Category: Featured Designer

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September Featured Designer – meet the designer behind FranB Designs

I can’t believe we have less than four months left for the year, where has the time gone. I have a lot of scrapping still left to do this year. How is your end of summer/beginning of fall turning out?

We have a great Featured Designer this month… FranB Designs!! I am sure many of you are familiar with her work, followed her for her magical mouse blog train goodies and have signed up with her newsletter, right!! If not, take a moment to learn a little more about our awesome designer and then head over to her blog and sign up for everything!!

Her featured kit this month is ‘Books! Books! Books” and it is just adorable, just look at those worms!! I love the colors she choose and how she stepped away from the standard school colors for most kits. I can see many fun layouts being created with this fun kit. What pictures can you see with this kit?

 

 

FranB also has some other really delightful kits that can go with you all your travel photos, activity photos, or just random photos.

Those who love her kits come up with some very cute layouts. I just love the creativity!!

If you are not familiar with her products yet, take a minute to browse her shop and I’m sure they will catch your eyes!

Now let’s take a moment to learn more about FranB!!

Who are you?

  • My name is Fran and I live in Indiana with my husband and son, who is 14. My son just started high school and plays football and is very enthusiastic about it. We love to watch him play. I like to spend time with my family. I read lots and lots of books, mostly YA fiction and I like to play games!

Tell us your design name and what inspired it:  

  • Well, my design name is my name, so that’s pretty easy to figure out. I started selling here at WLS when it’s doors first opened in November 2011. I designed freebies on my blog before that.

 

How many hours a day or week do you dedicate to designing, and how long does it usually take to complete a kit?

  • I don’t have a set time per week that I design. I tend to design in phases… for a few weeks I will design like crazy and then a couple weeks not at all. I have to force myself to go back, usually. I design in PSCS6 and typically do papers first, then alpha and then elements. I am very OCD organized, so I plan kits way in advance. I collect color palettes and themes that I want to do and plan what sorts of elements I want in the kit before I create them. Then it doesn’t take very long to make the kit, since I don’t have to do any thinking. Sometimes picking colors is the longest part of the process!

 

What inspires your designs most?

  • I am often inspired by colors. Sometimes themes. I don’t really like to do repeat themes. Each holiday that gets a lot of kits like Christmas is hard for me each year… I always feel like I’ve done that before and don’t really want to do it again!

If you’re running low on design mojo, where do you go to kick start your creativity?

  • When I am low on mojo I force myself to restart. I take a few days or a couple weeks away until I am behind on kits and then I just have to sit down, pick a kit that is already planned and just do it. That’s my plan for tomorrow!

What part of designing is most challenging to you?

  • Trying new things that don’t come naturally to me.

Slippers or barefoot?

  • Socks! But I do wear slippers in the winter because my feet get so cold!

Favorite TV show?

I don’t watch tv! *gasp* But when I do, it’s usually HGTV. ;)

Where is the farthest you have been from home?

  • I grew up in Chicago and live in Indiana now. I’ve been to Hawaii to the west and Niagara Falls in the northeast and Bahamas in the southeast.

Do you have a muse or someone that inspires you?

  • Listening to music always helps me design. I often listen to Disney music or 80s music or Broadway music while designing.

Books or Movies?

  • Books! Typically most movies based on books suck.

Facebook or Twitter?

  • I hate twitter. ;)

Skirts or Jeans?

  • Yoga pants!

Vintage or Modern?

  • Modern. I am not a vintagey person at all.

Cats or Dogs?

  • I had 3 cats, and love them. Dogs are awesome too, but I’ve never owned one. My hubby is not a fan of furry pets. :(

What inspired you to create this month’s featured kit? 

  • My love for reading books! Everyone needs a book nook to curl up and read!

Tell us about your featured designer’s month, sales, promotions, gifts… /

  • My entire shop is 50% off all month long! Sale price will show up at checkout.

What can we expect to see in your store on the next weeks?

  • I am always thinking of new kits to create. If there is something you would be interested in me creating, drop me a message!

Are you already working on some new releases?

