed Scrappin fun!

I have another treat in store for you tomorrow… yay!   So I’ll see you back here on the MouseScrappers Blog as we continue celebrating with Pam of Book Lady Designs.

 

 

 

Categories
Designer Spotlight Store News

Meet our newest Designer, Pam of Book Lady Designs!

The Mousescrappers Store is growing!  Join me as we welcome Pam (Pooh46) of Book Lady Designs.  She will be debuting her first kit on Friday, August 31st.  I promise you won’t want to miss it.  We are going to be celebrating all week with lots of fun activities.  We will be having blog posts everyday to help you get to know Pam, coordinating freebies each day, a Speed Scrap on Friday evening and don’t forget her awesome new release this coming Friday.

I had a lovely conversation with Pam over the weekend.  I am happy to get to know her better and I’m excited to share this conversation with you.  Thank you Pam for being so gracious with your time.

For Day 1, I asked Pam to tell us a little about herself.  Later in the week, we will get to know Pam the Disney Lover, Pam the Scrapper and Pam the Designer.  Here is my conversation with her.

Are you married?  Have a family?     Yes, as of next month, my husband and I will have been married for 44 years. We met in college and after graduation, we returned to his alma mater where he has been a college professor ever since. We have 2 grown children who both live in the area. Fortunately, they’re both Disney lovers!

Where do you call home?     I’m originally from Iowa which is where my husband and I met. We have now lived in Illinois in the suburbs of Chicago for 42 years.

Do you have a job outside of Designing?     I was a Children’s Librarian and have now been retired for 10 years.

Besides Disney and scrapbooking, do you have any other hobbies?     We love to travel (besides WDW) and hope to do more of that after my husband retires. I love to read and also spend a lot of time doing genealogy research. One of my favorite things about genealogy is coming across old family photos and restoring them. I also enjoy making heritage layouts with those old photos.

Name something that is in your bucket list.     One thing on my Disney bucket list is to visit Disneyland Paris. My son was there this summer and I’ve had a lot of fun scrapping his photos. 

I hope you have enjoyed my Day 1 conversation with Pam.   Today’s blog freebie was created for you by Ana Carol and it gives you a sneak peek of Pam’s terrific release coming out on Friday.  Here is preview and a link to Ana’s amazing treat.

Link has now expired.

Please join me on Tuesday for our continued celebration of our newest Designer, Book Lady Designs!

Categories
Designer Spotlight Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor Spotlight – Crossbone Cuts

Today’s Sponsor Spotlight is Tanya, of Crossbone Cuts! Tanya’s one of my closest friends and favorite scrappers, and I was SO excited when she decided to start designing! This week is her one year Designiversary, and I thought it was a great time for fellow MouseScrappers to get to know her better!

Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Tanya and I am a 30 year old hair stylist/waitress from southern California! I have 5 fur-babies and one equally furry boyfriend =)

What got you started in designing?
On a whim I decided to enter a designing contest to see if I would actually like it or not. Turns out I LOVED it! Designing just kinda snowballed from there.

Where do you find your inspiration for designing?
All over the place! Since I am still in my first year of designing, I have been focusing on the “basic” holidays and trying to squeeze in making things that my CT asks for or kits that I personally need to scrap my own photos!

What do you like most about designing?
The satisfaction of actually finishing a kit. I moan and I complain and I get mad at myself with every kit. It is my process. Lol. But when I actually finish a kit, see it in use and have people tell me how much they like it, it is SUCH a good feeling. I put my blood, sweat and tears into everything I make with the hopes that people will love it as much as I do.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge with designing?
Finding my mojo to get started and picking a color palette. Oh man, I hate picking colors. I am very indecisive when it comes to colors and sometimes it takes me a whole day to narrow the colors down. Then there is the creative mojo. Most of the time I just stare at the computer. Just waiting. But when my creativity does decide to strike, watch out because I won’t stop until I am finished with what I am working on!

