{we are} storytellers

{storyteller} spotlight: julie ann shahin

I will be 39 years old by the end of the year (eek!)
I love my rawkin' husband of 5 years
I love brownies
rainbows
the color yellow
the beach
the sun
photoshop elements
collage
hybrid
being spiritual
facebook
vintage yummies
my camera
cupcakes, especially pink velvet with cream cheese frosting
my nieces and nephews
my car, a Geo Prizm
my blue bedroom
praise
giving
teaching
flowers
and all my scrappy friends!

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?
I started scrapping in 2004.
I discovered digital in 2006.

Q: Why do you scrap?
I scrap because it is a passion
I love color
I love photography
I love art
I love writing
I love online sharing
I love my family and friends
and scrapbooking combines it all into one.

Q: What do you do while scrapping (listen to music, watch tv, enjoy the silence, etc)?
Most often enjoy the silence, and maybe take a Facebook break to play scrabble.

Q: What program do you use?
I use Canon Zoom Browser to upload my photos-
Adobe Photoshop Elements to digi & hybrid scrap
ACDSee Photo Manager to organize my photos and kits.
I want to learn to use Adobe Lightroom for my photos.

Q: What is your favorite accessory?
I often don't leave the house without a hat on. Nothing fancy, just a hat to hide that fact that I'm too pre-occupied with scrapbooking to spend a lot of time on my hair! LOL

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout?
It often takes me a lot longer because I am either trying to make it into a tutorial or class lesson. Normally, a layout could take a half-hour to several hours. I always try to finish what I start in one sitting, which I can do without kids.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?
I share it online.
I try to print most of my layouts at size 8" x 8" to put in albums.

Q: What is your favorite digi item?
Templates

Q: What is your process for completing a layout?
Most often I will see a kit that I like and the inspiration will come from that kit, or maybe it might be the template that inspires what photos and kit. A lot of times, especially if I am using a template, I will scrap in this order:
Template
Paper
Embellishments
Photos
Title
Journaling

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

This is one of my favorites because it's one of my best kept secrets that I am so funny. I like to laugh at myself, especially when it comes to cooking.

Q: What camera do you use?
I use an DSLR - Digital Rebel XT with a 28-135mm IS lens.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use?
I am looking forward to using Kathryn Wilson's Lightroom Presets as soon as I have a moment to try out Lightroom. I downloaded the 30-day trial and most likely will be buying it soon.

Q: What is the last book you read?
I usually read a lot of non-fiction books such as scrapbooking idea books. In fact, Stacy Julian's Photo Freedom book just arrived today that I ordered from Amazon. The last fiction book I read was the Twilight Series, actually - no I read Marley and Me on the plane to Florida. But you see, I hadn't read any fiction in years, until I heard Emily Powers talking about Twilight - and then, I had to read them all.

I so admire Julie Ann for how prolific she is! Here is one of my favorite layouts of hers.

For more awesome inspiration from Julie Ann, visit her gallery!

Thanks Julie Ann!

{storyteller} laura

{storyteller} spotlight: cbsplace aka courtney

I am a wife to a wonderful, loving and supportive husband and a mother to an adorable little girl whom is just over a year old and keeps me busy. I work full time as a nurse at a nursing home that is very special to me...I met my husband there! In my free time I love to play with my daughter, watch movies, listen to music, scrapbook, take photos, sew, BE CRAFTY! We just bought our FIRST house which is such an awesome accomplishment and are enjoying decorating it the way WE want to and not according to any rules. Life is AWESOME right now...I could not ask for more!

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi? I first started scrapping when I was about 12, but discovered digi in 2006. I still do some paper scrapping of hybrid things, but for the most part I stick to digi!

Q: Why do you scrap? I scrap so that I have something to show my daughter when she gets older…It is so easy to stick photos in an album, but is so much more meaningful to have a story tied to the photo/s.

Q: What is the last movie you went to see? I couldn’t even begin to remember the last time I went to the theatre, but the last movie that I saw that we rented was The Dark Knight!