  • Always working on new releases! My Lovely Colors kit will be out soon and you will love it! (Or may have already been out depending on when you read this!!)

 

Thank you so much FranB for sharing with us and allowing us to get to know you a little better. I am totally with you on the yoga pants!!  Don’t forget to check out and join in on her Featured Designer challenge, I know she would love to see what you create!

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July Featured Designer – meet the designer behind JMC Designs

The year is officially half over. For some summer is half over while others start school next week. I am not ready for summer to be over. Are you? Well, the great news is that not much is over here at With Love Studio and that includes introducing you to our monthly Featured Designer!!

I am sure many of you are familiar with our designer JMC Designs! She is new to our With Love Studio family but not new to digital scrapbooking. She is our featured Designer this month and she has this amazing food kit called ‘PB and Jelly Time.’ Now I am a little hungry while I have a the song ‘Peanut Butter Conspiracy’ by Jimmy Buffett keeps playing in my head. I love PB&J sandwiches. Jodi of JMC Designs has this yummy kit for you full of everything you would need to make yourself a fun layout!

Jodi aka JMC Designs is an wonderful designer with some really darling kits. I love that she has her style set and she isn’t afraid of bold colors or light colors. Here are some of my favorite kits from her:

 

Here are some layouts using her kits:


If you are not familiar with her products yet, take a minute to browse her shop and I’m sure they will catch your eyes!

Who are you?

  • Hello Everyone, Jodi here from JMC Designs.  I live in Utah, and am married for 29 years and I have two children, 23 yr old daughter, who is married and going to school, and a 22 yr old son who works and works.  I am from Florida and it is my dream to move back there when we retire in a few years. I love to be outdoors and other than scrapbooking, I love cooking, reading, and spending time with my family.

Tell us your design name and what inspired it

  • My Design name is JMC Designs – it came from my original design name of Jensen Motley Crew Designs, after my family.  LOL! Not the rock group Motley Crue!

How long have you been designing and did it all start?

  • I participated in a scrapbook contest at another store and after the contest was over I was asked to be a designer.  That was back in 2008.  Then in 2012 I took a year off for health reason and came back in late 2013.

How many hours a day or week do you dedicate to designing, and how long does it usually take to complete a kit?

  • Well during the school year, I work mostly on week-ends and some nights. During the summertime I am on the computer most days. and then I try and take week-ends off, to get away and spend time with my hubby. If I am really excited about a kit I can make it in about 4 or 5 hours.  If I struggle with it, it can take me a few days.

What are your favorite design tools; and what computer/software/programs do you use?

  • I love working with styles and textures.  I work in Adobe Photoshop CC.

Do you have a method you like to follow when designing?

  • Not really a method, but I usually make the elements first.

What inspires your designs most?

  • Usually I see a color palette or create a color palette and that gets my juices flowing.

If you’re running low on design mojo, where do you go to kick start your creativity?

  • Oh yeah, a designer’s nightmare, losing your mojo.  That has happened a few times, but I get inspiration from my followers, and especially my daughter.

What has been the greatest compliment you have received about your designs? 

  • The greatest compliment for me was a customer who followed me from my store that closed and she said she would follow me anywhere I choose to go.

Link us to a layout that you have seen using your work that just left you awestruck?

 

What’s your favorite snack to have handy while you design?

  • Popcorn and Coke!  I love White Cheddar Popcorn. I mostly drink water, but I love COKE!

Slippers or barefoot?

  • I am a Florida girl, so definitely BAREFOOT!

Do you have another job/career other than designing?

  • I am a Certified Nutrition Specialist at a nearby Charter School.  I Love it!  It is a school dedicated to working with kids that have some form of Autism.  It is very rewarding and I have learned so much from these kids!

Quick Fire Questions

  • Pocket Scrapbooking or Traditional? Definitely Traditional
  • Single or Multi Photo? Single
  • White Space or Fill the page? White Space
  • Template or Blank Canvas? Blank Canvas
  • Pepsi or Coke? Coke, did I tell you I like COKE!

What inspired you to create this month’s featured kit? 