How many hours a week do you spend designing? Is designing your full time job?
Designing is not my full-time job. I wait tables part time and am a part time hair stylist. Luckily I have a lot of flexibility with both jobs which gives me tons of designing time. I am usually on the computer for at least 8 hours a day. Usually more like 10. A early night for me would be going to bed at 3am. I do try to not be on the computer on the weekends and actually interact with people and whatnot.

How do you balance your time?
I don’t. I am a time management mess. I do my computer work during the week and most of the time I don’t even turn on the computer on the weekends. Which leads me to be a stressed out mess by the time I actually do turn it on Sunday nights. I have a horrible memory, I have about 30 to-do lists and I forget to check them all. I really need to work on time management. Lol.

What is your favorite kit?
Right now, it is 30 Days Of Thanks. I just love the colors!

Who would you love to collaborate with?
There are lots of people on my list! I LOVE doing collabs. I think they are great for newer designers too because you really learn a lot when you work with a more established designer.

What is a piece of advice you have for those that are trying their hand at designing?
Learn your program, be prepared for TONS of trial and error and there is always something new to learn. You are never gonna know everything. Keep at it and have fun!

Who are some of your favorite scrap artists?
I really need to start browsing the galleries more. Every once in a while I will come across LO’s I love and if I remember I will pin them to my Pinterest for future reference. No one in particular. If I see a LO I love, I will comment and pin =)

What is a piece of advice you have for scrappers?
Remember that you are scrapping YOUR memories. With any luck, these pages are gonna be passed along in your family for a very long time so don’t worry about comparing your pages to other peoples pages. So you think someone can cluster better than you or you don’t think your shadows are realistic enough. Don’t worry about. Scrap for YOU and your family. It is the photos that they are gonna remember. Not that your shadows weren’t realistic enough.

What is your favorite thing about Disney? What is your favorite ride? Favorite character?
My favorite thing about Disney is probably just the magic of it all. Living so close to Disneyland and getting to visit as much as I do, I sometimes forget what it is really all about. Then something will happen and I will be reminded of just how special Disney and Disneyland is to me. I grew up at Disneyland. It was my weekend night hang out when I was in high school, I have hung out with every friend that I have ever had there and we have had family reunions there. Disneyland will always hold a special place in my heart. I don’t really have a favorite ride. It was The PeopleMover until they took it away. Still hoping it comes back someday =) My favorite characters are Roger Rabbit and Figment.

Besides scrapbooking and Disney, what is one thing you are passionate about?
Wait a minute! There are OTHER things in life?! LOL!

Tell us something no one else knows about you?
I have recently discovered that I share way to much info about my life on Twitter and Instagram so everyone pretty much knows EVERYTHING about me.

Be sure to check out Crossbone Cuts blog this week for all the fun celebration going on for her Designiversary!

Check out some Crossbone Cuts kits that are perfect for scrapping your Disney memories!

If you would like to know more about Tanya and/or her designs, you can find her in all of these places:
Crossbone Cuts Twitter
Personal Twitter
Crossbone Cuts Facebook
Personal Facebook
Blog
Pinterest
Instagram – TanyaH666

Categories
Designer Spotlight Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor Spotlight – Sahlin Studio

Today’s Sponsor Spotlight is Krista, of Sahlin Studio! I’ve been a fan of Krista’s scrapping since before she even started designing, and even I learned a few new things from her interview!

Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Krista Sahlin, designer behind Sahlin Studio. I am a wife, lucky to be married to my best friend (and ‘IT’ guy that helps keep my computer running well.) I am a mother to two wonderful and rambunctious kiddos, Sophia (10) and Gabe (8). 🙂 Random fact: I married into a difficult to pronounce last name. It drives me crazy that 99% of people say it wrong. LOL! So if you’d like to know: “Sahlin” is pronounced – (sah-LEEN) as in, Celine Dion. What else? I am an avid memory keeper (i.e. scrap addict) a love that has combined my love of digital scrapping with my found love of designing. As a designer, I love creating a mix of vintage and traditional, from paper scraps to metal finds…. an eclectic mix of these trinkets makes the pages so unique and beautiful. But most of all, it is incredibly surreal that people use my designs to help capture their most treasured memories. What a great honor to have my designs used for such special moments and occasions.

