But for starters…it has been a few months since we got to know our last amazing gallery girl and for those new to the blog…first let me say – WELCOME to all!!!…and next, here is a little explanation on what these super-duper fun and inspired posts are all about.  All of our ‘regular’ gallery posters that we love and feel that we have almost come to ‘know’ – SP affectionately refers to as her ‘GALLERY GIRLS’ :o) – and every once and a while we spotlight a ‘new girl’!  Sooo much FUN!!  To catch up on all our past ‘gallery girls’ click HERE or on your visits to the blog you’ll find the Gallery Girls category down the right side…just a click away from beautiful faces, a sweet little chat, and layout after layout of digi-scrapping heaven!

Today, I’m thrilled to ‘introduce’ you to one of our brightest stars…AMBER! :o)

Amber has such a beautiful, happy and uplifting personality…we just love her!  And if you frequent the Shabby Shoppe’s gallery at all…then you are SURE to have noticed our featured scrappers’ layouts – they shine with personality, are seriously GORGEOUS, and oh so inspiring!  Pagefuls of super-cute pics of her beautiful family and smiles a-plenty, funny little anecdotes and uh-oh moments that make us all giggle, and extra-precious tribute layouts full of life and LOVE.  Amber has a keen eye for color, scraps the sweetest of clusters and loves to layer lots of pretty papers!  Everyday moments or special events, Amber scraps them all with love…and with such style and grace it makes your heart smile!

So without a doubt, I was soooo excited when, the very talented, Amber accepted the invitation to be our latest Gallery Girl :o)  It really has been lots of fun bringing this post to you!  Amber has been a joy to work with and she has crafted lots of exciting new layouts to share with us! YAY!  And, of course, Amber has been kind enough to answer all of our interview questions…sharing with us about her scrapping journey and family life!  We’ll get to know her better soon, but first – let’s check out one of the new pages that Amber created just for this post (there are lots of fabulous new layouts sprinkled throughout…so be sure to scroll down).  Amber will also be uploading all of these layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each one there :o)

I had to start off with this CUTE and perfectly pretty page!  How could I not!!  BIG SMILES!! :o)

Now, on with the interview…and plenty of inspiration along the way…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I am a Domestic Goddess, (a.k.a. stay-at-home mom), with five children.  I love my children dearly, and wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.  I LOVE being a wife and mother!  My husband and I have been married for 10 years now, and I love him more now than I did when I married him!  He’s a devoted husband and father, and works very hard so that I can stay home to teach and take care of our kids.  Our lives are very busy, to say the least!  I take whatever quiet moment I can to do some things for me, things that I really enjoy doing, like scrapbooking, sewing, quilting, decorating, or crafting – I suppose it doesn’t happen very often, though!  I was born and raised in Utah, by the most wonderful parents you could ever ask for.  I have three sisters, and three great brothers-in-law.  My mom taught me how to sew, which has been invaluable!  My Dad has taught me perseverance.  And, both have taught me the importance of family, and that I am loved and watched over by my Heavenly Father.

These fall-inspired pages are more than timely!  Beautiful details…amazing photos!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

Five years ago, I tried paper scrapbooking.  I did a few pages for an album my sisters and I were making for my parents’ 30th anniversary.  It was really hard for me!  It was like pulling teeth to get those pages done!  Inspiration wasn’t very abundant for me, and I HATED it! LOL!  The mess, and ruining things because I couldn’t see where to place them and I’d keep moving them around…I don’t know.  So, I didn’t do more until almost two years ago.  I had gone through a miscarriage a few months before.  I was SO depressed.  My sister had been doing scrapbooking for quite a while – even designing papers and embellishments for a company here in Utah.  She helped me make my very first digital layout.  I was hooked!  Doing that page helped me to realize what I did have.  It helped me remember the memories of times that I have had with my four other children and how very blessed I am!  I needed that!  I still need that!  While the depression was still there, scrapbooking my memories was my antidote.  It still remains to be my antidote for the tough times..it makes me happy!

Scrap-Happiness!!  Amber’s little ones have the happiest of smiles :o)  Love these pages!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

“Evolving”?  Is that a style? LOL!  No, seriously.  I look back at some of my first ones and I cringe! :0)  (In fact, I have redone some of those original ones.  They look much better!)  Anyway, in the two years I have been doing this, I’ve been so inspired by others, and I just itch to be able to try new ideas!  I LOVE clustering!  I LOVE color!  Although, I’ve enjoyed doing some more monochromatic layouts as well.  Oh, and I LOVE templates – they have taught me about placement, and I am finding myself doing more and more of my own layout designs.  It’s SO exciting!

A very special photo scrapped beautifully…

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

Most often it’s the picture.  Those pictures have such a story to tell, and I can’t wait to get it on “paper”!  Other times, it’s the story itself, because I don’t have a picture to go with it.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

Amber says ~ Do I have to choose just one?  It’s SO hard!  It’s like choosing a favorite child or something!  Then, a lot of them have amazing memories that go along with them – memories that I LOVE! LOL!  Yet, with “Baby Wobert”, I didn’t use a template, it was from my own creativity, and that layout just flowed as I did it.  I love the circles, the colors, the stitching (I LOVE stitching!), and I LOVE the memory!

Then, with “Quarter”, what a day that was!  We still joke about it!  And, I LOVE that xray!  Besides all that, Hopscotch is one of my all time favorite kits!  I go to that one all the time!

SP says ~ This layout is just all kinds of beautiful.  From that gorgeous photo – to the sweet (and honest) words…to the ‘organic’ feel of the page – it’s all perfection!  I really love it when portraits take on a candid/real feel…and that is certainly true here!  The love and happiness behind those smiles…it doesn’t get any better :o)

How could you not LOVE this layout?  Amber’s sweet dad has been through so much lately…yet he still perseveres and shines…and as a result – is an inspiration to his entire family, and many others, I’m sure!  But, it certainly goes far beyond that…because of the internet and digital scrapbooking – we are ALL able to be inspired by him, and by his beautiful daughter!  Amber’s gallery is an inspiration to us all…and her sweet personality is infectious!

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

Grrr!  Thinking about this, I feel SO dumb! LOL!  I am self taught in Photoshop, except for the help that my sister gave me at the beginning, of course.  So, I really wish I had known about the clipping mask.  I used to do it the hard way.  Select the layer, move the marquee to the paper, “cut” it, and move it back over to the layer.  So, yeah. The clipping mask is MUCH easier! :0)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

Pictures.  Memories.  I go looking through all my pictures – which are a LOT!  And, I remember what was going on, and I feel driven to create!  It’s usually the colors in the photos that inspire the color palette.  If the photos don’t match, I LOVE slight sepia tinting!  My kids are my main inspiration.  I really want to get my memories down of them.  I guess I’m afraid that when I get old, I’ll have Alzheimer’s or Dementia or something, and I’ll forget all these wonderful memories!  So, doing this, it’s like I’m doing my own family’s history, and it’s for posterity’s sake, I guess.  I want my kids to realize how much I love them and the funny, or not so funny, things that they do.

Amber loves to scrap with Hopscotch and I can so see why!  Bright and HAPPY pages!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

My husband bought me a Cannon Rebel T2i not too long ago when my other camera decided to die.  (It’s pretty wonderful!  Although, I’m still trying to figure out how to use all the bells and whistles.)  I use Photoshop CS4, and LOVE it!

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Blue!  Although, I love how brown can go with almost any color!
• Favorite FOOD: Sugar.  Ooh!  Especially Brach’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins!  One of the reasons that I LOVE Fall!
• Favorite MOVIE: Confessions of A Shopaholic :0)
• Favorite SONG: “Rhythm of Love” by Plain White T’s – You’ve got to find it and listen to it! :0)
• Favorite MEMORY: The day my husband and I FINALLY got married! (He had called off our wedding, and then proposed again a few months later. I loved him too much to say no :0).  And, now, I have something to tease him about!)  And, then, there’s the birth of each of our children.  Very special moments, indeed!

And to finish…WOW!!

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Amber, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for having fun with us…for sharing a little of your world and for allowing us to admire all these wonderful layouts, precious pics and special memories, here at the Shabby Shoppe blog today! :o)  It has been an absolute pleasure and I’m ending this post excited and completely INSPIRED!  Best of all – I KNOW I am not the only one!

