Featured Designer – Tracie Stroud
Happy (almost) Friday Sweet Shoppers! I’m here a day early to help kick off our Black Friday celebrations and shopping, and with that comes a new Featured Designer and Featured Designer freebie to sweeten up your purchases with the insane sale going on for Black Friday.
Our new Featured Designer is Tracie Stroud, whose amazing designs I have been a fan of since she started designing in 2009. I love her mix of artsy papers and touches with traditional scrapbooking elements that round out her kits perfectly. If you’re a designer you’ll also see a bunch of pretty neat CU stuff in her store, and you’ll see that all of her kits have perfect colour swatches, I don’t know how she does it each and every time!
Tracie’s Featured Designer kit is Everyday Adventures, adding to our Adventure X series of Featured Designer kits that we’ve been working on this year. I love the kraft papers and elements mixed with the primary colours, and just how happy and fun the whole tone is. It’s perfect for scrapping – you guessed it – your everyday photos and can be used for so many different types of memories, it is so versatile. The best part is this is FREE with your $10 purchase between now and when the new releases go live on December 13th.
She also has this Extras Bundle that rounds out the kit so perfectly – all the painty goodness just makes me swoon, and I am loving these cards!
Before we check out some inspiration from the SugarBabes, let’s learn more about Tracie!
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 discovered digital scrapping in baby due date forums. I had been an avid paper scrapper until my oldest was born in 2005, but life became too busy, and the supplies were too messy and space-consuming. I transitioned to digital scrapping after our middle child was born in 2007 and loved it instantly.
I began creating elements and papers soon after, which sparked my interest in design. I opened my first store in 2009 and worked with various stores over the years. Sweet Shoppe Designs became my first digital scrapping home in 2008, where I joined my first creative teams and was a Sugar Babe before life took me elsewhere for a while. After applying to a few designer calls, I finally opened my shop at SSD in November 2020. Designing here has been an amazing journey, thanks to the family-like atmosphere among all the designers and staff, and Robin’s supportive leadership that fosters success for all designers.
Where do you see your designs going in the future? Is your focus changing in any way?
I’ve always been a perfectionist, obsessing about every single detail in every paper and element. I’ve recently been officially diagnosed with ADHD (after knowing I had it for years and trying to adapt accordingly) and started on some ADHD medication. Through the process of diagnosis and some counseling, I’ve been learning to let go a little and just enjoy the design process and final result without worrying as much about every little tiny thing.
What are your must-haves when creating a kit or collection? How do you know when a product is “finished”?
I love to include unique messy, grungy, painty patterns and elements in my collections, as well as basic filler pieces. A painty white background paper is a must in every collection, and I usually make those from blends of my own art journal papers. I like to include torn and messy paper pieces and paper flowers, a few inky “scribble” marks, and digital transfers of patterns as well. I always preview as I’m designing, which helps me to see how the collection is coming together and what may be missing. When the preview looks right, I’m done!
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!
My Dad’s the Man is from 2009, a few months after I started designing.
Family Man is my Father’s Day kit from last year. Similar themes, but very different kits!
I started physical art journaling after my dad passed in 2013, which led to me incorporating painty and messy elements into my collections. I’m really happy with how my style has developed over the last few years.
Are you an adventurous person? What has been your greatest adventure?
I don’t really feel adventurous most of the time. I prefer to stay at home or in a familiar environment. My greatest adventure is being the parent to a severely cognitively disabled kiddo. Raising a cognitively disabled child requires stepping into the unknown, learning new things, and adapting to situations you never anticipated. Each achievement, no matter how small, feels monumental. It’s an adventure in celebrating progress and redefining success. It’s taught me to see the world in a beautifully different way.
Are there any adventures you’d like to go on in the future?
I’ve always dreamed of visiting Scotland. I’ve traced my family’s Scottish genealogy back as far as the 1000’s, and I’d absolutely love to visit some of the places I’ve read about.
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 definitely be reading! Reading is my escape and my best de-stresser.
If there was a meme about you or your designs, what would it look like?
This meme from https://adhddd.com/ perfectly describes my entire life:
What song(s) are playing in the soundtrack of your life?
2024 has been one of the most challenging years our family has faced in a long time. What has carried us through are our faith in God, our love, and our unwavering commitment to one another. My husband and I have leaned on each other more than ever to navigate everything life has thrown our way. Parachute by Ingrid Michaelson has been on repeat for us, as it beautifully captures how our love and support have helped us endure it all.
Now check out these great layouts from the SugarBabes using Everyday Adventures:
Aren’t they amazing? That’s it for now – see you back here next Friday with a sneak peek of the 15 products Tracie has chosen for her Featured Designer 15 sale starting December 10th. Until then, keep on scrapping!