What got you started in designing?
I started digital scrapbooking in 2007 after a trip to Walt Disney World. I found amazing digi designs in the digital scrapbooking industry and was hooked. After a year of doing digi, I noticed I had specific photos that kept piling up because I was waiting for that “perfect” kit. So… I decided to try my hand at designing papers and elements to fit what I was looking for… the rest is history. 🙂

Where do you find your inspiration for designing?
First and foremost… my family. Yup, most of my inspiration comes from all of my family’s photos that are on my hard drive waiting to be scrapped into a cherished memory. When I find certain photos beginning to pile up… I know I MUST create something to scrap these memories. After family, I am also so inspired by COLOR…practically anywhere and everywhere there is color. It could be in a fabric or a pattern on a couch pillow, from my kid’s artwork to a magazine ad or an ad on a box. I find there is so much inspiration everywhere, and sometimes in the most unusual of places.

What do you like most about designing?
The fact I can call playing on my computer all day, in my pj’s… a job. LOL!! But more seriously, I love being able to be home when my kids are home, and be there when they need me.

What your favorite things to design?
I love designing elements. Seriously. I find it hard to stop… I keep going and going. Finding unique elements and ephemera is always the most fun part of the process. Also, another favorite element of mine to create is, journalers. Oh, how I love them! My main reason to scrapbooking is about ‘the story’, so I love providing scrappers with the right tools to help them tell their stories.

How many hours a week do you spend designing? Is designing your full time job?
I am lucky to call digital scrapbooking designing my FT job. I wake up each day with such excitement to design… I don’t ever doubt this is the best job ever!! Designing products makes up about 25% of my time. Doing administrative work, marketing to writing tutorials and articles take up the rest of my time. The amount of hours I work is pretty shocking, but I would have to say I typically “work” about 60+hours a week.

How do you balance your time?
This can be very challenging when you work out of your home. You don’t ‘leave the office’, so to speak.It can become very easy to hop on the computer and start working again. It is something I am trying hard to work on finding that good balance.
But in other way it is SO rewarding. When my kids are home… I’m available. When they have a field trip, I reschedule things and work at night.

What is your favorite kit?
Picking a Favorite Kit is SO hard. I have a connection with each one create.
But if I had to chose… right now, I would say “Grandma’s Dresser by Sahlin Studio”

Who would you love to collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with either Paislee Press and/or Anna Aspnes. Each of our styles
are pretty different, but I think the combination of styles would equal a true beautiful & electric mix.

What is a piece of advice you have for those that are trying their hand at designing?
1) Design becuase you LOVE it… not to make money.
2) Be sure you have a style that is different from others out in the market, something that is uniquely YOU.

What is a piece of advice you have for scrappers?
1) Scrap for yourself. – Don’t worry about having a gallery worthy page or getting caught up in the trends of what a good looking page is “supposed” to be. Trying scrapbooking with this thought in mind, “What do I like when I’m looking through my scrapbook?” If you love looking at pages with multiple, large photos… then DO it. You will never regret having those pages. But you may someday regret having the ‘trendy’ pages with tiny photos and white space.
2) Back Up, Back Up, Back Up – be sure to set a quarterly date to back up all of your files. You don’t want to learn the hard way.

What is your favorite thing about Disney? What is your favorite ride? Favorite character?
My favorite thing about Disney is all of the special, magical moments that you find there with your loved ones. They tend not to be the BIG things, but the small little things that happen that create the best memories.

My favorite ride at Disney is, “Toy Story Mania” at Hollywood Studios.

My favorite character we met, “Snow White”.
We had such an amazing experience meeting her, and it’s one we’ll never forget.

Check out some Sahlin Studio kits that are perfect for scrapping your Disney memories!