THANKS for joining us today!  We’ll see you all again very soon! :o)

Here at the Shabby Shoppe we soooo treasure our little digi-scrapping community…and Lisa has been a special part of our Shabby family since 2009.  And, since then she has delighted us and inspired us beyond words with all the layouts she has posted.  Her digi-scrapping skills are literally breath-taking…every page is quite simply stunningly beautiful!!  Lisa has a definite knack in bringing out the very best in the paper combinations she chooses to layer…floral, plaid, stripes…genius!  Put your hand up if you’re like me and in complete AWE of Lisa‘s clustering skills…seriously now, just take a peek at all those perfectly formed posies!  And, she sure knows how to mix and match all our favorite Shabby Princess kits seamlessly!  I’m certain we’ve all stared at a SparkysGirl2 page from time to time, totally fascinated, and just soaking up all that brilliant scrapbooking goodness – I know I have!!  And it’s not just Lisa‘s scrapping abilities that catch your eye, it is her sense of family, her memory-keeping…the stories remembered and beautifully told.  Her pages are heartfelt and, above all else, full of love!

(Be sure to keep on scrolling so you don’t miss all the brand new layouts – there’s bunches and bunches!! - Lisa created especially for this feature!  She will also be uploading them to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there…Thanks Lisa!)

Let’s start with some inspiration!  Lisa sent through so many new creations that it made the job of choosing which one to keep full-size and showcase first a very tricky thing indeed…I fell in love with all of them!  In the end I chose this beauty…how could I not, really!  Old photos of loved ones get me every time!!

Now, on with the interview…and heaps of inspiration along the way…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

My name is Lisa, but I am known around digiland as SparkysGirl.  I am married to my best friend, and we have raised three kids together – two girls and a boy.  Our son still lives at home, but he has one foot out the door!  He will be graduating from college at the end of this year, and he is planning to ask his girlfriend to marry him — sssshhhh!  Depending on timing, I might be revealing a secret! ;)  We have a dog named Tanner, and three cats:  Grace, Suzy and Faith.  At this point in our lives, my husband (also known as Sweet Baby Cakes) and I are officially “dating” again.  We managed to navigate the waters of child rearing, and we finally have time to spend together doing things that we enjoy.  We find time to see movies, peruse antique stores, take short road trips, and we share dinner out A LOT.  In addition to working full-time as a systems analyst, I enjoy photography, reading, genealogy, and, of course, digital scrapbooking.

Here are two more lovlies!  How fun is the angled background papers?!!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have been scrapbooking digitally since April of 2009.  At that time, I was looking for a way to create a special scrapbook for my husband’s upcoming “milestone” birthday.  I also wanted to create a slideshow of photos.  As I hunted the web for resources, I stumbled upon digital scrapbooking sites … like The Shabby Shoppe!  I was intrigued, and I got started almost immediately.  I had paper scrapped for years prior, but I was frustrated by the mess it created and the need to pack it up and put it away.  With digital, there are no tiny scraps of paper, glitter or glue to clean up!  I can scrap anytime and anywhere!  Instant love and instant addiction!  I am so thankful for the Shabby Princess, because she has those “freebies” on her site.  I downloaded and used those to build my confidence in my ability to scrap digitally.  Without those freebies, I doubt I would have pursued the craft the way I have.  I was worried about investing money in kits until I was sure I could successfully use them to create layouts.  I am eternally grateful to her for her generosity!  It opened up a whole new world for me!

Now these are just PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY!!!!!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

My scrapping style is eclectic to say the least.  Most of my layouts are the standard heritage or paper-look style.  However, if the mood strikes I’ll create a page that leans more towards an art journal type layout.  If I am going through a difficult time, I often use the outlet of scrapping to express myself.  One fairly constant in my pages is clustering … I am an element-clustering fanatic!  I love flowers, leaves, swirling ribbon and string, and stamps.  I am in awe of the creativity of other scrappers, and when I feel my mojo going on the fritz I haunt the galleries or participate in a challenge.  I love to look for new techniques to learn, and I’ll often incorporate them into my layouts – this adds to the random and eclectic style.  One resource I use a lot to learn new things is Photoshop Creative magazine.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

The first component of each page varies from page to page for me.  Sometimes it’ll be a particular element or paper from a kit that inspires me.  Other times I have a specific photo or topic that I am laying out, and I’ll start with it.  Every now and again … it’s the title that begins it and I build from there.  As I sit here pondering my typical approach to a page, I realize I’m a little scattered about it.  But it always works itself out in the end.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

Lisa says ~ One of my most favorite layouts is one that I created for the Amazing Digi Scrap Race last year.  I love it, because it is a heritage page without a heritage look to it.  It’s called, “Creative Women“.  Some of the most special people in my life are on the page.  I really, really, really hate photos of myself, so it’s odd that one of my favorite layouts includes a photo of me.  I think it was a required element to the page.  I love the colors and the topic.

…and here is SP’s pick(s)…

…okay, so SP had a hard time picking JUST ONE (I don’t blame her one bit!)…so there ended up being a tie for her fave SparkysGirl2 creation…

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

The technique I wish I had known about right away was shadowing, shadowing, shadowing!  It makes such a huge difference in layouts!  I am always searching for cool shadowing techniques that create a more realistic look and that adds to the page creatively.

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

Just like my eclectic style … my inspiration is random, too!  I see layouts EVERYWHERE (this is now a family joke – they recognize the zoned look I get when I see something that is inspiring a page)!  From the menu board at a restaurant, to a television commercial, to a magazine advertisement … I’m always thinking in terms of how it could be translated into a page.  I am a Christian, and I am often inspired by my faith and the scriptures.  I am also driven to document my heritage.  After my Mama passed away, I received tubs of old photos.  Some of the photos are labeled with who the people are in them.  However, quite a few aren’t labeled at all, and I find this to be so sad!  Each of the photos has people with a story … and, I’m nosey … I want to know their story.  I’m on a quest to get them labeled and the stories told.  I hope my children and grandchildren will appreciate having tons of family information at their fingertips.

What beautiful photographs…and stunning page designs to match!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a couple of cameras.  I have a Canon Rebel T3i that I use as a backup.  My main camera is a Canon 60D.  My next investment will be in better lenses. 

When I first started scrapbooking digitally, I used Microsoft DIP but only for a short time.  I used Photoshop Elements after that, but I have since upgraded to Photoshop CS5.  I recently purchased Photoshop Lightroom to organize and process my photos, but I haven’t learned how to use it yet.  Sometimes it seems there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

These two layouts are sooo creative…and sooo cute!

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Blue
• Favorite FOOD: Chocolate
• Favorite MOVIE: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (I love to laugh!)
• Favorite SONG: What A Wonderful World … makes me cry every time I hear it!
• Favorite MEMORY: The day I married Sweet Baby Cakes

And finally, this little masterpiece…it makes my heart smile!

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So, now you ‘know’ Lisa a little better!  She is such an inspiration for us at the Shoppe and I’m certain you are finding yourself completely inspired, too!  Be sure to check out Lisa’s entire gallery for even more beautiful layouts and digi-scrapping inspiration! 

THANKS AGAIN LISA, for being a ‘gallery girl’ and for allowing us to admire all your special pages – full of wonderful family photos and memories – right here at the Shabby Shoppe blog today! :o)  It has truly been a pleasure & a privilege to work with you!

Thanks for stopping by…and I’ll be seeing you all tomorrow with the JULY free Desktop!!

These are such fun blog posts to work on…a definite fave, for sure!  I really enjoy getting to know everyone better and I’m always inspired during the process…and I hope you guys are too!  Of course, this time was no different and I’m so, so unbelievably excited to share our next ‘gallery girl’ with you!  For our first twenty-twelve feature, I got to work with the gorgeous Gloria…though you might know her better as chocochoco :o)

Gloria joined us over a year ago and regularly pops in with a gem of a creation!!  It has been lovely to watch her style evolve.  I always look forward to each and every beautiful page that hits her gallery!…they are a true feast for the eyes!  Time and time again she successfully marries her black & white photos with a flurry of richly patterned papers and tons of decorative elements.  Goodness me, soooo much time and effort put into each page!!  Her clustering is incredible and the depth she creates with her bold shadowing is amazing.  Her layouts always have this fabulous 3-dimensional feel (like a paper tole creation, in my opinion)…you can almost reach out and touch layer upon layer.  Works of art…little masterpieces…to showcase her precious family photos.  Gloria is such a sweetheart and her love of family comes across in every single page :o)

Be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss the new layouts Gloria created specifically for this feature!  She will also be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o)

…a HAPPY page to begin with!  Ahhh-mazing huh?!

