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

Good Afternoon Sweet Shoppers and welcome to another edition of Featured Designer Friday!  This week we have Erica Zane in the spotlight with a new  template set.  This year our theme is ‘Designer’s Choice’  What does that mean? Well, just what it sounds like! This year our wonderful team of designers will be coming up with a heap of fantastic new collections inspired by whatever is exciting or motivating them in the moment. They have total freedom to express themselves however they’d like, and we’re super excited to see where this adventure takes us over the next year.  ez pages v.26 is super fun and totally unique!   I love all the stitching she’s added to these, it really makes them stand out.  Just add $10 worth of goodies to your cart and ez pages v.26 will automatically be added!  The offer is good until our new releases go live on May 5th.

Time for Erica’s Interview, remember these are questions that came straight from our community!

Tell us about your journey with digital scrapbooking. How did you find out about it? Did you start with paper first? How did you get started designing? Where was your first shop? How and when did you end up at Sweet Shoppe Designs?

Erica: I have always loved taking photos and editing them in Photoshop and doing crafty things in general but I really started scrapbooking with paper after my oldest was born in 2001.  Looking at an online paper scrapbook supply site one day, I stumbled upon a digital tab & was curious what that could possibly be…one click later & my paper scrapping days were numbered.  I remember staying up all hours of the night to download freebies, most of which were never used, but at the time everything seemed amazing.  I eventually got on a store CT and ended up designing there…it’s been closed for ages but it was called Snap & Scrap.  They were closing so I moved to ScrapMatters & eventually CatScrap, both of which also closed, before finally landing my dream gig here at Sweet Shoppe Designs in spring of 2012.  It was worth the wait – this place is the best!!

How long does it take you to put a collection together from start to finish?

Erica: Lately 2 weeks is super fast for me but most of my recent bundles have taken me several months.  It all depends on how well my body cooperates…I’ve tried all manner of desks and chairs and monitor stands and keyboard trays and have yet to find a way to sit at my computer for any length of time without messing up my neck & shoulders and having my limbs go numb, it’s annoying.  Thank goodness for muscle relaxers to keep the debilitating headaches at bay, sigh.

What are some of your favorite things that people have made with your products?

Erica: I always love to see anything & everything made with my designs but I’m especially drawn to the imagination of people with hybrid projects!  Probably because I feel like I never have the time and/or supplies to pull them off with any degree of awesomeness.

How do you stay motivated or deal with the loss of mojo?

Erica: Some days I don’t…those days you’ll usually find me reading.  If I try to force myself I usually end up frustrated & headache-y with nothing to show for it but a bad attitude.  I have a folder of maybe later images/memes/general inspiration and will usually try playing with colors or thinking up theme ideas to kick start my mojo back into action.  Sometimes it just takes that little spark to get me going again.  Other days I scrap instead of designing, sometimes that shift in creative flow helps.  It also helps if I have a tv series to binge while I work!

Show us a preview for one of your first kits, compared to a recent kit you’re proud of. We want to see how far you’ve come!

Erica: I found this embarrassing gem from like 2006-2008-ish…yikes!

And here’s my most recent kit…

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Erica: I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.  I loved playing with my younger cousins growing up, enjoyed babysitting as I got older and took 3 years of early childhood education in high school but I never continued my education for that and then I had 4 kids of my own.  I currently work part time in an elementary school cafeteria and the younger kids are still my favorite…the older grades have SO MUCH attitude and can be so disrespectful, it’s disheartening.  But those little ones still light up when you talk to them and know their names.

What is your Enneagram number and how do you see it play out in your life?

Erica: I got type 9, which says “The Peacemaker – Nines value harmony, comfort and peace. They are motivated by a need to always keep the peace and avoid conflict at all costs. They go with the flow and tend to let others take control so that they can make other people happy.”  That is pretty accurate for me, I hate conflict and making decisions and am always trying to create peace between my own kids and the kids at school.  I feel like I say “just be nice” hundreds of times a day.  Can’t we all just get along?!

If you had an hour to yourself, but were not allowed to use it to scrapbook or design, what would you spend the hour doing?

Erica: Reading!  It’s what I often turn to if I need a break from life or If I need my brain to quiet before bed.  I’m a big fan of fantasy/science fiction, it’s my favorite.

Oh my gosh, don’t you just love that layout Erica created!  She always comes up with the most adorable cards!  Before you I leave you, why don’t get some inspiration from the team.

Thanks for looking and reading friends!  Be sure to stop back in next Friday for a sneak peek of Erica’s Featured Designer 15 sale and don’t forget ez pages v.26 is yours free with a $10 purchase starting now and until our new releases go live on May 5th!