Happy Friday Sweet Shoppers! How is your candy hangover, if you indulged in something sweet yesterday for Halloween? We had a lot of fun, tried to stay warm (it’s rarely warm here on Halloween) and now have a ton of candy to show for it!

Today we have a new featured deisgner, Alice of Red Ivy Design. Alice’s kits are so distinctive, with great colours and themes and whimsical style. They’re perfect for so many different types of memories – just take a look at her gallery for some great inspiration that won’t disappoint!! Her hand drawn elements are truly unique and such a great addition to every page.

With a new featured designer we also have a new Featured Designer kit in our Adventure X series. Alice’s version is Adventures of Life, all about enjoying the journey and creating your own path in life. The colours are so sweet with the black and white added in there to make everything pop. I especially love that card, it is so true – You cannot give from an empty cup – I am trying to remember that all the time in my own life! I love the polka dotted paper too – it’s totally swoon worthy.

Before we see some inspiration pages, let’s learn more about Alice!

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 started many years ago, soon after my second daughter was born. What drew me towards digital scrapbooking at first was the richness of the papers and the diversity of embellishments. I stumbled on it purely by accident and I was soon hooked.
It took me a while to build a small portfolio and get accepted as a designer and one of my very first stores was Digital Design Den. It no longer exists, but I have some really warm memories related to this store. I have always loved Sweet Shoppe Designs and getting accepted here was truly a dream come true. Robin and the team welcomed me with open arms and hearts and there is no other place I’d rather be.

What comes first when designing… theme or color palette?
With the exception of seasonal kits, it’s almost always the colors. I am fascinated by them and I am constantly looking for color combos everywhere.

What are your must-haves when creating a kit or collection? How do you know when a product is “finished”?
My must-haves are my signature elements such as hand drawn foliage and flowers. I also add flower “middles” on the fabric ones that I think make my kits recognizable. For me a kit is ready when the preview is full and well balanced, when all the word art and word strips are added and last but not least the scatters make their way on the composition. It’s always the last details that bring everything together.

How long does it take you to put a collection together from start to finish?
That pretty much depends, but it is usually more than a week. I am working on speeding up the process though.

Given the choice, would you pick an indoor or outdoor adventure?
Outdoor for sure! I love exploring whether it’s a new city, the countryside or a forest, I am always the one who goes off the beaten track.

Would you rather go on a relaxing vacation or an adventure hike?
I like both, but right now an adventure hike sounds wonderful! I spent a good part of my childhood in a small town in the mountains, so for me going hiking always recharges my batteries.

What’s the last really great book you read or tv show you watched?
The last book I read was “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I highly recommend it if you are interested in an in depth psychological and psychoanalytic analysis of stories and myths. It is not difficult to read and its profound exploration of the feminine heart and soul is very validating.

Do you have hobbies other than scrapbooking, photography, or memory keeping? Tell us about them.
Well, I like dancing :). I have been dancing a good part of my life, starting with ballet at a very young age. To this day I am doing ballroom and latin dancing and it’s not easy you know, but I am not planning on quitting any time soon 🙂

What’s your favorite movie quote?
I quote movie lines all the time! I don’t necessarily have a favorite, but one that I can’t shake at the moment is “These pretzels are making me thirsty!”. I think you might know where that came form :).

Now check out these amazing pages the SugarBabes have created with Alice’s kit!

Aren’t they gorgeous? I can’t wait to play with this one myself! That’s it for this week – come back next Friday to get a sneak peek of the 15 products Alice has chosen for her Featured Designer 15 sale that starts November 12th. Until then, keep on scrapping!