Pollywog Spotlight – Julie (mrs2a250)
It’s time to spotlight another one of our Pollywogs! This week, let’s learn more about our creative team leader Julie (aka mrs2a250), who is affectionately known as ‘Little Whip’ in the forums and is one of the original CT members here at the Pad. Julie has almost 300 pages in her gallery, which is simply amazing! Her pages usually feature one or both of her dogs, Roxy and Aspen. She stays very true to her scrap style, which she describes as ’embellished white space’. I admire her pages for their photo centric designs, clean lines, and use of white space with just the right amount of clustering. Let’s learn more about her in her own words:
Tell us about yourself. I am 40 (ACK!) years old, no kids of the human variety, and live in Washington State. About 18 months ago we got a wild hair to sell our house, quit our jobs and move across the state, and it was the best decision we ever made! I’ve been married to DH for 16 years this June, and work as a paralegal, mainly reviewing and summarizing medical records (good for my Nosy Nellie personality!)
How did you get started with digital scrapbooking and why do you scrap? I honestly don’t remember how I got started. I think I started out doing photo editing in MS Digital Image Pro, and it sort of evolved from there. I eventually found a few freebie sites, and realized I could do more than just edit photos. I scrap purely for a creative outlet – I have no idea who will be looking at my albums 50 years from now!
You have created so many pages. How long does it take for you to complete a page? On average a couple of hours. If things are going well I’ve had a few nights where I’ve done 3-4 pages, but usually I only manage a page a night.
There are so many talented scrappers in our community. Who do you admire? In general, I really admire people who scrap for themselves – what they want, how they want it. There’s not much point in scrapping to be like someone else, or scrapping with product you don’t really like just because you think you have to, either because its for a CT, or because “everyone else” is using the product. Life’s too short. Specifically, I admire Peppermint for her journaling, and her photos – her son is going to be thrilled to have his albums when he’s older! I love Kay Miller’s pages for her layering. I love Mabel’s pages for her creativity and artistry. And every week I am in awe of what the Pollys crank out. They’re an amazing team!
You take great photos. What kind of camera and equipment do you use? I have a Nikon D90 (greatest camera ever!) with a Sigma 18-200mm lens and a Nikkor 50mm lens. The Sigma is rarely off the camera.
Do you have any photo tips? Not really – I am by no means an expert! I guess just have fun with it, and don’t worry about taking “perfect” pictures. The important thing is the memories, and those memories are still there, even if the picture isn’t perfectly exposed or is slightly out of focus. I wish I was able to shoot more in manual mode, but since my pictures are of two fast and frantic dogs, I’d miss virtually all of my shots if I tried to shoot manual. So for the most part I keep it in sport mode.
Everyone who has seen your pages knows about your gorgeous dogs. Do you secretly favor one over the other or do you scrap them equally? Roxy is my baby, and a mama’s girl, and she will always be my favorite. Aspen is more my husband’s dog, so they both get equal love around the house. But I definitely scrap Roxy more – that dog has so many stinkin’ cute expressions, and so much personality, I can’t help but keep making pages of her!
What hobbies do you enjoy besides scrapbooking? I love to read, and wish I had more hours in the day to split between reading and scrapping. And I truly love to cook, although I’m about ready to give it up just so I quit injuring myself (most notably a trip to the ER on Christmas Day for stitches, and the two large burns on my arm from the oven door)
What are you reading right now? Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. In book form, which is a major bummer now that I have a Kindle, but I’m too cheap to rebuy my unread books on the Kindle!
You’ve been here since the beginning. Who was your first Lilypad Designer crush? Why, Tali Braxton, of course! Seriously, I fell in love with Natalie’s stuff from the moment she started designing, and I unashamedly begged her for a spot on her team. I still miss her stuff! (Natalie retired from designing last year)
Before you go, can you name some of your favorite TLP products? Kaye’s Back to Basics 2 Papers and BRK Alpha; Any of Amy M’s Spacey templates, Any of Amy W’s Build Your Own Borders, and Kate’s Puffy Flowers (which I still have not gotten over her retiring! I’m waiting for the puffy hearts she promised me oh, two years ago!)
Thanks Julie! Here are some of Julie’s pages featuring today’s new products:
With Amy Wolff and Gina Miller’s collaboration, Fresh Breeze:
With Val Wibben’s Something New:
With Cori Gammon’s Boho Rhapsody:
There are even more amazing new releases in the shop today and they are all on sale throughout the weekend, so be sure to check them out! Enjoy your weekend and have fun scrapping!
Carolee