Q: What do you do while scrapping? I listen to music {and watch my daughter run all over the place}

Q: What program do you use? PSE 6

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? Sometimes I can whip one out in no time, but for the most part it takes me on average an hour.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it? I ‘save for web’ and upload it to my fav galley {WST}…of course…sometimes I will add my LO’s to my blog.

Q: What is your favorite digi item? I would have to say that my fav digi product is Emily P’s Alphabet Soup Foam Stamp Alpha. I cannot count how many times I have used it in my LO’s.

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? First I pick out my photo, second I think about my story/journaling, and lastly I put everything together!

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

Q: What camera do you use? I have a Nikon D100…my brother-in-law is a photographer and I inherited it…lucky me!

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? I love love love the Totally Rad Actions, but I normally just adjust the levels and sometimes I like to add one or a couple of Emily P’s Photology textures to it and change the blending modes.

Q: What is your favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper

I just love this layout of Courtneys!  

You can find more inpsiration from Courtney's gallery and every Wednesday when she hosts {sketch-a-story} in the {we are} storyteller's study lounge.

Be sure and check it out - there's usually a FREE template!  Thanks Courtney!

{storyteller} laura

{storyteller} spotlight: estir_bune aka andrea

I am the wife of a budding web entrepreneur, together we have a 5 year old daughter, and he has a 13 year old son from a previous marriage, who lives with us full time.

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?  I have been scrapping for 10+ years, and frankly scissors and I did not get along well. Paper scrapping takes much more talent than I posses. I discovered digi completely by accident. I was searching for fonts and wandered into a gallery that had a digi scrapper, I admired her ability to have her digital LOOK like paper. Up until that point, the only digital I had seen had been FLAT, this scrapper had dimension. So I googled digi - and kissed my scissors good-bye!

Q: Why do you scrap?  I have memories of my grandmother's scrap books, filled with coupons and recipes. I know I enjoyed seeing my grandmother's books, so I am hoping my daughter will enjoy going over her stories when she has a family of her own

Q: What do you do while scrapping ? I usually listen to XM Radio and the hum of my daughters computer (playhouse Disney) while I scrap.

Q: What program do you use?  I use PSE 6

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout?  Sometimes a few hours, some a few days.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  A lot of them get posted on my blog for family members to upload as they wish. I have had layouts printed on shirts as gifts and have printed some to put into albums.

Q: What would i find in your refrigerator right now?  spinach. loads of it. I eat about 2-3 cups daily in salads

Q: What is your favorite digi item? I love actions, overlays, brushes, and grunged up frames!

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? Sometimes it starts with a photo, but most the time it starts with an idea. My daughter might say something that will spark inspiration. My journaling is usually complete before I chose the background!

Q: Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST.
I just love this photo of my daughter and Santa! I wish I still had that kind of belief in St. Nick!

Q: What camera do you use?  Nikon D40 - hoping for a new lens soon!

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? I boost the contrast a bit in most of my photos. I am a HUGE fan of High Contrast photos from sites like chromasia.

Q: What is your favorite drink?  Coffee - just about a pot a day habit

I just love the layout by Andrea - she shares such a wonderful message!

Visit andrea's gallery here for more inspiration! 

Storyteller {laura}

{storyteller} spotlight: lisamars aka lisa

My name is Lisa, I live in the South of France with my husband and my 2 boys (Mahe, 4 and a half, and Milo 20 months). I run a Planned Parenthood Center.

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi? I discovered digiscrapping thanks to a webfriend over a year ago. I had never scrapped before, I’m really lousy with doing anything creative with my 2 hands, so digiscrapping was the most fabulous discovery for me. At last I could create something that actually looks good lol!

Q: Why do you scrap?  Well... it came as the obvious thing.  I have always been an everyday storyteller. Taking notes of the small and big events of my life. As soon as I was old enough to have my very own camera, I also started to shoot the people around me. I am not very interested in landscapes, but really passionated by people : faces, attitudes, emotions... I love to capture someone when he or she doesn't see me... And then I discovered digiscrapping. That was it! Pictures AND words... the ideal tool for a storyteller!
I became an addict ever since : although I am a full-time worker, although I have 2 little boys and a loving husband... every minut of free time instantly becomes a piece of digiscrap... I scrap for my kids, so they can remember all the great and small moments of our family life, but I also scrap for myself, this is my selfish moment!

