April Featured Designer Part 2 – Dear Friends Designs

Hi my sweet scrapping friends! It’s time for the second part of April’s Featured Designer interviews. Dear Friends Designs is made up of the fabulous Colleen and Trina. Let’s see how they answered my questions. We’ll talk with Colleen first.

How did you get started in digital scrapbooking?

Trina introduced me to it in 2008.

What made you decide to design?

We were always making our own templates when scrapping and couldn’t seem to find the perfect template designer to fit our needs.

What do you use to create your designs (program, additional tools, etc.)?

I use Adobe CS5. I will use the shape and brush tools. We have created our own styles, actions, brushes, and shapes for our templates.

Describe your design workplace.

I have a roll-top desk that was converted from an old organ (I nabbed it at a thrift store) and a really cute and comfy office chair. I always have a blanket (my downstairs is freezing) and a cup of coffee or glass of lemon water and sometimes chocolate. 😉

What is your favorite thing about designing?

Seeing other people’s layouts that the created with out templates.

What is your favorite kit currently in your GS store and why?

I love our Big Memories series. We are at Vol 5 already. I love being able to showcase a huge photo but still have the opportunity to showcase several other ones from an event or photo session.

What do you do when you are feeling very sad or depressed?

Hmm, I don’t get depressed, and I feel like I don’t get sad very often. If I am really sad, I will cry. I also like to talk to my husband when I am feeling down and stressed.

Which is the best vacation you’ve ever had in your life?

This is way too hard to answer! I have loved all my vacations for different reasons. I love to travel, and we travel all the time.

Which is your most cherished childhood memory?

I think I had a pretty awesome childhood. I was lucky. I think being able to vacation with my family and spend weekends at the cabin really stand out the most for me.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Sometimes.

Who is your celebrity crush?

I don’t have one.

What do you order when you go to Starbucks?

Caramel Macchiato with an extra flavor shot.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Gingerbread or iced molasses – they have to be soft though!

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

6th grade.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Optimist.

Would you change your name if you could? If so, what would you change it to?

Nope.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

This really depends on my mood. Italian sausage and black olives. Hawaiian. Meat Lovers.

If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?

Be kind!

What do you do to wake up in the morning?

My alarm goes off, and I immediately hop out of bed. No snooze button or lounging for me.

What is a small luxury that you treat yourself to?

Coffee shop coffee.

What did you want to be when you were small?

Veterinarian.

Which would you rather do: wash dishes, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, or vacuum the house?

Anything but wash dishes!

If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking, or yard work?

Cleaning! My husband already does the yard work, and I love cooking.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Buy a huge hobby farm, share money with my family, take my family and friends on a vacation to a private island, rescue animals, help war veterans, volunteer in urban schools.

What’s the most interesting thing you can see out of your office or kitchen window?

My beautiful maple tree.

Share your favorite recipe with us.

There’s no recipe to share. It’s tacos. haha

Thanks Colleen!!

Now let’s hear from Trina.

How did you get started in digital scrapbooking?

Back in early 2007 (yikes, sounds like a LONG time ago!) I was pregnant with my second child and making a wedding slideshow for my SIL of her old photos and her hubby to be’s old photos. Was having fun, then started searching for ways to make it fancier and stumbled upon digital scrapbooking! I used to sell Creative Memories, and was only about 4 pages in PAPER scrapbook for my oldest. I was instantly hooked, shortly after sold my paper supplies and never looked back!

What made you decide to design?

It has always intrigued me, I’ve dabbled with different types of designing, and never seemed to be able to leave a template alone and just use it. Got to the point where Colleen & I were both just making our own templates, so we hemmed and hawed and eventually bit the bullet and asked Ginger what she thought – she was so encouraging and excited for us, now its been a year!

What do you use to create your designs (program, additional tools, etc.)?

I use Adobe Creative Cloud. I have been addicted to Photoshop since high school when I learned to use it for yearbook! I create EVERYTHING in Photoshop, fliers, applications, etc., I mean everything!

Describe your design workplace.

Wherever my laptop happens to be, traveling with me in the car I make hubby drive so I can design and or scrap. Sometimes in the chair. When my back was bad before surgery I’d be laying on the living room floor! Now most often its on a desk right in my living room.

What is your favorite thing about designing?

That its work, that doesn’t feel like work, and I still get to scrapbook! Getting to know other awesome designers, and working with some pretty amazing CT!

What is your favorite kit currently in your GS store and why?

