Wetfish Designs

I know you’re all trying to get your Digital Scrapbooking Day activities out of the way, but Cyndi and I hope you have a few minutes to get to know her better. Cyndi is the creative mind behind Wetfish Designs and it’s her turn in the GingerScraps Designer Spotlight. I wasn’t able to fit in an actual coffee date so we chatted by phone.

J: Cyndi! How are you? I’m sorry we have to do this over the phone but my life has been a gong show lately. Let’s start with a softball: If you could describe your design style with just three words, what would they be?

C: The Kitchen Sink (a little bit of everything)

J: Hahahaha! Sometimes that brings the best results. Trying to shoehorn your work into a given shape can be the opposite of creative. Do you have a kit or collection that really makes you proud?

C: My Daily Download kit from last year, Rainbow Bridge. <hyperlink> When I designed that kit I had just lost two of my pets. Every time I see a layout in the gallery with that kit I am reminded of the joy that can come from remembering a love of a pet with boldness and without reservation. It is bursting with color and expression.

J: Pets are family! My two pups are what keep me from sinking some days. Our older one (she’s eleven) has a heart condition, but the vet says it’s stable for now so I’m feeling relieved.  I know I’ll have to use your kit eventually, so thanks for making it cheerful. We know what inspired THIS kit… what inspires you more generally?

C: Home interiors are my go to inspiration for most of my kits. I stay up to date on design trends with Pantone and of course, Pinterest. Anthropologie, Home Goods, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and similar retailers also give me ideas.

J: Not the answer I was expecting, but being familiar with your work, it makes total sense! What do you find challenging about digital scrapbook designing?

C: I try not to think of things as challenges as much as opportunities. Recently Facebook started charging small businesses to post more than two active links a month. It is way too expensive for me so I’m trying to think out of the box and come up with other ways to reach my customers with my new releases and sales. Ginger had suggested being more active in the forum so that is my goal for this month, to do just that. So the challenge may be Facebook placing limitations on my reach, but the opportunity of using the forum (which I really have not used to date) is the now upon me.

J: As IF Mr Zuckerberg needs more money. <sigh> I used to enjoy Facebook and kept in touch with so many people I don’t see all the time, but now it seems like all it is is ads, sponsored posts and “suggested for you” stuff from accounts I couldn’t care less about. I’ve significantly decreased my interactions there and may let it go altogether. But the GS Forum? That’s great social interaction with like-minded people. I like the way you framed this challenge-vs-opportunity concept though. But let’s move away from the oligarchy and the sad world we live in. If you could live in a fictional universe, what would that look like. (No superheroes needed.)

C: I read a lot, so this one is tough. It is like choosing a favorite child 🙂 I’m currently reading Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon and really loving it. So today I think I want to live in 16th century Ireland!

J: I know WAY too much about 16th century Ireland to even consider that… 51% of my DNA is from there. My more recent genealogical Irish history is pretty bleak so, no thanks. I love Ireland to my core and would teleport myself to modern-day Ireland in a heartbeat, but I’d never time travel there. Where would you choose to teleport if that was a thing?

C: I would definitely be beaming myself up and over to Scotland! I’ve never been there and it is on my bucket list. I love the moody atmosphere and the breathtaking scenery. When I’m reading I often put ambience videos on my tv and Scottish Highland videos are my favorite!

J: AHA!! The tie-in to your Wild About Styles Challenge that I completely missed! I’m one of those weird people who enjoys bagpipe and tin whistle music, so I may want to join you! I could listen to Celtic Thunder’s Caledonia on repeat. (Don’t tell anybody, but I HAVE! 😉 ) If you had a theme song, what would it be?

C: Goodness of God by Jen Johnson/Bethel Music. This has been the song Apple ranks as my “Anthem” every year when it gives me an overview of my listening habits on iMusic. There are many covers of this song that I also enjoy but this is the version I gravitate towards anytime I need encouragement. It is also probably one of the only worship songs that I can sing by heart without pretending I’m doing karaoke.

J: I’ll have to look that one up. Y’know… for those moments when I need encouragement, instead of grabbing a tub of ice cream and a spoon. I’m all in on Chapman’s Salted Caramel super premium these days. And the scale is complaining. What flavour would you grab?