  • I held a contest on my blog and the theme and color palette that won is my Featured Kit – PB and Jelly Time

Tell us about your featured designer’s month, sales, promotions, gifts… /

  • My entire store will be 50% OFF all month long!

What can we expect to see on your store on the next weeks?

  • Beachy, Summer, Vacations, Sunshine… all things summery!

Are you already working on some new releases? 

  • I really like to work 2 or 3 months ahead of schedule, I hate to be late for anything!

 

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June Featured Designer – meet the designer behind Heather Z Scraps

Summer is here, the year is halfway over and we have been back now for 3 months. Yeah. Things are finally starting to take shape again and it’s feeling like home. No home is complete without having our monthly Featured Designer spot, how else do you get to know us. 🙂

I am sure many of you are familiar with our designer Heather Z Scraps! She is new to our With Love Studio family but not new to digital scrapbooking. She is our featured Designer this month and she has this amazing vacation kit called ‘Jamaican Vacation’. As you can see she has a few fun townspeople to welcome you, a crazy fun alpha, fun seashells, bright colored elements and fun papers. What more could your family photos want!

Heather aka Heather Z Scraps is an amazing designer with some really adorable kits. I love that she has her style set and she isn’t afraid of bold colors or light colors. She creates items that can be easily cut and used with Hybrid scrapbooking as well as planners. Here are some of my favorite kits from her:

I am just in love with this kit. Those animal are way to cute and those splatters are awesome. This kit is perfect for those western style photos of yours!!

I love the bright colors in this kit. The kids are way to cute with their stick figure arms and legs. I love all the swirls and hearts and other fun elements. I just need to find photos for this or create a photoshoot!!

I am a planner junkie, I own like 7 or 9 at this point and am starting my daughter on hers – this doesn’t count the binders, the computer or the phone. Stickers are always a great way to keep me organized, and these are fun and brightly colored – perfect to stand out on the page!!

Here are some layouts using her kits:

If you are not familiar with her products yet, take a minute to browse her shop and I’m sure they will catch your eyes!

Who are you?

Please describe who you are outside the designer world within one to two sentences.

Hi there! I’m Heather, and I live in Northern VA (about 30 min outside DC) with my husband of 11 years and our two boys (Jacob, 9, and Henry, 6).  Rounding out our family are our THREE (yes, 3!) cats.  Bella (9), Charlie (3), and Rio (we’re not sure on his age as we rescued him when he wandered into our yard last summer, but we think he’s around 1-2 years).  When I’m not designing I can be found doing anything crafty, gardening, reading, or hanging out with my family. <3

Tell me about your design world

My design name is Heather Z. Scraps … it’s not super creative, huh? Lol  I have been designing for 3 years now, but only in business for about a year and a half.  I began designing during the summer of 2014 when I took a designer mentoring class that another store was offering.  I offered freebies on my blog and FB page for a year and then the following summer I took the same designer class again.  Finally that Fall (2015) I was offered my first position in the same store that taught me all I know!

I pretty much design whenever and wherever I can.  I absolutely LOVE IT!  I take my laptop with me when we travel and work in the car while driving down 95.  Lol  I work on designing (or something design-related) almost every evening after my kids are in bed, and even in the evening while watching TV with the fam!

When designing I tend to use Photoshop CC (and for scrapping I use Photoshop Elements).  I recently bought a subscription to Illustrator, though, because I’d like to learn to doodle and make some of my own layered CU items.

When I’m prepping a kit, I usually make a list of what I want to put in it, then I pull all those items together into one folder, so when I’m ready to start working on said kit everything is in one central location.  I’m a little OCD, too.  Lol

So far I haven’t run out of ideas for kits, but if I ever do I will probably look to my kids for inspiration and/or Pinterest (I’m something of a Pinterest-addict).

What part of designing comes easiest to you (Themes, colors, papers, elements?)

  • Themes, definitely!  I don’t know how to make a “non-themed” kit, unfortunately. Lol

Favorite TV show?

  • Overall … FRIENDS.  But lately I have really become addicted to the new NBC show Timeless!

Where is the farthest you have been from home?

