As a result of our incredibly successful Sugarbabe call last month, we had the opportunity to take a closer look at some absolutely amazing scrapper's galleries! Over the next few months, we'll be sharing some of our favorites with you here in our Treat of the Month feature. This month we are so pleased to share the talents of a scrapper who has been part of the Sweet Shoppe community for a long time. Lydia Tarbox has been scrapping since 2007. She shoots her fantastic photos on a simple point and shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot D990, and creates all of her pages in Adobe Photoshop CS3.

As you explore Lydia's gallery, we know you're going to love how approachable and genuine her pages are. Full of photos that feature the smiling faces of her loved ones, looking through her gallery is sure to put a smile on your face as well. Lydia's layouts are incredibly well composed with balanced elements which will catch your eye and draw your attention to the memories she is trying to share. We love that she isn't afraid of prints, bold fun colors or whimsical motifs. Her style is one that will brighten any scrapbook, so we hope you will make the most of her inspirational gallery.

All of us at here at the Sweet Shoppe hope you enjoy learning more about Lydia this month as you read through our interview with her. We think she has so much to offer in terms of inspiration, and we really hope you'll enjoy creating a page after you enjoy visiting her gallery for ideas!!

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

Lydia Tarbox: I've been married to my husband, Brett, since August 2000. We just celebrated our 10th Anniversary. We have three children: Sean (5 years old - 6 in October), Ian (4 years old), and Raegan (16 months). I worked as an editor for about 10 years before we had kids, and now I have my dream job: being a stay-at-home-mom.

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

LT: I started paper scrapping back in 1996 or 1997. To be honest, I was never that great at it, and I wish I could go back and rescue all my poor, cut-up photos from those days. I kind of stopped scrapping around 2002 or 2003 because it was too expensive and I didn't like all the mess of having to drag out my supplies every time I wanted to scrap. After I had my first baby in 2004, I started experimenting with different methods of preserving my memories digitally, but the results were pretty scary. In early 2007, I reconnected with one of my friends from High School who was creating beautiful digital scrapbook pages. She linked me up to some great Web sites (including Sweet Shoppe Designs) and showed me the ropes. It only took about one week for me to be completely hooked, and the rest is history.

SSD: What's your favorite thing about digital scrapbooking?

LT: I love the convenience of it. I'm able to scrap in little 5-15 minute intervals during the day and just walk away from it when I'm doing things with my kids. There's no mess to set up or clean up. And honestly, I think I'm just better at it than I ever was at paper scrapping. I'm a computer geek, so it really suits my personality and my individual talents.

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

LT: I have a built-in desk in my kitchen/great room that is home to my beloved laptop, EHD, and printer. It is the perfect location for me to be able to watch my kids, cook, clean, etc. and still be able to snatch a few minutes of scrapping throughout the day. In the evenings, after the kids are in bed, I often move to the couch and watch TV while I scrap.

SSD: How would you describe your scrapbooking style? Do you have a favorite "go to element/brush" that you find yourself using on your layouts from time to time?

LT: My style has slowly evolved into what it is right now. I guess I would describe it as "clustery." I like to use lots of elements and really pile them on to give my layout a lot of depth. I usually try to choose a photo that matches the kit I want to work with. But, there are also times when I choose the photo first and go in search of the perfect kit. :)

SSD: Your pages are filled with wonderful element clusters that always look so perfect along with your photos ñ do you have any secrets or tips you can share with new scrappers or those unsure on how to go about creating a page that is not too cluttered?

LT: I am nowhere near an expert on design techniques, but I think learning about some of the basics, like balance, color value, and the "Rule of Thirds," has helped me create pages that are more pleasing to the eye. I can't really explain specifically what I do, but I know learning about those techniques has changed and definitely improved the way I design my pages. I also think that learning about creating beautiful drop shadows has made a huge difference in my layouts. There are a lot of wonderful drop shadow tutorials out there, and my method is my own personal blend of two or three of those tutorials.

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

LT: It is so hard to choose just one! I love so many of my layouts! I guess right now, I would choose this one. It's one of those layouts that kind of scrapped itself, and I love the smile on my daughter's face in the photo.

SSD: Where do you find inspiration to create your layouts - is there a particular blog or magazine that you read? Or does a particular kit or photo help inspire you to create your pages? How do you deal with scrapper's block or do you ever experience this?

LT: Most of my inspiration comes from my photos. I often choose the photos based on the kit I want to work with, but the way the layout actually comes together depends on the photos and the story I want to tell. I often feel a lack of mojo or that I don't know what I'm going to do with a particular layout. But, I've learned not to be afraid of that. I just start putting papers and elements together and get busy moving things around. Usually, it doesn't take long for the layout to start forming into something that I love, and then I get excited about what I see happening on the page. There are also times when I trash whatever I'm working on and start over completely. I really like letting the layout lead me to what it was meant to be.

SSD: What do you like to do when you aren't scrapping? Do you have any other hobbies you like to do?

LT: I love to sing and play the piano. Those two things are huge stress relievers for me. I also love to read and crochet, although scrapping has cut into my crochet time significantly. :)

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?

LT: This is so hard! There are so many designers that I love, especially here at Sweet Shoppe Designs. But, I think right now, Lauren Grier's designs are inspiring me to create pages that I'm really proud of.

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

LT: I am addicted to ice cream. I love to have a bowl of it sitting next to me while I scrap. But, I have to admit that I often set down the laptop to enjoy my ice cream. :)

SSD: Just a for fun kind of question - what is something about you that would surprise people to know about you? Of course we won't tell.

LT: This is a tough one. I think my friends in the digi community know me pretty well. I'm a pretty conservative, traditional person. I think most people would be surprised to learn how UNtraditional my childhood was, even though it didn't necessarily look that way from the outside. Cryptic, huh? It's a long story. Here's something a little more simple. I moved with my family to the Philippines when I was five years old. And, we lived there for about five years. It was an amazing, eye-opening experience that I think has really been influential in shaping my attitudes and world-view.

Sweet Shoppe Designs also asked Lydia 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...

If you would like to see more of Lydia's delightful layouts, be sure to visit her DigiShopTalk Gallery where you'll find her amazing collection of inspiring pages. It's been such a pleasure to see the fabulous layouts our SugarBabes have created after spending some time looking through her gallery, and you'll be able to take a closer look at their beautiful pages each time you visit as they'll be featured throughout the month on our homepage!

Finally, creating a lift of a page from Lydia's gallery is the very first task in this month's challenge portfolio! Scrap along with our community as we create a meaningful monthly portfolio and earn points towards sweet rewards while you're doing it too! Thanks for sharing yourself and your beautiful work with us Lydia, it was such a treat getting to know one of our favorite scrappers better!