Wow can you believe we are in the second month of 2009 already? We love February because not only is it the month of love and Valentines but it is the month we opened our sweet spot three years ago! Although we may have changed a few things along the way, one thing we have strived to stay consistent about is finding ways to help inspire you to create pages about your life stories; which is another reason why we love our monthly Treat of the Month highlights! Not only do we get to learn a little more about some of the wonderful scrappers we have out there in our community, but we have a new gallery to give us ideas for our next masterpiece!

On that note, we are really excited to bring you this month's highlight - the incredibly talented Amy Stoffel! Although Amy has only been digi-scrapping less than a year, her distinct sense of style is evident as you browse through her rather gorgeous and extensive gallery. We highly recommend you spend some time taking it all in because Amy definitely has an uncanny ability to carefully place just the right amount of elements on a page without making it look too cluttered. Her special talent allows us the opportunity to see the wonderful photos of her family and loved ones! We particularly love the way Amy crops her photos or creatively frames them to show off the different expressions on her familys' faces and we know you'll find yourself smiling back at the cute little faces of her children! To create her pages from her home in Arizona, Amy uses Photoshop 7 and her camera of choice is a Kodak C743. We know you will enjoy reading our interview with Amy and we look forward to seeing the pages you create this month in our TOTM gallery!

Sweet Shoppe Designs: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

Amy Stoffel: I am a 37 year YOUNG momma to two little princes. Jacob is 4 1/2 and Braden is 22 months old. I live in Tucson, Arizona with my husband and best friend of 6 years. You can find us mostly watching movies together, barbequeing and doing lots of outdoor stuff with our children.

SSD: What's your scrapping story? How did you begin?

AS: I started paper scrapping in 1996, and I loved it. It provided me with a creative outlet and gave me a chance to preserve some special moments. Then after I started having children in 2004 it became harder to scrap-book. By the time I would get all my paper and glue and things out and organized, my son would wake up from his nap and I would have to clean the mess up. But I've always had a very deep need to create, and when I got Adobe Photoshop the light came back on! So after some messing around with the program...I created and uploaded my first digital layout to Sweet Shoppe Designs, and the rest is history!

SSD: Did you declare any new resolutions for 2009 and if so, how are you doing with them?

AS: This year I decided not to do the typical resolutions, and really just focus on living and loving every day. To take time out for myself and my family, and cherish every moment. Of course I would like to lose a few pounds and exercise more too!

SSD: Do you have any special plans for the Valentine's? If so can you share a it or maybe what you think is a "perfect Valentine's day"?

AS: I'm not huge on Valentines Day to be honest. Usually we will maybe go out for a nice dinner and have one of our date-nights, or make a really excellent meal at home. With the kids, I bake cookies and give them to family members as a gift along with a paper craft.

SSD: Do you have any Scrapping Goals for 2009?

AS: My main goal is to start scrapping more than single photo layouts, my gallery is filled with them. And maybe come up with more creative titles. I also plan to continue to keep learning and keep experimenting with things.

SSD: Tell us about your scrapping environment. What's your workspace like, do you listen to music, watch tv?

AS: My workspace is....messy! My desk is always cluttered with papers, pens, books, pictures...it's terrible really. I have insomnia a lot, so usually you can find me scrapping at 4 a.m. with the CNN on quietly in the background so I don't wake anyone else.

SSD: How would you describe your own scrapping style? Is there any type of layout style you like to do but haven't?

AS: My style....hmmm....I guess if I had to define it I would say it's a cross between modern and eclectic. There is always lots of elements on my pages, sometimes they are a bit chaotic, but I like that. I always look at the clean look of white space layouts, and really love them, but I seem incapable of doing it unless its a scraplift!

SSD: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one designer's products with you, whose would you choose and why?

AS: Wow, that is a hard question, I love so many designers. If I had to choose only one, I would say Jofia Devoe. Everything she does is so unique and beautiful.

SSD: What's your all-time favorite layout? Why?

AS: This changes constantly, with each new layout created. But I do really love this one because it really captures my sons personality!

SSD: Do you have a favorite snack you keep handy while you scrap?

AS: Not really, usually just coffee or Diet Coke.

SSD: Just for fun - what is your favorite TV show you love to watch and do you have a favorite TV show you are too embarassed to admit you just love and can't give up?

AS: Oh man...I am a reality TV junkie. The one that I would never miss was The Hills!

Sweet Shoppe Designs also asked Amy to share some of her favorite creations with our visitors. It's fascinating to look through someone's gallery with our own eyes but seeing what an artist particularly enjoys from her own collection is always intriguing...