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

My name is Gloria aka chocochoco in the digiland. I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia with my beloved parents, charming little brother, and sweet little sister. Besides scrapping, I enjoy reading and listening to music.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I’ve been digi scrapping for almost three years and haven’t tried any paper scrapping before.  At first I was addicted to editing my photos with brushes and shapes and a friend of mine told me something new. She told me about Shabby Princess free kits and I have totally fallen in love with digital scrapbooking.

…creative beyond belief - Gloria takes our kits to a whole new level with these two beauties!  How cool are those layered frames!!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I’m still trying to discover my style because it keeps changing as I try new things but I absolutely love clustering and using lots of pattern papers.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I usually start with a theme and designs and then choose the kit that I want to use.  Then I layer the papers and elements and then add a title and maybe some journaling. I find that journaling is the hardest part. As you see, I rarely do my own journaling. I usually use quotes or poems or song lyrics.

…no holding back with this layout for her handsome ‘super’ brother.  Who says you can’t use flowers for guy layouts!!  And Gloria always manages to create wonderful texture on her pages…what a sweet and sunny page on the right.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

I think my favorite is The Fated Bond because I’m using my favorite kits and also two wonderful templates (Shabby Princess Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge Three and Shabby Princess Ad Inspiration Template One). I just love how everything came together :)

…and no surprise it’s our favorite too!!

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I knew how to add realistic touch to my page. When I first started scrapbooking (digitally, since I haven’t tried paper scrapping) I didn’t know how to set a drop shadow properly.  I just put some papers and elements and added some photos. I was a little disappointed when I saw the result. But now I think I’ve found my favorite drop shadow style :)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

My inspiration come from magazines, songs, movies, and of course my little cousins and family. I also look through pinterest and galleries to get some ideas.

…more gorgeousness from Gloria!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have Canon Digital IXUS 1000HS and I wish I could have my own DSLR asap. lol. I also have both Photoshop Elements 7 and CS4 but mostly use the CS4.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: I love white and any shades of blue. Please don’t make me choose. I just can’t. lol
• Favorite FOOD: Anything made from chocolate
• Favorite MOVIE: My Sister’s Keeper
• Favorite SONG: Any song by Owl City and Big Bang
• Favorite MEMORY: When I had a road trip with my whole big family, celebrated my grandpa’s 70^th birthday. It was so much fun.

…and no better way to finish off than with a whole lot of LOVE and a beautiful sentiment!!

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Gloria, a huge THANK YOU for being a part of the Shoppe’s community…and for  letting us get to know you a little bit more! :o)  It has been a joy!  We all adore you here at the Shabby Shoppe…and can’t wait for your next incredible layout to hit the gallery!!! 

THANKS for checking in with us today, so glad you did!  I’ll see you back here tomorrow…same time, same place…to share the free APRIL desktop!  See you then! :o)

I have a feeling that my ‘words’ simply won’t do justice in describing Gracie’s awesome talent for digi-scrapping…however, I’ll do my very best! ;o)  Not only is she a beautiful person inside and out, she is a true creative spirit and you can see that in each and every page.  Her photographs are AMAZING - technically brilliant and full of life, light & love…and this brilliance flows over into the rest of her page…from stunning corner to stunning corner.  Gracie has a definite flair for color <you can see that at an instant>, and her design-work results in truly unique and magical creations.  Her layouts are big and bold!  But at the same time, all those precious little details, that you so often find gracing Gracie’s pages (sorry about the pun! LOL!), never ever get overshadowed.  And, I just love Gracie’s versatility – from serious, heartfelt pages to pages full of funny adventures – from no journaling and a simple title to the perfect amount of storytelling – from soft & dreamy palettes to a rainbow of colors – from lots of negative space to cluster upon cluster!  If you’re like me you’ll get totally lost in her incredible work!  Gracie’s gallery is pure inspiration!

So let’s move on with getting to know a bit more about the gorgeous Gracie and checking out all the incredible new layouts she created especially for this post (be sure to keep scrolling!).  Although, I’m betting you have already had a peek – I don’t blame you, absolutely impossible not to…seriously outta-this-world AWESOME, aren’t they?!  I soooo wish I could have made every layout featured here full-size, but alas, it would have taken forever for the whole post to load and I didn’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary to see all the fabulousness!!  Gracie will, however, be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see the larger images and more info about each there :o) YAY!

It was impossible to choose a favorite new page to share first, they’re ALL my faves!!…but I just had to ‘bookend’ with these sweet co-ordinating layouts.  This is big sister Aurora’s page…my oh my!  Beautiful…what more can I say, so I’ll just stop there and let you take it all in!

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I always hate this question because I never know where to start! How about the beginning? I grew up on a tiny island in South East Alaska, Petersburg, to be exact. The town, at it’s most populated, boasted 3,600 people. You had to make your own fun- that’s why I think I am creative to this day. I remember mom giving us crayons, chalk, markers, and freezer paper and telling us to, “have at it”.

Today, I like to think of myself as a schizophrenic artist (as my husband calls it) – I have to have two or more projects going at once.  I am a photographer. I enjoy digital art, tangible art, and all things creative. I am a mom of two little girls that I hope share my creative whims someday.

Two more gems!  I’m a big fan of circles and these two pages are circle-tastic!  And just look at the cutsey cousins pic…adorable! 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have been scrapbooking for quite a few years – it’s so hard with kids – they always want to help cut, paste, rivet… not the safest thing in the world. I switched to digital last year to keep things under control – I can leave my projects safely on my laptop and no one touches, moves, cuts, or destroys anything, which makes me happy!

Love, love, love these two layouts!  Gracie uses her namesake to perfection in “Molly & Daddy”.  And how awesome is the yellow, brown and dark blue combo on the other…and the whole page is layered to perfection! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I like to think I am a multiple personality scrapper. I like simple clean lines but then I love the chaotic nature of clustering. I enjoy clean edges ran over by messy stitches. I love torn edges too. I really enjoy neutral with a mix of bright colors. I think my favorite kit to date is, “Gracie” because the pallet is so versatile and the elements are PERFECT!

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I am an organized scrapper – I adore the Easy-as-pie templates so much that I when I first go to make a page, I like to create a template and plan everything out. I do know what pictures I’m going to use before I create it though.  I pick my papers out next, then frames, if I use them. I follow by edging, stitching, and elements.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

See, even Gracie herself has trouble picking just the one fave from her gallery, lol!

 Gracie says ~ To date, my favorite layouts are, “Expressive Molly” which I love because of the simple clean lines of it and the little details, like the tag hanger and scalloped edges. I also LOVE, “Flower Child” because of the continuity of the whole page – the picture coordinates, the papers, embellishments— everything just flows.

…and here is SP’s pick…

SP says ~ It would be tough to imagine a sweeter and more special layout than this one! Little Molly’s ‘first cry’ photo is out-of-this-world amazing – what a perfect capture! Then…the precious ‘sisterly love’ photo…MELT! Finally…the patient mommy picture – LOVE! And, while this page is obviously ALL about the photos and memories/moments…the actual design of the layout is incredible, too! From all of the layering and stitches, to the shadows…and just the simple fact that the page is BLUE…even for a baby girl – BRILLIANT and total PERFECTION :o) While it was difficult to choose a favorite…as they are all WOW pages (seriously…not a less-than-stellar page in the entire gallery)…this one spoke to me the most! BRAVO :o)

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I knew how to vary shadows. I love how things that are supposed to jump off the page, can look like they do (like leaves, or bows). If you simply add more distance and play with the sliders, it can add so much depth!

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

I find inspiration in just about anything – I find it in just about everything. I find it in the colors of what my kids are wearing (or what they put together), i find it in a neat fabric, I find it in a magazine, even in jewelry. I like to take all of these things and scatter them in the way the jewelry patterns may lay, or in the placement of a pocket on jeans.

I can’t get enough of graciewollf‘s scrapbooking layouts, can you?!  A couple more treats for us to drool over…

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I am a little lucky being a photographer, I have some neat stuff to play with. I have a Canon 7D and a Canon Rebel xt, along with a handful of lenses. I use photoshop cs3 for all of my editing and page creating needs.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Pink. no, Blue. no, Yellow. Orange? But then Green is so pretty too…. can I pick all?
• Favorite FOOD: I think my favorite has to be Chocolate. yup. Chocolate. It goes with anything – Coffee, fruit, wine… yup anything!
• Favorite MOVIE: I think it’s Princess Bride.
• Favorite SONG: anything by Adele, Jake Owen, or Nickel Creek.
• Favorite MEMORY: I was about 21, and my twin sister, Marie, and I were actually home, in Petersburg, AK, together, with our boyfriends. We decided to go hiking to the garnet mine and get some garnets. It was a long hike and on the way down an embankment, Marie’s boyfriend tumbled a bit, grabbed a tree root on the way down and ripped the seat out of his pants. I still giggle to this day thinking about how red that poor guy turned—did I mention, he was my ex-boyfriend? hahahaha. We did get a jelly-jar full of garnets. It was a great day!

