Cindy Ritter Designs

Are you all recovered from yesterday’s bisesquicentennial celebrations? (That’s 250, if you’re furrowing your brow.) We did our part and had hotdogs for dinner last night. 😉 If you’re wondering, we had homemade poutine for Canada Day. 😀

Cindy and I had a little visit recently; it was lovely chatting with her again. We did squeeze in some business talk at the beginning and then got on to the fun stuff.

J: Cindy, tell me about how you chose your designer name and logo.

C: The name is simple enough, but if you look closely you’ll find a zebra hidden in my logo. The zebra is the mascot for people with rare medical conditions. I have 3.

J: Ah yes, the old “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses and not zebras”, or “common things are common”. I’m sure there are a bunch of our readers who have walked the same path, having their symptoms downplayed and their concerns ignored before finally having a diagnosis. I see you. I feel you. <screech> Back to business. Do you have a favourite colour or palette that you like to use for your designs?

C: I love the colors of summer! Warm, sunny, happy colors. Green, yellow and orange are my favorite colors.

J: There was a lot of smoke in the air last night from a wildfire some distance away, so everything took on a warm, red-orange glow. That’s what summer here usually looks like. It’s still early in fire season, and we’re holding our own for now. Now, what are the 3 design tools you never want to be without?

C: Photoshop, Acrylic paint, scanner.

J: Your use of paint sets you apart a bit from most other digital designers. It’s something I appreciate about your collections. Has your approach to designing evolved over the years?

C: I’ve fallen in love with the Art Journal style and love making really artsy, messy, unique designs filled with color and feeling.

J: I feel like getting it right with Art Journaling is a real skill. Good for you! It must be quite therapeutic too. Do you have a favourite kit or collection? One that makes you really proud?

C: I’m torn between “Not Today” (hyperlink!!) and “Reflections” (hyperlink!!) -both are part of my personal journey to mental wellness. Art therapy in digital form.

J: Well, I have BOTH of those collections in my stash, so clearly I agree with you! So, they both lead to this: if you could instantly acquire a new skill, what would you want it to be?

C: How to let myself relax and be comfortable with not being productive.

J: Oh… you must be an eldest daughter. I SO relate! I sometimes wish I could just switch places with my husband, who happily amuses himself for hours without giving a thought to things that must be done. Or become one of those Real Housewives who sit around gossiping all day. It’s just not how I’m made. But hey, if you could live in a fictional universe – let’s face it, RH is a make-believe world – which would you choose?

C: That’s easy! Discworld!

J: Lemme just look that one up. <plays intermission music> Okay, I can see the attraction! Who wouldn’t want to have magical powers? The premise sounds like it was built on North American aboriginal beliefs. Fascinating! If you had the magic, and could teleport anywhere, whare would you go?

C: A remote tropical island. I need a vacation!

J: Hmm. Yeah! Maybe if you had the chance you could take up paragliding! I remember you mentioned wanting to try it. I don’t like heights, so it would be a hard pass for me. You know those silly social media quizzes like “how many of the things on the list have you done”? I can usually check off most of them. The ones I’ve never done include paragliding, ziplining, bungee jumping… there’s a definite theme. I’m not much of a daredevil, but I have done some… um… risky things in my life. And eaten some odd things. What’s the weirdest food combo you’ve ever partaken of?

C: Green olives & Jelly Belly jellybeans. I was pregnant. 😀

J: I just had a handful of Jelly Bellies before we sat down. Without the olives. Were you peeking? Thanks for the chat, Cindy! I’m just going to wrap things up and check on my friend’s cats – I’m cat-wrangling while she polices the World Cup events in Vancouver. Have a great Spotlight month, Cindy!

M’kay. Of course, Cindy‘s hosting the other of the July Designer Spotlight Challenges, and also of course, providing us with a Daily Download kit. I hope you’ll check out her store, since it’s on sale this month AND she has a coupon code too!

