Spotlighting Heather

Hey all!  Jewelle here to introduce you to our first guest CT member for the month of August.  So lets get to introducing her shall we?

Heather

{aka snowdrop}

I'm 30, live in NJ (near Philadelphia), do some temp computer work, and I'm single, with no kids.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why?I've been digi scrapping a little over 2 years. I've been seriously paper scrapping over 8 years, though I scrapped in some way probably my whole lift (I still have one of my earliest scrapbooks, things glued onto that brown paper, eek! No surprise, Mickey's on the cover.) Unlike some digi scrappers, I still LOVE paper scrapping, and I feel bad that I’ve been neglecting all my supplies, especially my poor, lonely, Cricut, the last year or so.  I actually never wanted to get into digi! The digi LOs I saw always looked fake (like a magazine ad vs a traditional layout) to me. On a Michelle Kwan site I run, we had a scrapbook thread that was paper only, until Melissa (Yzerbear19), started posting some digi LOs. I thought they looked so beautiful, and real (!), and that got me to start lurking in the digi threads at the DISboard. The LOs were just as beautiful & real, and I even posted in one of the threads complimenting the scrappers, but saying I was just looking. Britt & a few others responded that I would probably be joining them soon, and I just laughed. A few days later, there was a challenge with an awesome alpha as the participation prize, and I thought, let me try to throw something together. I did a few more challenges before I realized that I was *hooked*, and there was no turning back! I still never expected to switch completely to digi from paper, but I haven't done a paper layout in about a year, so I guess I did. ;) I love doing things that I could/would never do on a paper LO, such as stitching, or things like glitter, that would be really messy but now is a snap! I also LOVE being able to scrap any picture I have. With paper scrapping, I had to decide well in advance what I wanted to scrap, then get the pics printed, and then be stuck with that size. That may be one of the biggest reasons I really got into digi, because the pictures are always the most important part of a layout to me. 
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest?  I tend to know more about my faults than what I'm strong at (I guess we're all like that!) I try to make my layouts look "real", so I
   hopefully do a good job at that, and maybe title work? My weakest is trying to get out of that template box (I love templates!) and clustering.  
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?  I would say to remember the reason why you are scrapping. It's not to get a gallery standout, or get the most comments, it's to get your pictures & memories recorded. Twenty years from now, people looking at
   your layout aren't going to care that you used the latest technique or coolest product, but they are going to love being able to relive that moment you scrapped, to look at the pictures, and to read your
   journaling. So, don't be stuck on the fact that your layouts don't look as great as others you see in the galleries right away. Just play around with your software and kits, and soon enough, people will be
   wishing they scrapped like you!
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling?  Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you?   On my desktop I have Photoshop 7, on my netbook, Photoshop CS3. I don't know if I have a system, it depends on the layout I'm working on. Sometimes I'll just get in the mood to scrap a certain set of
   pictures, and then I generally would pick a template & then products that work with the pics. Other times, a kit will inspire me, and I'll choose my pics from there. I usually do the title work then journaling
   last. Most of the time I don't have an idea what I want the layout to look like, I just go with the flow. Usually if I DO have a plan, the layout doesn't turn out anything like I pictured in my head.  I'm a
   pretty slow scrapper, and I'm constantly paying attention to small details that no one else would notice, (I can sit there for 20 minutes just changing the visibility of an element to decide if I want to use
   it, move it, or not!), so layouts usually take a few hours. If I can get one done in an hour, that's shocking!
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? I don't even want to think about how much time I spend scrapping, lol.  It's hard because it can take me a while choosing pictures (I take a LOT of pictures, so it can take me forever to narrow say 130 pics to 6 pics I want to use!) I usually scrap 4-5 layouts a week, and they take a few hours each.
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks?  I almost always have the TV on. Not that I'm watching anything, but I like having background noise. I don't like having any food near the computer, because my luck, that's an accident waiting to happen. 
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping?  I LOVE Disney, and I got incredibly addicted to Disney World a few years ago. That's one of my favorite things to scrap, so when I'm
   not there (my next trip is in September!), I can relive Disney! I'm a diehard Phillies fan, so during baseball season, I'm either at the ballpark (I attend over 30 games a year, plus a road trip each season,
   and spring training!) or watching the game on TV. I've run a Michelle Kwan site for 13 years, but I have to say I'm not as into figure skating as I used to be (I used to travel all over the country for events.) I'm also a TV addict, I don't know how I lived before getting a DVR!
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it?  I've joked about this many times, and now I can't think of anything!  Maybe go on a Disney Cruise (the layouts always look so cute!) or travel to Europe?
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? There are SO many scrappers I love, I really get inspired by everyone!  I love both ScrapMatters and MouseScrappers. The scrappers that I hit "favorite" on layouts the most are probably britt, TanyaH666, Yzerbear19, and QuiltyMom, but I am probably leaving out about 20
   people.

Wow!  What a busy lady Heather is!  I always love checking out Heather's layouts at the SM gallery since she has such inspiring Disney layouts.  Take a gander at these layouts of hers and you'll see what I mean!

Oldest Layout

This is my 2nd ever layout. It's actually not too bad, a lot of my earliest layouts are worse. It's the title page to my 2007 Disney trip album (hundreds of layouts later and I'm STILL not done!) I added a 2007 Disney World sticker to the empty space, so it's a little bit hybrid.

Favorite Layouts

I saw Toy Story 3 on Opening Night, the midnight showing. It was SO much fun and I loved the movie. I scrapped this the next day.

For Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party two years ago I dressed as Snow White. The only place to get a picture with Snow White & all the dwarfs is at the party, and I had to get that picture! I always have a hard time scrapping favorite pictures (I want it to be perfect!), but I finally was able to get one done a few weeks ago, and I love how it came out!

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products

I saw 5 Broadway shows during a short trip in 2003, and I wanted to do this layout ever since. I was so excited when Amber & Britt's kit came out because it was exactly what I was looking for!

Most Recent Layout

I've been working on my Flower & Garden Festival layouts for months, I really wish I was done by now! This was one of the only disappoints of the festival, and I like the layout better than the display.

Amazing, amazing layout!  Thanks Heather for sharing with us!  If you would like to see more inspiring layouts by Heather check out her BLOG or GALLERY!  Stay tuned next week to meet another August guest CT member!