Such a lovely write up if I may say so lol!! And meet my Lovely lovely friend Lynne who is now a fantastic designer called Aria on Digital Designer Shop. You should go check out her kits and she is the Extraction Queen! And you have all seen her wonderful layouts, her creativity ROCKS!!
http://blog.digitaldesignershop.com/2011/01/meet-designers-honey-scraps-and-aria.html
Day 1 of 5 of our 1st year Anniversary! The entire shop is on sale! And each day we will be sharing our interviews with our DDS designers and they will be having a little gift for you too! How exciting!
Today we have two designers we'd like to introduce you to. Honey Scraps and our newest Aria!
Honey Scraps aka Veevs
We spotted Veevs' artistic skills in our galleries a year ago and convinced her to design for DDS. And are we glad we did! You'll find her gorgeous designs under the designer name Honey Scraps. Let's learn more her.
Tell us a bit about your background.
I lived in Peru until I was 19, when my family moved to the UK. I don't have any children, but I have 3 cats, all rescues (actually they all adopted me!). I have two handsome nephews in southern California and my lovely niece Lola who lives close to me in London. I work full-time as a Business Systems and Trainer Specialist.
What is the story behind your designer name?
I picked my designer name of Honey Scraps because Honey is one of my cats, my first ever cat in fact. She is a rescue and I have had her for almost 15 years.
How did you get started in digi scrapping?
I had never heard of scrapbooking at all, paper or digi. Then someone showed me a paper scrapbook at the end of 2006 and asked for supplies as a Christmas present. When looking for supplies I discovered this thing called Digital Scrapbooking! I had always wanted to do something different with my photos, so I got started with Photoshop Elements. I discovered Jessica Sprague's website in 2007 and dived in to digital scrapbooking!
How long have you been designing?
In early 2010 I completed Cilenia's "Creating Color Themes" and "Designing with Textures" tutorials. Cilenia saw what I created after finishing the tutorials and asked me to become one of her designers. I was thrilled!
When you have a creative block how do you get motivated?
With difficulty! And I panic a lot. Working full-time it is hard to find spare time to design so sometimes I just have to wait for inspiration to appear! But I do find inspiration in many places. Definitely looking at Cilenia's beautiful works of art. Often by looking at layouts and photos.
What kind of space do you create in?
I don't have much space, so my coffee table becomes my desktop! Of course, I spend some of my time moving the cats away from the screen and keyboard! I either have the TV on as background or work quietly.
Are you a morning person or night owl?
I am a morning person. I have no option because my cats wake me up at insane hours wanting to be fed!!
What is your favorite tool in Photoshop?
Because I love using textures on photos and digi supplies, my favorite tool would have to be the blend modes!
What is your favorite design?
My favorite pieces are my Scuffy Overlays and the Glimmers. I love collaborating with Cilenia, so my favorite collab piece is our Art Palette kit.
Do you have other hobbies?
I love photography and working with textures. And I also love to cycle and hit the gym for workouts.
Blog Link: http://veevshoneyscraps.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page
Personal Facebook
Twitter: @Veevs
Aria aka Lynne
Aria is our newest designer and we're so happy to welcome her! You'll find her at DDS with a variety of screen names (we secretly think she likes to keep a veil of mystery around her for artistic reasons). She designs under the name Aria, can be found in our forums and gallery as lynnea, and goes by the name Lynne in real life. Look for her incredible extractions in the shop under the Artist's Toolbox category for PU/CU items or in her Designer's category.
Aria lives in northern California and enjoys reading, photography, travelling and (of course) scrapping and designing. She is a grandma to two precious boys, a mom to two fabulous daughters, and a wife and best friend to a man she feels has been designed from a wish list! We asked Aria to tell us more about herself.
How did you get started in digi?
My niece introduced me to digi scrapping. I took several beginner classes from Jessica Sprague and away I went! I’ve always liked working outside the box, trying to think of something new and different. Digi scrapping gives me the latitude to do exactly that. I frequently did extractions for my layouts, and then began experimenting with creating a story with my designs, and viola, I arrived at this fabulous place and time!
When you have a creative block how do you get motivated?
I take a shower. Honestly! When I am completely relaxed, my mind starts to wander. And ideas constantly pop into my head. I also get a lot of ideas when I am sleeping, so I keep a pad and pen by the bed at all times.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! From my grandsons ("Grandma, look at that butterfly!"), to getting messy in the kitchen while attempting to cook (I am not an accomplished cook, although I love to eat!). All aspects of life are potential layouts or kits for me. I go on morning walks, so everything I see is an exciting piece of a puzzle.
Are you a morning person or night owl? Why?
Oh, definitely a morning person! Although as I age it seems morning is starting to get later and later, LOL. I typically wake when the sun comes up and go to sleep around 11:00 pm. I am one of those very fortunate people who sleeps solidly, so six to seven hours is enough for me.
What is your favorite kit and why?
The Dream Big kit by Cilenia Curtis. I love that it's a little grungy, in my favorite color range, and has a variety of papers and elements to play with over and over. The flowers and borders with handwriting lend themselves to romantic layouts, and the gears and clips are perfect for a layout about my rough and tumble boys. I also like the Happy New Years kit by Teresa Digi Designs -- it is very versatile!
What is your best advice for aspiring digi scrappers or designers?
Scrap what you like -- don’t get overly influenced by the trends. Start small and build up your skills and interests, and more than anything, enjoy the journey! To me, scrapping is a way to tell your story through visual means. Journaling is a bonus, but not a requirement. In some ways it is like playing paper dolls again. I can create whatever scene I want with the photos I use, or I can build my story using a kit as my inspiration. My best advice for beginning scrappers or designers: Let your imagination guide you; it can’t be wrong.
Aria hasn't started a blog yet… but we just about have her talked into it. But you'll be sure to find her all over the galleries and forums just about every day!
And here's a little gift these two awesome designers collaborated together for you today!
You'll find it FREE in the shop's category of Freebies & other Sweets! Hurry though…it's only free for our 5 days of celebrating!
