Featured Designer – Little Butterfly Wings
Happy Friday Sweet Shoppers! How has your first week of September? I am so happy to be back to a routine now that my kids went back to school this week. I love summer and the memories it brings, but I was really ready to have normalcy back!
This week we have a new featured designer, the one and only Val of Little Butterfly Wings. Val’s store is such a treasure of mixed media elements, fantastically textured papers, great wordart and incredible templates that can make even the most novice scrapper into a Mixed Media Queen. I love all the little touches in all her products, and if you’re like me you know that those pieces make pages so easy to create.
Val created this great kit for her Featured Designer spot, Urban Adventure. This is the latest in our Adventure X series, and it is so much fun. It really captures city life with vibrant colors that make me think of big cities like NYC, LA and Paris. The Black & White with the pops of color make it so easy to use for any theme, as you’ll see later with the pages that the SugarBabes have created. The best part is that this kit is FREE with any $10 purchase from now until the new releases go live on September 20th.
And now to learn a bit more about Val!
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?
I was never a paper scrapbooker! My journey into the world of digital scrapbooking began back in 2009 when I was casually browsing the internet for ideas to create an album for my son’s birthday photos. Little did I know, I was about to stumble upon something that would completely change my creative life! The idea of using digital tools to craft personalized scrapbook pages instantly intrigued me, so I decided to dive in and give it a try.
I quickly fell in love with the endless possibilities digital scrapbooking offered—playing with colors, textures, and layouts was like being a kid in a candy store! I could resize and rearrange elements on the page with ease, experiment with fonts and styles to my heart’s content, and even add fun digital stamps and brushes to make each layout uniquely mine.
As I got more comfortable with the techniques, I started experimenting with designing my own elements and kits. I was already working with Photoshop and Illustrator as an Art Director at my husband’s advertising agency, so it felt like a natural progression. I discovered that I absolutely loved the creative process of putting together collections of papers, embellishments, and word art that others could use to make their own beautiful pages.
My first shop was CatScrap, and in February 2022, I joined the amazing community at Sweet Shoppe Designs. Being part of this talented group of designers has been such a rewarding experience. Looking back, my journey with digital scrapbooking has been an incredible adventure filled with creativity, community, and so much learning. I’m beyond grateful to have discovered this passion and to be part of such a supportive and inspiring community at Sweet Shoppe Designs.
How do you define your style? What does that style include? How has your style changed over the years?
My style is all about mixed media, combining lots of paints, hand-drawn elements, textures, and paper pieces to create something truly unique. I love the blend of different techniques and materials—it allows me to express myself in a way that feels both creative and authentic. Over the years, my style has changed completely. I started with more traditional digital scrapbooking, but as I grew and experimented, I found myself gravitating towards mixed media. This shift opened up a whole new world of possibilities, and I haven’t looked back since!
How do you stay motivated or deal with the loss of mojo?
When I feel my mojo slipping, Pinterest is my go-to source for inspiration. I love diving into it to explore new trends, ideas, and themes. It’s like a treasure trove of creativity that helps spark fresh ideas for new kits. Seeing how other creatives mix colors, textures, and styles always gets my imagination going again. Plus, taking a step back and allowing myself to just browse without pressure often brings back the motivation I need to dive back into my 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!
Are you an adventurous person? What has been your greatest adventure?
I’m not usually an adventurous person, but when I was about 19, I lied to my parents and went alone to see my favorite punk rock band, the Ramones, in Curitiba—a city miles away from where I lived. It was actually a festival with four other bands, including Sepultura! When I arrived, some skinheads were causing trouble, teasing, and fighting with a few of the festival-goers. The police came in on horseback to break up the fight, and I ended up running to the bus to hide from the chaos. After everything calmed down, I returned to the queue, got into the stadium, and had one of the best days of my life. I made a few friends and had an amazing time at the Ramones concert!
Given the choice, would you pick an indoor or outdoor adventure?
Nowadays I would definitely choose an Indoor!!
Would you rather go on a relaxing vacation or an adventure hike?
I’d rather go on a relaxing vacation at a beach resort!
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?
I would spend the hour reading for sure!
What is your current desktop or cell phone wallpaper? Why did you choose that image?
This is the most recent picture I have of my boys. I chose it for my phone wallpaper because they won’t let me take photos of them anymore! I really miss the days when they were little and would let me snap hundreds of pictures! LOL
What’s the last really great book you read or tv show you watched?
Last week I read The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and I must confess, I’m still speechless. What a phenomenal book! It’s packed with so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The way the story unfolds is masterful, leaving you questioning everything until the very end. If you love a good psychological thriller with layers of mystery, this one is an absolute must-read!
What song(s) are playing in the soundtrack of your life?
I have a playlist on Spotify called “Oldies but Goodies” that I have been listening to over and over again. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/14ijJjXBu2VEQ2RgnvVaia?si=2072c452f1a74db6
I need to check out that book, it sounds fantastic!
Before you go, check out these great pages that the SugarBabes have created with Urban Adventure. As always, they’ve knocked it out of the park.
That’s it for this week, come back next Friday to see which 15 products Val has chosen for her Featured Designer 15 sale starting September 17th. You won’t want to miss it! Until then, keep on scrapping!