C: Baskin Robbins’ Jamocha Almond Fudge. All day.

J: I’m having dessert at your house! If we were having a dinner party and you could invite (and have them accept!) any three people – real, living or not – who would they be?

C: This is hard because I think who I pick is very much determined by where my head and heart are at the moment. But today? I want to be in my childhood home at the dining room table with my now deceased mom and dad and my grandfather, Pop. Lots of memories around that table and I miss them all so much.

J: I feel you. Last weekend we scattered my dad’s ashes and it was both draining and comforting. It felt like he was there, just out of sight. I know my mom was feeling him next to her. Anyway, enough of that. One last nosy question… If you weren’t a digital scrapbooking designer, what other creative path do you think you’d take?

C: A writer. I finally started writing the novel I always wanted to write. I took a few months off from that to let it breathe. As the weather turns
colder and I’m inside more I will return to my novel and keep crafting it. I am completely addicted to watching book influencers and YouTube videos about books and writing. I don’t ever see myself as having a YouTube channel or video channel of any kind though!

J: They say we all have a book inside of us. Keep on writing!! Who knows, you could be the next Elsie Silver, with several best-sellers and your own Netflix series in production! Thanks for the chat. Time to get to the practical part of the Spotlight…

There are two Designers in the Spotlight this month; Karen (Buzzbee Scraps) hasn’t chosen so far to be grilled on my spit. But she and Cyndi are both providing a Daily Download kit for all of us. Cyndi‘s sneak peek is below.

Cyndi has a Spotlight coupon code too…

And in addition to her regular monthly Wild about Styles Challenge, she’s also hosting one of the Designer Spotlight Challenges for October. Go check them out!!!

ScrapChat Designs

The first thing Jill said to me was, “I feel like it was just yesterday that we last chatted!” It’s been a year…. But she’s not wrong about how hard she works at being a Spotlight Designer – it’s a LOT of work. A good half of our conversation was business-related, and then she gave me a peek into what REALLY makes her tick… Here’s a transcript of that conversation.

O: Jill! Good to chat with you again. You must be a glutton for punishment! Out of the 45 Designers here at GingerScraps, I think we’ve met more times than anybody else. (Not that I’m complaining!) So let’s talk about GS for a second. What’s the best part of belonging to the GingerScraps family?

J: Oh, where do I start? I love the sense of family at Gingerscraps, both as a designer and as a scrapbooker. I’ve made so many friends along the way, and I love being part of a community where people genuinely share the same excitement for preserving memories and telling their stories. It’s a place where I get to create, scrapbook, laugh, and connect with people who understand why this hobby means so much to us. It’s my scrapbooking home.

O: You’ve just said all the things I think about GS. I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t really *choose* to become part of the GS community, it was assigned to me by the designer I was creating for at the time. But it didn’t take long for it to start feeling like home. But like everything else, it comes with challenges – and I don’t mean the fun kind in the Forum. What do you find to be the biggest challenge to being a digital designer?

J: One of the biggest challenges is creating products that appeal to a wide range of scrapbookers and making sure each kit, regardless of its name, can be used for many different topics. Take my recent collection, Aced It, which was named after my grandson Jace and granddaughter Grace. Jace is starting kindergarten while Grace is in sixth grade, but I feel like the papers and elements can be used for school, birthdays, and plenty of other memories too.

O: You’re so right! This collection will work for a lot of different purposes. Our grands are starting Grades 7, 5 and 3 this fall. Where does the time go? 🙁 Your colour palette here…

J: I tend to gravitate toward primary colors, bright and cheerful palettes, and retro color combinations. I’m not much of a girly girl, and I’ve never been a big fan of pinks and purples. The same holds true in my designs, although I certainly use them when the theme calls for them.

O: Gotcha. I’m kinda the opposite. Variety’s the spice of life, right? Do you feel like your style has evolved over the years?

J: When I started designing, everything was dark-colored and grungy. These days, my style is much cleaner, and I’ve learned to work with a wider variety of color palettes. Although I still rarely work with pinks and purples without complaining! LOL

O: <snorts> Okay, we get it! ScrapChat Designs isn’t a fan of girly stuff! 😀 What does a typical design day look like for you?

