20 Questions with Libby Pritchett
Sweet Shoppers, we’re halfway through the month and that means it’s time to put another of our spectacular designers into the spotlight. In this edition of our featured designer series, we’re getting to know Libby Pritchett a little bit better! Libby has been part of the Sweet Shoppe family forever it seems, first as a member of my personal creative team, then a member of our SugarBabe team and now as one of our most unique designers. From day one, Libby has had a style that’s bold, graphic, whimsical and 100% original. I daresay there isn’t another designer in all of digi-land like her! I know you’re going to enjoy getting to know a bit more about her, and don’t forget her featured designer kit, Her Name Was Lola, is your FREE gift with any purchase of $10 made between now and June 30th!
Just The Basics
Do you have a nickname?
Libby actually *is* my nickname. My given name is Elizabeth. When I was a little girl though, my family used to call me FeeFee. Sometimes, my grandpa still calls me that today.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town in Northwest Arkansas, and I still think of that as home even though I haven’t lived there for almost 10 years now. Back then, it was the type of place where the kids could play outside all day, roaming all over the neighborhood, and the parents never had to worry. My family still lives there, and when I go back to visit, I’m always shocked at how much it as changed. In my head, I still think of it as a small town.
Do you have any pets?
These days, we only have 1 lizard (Ginger). I used to have 2 dogs and a cat, but they stayed in Arkansas with my ex-husband when I moved to Kansas. I am such a cat person, and I really really really miss Max (my sweet kitty). I’ve thought about getting a cat here, but now with the baby that doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Maybe one of these days…
What’s your favorite color?
Orange. Without a doubt. Pink is a close second.
What’s your favorite season?
I absolutely love autumn. The cool weather, the beautiful colors… it’s the one time each year that I can’t get enough of being outdoors. In the fall of 2010, I even had my wedding outside at a botanical garden. It was heavenly!
If you had $100 to spend online today, what would you buy?
Honestly, I’d probably buy something for Chloe (my 4 month old daughter) just because it’s SO fun to buy baby stuff. If I was forced to buy something for myself though, I would probably buy some new clothes or maybe some ebooks.
Besides designing, do you have another job or occupation?
Nope, designing is my full-time job. Prior to coming to Sweet Shoppe, I worked as a dental assistant in an orthodontic office. Sometimes I miss the work, but I definitely don’t miss the hours. I really couldn’t ask for a more amazing job than what I have now. I am so blessed!
What’s your pet peeve?
Tardiness. I like to be prompt.
What languages do you speak?
Fluently? Just English. I took 3 years of French in high school, and I loved it. I even had dreams of becoming a French teacher. Sadly, I haven’t had much need for French-speaking where I live, so I’ve forgotten most of it. I often think I’d like to take a course to brush up on it. More practically though, I’d really like to take a course to learn Spanish!
Describe your perfect pizza toppings.
mmmmmmm pizza! I’ll take ham, pineapple, and extra cheese please!
Inside the Artist’s Studio
What’s your best-selling kit ever?
That’s hard to say without going back through all my speadsheets (I’m a little OCD about that stuff), but off the top of my head, I would guess that Some Assembly Required is up there near the top.
How do you come up with the names for your products?
Naming a kit is my favorite part of the entire process! I love names that make people stop and think. I take a lot of pop culture references and use them for titles… song lyrics, movie quotes, popular expressions, there really are no limits. The kit name is usually the first thing I decide on before I start designing. If I have a catchy title, the rest of the kit seems to flow more easily for me. And the reverse is also true. If I can’t come up with a clever name, I usually don’t like the kit as much.
Do you scrapbook too or just design? If you scrapbook, share your favorite layout. If you don’t, do you wish you did?
I was a paper scrapper long before I even knew about digital. I started scrapping in 1998 before going to digital in 2006. I didn’t become a designer until 2008. Unfortunately, I don’t scrap nearly as much now as I used to just because of the lack of time, but I still love making layouts as much as I ever did. And now that I have a cute new family member to scrap, I’m trying to get back at it! This is one of my favorite pages that I’ve made recently. The pictures make my heart all mushy.
Describe your designing process. Take us briefly from the start to finish of making a kit.
Oh, I have a very specific process that I follow in my designing. I rarely vary this order. If I start to do something out of order, it messes up my workflow… true story! First, I choose a kit name and swatch (most often the name comes before the swatch, but once in a while, I can go the other way around). Then I make out a list of brainstorming ideas. This includes paper patterns I’d like to see, the type of alpha I want to make, and elements that I think would be a good fit for the kit. I usually put WAY more on my list than I actually end up making. I like to have choices. I start by making my patterned papers, and then I make my solids. Next, I put all of those on my preview, and I make my alpha. Once the papers and alpha are finished, it’s time to start with the elements! I don’t count them or shoot for a specific number of elements in my kit. I just put them on the preview as I create them, and I stop when the kit feels full. And that’s it! It can take me anywhere from 2-6 days to finish a kit. It just depends on how much work time I have and if the creative juices are flowing.
Are you a planner who knows what you’re working on way in advance, or do you work till the last minute?
I’m definitely a planner. I usually have about 3 months of releases planned out at any given time. Now granted, I sometimes change my mind or the schedule gets rearranged, but I at least have a general idea of what I’m going to be doing for the next several months. Having said that, I still often end up working til the last minute. I’m trying to get better about that!
Food For Thought
What has life taught you recently?
I’ve learned that we don’t always know what’s best for us, even when we think we do. We weren’t trying to get pregnant… in fact, we were very much trying NOT to have a baby. Then God had other plans and gave us our little Chloe. I can’t imagine how we ever lived without her in our lives. I’m so thankful that God “overruled” our plans as we would’ve missed out on one of the biggest blessings of our lives.
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Music. Just cranking up my itunes and singing along always makes me feel better.
If you had the chance to go back in time and change one thing would you do it?
Nope. It would be tempting, but I truly believe that I am who I am today because of all the decisions I’ve made, good and bad. If I changed the bad things, I may not have all of the good things either.
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?
I want to see the ocean!
How would an extra $1000 a month change your life?
I think an extra $1000 per month would take a lot of the pressure off of me. Right now, I feel like I’m running in circles balancing work and home with a new baby. I love my job, and we depend on it to pay our bills. Sometimes though, taking care of the baby and trying to balance everything leaves me feeling drained creatively. I usually try to push through those periods when I’m not feeling inspired because I know I need to keep new product coming. It would be nice to have that cushion so that every once in a while I would feel ok about just taking a week off and not worrying about coming up with something new.
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Now that you’ve gotten to know Libby a bit better, take a peek at some of her favorite products, and don’t forget you can pick up her practically perfect kit, Her Name was Lola, FREE with ANY $10 purchase made in the shoppe between now and June 30th!
