August 3, 2023

Cindy Ritter Designs!

Remember my comment about updates in Tuesday’s Tutorial, that they mess things up? Well… it happened again. I couldn’t find my notes for this post. <fuming> All is not lost though. I’ve been able to recreate them. Now, let’s get to know Cindy Ritter a bit better!

Cindy and I chatted at length last week over margaritas on the patio. We got the housekeeping stuff out of the way early, so we could really dish later.

J: What do you use to create your designs?

C: I primarily use Photoshop but am trying to learn to use Illustrator and a tablet. I also use various types of paints, pens, papers and my scanner to create unique products.

J: It can be really challenging to learn new software. I’m trying to wrap my head around Cricut Design Space right now and really wishing there was a common lingo for these applications. I mean, what the heck does “weld” mean, and why didn’t they go with “merge”? I think I’ll need a glossary… Okay, now that we know HOW you work, let’s talk about WHY. What motivates and inspires you as a designer?

C: Most often I am inspired by music, my emotions and color. I absolutely have to have music when I’m working.

J: Oh, me too! I’m often inspired by song lyrics I find especially resonant. Tell me about your favourite kit in the GingerScraps store. Let me guess… it came to you in a song. 😉

C: My favorite is the Beautiful Struggle collection. It WAS inspired by the song “Beauty in the Struggle” by Brian Martin. Like many women, my life has been a series of struggles and challenges, so for me it was very personal. I collaborated with Aimee Harrison and Cheré Kaye and really enjoyed working with both of them.

J: It’s amazing! I LOVE IT!! (I linked it for our readers – just click on the title above and you’ll go right to the collection.) Honestly, who among us hasn’t struggled at one time or another? I think I might be able to guess your answer for this next nosy question: What are your most favorite and least favorite colors?

C: My favorite colors are greens, yellows and orange, I really don’t like pinks and purples.

J: Ladies, take a look at the collection… See any pink or purple? Me neither! Cindy, since you love green, do you have a green thumb? What do you grow?

C: I have a fairly green thumb and do pretty well with green and blooming plants but I don’t have much luck growing anything edible. I live in an apartment so I do container gardening and love growing anything blooming that can survive the heat of Mississippi summers. My current favorites in my garden are Hibiscus, Rock Trumpet, and Bromeliads.

J: In Mississippi you get heat AND humidity. Here, we get the heat but it’s tinder-dry, which is why there’s so much smoke in the air all the time. <sigh> Our HOA has very strict rules about planting anything that isn’t drought-tolerant and every house has drip irrigation to minimize water use. Water is one of the necessities of life for everything. Aside from necessities, what is one thing could you not go a day without?

C: My cats! All 3 are rescues who weren’t old enough to be away from the mama cat when I got them. Bowie and Ziggy have both been with us for over a year now. Our most recent rescue, Phoenix, was only 4-5 weeks old and under a pound when we got him recently. He was brought to us on July 18th by a neighbor who found him injured in her driveway. Apparently she knows I’m a crazy cat lady. Lol

J: I’m not a cat person, but I get the desire to take care of living things who can’t take care of themselves. That’s why I was a nurse for 25 years. 😉 Perfect segué… What did you want to be when you were small?

C: As a child I dreamed of being an artist. I spent most of my working years as a floral designer and also worked as a graphic designer. After I retired I taught myself scrapbook design. My childhood dream is my reality.

J: That’s fantastic! Who says dreams don’t come true? As a fellow retired person, I have so many things that fill my days. Are you a sports fan, or a gamer?

C: I love to play Cribbage. My grandmother taught me to play when I was young and now that she’s gone it brings back pleasant memories of time spent with her. I’ve taught my grandson to play and I hope that years from now playing cribbage will hold pleasant memories for him.

J: Ooh, yes!! I learned to play Cribbage when I was about 10, but I don’t play it well. My late father-in-law skunked me almost every time. When we had a family retreat for my parents’ 60th anniversary, we taught our son-in-law to play. He’s brilliant and caught on right away, now he loves it too! We also got him interested in curling. Such a Canadian thing. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

C: I’m torn between teleportation and time manipulation. Having ADHD, I get distracted very easily and am usually running behind schedule. Both of those would be helpful in getting things done and getting where I need to be on time.

J: I grew up in a military household, so if you’re only 10 minutes early for something, you’re already late. Teleportation would really be a boon for that! I’m also a serious procrastinator, which means I spend a lot of time in conflict with myself. What would you do if you won the lottery?

C: Give each of my kids a house and the money for college. Anything left I would use to help the homeless.

J: Every time I ask that question of designers, I get a variation on those answers. Which leads me to remind everybody that Cindy is providing this month’s Daily Download (and it’s a-freakin’-mazing!) and has already posted a template freebie on the GingerScraps Facebook page. If you’re on FB and haven’t seen it, LOOK FOR IT! You won’t be disappointed! Of course, Cindy is also hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge this month, in addition to her usual Real Moments Challenge. But if all of THAT wasn’t enough, she’s also put her entire store on sale at 40% off (with bundles and collabs excluded, naturally). But wait! There’s even MORE… Spend $12 or more and you can get an ADDITIONAL 15% off with the coupon code SD_cindy_8-23. What are you waiting for? Go shopping!!!!!!!!! (If you see me with a cartful, just look the other way, okay?)