We are excited to have Kathy Winters Designs sharing her talents with us at Plain Digital Wrapper this month. Kathy has been designing for almost four years and got her start in designing by creating word art which she said she loved because it gave her an opportunity to play with words, quotes and phrases. You can keep up with Kathy Winter Designs on her Facebook page, her blog, and by subscribing to her newsletter.

Kathy shared the following in our interview with her:

What was your favorite childhood toy or game? Yahtzee!  I have fond memories of heated games with my Grandma.  She loved to yell, Yahtzee!!

Were you named after anyone? Yes, my mom.  She’s Kathryn Jane and I’m Kathryn Lynn.

What would you do with a million dollars? Take a nice long vacation!

What is your favorite snack to scrap with? A secret stash of pretzel M & M’s from my desk.  Shhh….

What is your weakness? Puppies, I just love puppies.

What is your all-time favorite kit that you have designed and why? An Elegant Day.

I designed this kit using the color combination of black, turquoise and shades of gray.  I wanted it to be something that could be used for a multitude of themes but also be used for those elegant or special occasions in your life.  I liked the kit so much that I use it to decorate my blog and my designer logo.

What’s the scene when you design? My ideal setting is being in my home office with some Smooth Jazz playing on the radio.

Do you have a personal CT? I do have a personal creative team that just recently grew from 10 ladies to 20.  My original team has been with me for some time and they are my biggest cheerleaders.  I love these girls!  They are so loyal and creative that I spoil them whenever I get the chance.

What keeps you designing? That’s easy.  It’s the random email that I receive from a customer telling me how much they appreciate me sharing my talent.  Or how a kit will be used to scrap a special memory in their life.  And they always seem to arrive just when I need a boost to validate the long hours at the computer.

If you could only do one or other, would you rather design papers or elements? Elements or specifically decorated Wordart.  After I finish a kit, I like to challenge myself by designing a set of coordinating wordart, using pieces from the kit.  It gives me a chance to see what works and what doesn’t work by being the first one to play with the elements and paper in the kit.

Kathy has her PDW exclusive first products, Butterflies in Bloom, in the store and currently on sale for 25 percent off.  Kathy shared this about the inspiration for her new kit:

I’m from mid-Michigan and every year we visit Dow Gardens in Midland for their Butterflies In Bloom program. Each year they bring in chrysalises from all over the world, which hatch through out the month of March, filling their conservatory with beautiful butterflies.   It’s such a beautiful sight to see these butterflies up close and personal fluttering among the tropical plants and flowers.  Looking back over some pictures I took last year at this time, I decide to create my own beautiful butterflies, which lead to the Butterflies In Bloom collections.

You can also purchase coordinating Word Art, Stacked Papers and Journal Cards either separately or, for an even great discount, as part of a bundle.

Layout by demma_b13.

Layout by demma_b13.

Layout by mrscwooddell.

Layout by cla.

Layout by GlitterQueen.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by scrapsofcandy.

Kathy has a special gift from Butterflies in Bloom just for our PDW Blog readers.

Download: Butterflies in Bloom Quickpage (603)

Make sure you stop by Kathy’s blog because I saw another gorgeous quick page gift from Butterflies in Bloom over there too.

Happy Scrapping!

Filed under: Freebies, Guest Designers by Candy
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We would like to welcome Kathy Winters to the store this month! She some gorgeous products in the store, exclusive to Plaindigitalwrapper this month.  Take a  peek:

I just love the colors!

We also have our April collaboration kit out.  Want to see?

The collaboration kit will only be available this month!  You can grab it free with a $10.00 purchase in the store:

1.  Add $10.00 worth of product to your cart.

2. Add the collaboration kit to your cart.

3. Make sure you are logged in and checkout, using the coupon code: splishsplash (1 use per person)

4. The collaboration kit should show up as free!

Filed under: Collab Kits, Guest Designers by Lisa
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Joining us in our Guest Designer spot for the month of February is the fabulous talent of LouCee Creations. Not only is LouCee a talented designer but if you stop by her blog, you will see she is also an amazing hybrid artist.