Q: What do you do while scrapping (listen to music, watch tv, enjoy the silence, etc)? I enjoy that priceless moment of loneliness and silence… at work, at home, I’m always surrounded by people. And even if I’m a social person and couldn’t survive alone, I definitely NEED some moment for myself.

Q: What is the last movie you went to see?  “Burn After Reading” by the Cohen Brothers. I’m a huge fan of their work!!

Q: What program do you use?  Photoshop CS2 and Lightroom.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout?  Much too long!! 3 hours, sometimes more! I always start with a very precise idea of what I want to create, and I change my mind in the process…
The other day I made a layout with Emily’s fabulous Quickies, it took me less than 30 minutes to complete it, it was such a GREAT feeling lol!

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  I upload it to several galleries, then I wait until I have enough done to print a digi album with my favourite layouts. I do it twice a year (an annual album would be far too thick lol !)

Q: What is your favorite digi item?  Hard to pick only one… I love the little details that add that perfect finishing touch to a layout. Date stamps, a little button in a contrasting color, staples, the perfect alpha… I love journaling stamps too!

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? Well it really depends on my mood. Sometimes it all starts with a photo, and I look for the perfect kit(s) to go with. Sometimes I fall in love with a kit, and I look for the perfect photo to match it ! And more and more, since I discovered WST, it all starts with journaling. I know what story I want to tell, I write it down, and then I look for the perfect kit and the perfect photo…

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

Journaling (translated from French) : the past weeks have been really tough for me. I have often been tired, discouraged, sometimes bitter. This picture helps me change the way I look at my life, and see it with a smile in my eyes : 1. I have two sparkling kids, full of life, joy and energy 2. I have support and trust from the man I love 3. There is not a single day in my life without laughter thanks to the three of them 4. I live exactly where I have chosen to live 5. As imperfect as it is, my country is still a free country.

Q: What camera do you use?  Canon 400D. One of my resolution for 2009 is to learn how to use it properly lol ! I love to read Kathryn’s tips in the forum, she’s such a wonderful teacher!

Q: Do you have any favorite post-processing tips or actions that you use?  I’m a Lightroom addict. I use Kelsey Smith’s presets A LOT!

Q: What is your favorite drink?  I’m a coffee addict. I drink coffee all day long, I can’t help it… I don’t even TRY to stop lol!

I love this layout and the sweet story Lisa tells with it!

Thanks for sharing with us Lisa!!

{storyteller} laura

{storyteller} spotlight: trudem aka trude

I live in "the OC", although a very different one from what they showed on TV! I'm currently substitute teaching and getting my act together so I can start the credential program. I have a wonderful group of family and friends and an awesome Italian Greyhound named Dante!

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?  It's been almost 4 years now, I can hardly believe it! I first discovered it when we were creating a scrapbook for a friend who was going overseas for graduate school, and my coworker suggested I look into digital scrapbooking since I was so frustrated by the paper process (I can't cut straight to save my life!).

Q: Why do you scrap? So many reasons - to preserve my family's stories, as a way to chronicle my life outside my usual journaling, and also as a creative outlet, since I'm terrible at traditional forms of art!

Q: What do you do while scrapping (listen to music, watch tv, enjoy the silence, etc)? It really depends! Any and all of the above.

Q: What program do you use? Lightroom for general photo processing, and PSCS3 for everything else.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? Generally, an hour or so. But some go really quickly, and others I have to stop and come back to!

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  Print and post! I only scrap 8x8 for the exact reason that I can have the immediate gratification of printing my pages as soon as they're finished! I'll also email a JPEG copy to whoever the page is about or might have an interest in it. My entire extended family is now familiar with digiscrapping!

Q: What is your favorite digi item? There are so many! But I find myself using Emily Merritt's Paper Block Templates over and over again.

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? I keep a notepad in my purse for random ideas that pop into my head. Usually it starts either with the photo or the title, or both, and I design from there!

