Archives for 2009

Let’s Meet a Designer: Graham Like the Cracker’s Jen!

Wow, it’s awkward to interview myself… good thing I like to talk a lot….

What is your name and your Digi-scrap blog address? My name is Jen. My mom named me Jennifer, because she wanted to call me Jenny, like King Arthur called Princess Guinivere, Jenny in that 70’s version of Camelot. But I have NEVER been Jenny. My blinkie explains my last name.
Lets Go Fly a Kite Blinkie
I always thought that Graham was a very common word, and couldn’t be mispronounced. I laughed when I heard my husband say, “No; Graham, like the cracker” when someone pronounced his last name incorrectly. Then I became a Graham…
My digi-scrap blog is https://grahamlikethecracker.blogspot.com.

Tell us a little bit about your family. My husband and I live in Southern California with our almost two year old son Alton. Most of our family lives near by. We are very active in our church, and I drag myself away from scrapping and designing to go to MOPS every other week. Alton is the light of our lives and I can’t imagine life without him!
Tell us a little about you.
I am left handed, I bake like an angel, and I am a speed scrap rebel! Oh, and I am slightly obsessed with Twilight. I was even the community leader for a Twilight community for a while. (There are blinkies on my blog if you need some. πŸ™‚ )
What other hobbies do you have besides designing and scrapping?
There are others? I used to love to read. But now I scrap instead. Also, I haven’t read anything that has captured my interest as much as Twilight did. I am not going to tell you how many times I have read those books!
How did you get started designing and scrapping?
Charmaine (Wyld Web Designs) helped my make my first page at the end of July last year. I joined the Brownie Scraps design training this last March and have been gun ho ever since!
How long have you been designing?
I started selling this April.
Which programs do you use to design?
I use Photoshop CS4.
Do you draw most of your items with a mouse, hand draw and scan, or do you use your camera? I can’t draw to save my life! I use the shape and pen tools in photoshop to make most of my elements. I occasionally take photographs and extract things, but I don’t like extracting! About 1/3 of my elements are extracted though.
Where does your inspiration usually come from?
Would it be bad to say Gymboree and Disneyland? We have annual passes, so we go there A LOT! I love bright colors, so anything that catches my eye gets filed away for later. I have 3 or 4 palettes filed away right now for later use.
How did you pick your design name?
I mentioned my husband saying, “Graham; like the Cracker.” I wanted something that was fun and not very common. You might be shocked to hear this, but Jennifer is a very common name. So alas, no Designs by Jen or Jen Graham Designs for me.
Who are your favorite three designers? It fluctuates, but currently Amanda Heimann, Ziggle Designs, and Wyld Web Designs have the most space on my EHD. I got some kits by Britt-ish Designs on NSD that I can wait to try, so I might have a new top three next week. πŸ™‚
What is your favorite part of a kit to design? Papers. I usually make 30+ papers per kit. Extracted elements drive me insane.
What is the weirdest thing you have used as a texture?
I am not suppossed to say this, so don’t tell my husband, but I once used my husband’s chest hair…. Shhh!
What is your favorite kit that you have designed?
My current newest one is usually my favorite… I am doing one for the So You Think You Can Design Contest over at DigiScrap Addicts… I swear I would marry the kit if I could! (Make sure to keep an eye on my blog… there will be freebies every day as soon as I finish my kit!)
What is your least favorite?
My first kit was so awful I think I even deleted it from my blog… OMG! I didn’t know how to use textures and well, the less said about it the better. For the record, Char’s first kit was WAY better than mine.
How do you get started on a kit? Palette first? Rough idea on what you want your papers or elements to look like? I usually have a theme first. Then I start with my papers after I get a palette because most of my elements that I make myself are made with my papers.
How long does it typically take you to make a kit? AGES. For the sake of my marriage I hope I get quicker soon! Making the stuff myself takes FOREVER!
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? I know most people say their middle, but even though mine does need changing, I would say my singing voice. I can’t even carry a tune in a bucket. But I have been known to Rock the Itsy Bitsy Spider and I am a Little Teapot.
What is the one word that best describes you? Tenacious.
Who is the most important person in your life? God. I can’t do anything without Him.
What is something that not many people know about you? I used to run track in high school. I was decent and I really enjoyed it. I would run bleachers for fun. Oh to have that kind of energy and stamina these days, not to mention that tushie!
If you could travel anywhere where would you go? Ireland. All of Western Europe really, but if I had to choose, it would be Ireland for sure.
When you were little what did you dream of being when you grew up? I always thought I would be a mommy or a teacher. Now that I am a mommy, I want to be on the Food Network when I grow up.
What do you like doing with your family? Hiking in the local mountains and traveling. I LOVE to travel. (The best place to take pictures for digi-scrapping of course!) Alton and I go to Disneyland once a week for the exercise (I swear!) because we have Disneyland annual passports.
Where is your favorite place to be? With my husband and son. They are the lights of my life.
CU or do it your self? My kits are about 90% “organic”. I make most of my stuff my self, but I will on occasion use a pattern overlay for my papers or a string or ribbon that someone else extracted. I don’t feel like the kit is really mine if I use too much CU.

