Sweet Shoppe Designs – The Sweetest Digital Scrapbooking Site on the Web

We’re kicking off a brand new feature here at the Sweet Shoppe by putting Lauren Grier in the spotlight as one of this month’s featured digital scrapbook designers. Lauren has been at SSD longer than anyone else which makes her a wonderful place to start, and not only is her style one of a kind, her personality is too. Get to know her better in our fun interview below, and snag her exclusive digital scrapbook kit, The Little Things You Say, FREE with your $10 purchase in the shoppe now through January 15th.

JUST THE BASICS

What’s your sign?

Aries (that means I’m awesome)

What’s your favorite song?

Shine on you crazy diamond {Pink Floyd}

Where would you go for your dream vacation?

Anywhere. Everywhere. I went on my first ever family vacation as an adult this summer- and while it had some major bumps- I can’t wait to do it again. It was so nice being away from work and stress and life… and just being the three of us together. Also, Ireland. Better answer?

What’s your biggest fear?

Failure. Plain and Simple.

Do you have any bad habits you’d like to change?

I eat my finger skin. It’s absolutely disgusting.. coupled with the blood thinners.. it’s even grosser on occasion now than it use to be. That one has got to go.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

No. But I believe in love after long expanses of time when you finally realize you’re an idiot.

Do you talk to yourself?

Pretty much constantly. Especially while I am working.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Roll back over and say something unkind to my poor phone alarm. This morning I infact told the phone that I loved someone else more than it and it could bugger off. I was deliriously tired.

Texting or talking?

Texting. I hate the sound of my own voice, or my ear getting hot against a cell phone. However I wish my parents would opt to start calling again instead of texting  as they text like 13 year old girls. Baffles me.

Early bird or night owl?

Well I’m answering these questions at 3am. I believe night owl is the appropriate response.

INSIDE THE ARTIST’S STUDIO

Is there a kit you regret making or look at now and really dislike?

Yes. I retired it. Promptly. :p Sometimes I design things that are so emotionally heavy that I can’t appreciate it afterwards, and other times.. I just have a bad week and make an ugly kit. It happens to everyone, and now that it’s off in sleepy kit land, I shall never have to look at it again.

Is there a color you really dislike creating with and try to avoid? Why?

Yellow. I loath yellow. It is the colour of urine and I can only ever make it look nice with like one other colour ever. It’s difficult to work with and just makes me grumpy. For a while there I tried to force myself to use more yellow, but it’s rough on me.

Describe your designing process. Take us briefly from the start to finish of making a kit.

My design process. Day one. Stare at the computer. Day two. Listen to music and continue to stare at the computer. Day three listen to the boyfriend or the kid babble while staring at the computer. Day four, panic. It’s day four! Stare at colourful images and squeeze your head hoping you can juice some inspiration out. Day Five. Start staring at the computer and then smash out 8hours straight of designing.. inspired by absolutely nothing that you looked at all week.. but instead the tiny crack in the wall next to your head that just caught your eye. Lesson I learn every single solitary week? I can’t force my design process. I can’t force inspiration to take hold. It will always be the tiniest thing that sets me off drawing.

What is your “home office” or work environment like? Describe it or share a picture.

Since getting sick my “home office” has become my bed or couch. I just can’t sit at the desk on that hard chair for long periods of time now… but seriously? I’m not complaining about being more comfortable. My actual desk area is highly neglected now, but I have a wicked awesome hot pink glass desk that I will love forever and ever.

Do you have a design checklist of things you feel must be included in a kit or accomplished before you think it’s done?

Not exactly no. I do however make a list every time I start a kit and work through that. So it’s not a standard every kit checklist.. but a list I require either way. I can’t design properly without a list. I freeze up.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

What stands between you and happiness?

My own self-doubt, nothing more nothing less.

What positive changes have you made in your life recently?

Well I’m working on making sure I tell people that are important to me that I love them. This year was way too scary health wise.. and I learned a ton of lessons. I have to keep pushing forward, and there is absolutely no reason to ever hold back again. So love with everything, live for everything, and just breathe.

At what point during the last five years have you felt lost and alone?

The past five years hold some of the biggest struggles I’ve gone through in my life. I became a single mother 4 years ago and there were plenty of times that I simply didn’t believe I could do it and just gave up. Things continued to get worse to degrees I could have never imagined and I remember feeling so absolutely utterly alone and scared after receiving some of the most devastating information possible that I stopped driving and just sat there and balled. I then spoke to one of the greatest people in my life.. miss Shawna Clingerman.. and she talked me down and got me driving safely home. Over the next few months, and past couple of years, she helped me realize that I was in fact NOT alone and that I could handle all the evil that was being thrown our direction. I have the strongest best friend, the strongest little boy, and the most amazing boyfriend all backing me in my corner now. I will never be alone in this fight again.

What stresses you out?

Everything. Seriously. The entire universe stresses me out. My hematologist even claims it makes my anemia way worse. Seriously, I get so stressed out my body stops.making.blood. I need to learn to breathe more. But in reality… the issue is that I have some big bad demons hanging in my world- and instead of dealing with them (as they’re too big and overwhelming) I super attack all these tiny little flit bug issues and make myself spiral out over the silliest thing. Chaos is calming. Somehow.. my body disagrees however.

What do you want most?

I read this question picturing Jack Sparrow with his compass. My answer came to me pretty quickly though. I want my happily ever after. I want the three of us on a farm raising pigs and goats and chickens.. growing our own veggies, being away from the world and all the bad in it.. and just breathing. Being happy. Being safe. Being wonderful. This is what I want most.
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Now that you’ve gotten to know Lauren a bit better, take a peek at some of her favorite kits, and don’t forget you can pick up her incredible and exclusive limited edition kit FREE with ANY $10 purchase made in the shoppe between now and January 15th!