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!