Edward or Jacob? I will let my blinkies blink for themselves.

Here are three of my favorite complete kits:

This kit is my collab with Charmaine!
and a freebie for you! You deserve it after making your way through this whole post! Click on the preview to download from 4Shared!

And as a thank to you all of you wonderful blog readers, you can get 20% off of anything in Jen’s store. Use coupon code e48899434a. It is good through this weekend.

This just in…

I am interrupting scrappy goodness to let you all know, that Ginger has finally caved. SHE IS READING TWILIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Let’s place bets… Will she stay up all night and read it?

To End NSD Weekend…

A super fun game of Truth or Dare!

Tonight May 3! After the Speed Scrap! Click Here!
9 pst
10 mst
11 cst
12 est

Okay, the last one was an absolute hoot. I think my other blog still says “I am am a fluffy bunny and I have fluff in funny places.” or something like that. I think Steph has that highly unflattering picture of me doing yoga somewhere too… which reminds me, “Do something nice for Steph today….”

Join us! It will be an awesome time. Just wait to see what we have planned for Ginger.

“Oh Ginger!”

Oh and make sure you hit all the stops on the blog train… the links come down tomorrow night!

Gingerscraps Modern Mommy Blog Train!

Ya hoooo.. Are you ready for a great weekend?? I know I am πŸ™‚
To start it off right all of the wonderful GingerScraps Family has this amazing freebie for you!!
There is sooo much goodness!! I want to say a BIG thank you to all my GingerBread Ladies and my GingerSnaps!! Without you this NEVER would have happened!!!! THANK YOU!!!

So here it is.. in honer of all of you… I present ….

Modern MommyThis is the beginning of the Gingerscraps Modern Mommy Blog train. If you get lost along the way, come back here because I have the map!

Here is my part of the train!
ONLY the PAPERS!! You will get the elements at the last stop ChooChoo!! Link expired –


While you are waiting for 4shared to let you download, why not check out the Gingerscrap’s forum? We are starting a Digi-scrap Boot Camp on Sunday. Saturday is the last day to sign up and the challenges start Sunday! It’s free, but you need to sign up to have access to the training and tutorials!

We are also hosting a speed scrap every day in the month of May! Did you know that a speed scrap a day will keep the bad mojo away? Check the Gingerscraps Blog for the Speed Scrap Calendar. Tonight we even have a “Who needs sleep? Night Owl Speed Scrap” hosted by Jen!

The next stop on the trip is Jen’s blog.

Happy Scrapping and downloading!

And just in case you get lost along the way- here is a full map of all the stops πŸ™‚ Make sure you visit all of them, there are even some really cute hybrid items!

Ginger to Jen
Jen to Charmaine
Charmaine to Jodi
Jodi to Ashlee
Ashlee to Barbara
Barbara to Stephanie
Stephanie to Misty
Misty to Rachel
Rachel to Lindsay
Lindsay to Christie
Christie to Tara
Tara to Laura
Laura to Jenn
Jenn to Jill
Jill to Julie
Julie to Marie
Marie to Mary
Mary to the caboose in the forum.

NSD!!!!!!

Speed Scraps!

We have a ton of Speed Scraps coming up as you know.

This afternoon we are having our first of 31 days of speed scraps! Come join us in the forum!

Don’t forget tomorrow night’s Night Owl, Who Needs Sleep speed scrap hosted by Jen! It starts tomorrow night at 10 PM Pacific!

31 days of participation prizes! WHOOT!

Layout of the week!!!

WOW- we did sure have a ton of BEAUTIFUL layouts at GingerScraps this week!!

Keep ’em coming ladies!!

SO this weeks LOTW is……

Romantic Moment by Lori (lasnow)

Congrats Lori!! Check your PM at the GingerScraps forum for your $5.00 off coupon πŸ™‚

And Keep thoese LO’s coming πŸ™‚ You could be the next GS LOTW winner!!

WAIT- One more thing.. If you ave not signed up for Scrapping BootCamp you still have time!!!We are really excited about this.

Are you an experienced scrapper who has lost your mojo?
Do you want to go to the next level with your layouts?
Do you wonder why your layouts just don’t look “done”?
or are you a brand new scrapper who wants to learn “everything!”?

Join the Gingerscraps team for an intense 6 week basic training course that will help you grow as a scrapper!

We will have weekly tutorials, prizes, CC, and lots of fun! Click on the flyer to sign up in our forum! You have to sign up by Saturday May 2nd, and our first week’s training starts on Sunday, May 3rd. If you do not sign up, you will not have access to the private boot camp forum,

A Speed Scrap a Day in May Calendar!

Hey ladies! Chamaine made a freebie for you with her new kit, Glamtastic, coming soon to Gingerscraps! It includes the “Speed Scrap a Day in May” schedule so you can have it right on your computer desktop, and never lose it or spill coffee on it!

Click the image or HERE to download! See you at the speed scraps!

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Freebies!






A Speed Scrap a Day in May!

And to help you keep track of all the Speed Scrapping goodness, Charmaine has made this handy dandy flyer. (If you click on it, you will get a larger version that you can right click and save.)