I’ll answer this for favorite template set – although its really tough to choose just one! I LOVE piling on photos and doing 2 page spreads, so any one of those are in the running. Um – I’ll just throw one out there – “Happy Times”.

What do you do when you are feeling very sad or depressed?

Scrap, read, go for a walk.

Which is the best vacation you’ve ever had in your life?

I can’t choose just one, we travel quite a bit, and camp and do all sorts of things. My Australia trip in HS was pretty awesome, I so want to take my kids back there some day!

Which is your most cherished childhood memory?

Camping and doing things together as a family. There was one camping trip in northern Minnesota that we laugh about now – the kids were in one tent and my parents were in a separate tent. We got woken up at night by a lot of banging of our pots and pans and food bins, I yell out, “Dad what are you doing?” and he sounds all groggy, and says, “Um, I’m getting a drink of water” Turns out later it was a bear helping himself to our food! HAHA! Great quick thinking to not freak out the kids Dad!

Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes and no. ha!

Who is your celebrity crush?

Don’t really have one – but if I absolutely had to choose one – maybe Adam Levine?

What do you order when you go to Starbucks?

Good question – never been to a Starbucks – we don’t have one anywhere near here (hello middle of nowhere Wisconsin!) Plus I don’t drink coffee – so if they sell tea or hot cocoa it would be that!

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Monster Cookie or Oatmeal Raisin! (those are healthy – right?!)

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

Well I know I had a kiss in kindergarten – does that count? haha!

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Optimist.

Would you change your name if you could? If so, what would you change it to?

No, but there was a while there after Hurricane Katrina that the name got a little old, someone would meet me for the first time and I’d say my name was Katrina, and it was “Like the Hurricane?” yes, like the hurricane.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

CHEESE!! And pineapple!

If you could give the world one/ piece of advice, what would it be?

Life is short & precious, you never know when it’s your time to go. Love one another, Forgive one another and ENJOY!

What do you do to wake up in the morning?

I hate mornings – I’d much rather be up LATE! (maybe that’s why I don’t like mornings? I stay up too late – but there’s something about a quiet house and me doing whatever I want!) I recently had another thought about my lack of love for mornings, maybe if I started drinking coffee I’d like mornings?! Haha!

What is a small luxury that you treat yourself to?

Not much, I have a hard time spending money on myself, but I love to buy things for my 4 kids! I did recently splurge and by myself a new purse (which is more of a bag because I don’t do purses!) Its awesome and I love it and want 2 more!

What did you want to be when you were small?

Veterinarian – yes Colleen & I have the same answer – and that’s how we met for those who didn’t read our designer survey when we became designers – we went to different high schools, but her senior year and my junior year we took a college Animal Science class (still one of my favorite classes to this day!) Through college I was still going to be a veterinarian and specialize in surgery! Then I met my hubby (well just started dating him) and then it was ok what can I switch my major to and still get out in 4 years – so Biology/Life Science teacher it is!

Which would you rather do: wash dishes, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, or vacuum the house?

ANYTHING but dishes! I love to mow the lawn (and yes we have a push mower). I also love to vacuum!

If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking, or yard work?

Definitely cleaning! I could make all the mess I want while cooking, and they could clean it up!!

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Buy land out in the country and build my dream house! And do a LOT of traveling!

What’s the most interesting thing you can see out of your office or kitchen window?

My kids’ playset.

Share your favorite recipe with us.

I don’t too often use recipes, just kind of wing things or use what i always use. I love anything Mexican/taco related! But my kids have been on a “sticky bun” kit lately (think caramel rolls). So we’ve made those a couple times lately. I’ll share that recipe – its super easy – and a great weekend recipes! Buy a bag of frozen Rhodes rolls. Melt together on stove: 1 stick of butter, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 t of cinnamon. While that is cooking, Grease a bundt pan (but lets be honest and say 2, the last 2 times they overflowed on me and made a huge mess! haha). Dump in pecans (if you chose – we do one pan with and one pan without). Then dump in the frozen rolls. Sprinkle one box of the cook & serve butterscotch pudding over the rolls (yes just the powder, don’t prepare the pudding). Then drizzle the melted mixture over the top of the rolls. Cover with a cloth and let rise over night. Back for 30 min at 350* for a gooey yummy treat!

Thanks Trina!!

Make sure to check out their GS Store and FB page. They are also running a sale this month to celebrate their one year birthday of designing.

Make sure you are checking the blog each day and grabbing the daily download. CathyK and Dear Friends designs have put together this month’s daily download.