Hey all, Polly Jewelle here! I am excited to bring you another TLP member spotlight! Last month Sarah was a guest polly here at The LilyPad. I had a great time working with her, I knew I had to let the rest of the community get to know her. Sarah is such a sweetheart and has one of the most diverse galleries I have ever seen. Lets sit back and take some time to get to know more about PLM this week.
Jewelle: What is your IRL name and your user name?
PLM: Sarah – PLM
Jewelle: Where do you call home?
PLM: Home is the place where my hubby and my two precious boys live with me. That’s in Belgium in a house we build together.
J: Digital or Hybrid? Both?
P: Digital, definitely! I am not a handy person at all ;-) I won’t bug you with the stories of me learning to ride a bike, fasten my shoe with shoelaces or to place lenses in my eyes. But, when someone takes the time to show and explain things to me: I’m a great copycat. So I’m planning on trying the hybrid, since it seems easier to me than the ‘traditional’ scrapbooking.
J: How long have you been scrapping?
P: In 2008, I made the birth announcement for my first baby. I discovered a site with some examples and thought I could do that too, but in a more personalized way. So I tried it and had loads of fun! I didn’t know that what I was doing had a name, lol. In November 2011 I restarted scrapping for my wedding album. Since I wasn’t happy with the quality, I googled ‘digiscrapping’ and a whole new world opened to me! I first started off in the French part of digiscrapland, since I am half french. As many other people, I got taken on a few ct’s and from that point, one thing led to another. I changed from Paint Shop Pro to CS5 after a while, since there were more possibilities with that program. I changed styles, learned effects,etc. A while ago I discovered The Lilypad and I finally feel like home on a digital forum. Now digiscrapping is not only a creative process to me, it also a brings a social aspect. I love it!
J: What is the starting point for your pages – photos, the story, products?
P: Most of the time I start with the product and look which pictures fit best to tell a story. That’s the reason why I started tagging my photos, to easily find what I am looking for. When I have the luxury of time, I do it the other way round. I want to tell a story and grab the products that work with it. The challenges at The Lilypad also changed my habits. I have never been someone who participated in challenges, but the ones at TLP are always so inspiring and I find myself trying to think of what I could come up with! In that way, it gets me to scrapping things I otherwise never would have done!
J: How would you describe your style?
P: At the moment, I am enjoying challenging myself for a more cleaner style. My hubby never liked my ‘filled’ pages and would almost never let me use them in the family album. But the cleaner ones are much more approved, which makes me happy of course! In a general, I would say that my style is a ‘versatile’ style. I like traditional pages, layered ones, a grungy touch and I even gave art journaling a try here at TLP! It’s what I need to keep scrapping and stay passionate about it. If I used the same style every time, I would not enjoy myself anymore.
J: Any must-have items or techniques on all of your pages?
P: I once read you should sharpen every page at the end. At first this didn’t made any sense to me. Why should you? You have worked on your picture, the graphics are of quality and the canvas has 300 dpi. But once I tried it, I was a convinced believer!!! The difference is so visible, I always sharpen my layouts now.
J: Share a favorite tip or trick
P: When my page is finalized regarding composition, I love to play with a curves layer or levels layer to see what it makes the page look like. Sometimes I also add an effect to give it a vintage look or create a vignette on the page.
J: Do you listen to music while you scrap? What kind?
P: No, I watch TV!!! I scrap mostly in the evening sitting on the couch and the laptop on my knees. I listen to the program hubby is watching and look from the corner of my eyes. Who says women are not multifunctional???
J: What’s your favorite snack (if any) while you scrap?
P: I don’t have the time to eat while I scrap, lol!!! A cup of tea works fine, though, And if hubby offers me a piece of chocolate, I won’t say no. Beware of a bag of M&M’s, they disappear without him seeing it.
J: What time of day do you feel most creative?
P: In the evening, when there are no children around me and my mind is not thinking of work and household chores. I could also say in the night, because evening and night run across each other a lot!!!
J: Share with us the top 3 layouts (links please!) that you’ve created:
P: This one was one of my first layouts at The LilyPad and I still love it! I learned that putting the emphasis on the photo tells the story itself, rather than the elements you place around.
P: This one because of the clean style I am discovering and enjoying so much!
P: This one because the photo, the kit, and template seem to have been made for one another! Also because of the summer memories it captures.
Thank you Sarah for letting us learn more about you!
Be sure and pop over to Sarah’s TLP gallery to see more of her inspiring work! Do you want to be spotlighted on the TLP blog? Keep posting your layouts in the gallery and you may be next!
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