…and now it’s Miss Molly’s turn!  Again, my oh my… PRECIOUS - in every way possible!!  Both Aurora and her little sis are the perfect models for mommy!  My heart is melting at the very sight!

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Gracie, THANK YOU SO MUCH for having fun with us…for sharing a little of your artistic world, and of course, for allowing us to admire all those amazing pages, photos and stories, here at the Shabby Shoppe blog! :o)  It has been a complete pleasure and total joy to work with you!  I actually feel kind of sad to finish up this post…I want to see more, and more gorgeous layouts!! LOL!  But one thing is for certain, I am leaving this post excited and completely INSPIRED!  Best of all – I KNOW I am not the only one!

We’ll be back in twenty-twelve with more Gallery Girl instalments…so stay tuned and keep posting in the gallery! (because ya never know, the next gallery girl might be YOU!!)

THANKS for joining me today – and I’ll see you back here…same time, same place…to announce the winner of template challenge 18 <oooh, exciting!>, to share the next template challenge with you and a little something extra – YAY!!  See you then! :o) 

These wonderful lil’ features are fast becoming one of my favorite blog posts to work on.  I really enjoy getting to know everyone better and I’m always inspired during the process…and I truly hope you are too!  Of course, this month was no different and I’m thrilled to share our next ‘gallery girl’ with you!  This time, I got to work with the lovely Jessica…though you might know her better as jessg26 :o)

 I’ve always admired Jessica’s gallery…she has the sweetest little two-year old girl, her pages are always jam-packed with lots of adorable pics and pretty things…and her scrapping style just rocks – each page is a joy to see!  I can’t help but smile at all the love and personality she packs into each and every layout.  And, when it comes to her Project SCRAP pages she is an absolute STAND-OUT – I always look forward to those!

Now for the best part…let’s get on with meeting sweet Jessica and get a first-look at all the beautiful pages she has created especially for this post!  Jessica will also be uploading all of the new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each one :o)

There could be no other way to start off this ‘interview’ but to show you this stunning wedding layout. I can’t help but let out a big sigh! :o) The combination of the beautiful, beautiful photos, the lovely embellishments and sweet pastels…nothing more precious! 

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

My family and I live in San Diego, CA. My husband and I have been married for 5 years and we have a wild little girl who just turned two. I am currently a stay-at-home mommy and intend to keep it that way for as long as possible! Prior to my daughter’s arrival, I was working as a Registered Nurse at the Children’s Hospital. I loved my job and thought I would miss it, but being able to take care of my girl is so awesome. In my free time I like to avoid doing housework by scrapping, reading, sewing, or searching for yummy gourmet recipes that my family won’t eat!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

 I started out in paper scrapbooking shortly after my husband and I were married. It was summer break before my last semester of college, I didn’t have a job, and my husband was still in school and working…so I needed something to do! I ended up getting all of the proofs from my wedding photographer for free so I got to work. I now have a lovely (and huge) wedding album somewhere in my closet. I started working on an album of my daughter’s first year while she was still very young, but once she became mobile, it was impossible…too hard to clean up everything in between naps, mealtimes, etc. It was also getting too expensive! I was interested in starting digital scrapbooking but had no idea where to begin. A friend of mine actually referred me to the Shabby Shoppe blog for free kits and tutorials, and I got a 30 day free trial of Photoshop Elements. I was hooked! My husband bought me the Photoshop Elements software for Christmas last year.

How about this gorgeous birthday party two-page spread?! Perfect scrapping…lots of photos, lots of journaling, lots of gorgeous little embellishments all in the right places!! And I just LOVE the colours…awesome banner too!! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I really don’t know how I would define my style. When I did paper scrapbooking, my layouts were pretty simple, with just a few embellishments here and there. But with digital it is so easy to add more and more! You never have to worry about using up all your supplies. I love that. I like to use lots of pictures since it is so easy to resize and fit them just the way you want them. It’s hard for me to do a layout of just one picture! I like to use lots of color. I usually like to include some journaling as well.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

 For the most part I start out with my photos. I usually have a specific event/memory I want to preserve before I forget all about it. Then I like to try to coordinate the papers etc with either the colors in the photo, or just with the theme I am going for.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

Jessica says ~ I had a lot of fun with all the color and I just love the pictures, they make me laugh. That kind of drama is pretty much an everday occurence in our house.

And here is SP’s pretty-in-pink pick ~

SP says ~ “I remember seeing this layout for the first time – it just JUMPED out of the gallery at me, lol – and I still love it just as much! I don’t know if it is all of that PINK…the incredibly cute photos…the TUTU…the drop shadows, or what – but it just ‘speaks’ to me :o) It is a true, girly-girl page, and the contrast of the scallop just makes it all POP! So, although it was NOT an easy decision <choosing a favorite> – this has to be it :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I had known how to recolor! Since I’ve learned to do that, I haven’t made a single layout where I haven’t recolored one or two items. Recoloring greatly extends the use of all my digital elements.

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

As you can see from my layouts I’m kind of obsessed with my little girl! It’s just so much fun to scrapbook all the new things she is learning and all the trouble she gets into. I guess that’s part of the reason I like so much color in all my layouts.

Another adorable & brilliantly scrapped two-pager to celebrate Leah’s second birthday! ‘TWO’ SWEET!! ;o)

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Sony Cybershot. It is not a fancy camera at all. I bought it because it was pink. And small enough to fit in my pocket. I would love to have a super expensive camera that makes all my photos look professional, but I would never have the patience to learn how to use it anyway! I use Photoshop Elements 9.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: blue
• Favorite FOOD: chocolate
• Favorite MOVIE: dan in real life, or Pride and Prejudice (the new one)
• Favorite SONG: “How Glad I Am” by the Living Sisters or “Hold on” by Michael Buble
• Favorite MEMORY: My wedding day, and the day my daughter was born :o)

And to finish…a cute, cute, cute PRINCESS page!!!

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So, now you ‘know’ Jessica a little better!  She is such an inspiration for us at the Shoppe and I’m certain you are finding yourself inspired, too!  Be sure to check out Jessica’s fabulous gallery for even more gorgeous layouts and inspiration!  THANKS AGAIN for being a ‘gallery girl’, Jessica :o)

Join us next month for another GALLERY GIRLS FEATURE! Our final one for 2011…so don’t miss it!

Rosy will be with you tomorrow with a post that’s guaranteed to inspire! …and the fun won’t stop there ~ on Friday we have a yummy food post by Casharina, and then I (Kylie) will be back on Saturday with your FREE November desktop!  Bye for now! :o)

From day one, I’ve adored Aubrey‘s natural flair for scrapbooking! I look forward to each and every gorgeous page that hits her gallery! Always full of extra-cute pics of her beautiful family (just look at that family portrait above…so wonderful, & smiles for miles!!!), funny little anecdotes that make me chuckle, and, amazing use of color and elegant clustering! Aubrey even creates her own acrylic-style alphas with Shabby Princess papers…isn’t that soooo clever! Everyday moments or special events, Aubrey scraps them all lovingly and with such incredible style! 

It’s been lots of fun for me to bring this post to you! Aubrey has been such a joy to work with (and email with) and she has created lots of fun new pages to share with us! And, of course, she spent some time answering our interview our questions, sharing with us about her scrapping journey and family life! We’ll get to know her better here in just a second, but first – let’s check out a new layout that Aubrey created just for this special post (there are lots more new and cute layouts sprinkled throughout the post below…so be sure to scroll down). Aubrey will also be uploading all of these layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each one there :o)

See what I mean about amazing use of color and elegant clustering!! Isn’t this a delicious combination!! And, as cooking is one of my very favorite things, I was immediately drawn to this adorable page! It has a perfect amount of everything…all the right ingredients, you could say! LOL!!

On with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

Hi! My name is Aubrey and I have been married to my knight in shining armor for 9 years. I am also a stay at home mother to 3 of the most beautiful children – Kinsley, Kenton, and Colby. These four are my pride and joy and the reason I scrapbook! :o) I love to capture all the small things as well as the events of life.

