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

I asked our newest designers a few questions to get some insight into how their feeling about joining our team, and I really think you’re going to enjoy getting to know a bit more about them over the next couple of days. Today, we’re going to hear from Nicole and Erica, but check back all weekend long to get to know the rest of our new designers too!

Nicole Seitler

Who are you, where are you from, and who do you love?

Hello! My name is Nicole Seitler and I design under the name Sugarplum Paperie. I was born and raised in sunny Florida. After college, I decided I just had to get out of this hot, tropical climate. I moved up and down the East Coast for ten years (living in TN, MD, PA and OH), only to end up moving back home to Sarasota, Florida with my husband and kids in 2009. The summers are hot, but we love getting to enjoy so many warm and sunny days during the rest of the year. My husband, Travis, and I will have been married for 10 years this June. I am also a homeschooling momma to four wonderful children: Katie, Joshua, Penny and Benjamin.

Along with scrapbooking, I enjoy knitting, quilting and papercrafting. But scrapbooking brings me the most joy! I love mixing photos and journaling. I am really enjoying taking part in Project Life this year!

How long have you been designing?

I started designing in 2006 and I began my Sugarplum Paperie blog as a place to share freebies in the summer of 2007. On Digital Scrapbooking Day in 2007, I opened my own little Sugarplum Paperie shop! That was very exciting, even though I was so very green then.

What’s the best thing about designing? The worst?

The best thing for me is seeing layouts made with my designs. It makes me feel so happy inside!

The worst thing is not having more hours in the day to play in Photoshop. LOL!

What excites you about the digital scrapbooking industry?

I love how easy it is to have a new idea, sketch it out, design it and release it all within a week! It’s instant gratification. I love how fast things move and how easy it is to pick up on new trends right away.

How do you feel about starting your journey here at Sweet Shoppe Designs? How do you hope to grow? What do you want to accomplish as part of our team?

Wow. This is a big question for me! I don’t know that I can put all my feelings into words. LOL!

When I jumped into the digital scrapbooking community back in 2007, this place was my dream shop… and for years it was only a daydream as I worked harder and harder, hoping that one day I would become “good enough.” To actually have been invited to be a part of the Sweet Shoppe now is surreal. For so long I have put my own dreams on hold. I am so happy to be getting back to designing full time again–and to be doing that at a shop where I feel like my sugary designs fit in.

For a long time I struggled when trying to make “themey” kits. I felt like I was no good at Christmas kits or Easter kits. It was hard for me to get up the motivation to do that! I just wanted to make general kits that were pretty. But I started to wrestle with that mental roadblock two years ago and I found that I could in fact make myself get past it. LOL! But sometimes I would still shy away from it because I also felt like that was “a Sweet Shoppe thing” that I didn’t want to copy. Now I am looking forward to growing in that area–making kits that are easy for people to use to scrap their precious memories and coming up with new ideas that inspire them to record another story for their books.

As for what I hope to accomplish? I am so excited to work with these wonderful designers here, doing Scoops and Dips. I hope that I will be able to bring lots of great new kits and collabs that people will really enjoy using!

Describe your design style and what inspires you.

I tend to gravitate towards things that are soft and shabby, verses bold and bright. I have a hard time NOT distressing my patterns and papers. LOL! The thing that inspires me the most is color. Once I see a great palette, I’m off and running! I’m also very inspired by looking at layouts and seeing what people do with their supplies. It always gives me a new idea for an element or two. Most of all, I want my designs to be useful to others. So I try to put a lot of thought into the different pieces I add to a kit.

Erica Zane

Who are you, where are you from, and who do you love?

I’m Erica Zane and I live in Virginia.    I have a wonderful hubby and 4 crazy cute kids…Joshua is 10, Jacob is 7, Amythest is almost 5 and Kaylee is 2.  They keep us busy, that’s for sure!

How long have you been designing?

About 4-5 years, but I’ve been hooked on Photoshop for much, much longer!

What’s the best thing about designing? The worst?

The best thing about designing is getting to meet & work with so many amazing designers!  I have made so many wonderful online buddies that I might never have “met” under different circumstances.  {I will also say that I love that designing gives me just one more excuse to be a hermit, because I’d rather be at home than anywhere else, LOL!}

The worst thing about designing is when I run out of mojo, especially when I have a deadline!

What excites you about the digital scrapbooking industry?

Things have changed so much since I found digital scrapbooking.  I love how people keep it fresh, come up with new ideas and innovate.  I just can’t wait to see what comes next!

How do you feel about starting your journey here at Sweet Shoppe Designs? How do you hope to grow? What do you want to accomplish as part of our team?

I am both thrilled and nervous, ecstatic and excited all at once! This is a dream and I still can’t believe it! I hope to grow into part of this amazing family and really want to grow in my own journey as a designer. I hope to put out some amazing products and make some great new friends.

Describe your design style and what inspires you.

I don’t know if I’d put myself into one specific design category…but if I had to describe my style, I’d say fresh & fun!  My biggest inspiration is color for sure – especially green…I have a tendency to sneak that into most of my kits!  I also get inspired from being out in nature, shopping for clothes, by my children — just about anything and everything!

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These amazing designers have incredible kits in store for you this weekend, so be sure to head to the shoppe all weekend long to check out their new goodies! Don’t forget, I’ll be posting tomorrow and Sunday too with more mini bios from the rest of our new designers, so check back here too to get to know them a little better!