Louise, who is the design force behind LouCee Creations has been designing for nearly four years and said that she has loved every minute of it. She uses Photoshop CS3, Inkscape and Artrage to craft her digital creations. She told us she wasn’t really a layout scrapper before getting into digital design but worked more on hybrid and card making side. In addition to being a designer, she has also been on the hybrid team for KimB Designs for the last four years. “I enjoy working with Kim’s kits and love being on her team, they are a fun bunch and we have so many giggles!” She attributes Kim for helping her get started as a designer.

In our interview, Louise shared the following with us:

If you could relive a day from your past, what day would it be? I’m going to be greedy and want to relive 2 days! I would love to hold my teenage son and daughter as new born babies in my arms! Although the memory will always be there, I think it would be quite special to touch and smell their baby soft skin again.

Are you ticklish? OMG Am I! *feet*  just don’t touch my feet unless you want a fat lip! I kick out real bad lol!  Just ask my husband, haahaa!

You just inherited the Witch’s Candy House from Hanzel and Gretel, what do you do now? *Eat it of course!* I would have a massive party and invite all my friends to share! And at the other end of the garden I would have a bouncy castle, if we are going to behave like children, we might as well go all the way!

Wii, Playstation, X-box or No, thank you? Wii and Playstation yes! I was a bit of a Lara Croft addict on Playstation before I discovered the computer!

What one thing would you want on a deserted island? A library! One book just wouldn’t be enough! I like to chill by reading and I figure if I was on a deserted island, there would be plenty of time for that!

What is your favorite part of designing? When everything is flowing nicely! I enjoy it most when it all comes together easily, I find I get carried away working till early hours of the morning!

If you had to have one color in every kit, what color would it be? Green, it’s not my favourite colour, that would be pink! But I do like to add a bit of greenery to realistic style kits.

Do you use a tablet when designing? Yes, I like to do my extracting with the pen and tablet.

What’s the scene when you design? I usually put a film on in the background in the evening. I listen to the radio most of the day when doing my day job.

Do you have a personal CT? If so, tell us about them. I most certainly do! I love these girls to bits, they are my little stars and make my life easier. Denise and LouAnn have been with me from day one, Tracy QC’s my products for me, Renee, Paula and Jenni are newcomers to the team but I have known them for ages.

Where do you design? In the sun lounge facing the back garden, which is lovely especially in the summer when I can have the patio doors open,  it also doubles up as a guest room if we have visitors; this is because I made our spare bedroom into my craft room last year!

Tell us about the products you have selected for your guest spot at Plain Digital Wrapper. The kits I have chosen to put in my store here show my two preferences in kit design, I love working with doodles and templates for fun style kits and then I really love heritage/vintage style kits too. I like alternating the two styles as they give me variety in my design time.

The first exclusive kit by LouCee Creations to Plain Digital Wrapper this month is Ladybug Garden. This is a colourful kit filled with fun to scrap those happy memories and includes 16 papers and 47 elements. This whimsical kit is currently on sale for 30 percent off too.

Layout by scrapsofcandy.

Layout by franlk.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by mrscwooddell.

Layout by GlitterQueen.

Layout by AFWifeShasta.

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Layout by coltsmom414.

Layout by demma_b13.

Be sure to check out all the great products in LouCee Creations Plain Digital Wrapper Guest Store this month which are all on sale.

You can also grab a sample of her work that coordinates with Ladybug Garden below.

Happy Scrapping.

Filed under: Freebies, Guest Designers by Candy
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Shhh, I am letting the cat out of the bag a few hours early.  How could I resist?  We have Loucee Creations joining us with some very cute items:

Filed under: Guest Designers by Lisa
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We have two great guest designers joining us at Plain Digital Wrapper this month. We interviewed Aimee Harrison a couple of weeks ago and she has added two more great products to her store since then so you will want to be sure you check out before her store before her guest spot ends if you have not done so already.