Something that my friends and family know about me is that I am quite the chatterbox! My dad actually warned my husband when we were engaged that I had a quota to fill every day. It is still a joke with my husband and I! :o)

I love to watch old movies and TV shows, read biographies and classics, digital scrapbook, travel to new locations, and just spend time with my family! We are also very religious and actively involved in our church. My husband is my best friend and I love sharing my life with him!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have my sister-in-law to thank for getting me started with scrapbooking back in 2003. I loved it from the start! I have continually done paper scrapbooking since then and still make pages for family members. I started digital scrapbooking the beginning of 2010, but I had started doing digital crafts like invites and flyers back in 2009. That is when I found Shabby Shoppe :o) I love it more than paper scrapping; something I never thought was possible!

…a couple more gems!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I am still trying to discover my style because digital scrapping is so different from paper but I absolutely love clustering! :o)

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I usually start with pictures, but sometimes I will see a paper or layout that that reminds me of a set of pictures and that is my inspiration. I also love looking at the gallery for new ideas! :o)

…and I love Aubrey’s versatility in going from scrapping her kids to scrapping more ‘grown-up’ style pages like these two! Simply AWESOME!!! 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

I like this one because of its simplicity and the hilarity of the moment! Kenton is so funny with his sleeping behaviors that all the pictures we have of these moments just make us laugh! My husband and I just giggled as we read the journaling that was on this page! :o)

And here is SP’s fabulous pick (hmmm… ‘great minds think alike’!)~

SP says ~ “The super cool and bold color palette is what first caught my eye with this layout! Then…when I actually opened it up and took a peek…I immediately remembered another similar layout and I just had to laugh, lol! It appears that adorable little Kenton has the ability to fall asleep, anytime…anywhere (boy am I jealous, lol)! I LOVED the ‘not quite awake’ layout – and this ‘sequel’ page is equally as wonderful (if not even more so, lol)! The pics are priceless…and I love how Kenton used his ‘time-out time’ to catch some zzzz’s :o) FABULOUS job with both the photos and the layout…and totally my ‘pick’ :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

Clustering had really eluded me until just recently. With paper scrapping I was always afraid of using embellishments because once they are used, they are gone. Digital has given me a new insight into scrapbooking that I love! I can use as many things as I want! Looking at all the inspiration on the gallery has really taught me how to layer and cluster :o)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

I will see layouts in almost anything! I can look at a window display at a store and turn it into a layout (much to the frustration of a friend of mine!) and I will write it down and save it for later when I am searching for a layout to use. Color is also a big thing for me. I love to look at all the colors around me and put them into the layouts I use. My kids also inspire me when I am creating a layout. The innocence and happiness of childhood comes out in the layouts to illustrate their quirks and day-to-day happenings.

…even more FUN & GIGGLES with these two super-cute pages!! :o)

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Canon Rebel Xti and Photoshop CS3. I love both of these! I do also have a point and shoot that is quick to pull out and carry in my purse. My husband actually bought that one for him because he considers the Canon mine because he has a hard time using it! :o)

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Any shade of blue.  I can’t get enough of it.
• Favorite FOOD: I love sushi! I could eat it everyday!
• Favorite MOVIE: Pride and Prejudice (BBC version with Colin Firth)
• Favorite SONG: Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting For You …our wedding song :o)
• Favorite MEMORY: The day I married my best friend, and of course the days my babies were born :o)

Aubrey has some seriously incredible two-page spreads in her gallery! How amazing is this one?!!! The color-matching with the photos is divine!

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Aubrey, THANK YOU so, so much for being a part of the Shoppe’s community…and for having fun with us on your Gallery Girls feature! Thank you for letting us get to know you a little bit more…you are pure sunshine and we love ya!! :o) And, I know that we will continue to look forward to your new gallery postings and your continued inspiration!

I’ll be bringing everyone another new GALLERY GIRLS post next month…so stay tuned :o)

Thanks for joining us today!! Beckie will be here tomorrow in preparation for our inaugural FAST & FABULOUS Speed Scrap!! YAY! ~ I sooo can’t wait, it’s going to be lots of FUN!!!

And what a way to start!! :o) I am thrilled to ‘introduce’ you to the uber-talented Elisabeth aka LEGO!

Elisabeth burst onto the Shabby Shoppe scene several months ago with a LOTW win and since then each and every layout she has posted has been a pure delight! She’s a real sweetheart, heaps of fun, and an awesome digi-scrapper with passion aplenty! Her creativity knows no bounds…especially when it comes to colour! Her ability to see more than just the kit in front of her never ceases to astound me. Talk about getting the utmost out of a kit…Elisabeth is a genius!! So let’s get on with meeting our beloved Elisabeth and checking out all the amazing new eye-candy she created especially for this post…inspiration galore!!! Elisabeth will also be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o) 

To start things off, I couldn’t help but begin right here with this quintessential lego layout! Isn’t is FANTABULOUS?! COLOUR-rific is the ‘word’!! ;o) I could stare at it all day and find new surprises – a treasure chest of elements! – a little sprout, goose bumps, clementine, hopscotch, sweetiepie, gigglebox, blossom, yours truly, gabby collection…the list goes on!! And the photos of her sweet Paulina are just as cute as cute can be!!!

(There are lots more new and super-cute layouts sprinkled throughout the post below…so be sure to scroll down)

On with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I’m an English and Spanish teacher for 10 – 18 year olds living in Vienna, Austria – very close to Schönbrunn Castle if you’ve ever been to our beautiful city. I’m married to the loveliest and coolest man in the universe who happens to be a graphic designer (yippee, yippee, yeah!) and about a year ago we became parents to Paulina which – as stated in one of my layouts – was quite a change in our lifestyles. But we enjoy it a lot! Before I used to travel as often as I could, with friends, my boyfriend or all alone: I’ve been to 35 US states, studied in Spain and Ecuador, took a “round the world trip” for over two months. We actually do plan to continue this passion of ours with Paulina by returning to New Zealand for seven weeks in the upcoming winter. We’re sooo excited ;-)) When we are in the country or even at home, we sit in front of our laptops ;-)), read, make plans, do some sports and eventually cook (my second favourite passion) or eat out with friends (mind you: for inspiration ;-)). Nowadays I’m rather keen on finding out which veggies my baby likes to munch …

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I started more than a year ago when I was pregnant, actually by discovering the SP site =). When I first saw it, I knew instantly that this was made for me! I had never really done any paper scrapbooking apart from all the travel diaries I kept (with sticking in tickets, postcards etc. and lots and lots of journaling, of course). The digital approach is perfect for me for I don’t want to buy and store all the paper stuff. I like keeping things simple. Besides, I can redo layouts without having to throw away tons of material.

…a couple more pages from Elisabeth…adorable everyday moments captured with such style!! Loving the pops of red!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

Non-existent.

I don’t think I have a style. A couple of weeks ago I would have definitely added “yet” to the previous sentence and the fact that I couldn’t manage to make a decision about the scrapbooking style I wanted to concentrate on even haunted me a bit, but admiring all the different styles I realized I don’t really want to limit myself to one only. I don’t like a “too photoshopy” kinda look with loads of blending etc. I really like layouts that look “as if” (they could exist on paper). I came to the conclusion that there are three influences that appeal to me the most: the Cathy Zielsky style (graphic, simple, clear – I loved her book); the KayleighWiles/Georgeinci/Nath… style (a bit messy, loads of elements and brushes) and – of course – the Shabby Princess/Kylie/Beckie… style (e.g. devine clustering, great ideas, …their layouts just make me feel good!) Another scrapbooker I admire enormously is Elizabeth Kartchner: no digital stuff – the real thing, amazingly creative, crazy, sooo tasteful and her outrageous use of colours, material and patterns is just so full of life.

…ready for some more fun?!! Yes, please!!! Loving the graphic look with the ‘Amazing’ layout – utter gorgeousness!! And the “Pauli Loves Water” page is pure joy!

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

Actually only half of the times it’s the photo. I’ve this stock of layouts that I did and do when there are no recent pics to scrap. Others take a bath, watch a movie (we don’t even have/want a TV set), have a glass of wine to call the day…  I try to learn new things in Photoshop or Illustrator, or on a lazy evening (like mostly LOL) I try to create a new layout or just scraplift. That is the perfect form of relaxation for me ;-) So the starting point of my pages is at times a layout I want to copy/create, a new kit’s components or a photo I want to use. And very rarely it’s a story/memory I want to save.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

 I like it so much because it was so not planned and yet the details are just perfect for me, like my dad’s shirt matching the club’s logo, for instance. Additionally, it was so much fun to find, alter and place all the embellishments, I like the colour combo and most of all: Paulina’s facial expressions really seem to be the ones of a fervent soccer fan. (And our team really did win this year’s national league !)

