Here at Faith Sisters, we are very blessed to have so many wonderful digital scrapbooking designers who help us in our shop. Every other Sunday, we will feature some of our outstanding designers!
Connie and Amy are two of our newer designers at FS. Their collaborations are full of hand drawn items and the right mix of digital to make special one of a kind products! Please read more about them and be sure to pick up some special freebies that they have created especially for our customers. Also be sure to check out their shop as her whole inventory is sale with 25% off through December 6th! (sale price not including $1.00 and under items)
Connie & Amy, please tell us a bit about you.
Connie: I am a SAHM with 7 awesome children, 1 great new son-in-law, and a precious new grandbaby. I have been married to my wonderful husband Alan for 25 amazing years! I have been a free-lance artist for years working "large" as a muralist. Feeling the need to be able to work out of my home more--Digital Scrapbooking seemed to fit the niche that I was looking for. I have been a traditional scrapbooker for years, and now I am learning more and more about Digital Scrapbooking. It's a challenge at times---a challenge that I am truly enjoying. At this time, I spend most of my scrapbooking time drawing designs for scrapbooking kits, and personal projects. I love it!
Amy: I am a SAHM to 3 beautiful children and I have been married for 10 years to my amazing husband, Dale who is a pastor. I am also a photographer so between designing, photography clients, school activies, sports and church we are one busy family! I love exercising (running, kickboxing, zumba, swimming) and reading in my free time.
What are some of the life lessons that scrapbooking has taught you?
Connie: I am continually learning that there is always something new to learn! Patience, and time management are my challenges now.
Amy: That sometimes done is better than perfect! I tend to be a little bit of a perfectionist but sometimes it is more important to tell the story completely than to tell it perfectly. I have many unfinished pages because I couldn't get them "just right" but when I started focusing more on the story I relaxed and was able to finish more pages and books.
When did you start digital scrapbooking, designing and what made you get into it?
Connie: My friend, Amy, thought that I might find a niche in this industry designing. Through her persistent encouragement, I decided to give it a try---I haven't looked back and enjoy the challenges designing presents to me as as artist.
Amy: I started digital scrapbooking about 4 1/2 years ago when I saw Linda Sattgast's Scrapper's Guide ad on the Adobe website. I taught myself with her CDs and just never looked back. Then, I started teaching Connie how to digital scrapbook and being that she is such a natural artist we just started chatting about how great it would be to combine her creative talent with my software knowledge and we just decided one day to go for it.
What inspires you to create your designs?
Connie: I see inspiration all around in this wonderful world God has created for us. I espcially enjoying working with colors and patterns.
Amy: Honestly, I will have this little bitty idea and I mention it to Connie and she just starts overflowing with ideas. I'm so fortunate to work with someone so creative and talented as Connie.
Can you share your favorite scrapbooking or design tip with our Faith Sisters?
Amy: Connie hand draws all our designs so we do alot of extracting. To make sure our designs are clean I always add a stroke to the design to make sure I've erased all the stray pixels. Then, I remove the stroke and ctrl + click on the thumbnail of the design layer to choose it. I invert the selection and press backspace twice to make sure all the space around the design is perfectly clean. That way, when you upload to sharing sites you don't see all those ugly artifacts AND it makes your file size smaller.
How do you find the time to do so many wonderful designs?
Connie: Just like many SAHM's, I have to make time for the things that I enjoy. It's never easy, and it seems that something is always more important, however, I make time. If I am feeling especially inspired, then everything is put aside except for the desire to design.
Amy: Well, I suffer from major tunnel vision meaning that I focus completely on one project at a time. So, I live by my to-do list and I just sit down for any amount of time that I have and mark things off as I complete them. That way, I feel like I've accomplished tasks even if they are little.
What is your favorite scripture verse?
Connie: I have many favorites, and they change quite abit--sometimes daily--but for today it is:
Esther 4:14, For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, BUT WHO KNOWS WHETHER YOU HAVE NOT COME TO THE KINGDOM FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?
Amy: I'm with Connie in that I don't have a "life" verse or favorite verse but this is a great one for me to remember:
Philippians 2:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
We invite these ladies to snag our NEW featured blinkie to wear on their blog and in the forums!