Q: What is the last book you read? Dark Angels by Karleen Koen. Super interesting book about court intrigue in England and France in the 18th century. I just love historical fiction!

Q: Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST. It's always changing, but right now it's this one.


Q: What camera do you use?  A Canon Rebel XTi, usually with a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. I also use a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens for when I can't walk up to what I'm shooting.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? Shoot in RAW! I've saved myself so many times by being able to adjust the white balance when editing. Also, boosting the contrast is something almost any program can do these days, and it always helps your photos pop!

Q: What don't you leave the house without? Lip balm. Can't live without it!

I love Trude's awesome use of this template in her layout ALL GIRL

For more inspiration from Trude, visit her gallery here.

Thanks Trude!!  I think it's awesome that you email a copy of your layout to family. What a great idea!

{storyteller} laura

{storyteller} spotlight: Peppermint

I was born and raised in Wisconsin (USA), lived in Indianapolis for a couple of years but moved back to my hometown in Wisconsin back in 2006. I have an 8 year old boy, Nicholas, from my first marriage and I really wanted the opportunity to raise him back here where I grew up with a lot of our family nearby. I also share my life with my fiance, Tom, who really personifies every dream I never knew I had as far as a partner goes. I consider myself very fortunate to have such wonderful men in my life - including my orange tabby cat, Mo, who makes frequent cameos on my scrapbook pages. I'm the only girl at my house! Our family is going to "expand by four feet" again at the end of February, I just chose a kitten (another boy!) from a regional Ragdoll breeder so we'll have a new little furball running around in no time.

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?  I started paper scrapping back in 1998, just very simple vacation pages. When I had my son in 2000 the hassle of dragging everything out and having little "bits of stuff" all over the table and floor became a little too much for me to handle so I pretty much abandoned the hobby. Then in 2005 a woman I know through a parenting circle posted on our message board asking if anyone had tried digital scrapbooking and provided a link to the new digital forums over at 2Peas. I already knew my way around graphics programs so I decided to give it a try and it was a perfect fit for me. I dropped off the face of the earth for about a year when my personal life got really hectic, then decided to give it a try again in January 08. This time it really stuck - I think having a laptop helped tremendously. Also joining Creative Teams made me accountable to someone so I wouldn't flake out and disappear again.

Q: Why do you scrap?  I scrap for me, it's my hobby - and my therapy some days! I'm an "everyday moment" type of scrapper, and having this hobby that allows me to regularly capture all these glimpses into our daily lives really makes me more aware of how much I have to be grateful for. It's like a daily injection of gratitude, this past year has been one of the happiest of my life and I attribute a lot of that to the fact that I'm paying way more attention to how rich and full my life is.

Q: What do you do while scrapping? Since I usually scrap on my laptop while sitting on the couch I'm subject to whatever else is going on around me. If I'm home alone, I scrap in sweet, sweet silence. Other times it's to whatever reality TV show I TiVo'd for the day, or to the sound of Tom or Nicholas playing video games.

Q: What program do you use?  I use Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? If I were to cut out all the web browsing and IM chatting, it probably takes me about 1-2 hours depending on the page. However I'm very easily distracted and rarely work on a page straight through from beginning to end.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  Right now I'm just tucking them away on my hard drive. I really need to print a bunch of my pages but it's so daunting since I'm really far behind. One thing I always do is upload a low-res image to my Flickr account so that my family can browse through my pages.

Q: What is your favorite digi item?  I love word art! Is there anything better than word art? Sometimes it will perfectly sum up the mood of my layout, other times it just serves as an embellishment to my own journaling. I can't get enough word art.

Q: What is your process for completing a layout?  Since most of my pages tend to be CT pages, usually the product comes first. After I've had a chance to browse through I'll usually (hopefully?) come up with an idea for a page and then I go to my photo folder and start pulling photos out. My journaling is almost always last. A lot of times I'll have the whole page done, then I'll open up Notepad and start free-writing whatever is on my mind.

