Connie Prince

It’s been awhile since I had a chat with Connie Prince, although she pops into the Spotlight fairly often. I think most of us already know her and her design work, so we didn’t spend much time on the work angle. Here’s how our visit went.

J: Connie! It’s been a minute. How are you? I know you’ve had some not-so-happy times recently so let’s not go there. How about a softball… what are your favourite/not favourite colours?

C: I love primary, bold colors. Pastels are my least favorite!

J: Pastels can be quite insipid, and if you don’t like them, it’s really hard to make them work for you. You do bold primaries very well, so don’t change! Honestly, you set quite a pace with your designing, I don’t know how you do it. What do you do for you?

C: I play piano and it soothes my soul so much!

J: Music is such a wonderful form of expression, and can evoke all the moods. I enjoy having it playing, even when I’m in the shower. Thankfully, I’ve got good antiskid strips in there. Lord knows where I could end up when I get right into it. Do you sing, or maybe dance in the shower?

C: Definitely dance!

J: Getting a workout in while taking care of hygiene… great multitasking! What would you do if you won the lottery?

C: Travel, travel, & travel some more!

J: I haven’t been anywhere special in a long time. Travelling with our son is quite challenging, so we tend to stay put. But when we’re not on fire, there’s so much to see and do around here, it’s not such a bad thing. What does your dream vacation look like?

C: Anywhere tropical works for me!

J: Not for me. Must be my Scandinavian and Irish genes coming through. As long as I’m not expected to eat herring….. Oh, I had some absolutely scrumptious Irish-style fish and chips the other day. I could eat that all the time. If you had to choose, what would you want on your plate every day?

C: Steak and salad

J: I do enjoy a good steak. If only beef wasn’t so darned expensive. I need to find a farmer who’ll sell it to me without the middle man. Win-win! But I’d need to get over my aversion for making those kinds of contacts. Do you have any trait that you’d change if you could?

C: I would love to master the art of being patient. I’m working on it, but it is for sure a big struggle!

J: Patience I have. No one believes I’m as introverted as I am. Sigh. Most people see me as self-assured and confident. I’m really not. How would your friends and family describe you?

C: Loyal.

J: That’s a wonderful thing to be! there are so many other adjectives that are loyal-adjacent that probably also fit. If you could have a super power, what would you choose and why?

C: Manipulate time, I’d definitely make use of that one!

J: That would be pretty handy. Speed through the bad things, slow down the good things. Maybe go back and do some things differently. I see the benefits! I don’t think I’d want to see the future though. Life moves too fast as it is. Aside from necessities, is there anything you couldn’t live without?

C: My phone!

J: Hahahaha! Me too! My friend accidentally left her personal phone and her work phone on top of her car after work the other day. She got about half a block when she heard them fall off. Her work phone was totally fine… and she spent most of her day off replacing her personal one. Speaking of phones, I’m sorry mine keeps pinging with news about our wildfire situation. I’m going to have to go through them soon. Thanks for chatting! I’m not going to keep you in this smoky air any longer. Have a great Spotlight!!

Have you seen Connie‘s Daily Download? (I mean, of course you have. It’s right here on the Blog…)

But maybe you haven’t checked out Connie‘s regular monthly #2026 Challenge. She creates a mini-kit for that one every month!

Then, of course, she’s also hosting the other Designer Spotlight Challenge for August. And she has a sale too.

I hope you’ve budgeted for this!

CarolW Designs

Our first Spotlight Designer for August is CarolW Designs. I had planned this conversation for yesterday, but ended up a little preoccupied by three wildfires that popped up in our area on Saturday. The evacuation notifications were coming thick and fast. We’re fine, not at risk from them other than some ash and a lot of smoke in the air, but my mind was definitely elsewhere yesterday. Carol was most accommodating. 😉 She’s quite chatty, as you may remember from her first Spotlight awhile back. A little insider info: the Designers have a long list of topics provided and they choose what we talk about. (I want them comfortable with sharing themselves with us.) So let’s get into it!

J: Carol, it’s nice to chat with you again! Shall we talk work first? I know we’ve covered this before, but let’s review. Is there a story behind your brand name?

C: Actually, I don’t have an English name. But Carol is the name given to me by my high school English teacher. I have been using it ever since. The “W” stands for the last letter of my surname – WEN. It also represents the feeling that my design is wonderful.

J: I remember you saying that last time too. Do you have a favourite colour or palette that you love to work with?

C: I really like purple. So when I see the purple color scheme, I will stay for a long time.

J: I love purple too! Just bought a purple tank top the other day. I choose to ignore those people who say women of a certain age and with a certain body type shouldn’t wear sleeveless tops. It’s too hot here in the summer! So is there a design element or style that you’re really attracted to but haven’t tried yet?

C: Chaotic line style. Hand-drawn style! ~ I’ve always wanted to try it. But I’m still in the exploration stage.

J: OMG! I think that would be a great addition to your style of design. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!! Now, I know how I define your design style, but I’d like to know what three words you’d use to describe what you do.

C: Beautiful. Exquisite. Traditional.

J: So we’re on the same page. Do you have a favourite season or holiday you like to create for? Bonus points if purple can be featured. 😀

C: I like the collections for summer and autumn. Because I have always loved these two seasons!

J: Well, they each lend themselves to both your particular style AND purple. What do you enjoy most about being part of the GingerScraps community?

C: Friend. I want to be friends with all the community members. Maybe we can’t meet in person, but we are friends!

J: I’ve always said that GingerScraps is the FRIENDLIEST digital scrapbooking community there is. I’ve been involved with quite a number of them, so I’m qualified to make that assessment. 😉 Can you share any sneak peeks or hints about what you might have planned for the coming months?

C: There will be monthly series coming up. And I’m also working on a series about giving something to my mother!

J: I just love monthly series! I’ve been collecting them from different Designers whose work I particularly admire. Can’t wait! Okay, enough about business. Tell me about Carol… if you could have any animal – real or imaginary – for a pet, what would it be?

C: Nine-tailed Fox. I really enjoy mythology. In ancient Chinese mythology, there is an animal that symbolizes good luck – the Nine-Tailed Fox.

J: Who couldn’t use some guaranteed good luck? Since you mentioned mythology, if you could time travel, would you? Would you go into the future, or back into the past?

C: I want to go back to the ancient times. Go and see the dinosaurs!! Jurassic!!

J: Take your Nine-Tailed Fox with you for protection. Is there a skill you’d love to pick up instantly?

C: Driving. Because of my car accident, I still haven’t dared to start learning to drive up to now. But I think I need this skill.

J: My mom didn’t learn to drive until she was 41 years old, so it can be done. PTSD is real… Don’t let fear make your choices. How do you unwind after a busy day?

C: Lying on the sofa, eating snacks and watching TV.

J: Yes! I don’t lie down but there’s nothing better than snacking in front of the TV. What’s your guilty pleasure?

C: Batman. I really love this series of movies. I love Gotham City!

J: Oh, dark! I’ve been gobbling up all the true crime lately. Goodness. Is that the time?! I need to make supper for the guys already!! They can wait a few minutes while I wrap up. Carol is providing us with one of the Daily Download kits for this month, and it looks like this:

Coincidentally, she also hosts the Daily Download Challenge each month, as well as the Inspiration Challenge. And, of course, this month she’s also hosting one of the Designer Spotlight Challenges. Make sure you have a look! But there’s more… a coupon!

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to play along with the Challenges AFTER you visit Carol’s Store.