  • I’m not sure if Nevada is further than Jamaica or not, but Nevada is the furthers West, Jamaica is the furthest South, and Canada is the furthest North. :)

Do you have another job/career other than designing?

  • Yep! I work for my husband’s company (he’s not the owner, but he is the Regional Manager of this office) doing administrative type tasks.

How long were you scrapbooking before you started designing?

  • I started digi-scrapbooking in 2013, so a little over a year. :)

Quick Fire Questions

  • Pocket Scrapbooking or Traditional? Traditional
  • Single or Multi Photo? Single
  • Sun or Snow? Sun
  • City Break or Beach Holiday? Beach!
  • Ice Cream or Cake? Ice Cream CAKE! Lol

Your Featured Kit

  • What inspired you to create this month’s featured kit? I had actually planned to release this last month, but time got away from me, so I didn’t get around to designing it until now .. anyway, last month (May) was my husband’s and mine’s anniversary month (11 years!) and we got married in Jamaica (plus honeymooned there), so I thought it would be fun to create a Jamaican destination kit!
  • Tell us about your featured designer’s month, sales, promotions, gifts… / My entire store will be 50% OFF all month long!
  • What can we expect to see on your store on the next weeks?  I have some outdoorsy kits coming up, plus a few summer fruits kits and a Baseball themed kit.
  • Are you already working on some new releases? Yes! I’m always working on something new .. every second of every day!
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October Featured Designer – meet the designer behind Sugar Moon Designs

The year is almost over! I can’t believe we are in Fall already and we have all the fun Holidays upon us.This truly is my favorite time of year. What is great is about this time of year is how it always seems to bring families together!

I am sure many of you are familiar with our designer Sugar Moon Designs! She is our featured Designer this month and she has this amazing family kit called ‘Close knit’. As you can see she has a few fun alphas, Silhouettes, tags, word art, elements and fun papers. What more could your family photos want!

sugarmoon_featuredkit

Crystal aka Sugar Moon Designs is an amazing designer with some really adorable kits. I have known her since the store opened and even before that at a previous store and I have seen her talent just grow. Seen her try new things, color palettes and push her beyond ‘the box’ to create kits that work not just for the theme but outside the theme as well. Here are some of my favorite kits from her:

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(Even my hubby wants me to get this one and he isn’t into scrapbooking but loves this kit!!

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Here are some beautiful layouts creating using her kits!!
brother_sister60thannivesarysugarmoon_mermaidkingdompub-crawl-sugarmoon

If you are not familiar with her products yet, take a minute to browse her shop and I’m sure they will catch your eyes!

crystalWhat’s your real name if different from your designer name?
My real name is Crystal.

What’s the meaning of your designer’s name and how did you come up with it?
Sugar Moon is the name of an old country song by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. I love the song and it reminds me of my Grandpa.

How long have you been designing?
I’ve been designing scrapbook kits since 2009.

Tell us a little bit about you, your family and your daily life.
I am married to wonderful guy, I have a 17 year old nephew that lives with us, and we have a 23 year old daughter who is going to have her first baby in July! So I’m very excited to be a grandma for the first time!

Do you have another job/career other than designing?
I work from home doing freelance graphic design work – so it works well with designing scrapbook items!

How many hours a day or week do you dedicate to designing, and how long does it usually take to complete a kit?
Honestly, I’m not sure how much time I spend designing – it varies so much! When an idea hits me and I find the right color palette, I spend time thinking about the theme and what the kit should look like, and when I finally have all my ideas straightened out putting it together goes pretty quickly. I’m guess on average 5 – 10 hours for a kit – depending on the kit.

What are you favorite design tools and what computer/software/programs do you use?
My favorite tools are photoshop and illustrator. I love drawing in illustrator and I love using styles in photoshop!

Do you have a method you like to follow when designing?
Usually I get the idea for a kit – and then I try to work up a color palette. The theme and colors are the jumping off point. I try to think about different layouts and what items it would be fun to work with. I also try to have a range of elements to try and trigger people’s imaginations. Sometimes I get carried away and I want to put everything but the kitchen sink in my kits!