Q: What don't you leave the house without? My laptop (it's my personal laptop AND my work laptop) and my cell phone. Also if it's daytime? Sunglasses. If you want to hear me complain for an entire afternoon, then hang around me on a day I couldn't find my sunglasses.

Q: Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST.  This is one of the rare pages where I did my journaling first:

Q: What camera do you use?  I shoot all my photos on a Nikon D50.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? I import all my photos through Lightroom 2.0 and let it do a lot of the work for me by running an Auto Tone preset on every photo while it imports. That takes care of any exposure and contrast adjustments right up front and saves me a ton of time. I post-process photos in Lightroom sometimes, but I also have Kubota Artistic Tools v.1-3 and they're my go-to actions. "Chocolate Syrup 1" is one of my favorite black and white conversions - I probably overuse it.

Q: What would i find in your refrigerator right now?  A ton of food, we just went grocery shopping yesterday! Some people love shopping for clothes or shoes, but for me ... grocery shopping is where it's at. Since I'm trying to eat healthier this year there's a lot of berries and cottage cheese on the shelves at the moment. Berries and cottage cheese are my typical breakfast now.

Book Crazy is one of my favorites of Peppermint's.

One final tidbit - because I couldn't resist asking her about her name!

Q: How did you get your one-of-a-kind name?  Haha! It's not all that terribly interesting. I have an older sister named Cynnamon and after that I guess my parents didn't want to wuss out and name me "Sue". I was almost a "Ginger", and if I had been a boy I would have been named "Travis". In the end I believe it was my paternal grandmother who suggested "Peppermint Patti" and the rest is history. People ask my sister and I whether we like our names, it's a most frequently asked question, and I always say that when I was a kid I suppose it bothered me a little ... in the way that kids don't really want ANY unneccessary attention. As an adult, though, I truly do love it. I'm not the ONLY Peppermint out there, I know that for a fact, but I'm usually the only one that most people have met.  

You're definitely the only Peppermint I've met!  Thanks so much for letting us all in on a bit of your creative genius :)

{storyteller} Laura  

{storyteller} spotlight: Angela Woo

I'm a mom of 2 boys named Jaden and Tristan and have been married to my high school sweetheart Ben for 6 years now. I call myself a Jack-of-all-trades! I have a certificate in Artistic Makeup and have been a freelance makeup artist on and off for the past 10 years. I also am a office administrator for my husband's company. I try my best to juggle it all!

Q: How long have you been designing and how did it all start?I've been a designer for 2 years now and it all started when I was a member of a mommy forum and saw these awesome signature graphics. I was intrigued and wanted to know how to create these graphics so I did some research online and found digital scrapbooking. It inspired me so much that I started creating my own products from the get go!

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi?  On and off for the past 4 years actually. I discovered it when I saw Shabby Princess' site..I was instantly hooked!

Q: Why do you scrap?  It was my way of showing off pictures of my babies to my friends. It also was a way of capturing that moment in time knowing full well that my babies would change so quickly.

Q: What do you do while scrapping?  It depends...If it's late at night, I am usually listening to music. If it's when my kids are awake, I'm usually listening to their tv program!

Q: What program do you use?  Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS2

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout?  I don't scrap that often but when I do, I would say on average, maybe a couple of hours. It's either because I'm slow or I'm overly critical of my layouts.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it?  Post it up on my mommy forum and share it with my family.

Q: What is the last movie you went to see? Iron Man 

Q: What is your favorite digi item?  I love ribbons and bows and anything that sparkles!
Q: What is your favorite product that you’ve created? Hands down, it's my Nature Nut kit...!   
 

Q: What is your process for completing a layout?  I don't have a particular process but I do try my best to choose the best picture of the crop and scrap from there!

Q: What camera do you use? Nikon D40

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use?  I always use my Adobe Lightroom to process my pics. I tend to add vignettes to all my pics. I'm a huge fan of vignettes!

I love Angela's nature nut kit, too, but her beach bum kit is my favorite!!

 

Q: What don't you leave the house without?  My handbag - it has everything I need when I'm out!

Thanks so much for sharing with us Angela!! To check out more of Angela's fabulous designs, visit her shop at {wst} here.

{storyteller} Laura