And here is SP’s fabulous pick ~

SP says ~ “I just love the HAPPY look and feel of this page! Who could resist all of these precious little munchkins…the layout just screams CHILDHOOD! I LOVE the arrows pointing to the ‘treats’ of choice (tooooo cute!)…the creative use of the floral paper…the PRECIOUS photos…the placement of the ‘word’ buttons…and the ‘subject’ matter, too! The fact that their special group of friends had babies so close together…and they manage to see each other weekly (as a group) – LOVE it…what a wonderful tradition for both moms and babies :o) While it wasn’t easy choosing a favorite from Lego’s AWESOME gallery…this one definitely caught my eye :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

The recolouring/desaturating of items in the non-destructive form of corrections and the use of layer masks. (It’s a blessing to have an expert at hand, but he does get impatient with my sometimes complicated working methods after having told me over and over again, how easily it could be done ;-)) and the “alt”+”cmd”+”z” shortcut!

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

That’s a difficult question. My child (and her little friends) is/are the reason and justification for me to do this scrapbooking thing. When we have a lovely snapshot of her, I am really looking forward to employing it in a page. But other than that it’s mostly fellow scrapbookers and the world out there in posters, ads, nature etc. that help me to choose forms, colours, elements. My husband gave me this sketch book insisting I should scribble and draw before starting a layout. Sometimes I do it, not very often though. But when I do it, the layouts are better.

I just ADORE these two layouts! How cool is that underwater photo! WOW!! And a special birthday invite with cutie-pie pics…super-sweet!!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Canon EOS 300D with a Canon EF 50mm 1:1.4 objective (at least half of the good pics were taken by my DH ;-) who also just told me the exact objective description btw). I use (his) Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: teal (this being the only fave-question with just­ one answer ;-))
• Favorite FOOD: asparagus risotto followed by a “susi cake” (dense chocolate cake topped with a rich mousse au chocolat)
• Favorite MOVIE: No one knows about Persian cats, Breaking the Waves, Pretty Woman, The Shawshank Redemption … there  are too many!
• Favorite SONG: “Endlessly”, “Starlight”, “Take a Bow”, … by Muse, “Elephant gun” by Beirut, “Teardrop” by Massive Attack and “Tirol Concerto” by Phillipp Glass, “Times like these” by the Foo Fighters … and believe me: I could go on and on! (Is there really anyone in the world with just ONE favourite song??)
• Favorite MEMORY: having the easiest, quickest, not very painful (and all of that very unexpectedly) natural birth I’ve heard of and being able to take this tiny little treasure home from hospital after just a few hours. And without question our wedding day which I had never even dreamed of being like it was. Additionally, I have so many travelling memories I treasure a lot, but one stands out a bit: one week of paradise on the Tui Tai diving ship in Fiji.

And last, but certainly far from least, a gorgeous page by Elisabeth to round off the post! Monotone softness at it’s very best! And I just LOVE the adorable photos of little Paulina with her Theo….oh my, PRECIOUS!!! :o) 

I sooo hope you enjoyed this GALLERY GIRLS post…and getting to know Elisabeth (lego) a little better! Be sure to visit her stunning gallery at the Shabby Shoppe, where I am sure you will find bunches and bunches of inspiration for your own pages and projects! And, of course, we’ll be bringing you another new and exciting GALLERY GIRLS post next month…so stay tuned :o)

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH, Elisabeth…for letting us get to know you and your gorgeous family a little more. It has been an absolute pleasure! You are so much fun and such a true talent. We all adore you here at the Shabby Shoppe…and can’t wait for your next beautiful layout to hit the gallery!!!

Thanks for visiting the blog today…we’re soooo delighted you did!! :o) Be sure to join me tomorrow when I announce the WINNER of our Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 15 and share number SIXTEEN!! Yay!!

 Be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss the new layouts that Carolynn created specifically for this feature!  I also included one of my fave layouts from her gallery :o)  She will be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery soon…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o)

So, to really ‘start’ the post, I wanted to share one of my fave, new layouts from Carolynn aka mamabean :o)  There is just something ‘magical’ about the page and I absolutely adore it!

 On with the interview… 

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

 Hello everyone, I’m Carolynn and I’m a thirty something, operational firefighter from Herefordshire in the UK. When I’m not running into burning buildings I’m busy being a mummy to my beautiful little boy Charlie who has just turned two……he is amazing and an absolute pleasure to call mine. I am single parent so it’s safe to say that life is one BIG juggle, but on the plus side when I put Charlie to bed each evening I can be completely selfish and unwind with some ‘scrap therapy’ without anyone moaning that I’m hogging the computer!!
I have been in the Fire Service for just over 8 years, I absolutely love my job but I have to say that since Charlie arrived I’m a little more thorough with my risk assessments and decision making on the fire ground………how Motherhood has changed me!! There is a big misconception that us firefighters spend all day squirting blue stuff on red stuff but the truth is that operational incidents make up a very small percentage of our working day. We spend a lot of time promoting fire safety by fitting smoke detectors in domestic properties and teaching children in primary schools things like how to make 999 (911) calls and how to ‘stop, drop and roll’ if their clothes catch on fire. We also spend a lot of time in between firecalls training with our equipment and keeping our competencies up to date.
In a former life (before I had Charlie and became housebound every evening!!) I was a bit of a party animal, my Summers were spent dancing in muddy fields at festivals or dancing on the beach on party islands like Ibiza and Ayia Napa………I do miss those days but life now is so much more fullfilling and I feel truly blessed to have such a happy and healthy child, becoming a mother is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I wouldn’t change it for the world.   

 HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

 I have only been digi scrapping since the begining of this year and I literally stumbled across it by chance……I can’t even remember what I was browsing for initially but I somehow found myself on the Shabby Shoppe site and I just remember thinking how on earth had I not heard about this wonderful hobby before….. that said it’s probably not something that would have interested me before I had Charlie. I’ve never been a paper scrapper in terms of documenting occasions and photographs although I would consider myself quite creative…… when I was younger I used to love making my own cards to give to friends and family and I loved art and crafts at school.

Happy to share a couple more NEW layouts from Carolynn :o)   I LOOOOOVE the firefighter layout – how great to have those wonderful photos of her daily life/work!  And, the special day with Charlie on the other layout – perfection!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

 Hmmm……..this is difficult because I’m still so new to this that I don’t know if I really have a style. I like my pages to look busy with lot’s of layering and elements tucked in here, there and everywhere. I have to restrain myself sometimes though as it’s easy to make pages look a bit too cluttered which distracts from the photos. I absolutely LOVE Georgina’s (Georgeinci) layouts and I would say if any gallery has inspired me the most in developing my own style it would be hers. (It must be the Herefordshire thing….lol!) I’m in absolute awe of Kylie’s gallery too, she is incredibly talented and I can only dream of being able to cluster elements like she does……..her pages stand out a mile. 

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

 I always start with the photos and then spend ages agonising over a colour scheme or which kit to use, I find this the hardest part and sometimes I really struggle to get going with a layout. I’m a total perfectionist and it can take me an hour just to choose the right papers…..this is not good! If I’m not using a template I’ll have an idea of the design before I start……how many photos I want to use and where I’ll be putting the title and journaling etc. I very often just allocate a space for journaling and come back to it after I’ve added all the fun stuff! I love choosing and placing the elements on my page as this is when it really starts to come together, but my favorite bit of all which I always save until last is brushwork…….I LOVE brushes! For me they’re the cherry on the cake and I just love the finishing touch they give to a page. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

 My favorite layout would probably have to be ‘B is for Books’. It was one the first pages I made and even though my style has evolved since then  (I would love to make a few alterations to it now!) it was this layout that made me fall in love with digi scrapping and gave me the confidence to create and share more pages (thankyou Anna for choosing it for LOTW!!)

I’m so happy she chose this one…because when choosing MY fave from her gallery, it was a TIE between this and the one I ended up selecting below, LOL!  It just does not get any better than this page :o)

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

 I think getting to know your software better makes life A LOT easier and that only happens with time, having said that although I have been picking up tips and shortcuts along the way I know I’m still doing some things the long way round and still have loads to figure out. Brushes were something I first thought had to be extremely complicated and avoided them like the plague. I didn’t have a clue how to use them until recently and in actual fact they’re so simple and incredibly versatile I really wish I’d got to grips with them ages ago. Another technique that can really make a layout is applying realistic drop shadows, when I first discovered them I just applied the same style to every paper and embellishment and I thought they looked great,  but now I look back and think oh dear, there is such a thing as ‘too much’ when it comes to shadows…..lol. 