Also joining us this month is SKrapper Digitals. Sherah, the talent behind SKrapper Digitals, has been designing for four and half years and designs using Photoshop CS3, Inkscape and Artrage. Sherah told us she was not a paper scrapbooker or digital scrapbooker before becoming a designer. But said that she got started with the idea of scrapbooking when she was pregnant with her first daughter (who turned five-years old last week).  “The idea of scrapbooking seemed like something I should look into for a book for her. I searched the Internet to see if I could find printable paper, etc. and stumbled into the digiscrap world. Having dabbled in graphic design for years it seemed like a perfect fit and it wasn’t long before I was staying up all night tinkering in Photoshop! Shortly after that, I entered a design contest, while I didn’t win, I learned a lot. From there, I was invited to join the store I’ve sold my products at since then.”

Sherah says she is self-taught in her profession. “I had always dreamed of going to school for graphic design but couldn’t afford it so instead I taught myself as much as I could through books and research.”

Here are few things Sherah shared with us in her interview:

What one thing would you want on a deserted island? Other than my family, my Bible.

Were you named after anyone? My Dad is a pastor so my eight siblings and I were all named after Biblical characters. I’m named after the Sherah from 1 Chronicles 7:24. I’ve always thought that was cool because it says she built three cities (Yay girl power! Lol! )

What would you do with a million dollars? Tithe, pay off my parents debt and buy them a nice place to live comfortably, pay off my in-laws debt and help them finish the much needed repairs on their small cabin, help my siblings with any of their financial needs and buy a home for my little family.

Do you sing in the shower/car? I sing at home all the time (but am far too nervous to do so in public).

Where do you get your inspiration from? Hmm. Pretty much anything can spark inspiration with me. A walk outside, a tv commercial, a photograph.

What one thing is essential for putting you in a creative mood? Time to myself really helps (which is rare these days with a preschooler and eight month old). Usually, I end up staying up really late after my family is asleep or I design in the parking lot of my daughter’s preschool while the baby naps.

What is your least favorite part of designing? Trying to keep my kit sizes down usually! I tend towards getting swept up in the design process and over create, making huge kits even when I originally planned on only making a mini kit! Lol!

What is your favorite part of designing? I really enjoy it all, the whole process from initial inspiration to reality.

What was the hardest part about starting out as a designer? For me it was the floundering around not knowing what I was doing for sure and having no one to ask about it. This feeling is what inspired me to start the Digi Design Academy.

Sherah currently has three unique products and some coordinating add-ons in her store at Plain Digital Wrapper.

The first product is an interactive design course she been teaching for a few years called Digi Design Academy. It is a beginner to advanced design class for those interested in creating their own designs for themselves or to sell to others. The course was recently revised, expanded and updated this past summer and contains a great deal of detailed written material, 50+ video tutorials, 50+ CU permitted freebies and a monthly live two hour video class teaching a lesson in Photoshop (with video instructions from the lesson added to the video library afterwards for those unable to attend.).  New content is added monthly and if needed, one on one tutoring or guidance is also available via e-mail or chat. “Ive really enjoyed teaching the class and the students seem to love it as well. Many of the students choose to stay on past the initial 10 week course period ( by paying a separate annual or semi-annual fee). It’s been a great experience so far and I’m thankful for the chance to share any knowledge I can and make such wonderful friends.” The Digi Design Academy is currently on a special limited time price for Plain Digital Wrapper customers for only $50, a savings of 33 percent off the regular price.

SKrapper Digital’s second product for her guest store are a yummy cupcake element pack that is the introductory product in a new  product line she has coming out call “Bakery SKraps”.  Add these sweet cupcakes to any cake or party themed photos to instantly create and customize your own cake themed layouts using any kit in your collection. The 12 high quality cupcakes are created in a variety of cake and frosting combinations for you to choose from.

Layout by Sandie03.

Skrapper Digitals third product is a collab kit with Feli Designs (whom you may recognize from the PDW Gallery as MissParker). Masquerade is the perfect combination for you to scrap everything from masquerade balls to carnival photos; anything with and behind the mask and all those golden moments when life is a never ending party. The kit includes 22 gorgeous papers and 89 unique elements as well as seven pieces of word art.

Masquerade is also available as a bundle which includes the kit, six clusters and eight quickpages. You can also purchase the clusters or QuickPages separately.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Jean Ann.

Layout by MissParker.

Here is a little gift from Masquerade for you.

You can keep up with from SKrapper Digitals in the future on her Facebook Page and/or on her blog.

Filed under: Guest Designers by Candy
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