J: Wake up and have coffee. That’s about the only thing that is typical in my design life! I often work on the back porch so our 13-year-old Lab, Sunny, can be outside. I’ve also been known to work in airport parking lots while waiting for my boyfriend to land after work. Once I find a creative streak, I completely lose track of time and can sit for hours without getting up. I definitely don’t have a set 8-to-5 schedule, and I often work until 2 a.m.

O: Sounds like me when I’m “digging up bones” – working on my family tree. It’s easy to get into the zone! But I tend to take a chaotic approach to it and often end up going down a rabbit hole I could have ignored. How do you keep yourself organized and on track when you’re working on more than one collection?

J: I don’t, honestly! I tend to compartmentalize projects like Buffet and templates. I usually work from beginning to end on one collection before moving on to the next. There are rare exceptions when another deadline suddenly needs my attention, but for the most part, I’m a one-project-at-a-time designer.

O: I need some kind of discipline. Too bad it doesn’t come in a bottle. 😀 Let’s change the subject here. Are you a prankster? What’s the most memorable prank you’ve ever been part of?

J: One year I served my family including my youngest son “cupcakes” for dinner on April Fools’ Day. They were actually meatloaf with colored mashed potatoes on top. He nearly cried when he saw them because he HATED icing. I never expected a silly prank to upset him so much! Once the truth was revealed, we laughed and ate.

O: Ooh, I did something like that to my kids too! I’d bought a Mrs Smith’s Aussie Pie (chicken pot pie) at Costco and heated it up for supper. Daughter #2 asked what it was, so I told her it was Aussie Pie. “Well, what’s in it?” What do you think is in it? It’s Australian. What do they have a lot of in Australia? She mulled that over for a minute… or five. She pushed it around on her plate and side-eyed me as I calmly put a big forkful in my mouth. She suddenly said, “KANGAROO??” Then she burst into tears. Husband and I were trying so hard not to laugh. I wonder if she remembers? What’s a ptotato chip flavour you’d like to see at a convenience store near you?

J: OLIVE, hands down. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Salt with more salty crunch! YUM!

O: I’ve gotta tell you, my first mental taste wasn’t that… it was olive OIL. Ugh. But now that I’ve thought about it a second, yes… it would be delicious! I’m quite partial to Tayto cheese and onion after I ate my weight of them in Ireland. I was so excited when Lay’s created a very similar version for their World Cup promotion. The halitosis though. Do you have a favourite outfit, one that you’d be okay wearing every day for the rest of your life?

J: Jeans with no zippers, a kinda dressy blouse, no socks, and probably no shoes. Although, since shoes are oddly required sometimes, I’d go with a pair of slip-on flats. I recently realized I’ve turned into my mother in the way I dress, and I’ve decided that’s not a bad thing.

O: I’m with you on all of that except the dressy blouse. For me it would be a medium weight t-shirt with 3/4 length sleeves. I can’t stand full-length sleeves and push them up to my elbows. No socks unless there’s a very good (unavoidable) reason, and Sketchers walking shoes or flip-flops. Perfect! I recently made the mistake of going on a 5K walk with my (very fit police officer) neighbour wearing my flip-flops. I won’t do that again! Although the ice cream was lovely. What’s the most random fact you know?

J: Did you know Walt Disney had an apartment above the fire station at Disneyland? He and his family used it as a place to rest and get away from the crowds, and Walt liked to watch the park guests from the windows.

O: I definitely didn’t know that! I think that’s a good spot to pause and talk about your Spotlight. You’ve already seen this sneak peek for the Daily Download.

Make sure to check out Jill’s two Challenges, her usual Use It All and the Designer Spotlight one. And… drumroll please…

Discover something new for your pages this month! Use code SPOT-SCD-2026 to take 10% off orders of $10 or more at ScrapChat Designs through September 30.

We’re finally getting some rain in the Okanagan Valley. Hallelujah! It’s almost like the weather looked at the calendar and flipped a switch. We went from dry, sunny and 33°C (91°F) to drizzly and 13°C (55°F) in the blink of an eye. I won’t complain though. Wildfires aren’t a good thing. See you next week!

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…