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

 Without a doubt my little boy is my main inspiration, without him I wouldn’t have any photos to scrap!! I’m now finding myself looking through his wardrobe thinking ‘Oooo I think I’ll take some photos of Charlie wearing this today as I have just the kit to match’….!! I’m always on the lookout for new colour schemes too……. as the majority of my pages are ‘boy pages’ it’s difficult not to become repetative when it comes to colours. I love browsing the Shoppe gallery for help with this, Jenelle’s pages are particularly inspiring as she has boys too.

a couple more new layouts for you…the LEMON FACE page is definitely another fave for me – love that pucker, lol!  And the BABY LOVE layout…it simply MELTS me :o)

TECH STUFF :o)  Tell us about your camera and software!

 If you’d have asked my this a couple of weeks ago my answer would have been very different but I happy to say that I am now the proud owner of my very first DSLR…..at last!!! Up until now I have been using a very basic Samsung point and shoot and have been VERY frustrated, having missed so many wonderful photo opportunities with Charlie or if  I have managed to get it fired up in time to capture the moment the pictures were often blurry and poor quality. That said my little Samsung did capture the first 2 years of my son’s life so I have a lot to thank it for. My new camera is a Canon EOS 1000D and it came with a standard 18-55ml lens. I use Photoshop Elements 9 and when I win the lottery/marry a millionnaire/save up enough money I would love to have Adobe Lightroom too……one day :0)  

FAST FIVE FACTS! 

• Favorite COLOR:  Pink (I need a daughter!)
• Favorite FOOD:  Lasagne
• Favorite MOVIE:  Bridget Jones
• Favorite SONG:  It would be easier to name my favorite genre of music which is drum n bass. My favorite song would have to be the theme tune to Postman Pat (it’s on my internal jukebox CONSTANTLY…..thanks Charlie ;))
• Favorite MEMORY:  Oooo….hard one!! I guess it would have to be the day my son came into this world and my life changed forever……he’s amazing x

 and last but not least…MY PICK (SP’s pick, lol) from Carolynn’s Gallery – HEARTS!  This page certainly captured my heart, the first moment I saw it :o)  There is just a wonderful sweetness to this page and the photo!  What’s NOT to love?  You can just ‘feel’ the thoughtfulness and love that went into the page – it is beyond special, in many ways!

Carolynn - THANK YOU bunches and bunches and bunches for inspiring us, and for inviting us into your world for a day!  It has been a complete pleasure and joy to work with you!  I know I’m not the only one that will be watching your gallery for your next post, lol!  Of course, we’ll have another new GALLERY  GIRLS post next month…SO MUCH FUN :o)

Kylie will be back with you on Friday – so, be sure to stop back by as she shares our FREE desktop for August :o)  THANK YOU ALL for stopping by…have a beautiful and blessed day/night!  xoxo –SP

Be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss the new layouts Casharina created specifically for this feature!  I also had to include one of my fave layouts from her gallery :o)  She will also be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o)

I can’t think of a better way to start this post…than to share Casharina’s first NEW layout with you guys…it’s all about FAMILY (and what a beautiful family they are)…which is obviously everything to her!  And, also, you get to ‘see’ Casharina in the family portraits (along with her hubby and girls!)!

 TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I’m the mommy of two princesses, a wife to my high school sweetheart, and a daughter to the King of Kings. I am currently a stay at home mommy, which makes me busier than ever! I love photography…I’ve loved it since I can remember. I’m a former teacher, I LOVE kids and I really miss them but I wouldn’t trade this time with my girlies for anything! Scrapbooking is my form of “my time” and I love it, as well as spending time with my family!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I was a paper scrapper until my first daughter was about one. At that time I was running out of spots to put up everything out of her way. It got to be a pain to get all the stuff out and work on a page. I put together a baby book for her and that’s the last thing I’ve completed (although it’s missing her first birthday layout…I really need to get that done!)  I’ve been digitally scrapping for about three years now. I started with making photo invitations for my little girls’ birthday party and it’s grown since then. I love how digital elements can easily be saved/put away/and changed, oh and re-used…that’s the best part!

 a couple more new layouts from Casharina :o)

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I’m not sure! I love to look through the SP gallery and find pages that I can relate to, most of my layouts have in some way been inspired by either a page someone else has done or by a theme/idea. I do like to have more photos than one, I can’t seem to just do a page with one photo…I always have too many to choose only one. lol

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I actually almost always start with a design and then find the pictures. Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s probably completely backwards, but that’s the way I do it. I like to decide what color scheme I’m going to go with and what kind of design/template and then I design it and put in the pictures. It’s not very often that I start with the pictures and go from there; however I usually have in mind the pictures/occasion I want to scrap.

Seriously…aren’t her girls simply GORGEOUS?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

 Shew…this is a hard one, but I think my favorite is my spring layout with my kids…this is just “us” – it’s what we LOVE!

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I have two, one I only found a few days ago! My first is how to re-color items in a kit. This has made a HUGE difference in what I’m able to create and use on my pages. It makes the kits so much more versatile since I can mix/match items in different kits. The other is the use of brushes. I’m just now learning (like in the past few days) how to use a brush like a mask. I love it…it gives the page so much more texture. I know I have lots to learn but those are my two favorites at this time!

another new layout…and one of my absolute faves!  as per her style, Casharina got so many PERFECT pics on this page – love it…and it really tells the story of the day :o)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

Of course I’m mainly inspired by my beautiful babies/family. If it weren’t for them I’d not have a lot to scrap about. I’m also very inspired by those wonderful scrappers here in the SP gallery. There are so many talented scrappers and I try to learn from their pages and ideas. When designing new pages I try to think about what I will want to remember forever, what’s the most important part of this event? Those are the things I try to transfer to my pages.

TECH STUFF :o)  Tell us about your camera and software!

My husband/former boyfriend bought me my first real camera, and I was hooked. Since then he has supplied me with a better camera every few years (yes I’m lucky!!) He bought my first digital camera when I had our first daughter and then when our second daughter was on the way he bought me my Nikon D-40 DSLR. I love it. I’ve learned so much about photography. I study all the time trying to learn how to make my images better. I started out my scrapbooking in Digital Scrapbook Factory and quickly found I needed a way to use PNGs so I went with Paint Shop Pro. I’m now using Adobe for almost all of my work.

I just had to fit in a couple more new layouts, lol!  So many fun pics on these two pages – looks like a WONDERFUL day!

FAST FIVE FACTS! 

• Favorite COLOR:  turquoise (if I have a second: pink/turquoise!)
• Favorite FOOD:  umm…anything sweet!
• Favorite MOVIE:  Yours, Mine, and Ours…I watched it a hundred times with my Mommy when I was growing up!
• Favorite SONG:  I love old time Hymns, Just as I am…
• Favorite MEMORY:  The first time my boyfriend/husband kissed me (back in highschool!) and my babies being born, I don’t think it can get better than that!

 and last but not least…this is one of my FAVE layouts from Casharina’s Gallery…so I’m calling it SP’s PICK, lol!  the photo, the design…and most importantly – the journaling – WOW :o)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for having fun with us, Casharina :o)  It has been a total pleasure and I look forward to each and every layout you share with us…always anxious for more!  Of course, I’ll be bringing you another new GALLERY  GIRLS post next month…so stay tuned :o)

Be sure to join us back here tomorrow, as Kylie shares July’s FREE desktop :o)  THANKS for stopping by…have a beautiful and bless day/night!  xoxo –SP

Hi guys :o)  SP here with our newest GALLERY GIRLS feature!!  As you know, it is one of my favorite blog posts to work on, as I enjoy getting to know everyone better…and am always overjoyed by the talent we have in our little community here at the Shoppe!  Of course, this month is no different and I’m thrilled to share our next ‘gallery girl’ with you!  For this feature, we got to work with Valerie…though you might know her better as nana_vg :o)  She has been a member of the Shabby Shoppe gallery for quite some time…always inspiring us with her incredible pages and her love of journaling!  She has lots of adorable scrapping ‘subjects’…as you’ll read more about below (seriously…how gorgeous is that photo?)!  But, before we get to the interview…how about the first of many brand new layouts that Valerie created just for us and this spotlight :o)  Be sure to scroll down for more…and check out her GALLERY for larger images and more info (soon)!  