What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Designs by Lisa Minor

July. Already. Oy!! Half the year is gone. But I must say, things chez Jan are better now than they were this time last year, so I’m okay with time flying. I guess. Anyway… this month we have two Designer Spotlights. Part Two will appear on Saturday if all goes well. 😉 Because Lisa was a true early bird, visiting me back in May, she has the first spot. 😀 We decided not to talk much business this time, and went right for the fun. Check out Designs by Lisa Minor! <hyperlinked – look for the coloured, bolded, underlined text!>

J: I hope you don’t mind that I have some music on in the background, Lisa. I like a little something to drown out the golfer profanity from the second tee. We could sit on the deck, but some of those golfers lack manners and have weak bladders. ;( Nobody wants to see that! But on the topic of music, if you have a theme song, what would it be?

L: Good Riddance by Green Day

J: Hmm. There are so many ways one could take that. Green Day does have some accurate insights though. I think mine would be something by Ashley McBryde. Maybe Light on in the Kitchen. The people in her songs might be fictional, but I think we all know somebody that fits the profile. If you could spend a whole day with a fictional character, who would you choose?

L: Wolverine, but only if it’s Hugh Jackman all dressed up.

J: Ooh, he’s fiiiiiiine! I loved him in Real Steel (which I’ve watched far too many times), and The Greatest American Showman. Mad acting skills! But speaking of skills, we should talk a wee bit about design. Right? Do you have a favourite holiday or season to design for?

L: Spring. I love that everything around that time of year feels so fresh and new.

J: I love spring too, watching my garden waking up and seeing the birds return. Those rituals are comforting. Do you have any traditions or rituals you follow when starting a new collection?

L: I have a form that I fill out for each kit, so that anytime I think of an idea or get inspired by something, I can jot it down.

J: Oh, smart!! I’ve developed some routines for creating my tutorials, and for how I construct the other Blog posts I’m responsible for. It really helps to have that process. I’ve really enjoyed the tutorials, since they’ve pushed me to learn a bunch of new ways of looking at things, picking up new skills along the way. Is there some skill you don’t already have that you’d like to learn?

L: Honestly, EXCEL. I’ve taken the public classes, and I still use it with the skill of a Kindergartener.

J: Urk. No. Not me! I feel like it’d be teaching an old dog new tricks and I kinda like retirement. Although… it would be more fun if I had a younger body. Even just for a week. If you could be any age for a week…?

L: 30. Honestly, I would love to be 30 again and know everything I know now!

J: That would be AMAZING! There are so many things I’d do differently. I’d make sure I had more fun. Have you ever played a really great prank on someone? Or had one played on you?

L: I put Kool-Aid Mix in the shower heads at a women’s retreat. It was RED and did not go over well when they turned their showers on.

J: OMG. I just had a mental image of the prom scene in the Sissy Spacek movie Carrie. I think you know the one I mean. Can’t understand why they’d be irked. 😀 I’m guessing you weren’t invited back. Too bad you couldn’t have turned into a bird or something and gotten outta Dodge. If you could swap places with any animal for a day, which one would you choose?

L: A Sloth! I would love to be able to turn my brain off and just sleep.

J: I can definitely relate!

L: I could stay in pajamas, all day every day.

J: SAME! But my son’s Handi-transit bus driver might have questions. No visits from the RCMP please… especially now that I have a family member at the detachment. 😉 Which reminds me, I have a housewarming card halfway constructed. Car making has become my number one hobby. Is there a hobby you wish you had taken up?

L: Crochet. I wish I had paid more attention when my Grandma did it. My daughter taught herself and does a pretty good job!

J: Hmm. I can teach you! Do you think my daughter would like me to crochet her a housewarming afghan? HAHAHAHAHAHA! That would be a hard pass. Lisa, thanks for the chat! I’ll fill our readers in on what you’ve got going on for your Designer Spotlight and then I really do need to finish that card before it’s time to make dinner.

As usual, Lisa is providing us with a Daily Download kit.

And she’s one of the Designer Spotlight Challenge hosts. To make it even more awesome, she’s done this!

And before I forget, she also hosts the Pinterest Challenge each month. Check it all out! So many opportunities…