{we are} storytellers: {storyteller} spotlight: Tania

I'm a 30-something mommy to a 6 year old boy and a 17 month old girl and I've been happily married for 10 years. I adore my family. I love scrapbooking, knitting, and blogging too. I dabble in graphic design and work full time for a non-profit agency I helped to open.

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi? I found digital in March of 2005 (almost 4 years ago, wow!) when I was looking for some clip art to build a website. I bought and downloaded my first kit about 10 minutes after finding the site, and I've never stopped since.

Q: Why do you scrap? I scrap because it's become a part of my life. It's my therapy. It's my creative outlet. It's my way of sharing my love with my family. It's just become so much a part of who I am I can't imagine not scrapping.

Q: What do you do while scrapping? Usually the TV is on. If it's the weekend I usually enjoy a nice microbrew while I'm scrapping too.

Q: What program do you use? I use Photoshop CS3 and sometimes Illustrator also.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? It varies. Sometimes it just flows and I can do a layout in a couple hours, but sometimes I work all week, off and on, on a layout before I stop tinkering with it.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it? I save it for web to upload to galleries, then back them up to my external hard drive. If it's one I want to put on the fridge or in frame I'll print it right away, I like to rotate those out every few weeks. Most of my layouts get printed eventually, I like to print at home mostly and use the 8x8 Making Memory albums you can find at Target.

Q: What is your favorite digi item? I just love getting a whole kit and working with it, but if I were to choose just one item, it's probably stitching. I can't sew and don't have a sewing machine, so paper layouts would always lack this item.

Q. What is the last movie you went to see? I saw Slumdog Millionaire and it was, without a doubt, the best movie I've seen in years. I recommend it to everyone! Find it, and watch it. Awesome flick!

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? This varies, sometimes I'm moved by a picture and start with that, find the elements and write a little about it. Sometimes I have something I want to say, inspired by a blog, or something I've been thinking about and I'll choose the elements and maybe try to find a photo to go with it. I usually let the process and the LO itself tell me what to do next. I'm not very methodical in general, kinda all over the place really, hehe.

Q: Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST.

Q: What camera do you use? Haha, this is a funny story. So I must be the only scrapbooker alive who has lost her camera, but up until Christmas I was using a Cannon Powershot. I either left it at someone's house and their not fessing up, or just totally lost it. Now I'm using an OLD point and shoot that I got in 2001 or something. My husband lets me use his Cannon (analog) Rebel from time to time as long as I promise to keep in on auto, haha. Really, I'm not the best photographer, and I really don't want to be. I'm much more interested in the LO. The photo is just another element to me. My dh takes some kick butt photos though! I usually let him do the shooting.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? I always use a free action to sharpen it up a bit, then I usually adjust levels and contrast a bit. Sometimes I'll use a couple of actions I got from deviantart if I'm going for something artistic. I also love overlays for giving it a worn edge or something.

Q. If you could be any character in fiction who would you be? Probably Claire from the Outlander Series, I love that she gets to time travel, be with the love of her life, see parts of the world I've only imagined, raise a kid in two time periods, it's all just so romantic!

This is one of my favorite layouts from Tania.