Tell us about your featured kit, where did you find inspiration for it?
My featured kit “Close Knit’ is a kit made to handle all your amazing family memories! Whether these memories are 100 years old, or just a few hours old, they are precious and need to be preserved! I’ve created “Close Knit” with TONS of great items for your layouts and hybrid projects! This kit comes with 40 stunning papers, 86 total gorgeous elements, 19 silhouettes and labels for family tree creation, 25 family labels, 5 word arts, and 3 alphas. One alpha is an old newspaper style alpha, one alpha is a stitched tag alpha, and the last alpha that comes in three different colors is a cross stitch style alpha. Alphas come with uppercase, lowercase, and some symbols.

Tell us about your featured designer’s month, sales, promotions, gifts…
My shop is on sale all month – 35% off!!! I have the beautiful “Close knit” kit, . . . also keep an eye out for some fun freebies that will be posted on the With Love Studio blog. Lastly, !

Thanks!

Crystal made a special FREEBIE all our blog readers using “Close Knit” and I know she has a beautiful Quickpage you can find in the With Love Studio Newsletter.
sugarmoon_closeknit_clusterpreview

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Meet our August Featured Designer – Kandi Pixel Designs

Welcome to our August Featured Designer!! Can’t believe the year is almost over.

This month With Love Studio is featuring Kandi Pixel Designs and I’m happy to be here to show off her work and tell you a little bit about the charming designer behind the kits.

Let’s start with “The Night Before”, #1 on my fave list! How cute are those mice!!

KPD_TheNightBeforePreview-KitWLS

I just love her templates. Whether you like pocket templates, that focuses on photos or templates with fun shapes that can be used for paper pieces or photos!

So here are my #2 through #5 favorites:

KPD_WellRounded_Template-FolderWLS

KPD_WellRounded03_FolderWLS

KPD_SimplyModern_PreviewWLS

KPD_WinterLove_Preview-TemplateWLS

Aren’t these just stunning? What would your pages look like if you used these?

I sent the designer a few interview questions a couple of weeks ago and now I’ll share with you what I got from her:

What’s your real name if different from your designer name?
I design under Kandi Pixel Designs by Nicole,and my middle name is Nicole.

What’s the meaning of your designer’s name and how did you come up with it?
I’ve always been into kawaii japanese culture, and cute things like that are really kitchy in the scene so it just fit my personality.

How long have you been designing and did it all start?
I started designed for my first blog train in 2014 and here I am now. I started with some horrible graphics in an open blog train and then took several designer classes to become a better designer.

Tell us a little bit about you, your family and your daily life.
I am a stay at home mommy to one, scrapbook designer, party favor business owner, and in school full time to be an accountant.

Do you have another job/career other than designing?
Designing party favors and being a mommy!

How many hours a day or week do you dedicate to designing, and how long does it usually take to complete a kit?
Anywhere from 1-6 hours a day. Kits generally take about a week to complete, including QC and addons.

What are your favorite design tools and what computer/software/programs do you use?
I love Photoshop CC, the best subscription I have ever paid for!

Do you have a method you like to follow when designing?
Colors, Inspiration, elements, papers, then add ons.

Tell us about your featured kit, where did you find inspiration for it?
We get a ton of thunderstorms around here this time of year and bad weather comes up unexpectedly.

 

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What can we expect to see on your store on the next weeks?
More themed kits, mini kits, project life style templates, and possibly some CU items!

Are you already working on some new releases?
Yes! I have two in the works for September.

Tell us about your featured designer’s month, sales, promotions, gifts…
40% off my entire store for the month! Also check out some awesome freebies that coordinate with the featured Rolling Thunder kit!

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Check out these thunder stopping layouts created with her featured kit, Rolling Thunder:

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And Nicole has a gift for you! A fun cluster with shadows to help create fun depth!

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DOWNLOAD: https://1drv.ms/u/s!An6DBAtCPqzHs0OdMmuBaVyPJ6HB

Just click the preview to download it or use the download link.

Be sure to follow her on Facebook, join her Facebook Fan Group, and to sign up to her Newsletter too. It’s the best way to keep connected with her and never miss a new release or a freebie!

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