As mentioned, Valerie worked on bunches of new layouts for her Gallery Girls feature…and I have to say that this two page spread is among my favorites!  Maybe it’s because I just returned from vacation (though mine looked nothing like hers, lol)…or because I just LOOOOVE all of that pretty blue and the gorgeous ocean…but had to share this with you first, lol!

Before we see more new layouts…let’s learn a little more about Valerie!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I am 61 years old, the mother of four adult children (one of whom, our eldest, passed away in July of 2007), and a grandmother of 7. The two oldest grandchildren live with us and have been since December of 2002. They are now 18 and 13. My husband is a retired military officer and currently works as an investigator for our local school district. I am an HR manager and I’ve been in the HR field for over 25 years. As much as I’d love to be retired, raising children and the abysmal housing market  preclude that option. My oldest surviving child, Andrea, and her husband and two little girls, 5 and almost 4, live here in Nevada where we get to see them often. My son, Steven, recently went to work for a company in California and his wife and son, 6, will be moving there once school is out. My youngest daughter, Melissa and her husband and two children, 7 ½ and 5, moved to Africa in February. She is a Chief Mining Engineer for one of the largest gold mining companies in the world, and she is now the chief mining engineer for a property in Africa. So we’re learning all about Ghanaian culture. My husband and I, and hopefully the grandchildren who live with us, plan to visit Africa at least once during the three years they’ll be there as well as meet them on a couple of their R&R trips. So, we’ll get a little bit of world travel in. Family is extremely important to us, and we make sure we spend as much time with our family as possible. Knowing that our daughter would be moving to Africa, we scheduled a photo shoot for our entire family the day after Thanksgiving. So, the picture you see (above) is of my husband and me with all of our grandchildren. There is a layout in the Gallery that has a photo of the entire clan – all 15 of us – and it’s about my passion being my family.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I started scrapbooking with paper in January of 1998 when my second grandchild was six months old. Then, in late 1999 a friend and I started an online scrapbooking business, Fox Tales. We specialized in pint-size (5.5×8.5) scrapbooking kits based on alphabetical themes. Unfortunately, we were before our time, and small theme albums weren’t yet popular. We dissolved our partnership in 2001 and I took it on myself. But, in mid-2002 when we relocated to Reno, I closed down the business. I started digital scrapbooking in 2005 when my third grandchild was going to be two. I wanted to make him an ABC album (which is one of the theme scrapbook kits we sold at Fox Tales in paper), but I thought if I designed it digitally, then I could easily just replace photos and dates for each subsequent grandchild, and I have. And that started the revolution. I’m still dabbling in paper only because my daughters wanted their children’s first-year albums in paper. I now have three granddaughters, 5, 5, and almost 4, whose paper albums aren’t completed. The two oldest girls’ albums are almost done, but the youngest granddaughter’s album still has a long way to go. If I’d done them digitally they would have been done at least two or three years ago. So, I have become an addicted digital scrapper. I love that I can do a layout once and print as many times as I want, and in a variety of sizes. I do layouts that feature more than one grandchild and I can print a copy for each album. I also print all the new layouts each year in 6×6 size and put in little albums for my adult children so they can have something portable to show off. 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

That’s hard to say. I often tend to digitally scrap in a paper-scrapping style; that being said, I also enjoy using brushes and I’m doing more and more blending photos into the backgrounds. In my next life, I’d like to come back as great at layering and clustering embellishments as many of the creative team and gallery posters are. Digital offers everything that paper can, and then there’s a whole new level not achievable through paper.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

Most of the time I start with the photos, and then choose papers and embellishments. But, if I have a lengthy story to tell, I start with the journaling as I want to make sure I can fit it on my layout.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

I have two favorites posted in the SP Gallery, both made with challenge templates. I love TuTu Cute because I love my beautiful little ballerina, the black and white photo faded into the background, and the comparison between her and her mom and dance. I also love Daddy’s Girls because it’s so soft and feminine and it features a tradition I’ve started of taking photos of my daughter and my two granddaughters on Mother’s Day. I love how they interact and it shows how much they’ve grown from year-to-year.

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

In the very early days of paper scrapping, I didn’t journal as much and 99% of my layouts were event-type layouts, all double-page layouts. Now, I still scrap the events, but I love the everyday moments and the stories that need to be remembered, and I’ve embraced single page layouts when they work. When I moved to digital scrapping, I was learning on my own for a long time and mostly replicating paper scrapbook pages. I love that I’ve learned to use brushes and blend photos into the background, both things you cannot do with paper.

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

As I mentioned, family is very important to me. I love seeing my children struggling with the same issues we did when raising them, but from the perspective of a grandparent, many of those struggles are funny to me. So I am inspired by my family’s everyday life and their stories (like my Spwashing in my Pee Pee layout). My journaling has become much better from the inspiration of family and family stories. I’m also inspired by the creativity of others and I love going through the gallery and getting ideas for layout subject matter, layout design, color combinations, layering and clustering of papers and elements, etc. There is so much inspiration to be found from both the creative team and the wonderful community at Shabby Princess who so willingly share their fabulous layouts with us and let us take a peek into their lives.

TECH STUFF :o)  Tell us about your camera and software!

Gosh, I’m such a lucky girl as my husband willingly feeds my techo-junkie addiction. I’m on my third DSLR. He gave me a Canon Rebel for Christmas of 2002. It was stolen in 2006 and with the insurance money, I replaced it with a Canon Rebel TI. Then, when I was having trouble taking photos of my grandchildren as rapidly as I wanted to, he purchased the Canon 7D for me Christmas of 2009. I’ve yet to even scratch the surface of the features of this camera. I would give anything for the ability to add more hours to the day so I can spend more time with my camera. I have an18-135 mm kit lens and a 300mm telephoto lens as well as a 50mm f1.8 lens. I did tell you he spoils me, didn’t I? I also carry a Panasonic Lumix with 10x optical zoom in my purse so I have a camera with me at all times. When I started digital scrapping, I used PSE2, upgraded to PSE4, then to PSE6, and PSE8. I usually do every other upgrade. But PSE9 added a layer mask and I was taking a class at Jessica’s Sprague’s site and thought I just have to have this new version. After purchasing, I learned they’re coming out with PSE 10. But, as much scrapbooking as I do, the software is important. I’ve never taken the plunge into the full Photoshop arena because I haven’t found things I want to do that I can’t do with PSE. I’m never going to design and I can buy text paths. So for now, at least, I’m a happy girl with PSE 9.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

•  fave color:  It used to be blue, but looking at my closet, I’d have to say red and blue today.
• fave food:   I wish my favorite food was healthy, but alas it’s ice cream, followed closely by golden Oreos.
• fave movie:  I’ve loved the Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia series as well as many of the “chick flicks” (which my husband mostly won’t see, so my daughter, daughter-in-law, and I go see them), but I think my favorite all-time movie is Pretty Woman.
• fave song:  I love Country music and Celine Dion, and the Lion King soundtrack is a favorite as well. But currently, I think my favorite song is Sissy’s song by Alan Jackson. It’s about the loss of a loved one and it resonates with me because we lost our oldest daughter in July of 2007. And, her nickname for much of her life was Sis and Sissy.
• fave memory:  My favorite memories are intertwined among family and my husband especially. We will be married 44 years in July. Early in our marriage I lost my wedding ring. He bought me a wide gold band to replace it, and at that time gold was $32 per ounce (held at that price by the government), so the ring wasn’t horribly expensive. A few months later I found the ring caught in the crocheted cover of a trivet. So the gold band ended up in my jewelry box for years. But, fast forward about 15 years, and that gold band was now worth a lot more and it was still sitting my jewelry box. My sweet hubby took the ring to a jeweler and had a beautiful ½ carat diamond mounted on it. This is the same guy who planned a spectacular surprise party for my 40^th anniversary and the same guy who arranged for my daughter and her family who lived 300 miles away to surreptitiously arrive in Reno while I was out shopping and surprise me with the entire family for my 60^th birthday party. There are so many special moments and memories – all of them connected with this wonderful man and our family.

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THANK YOU so much for being a part of the Shoppe’s community…and for having fun with us on your Gallery Girls feature, Valerie - we appreciate it so much!  o)  I know that I always look forward to each and every layout that you share…and feel quite sure that we are all inspired whenever you add something new!

As always…I’ll be bringing you guys another new GALLERY  GIRLS post next month…don’t miss it :o)

THANKS bunches and bunches for stopping by…have a wonderfully blessed weekend (i’ll be unpacking and trying to get back in the swing of things, lol)…we’ll see you back here on Monday for LOTW!  xoxo –SP