The Hub

Meet Cathy Richardson, aka "CathyRose"....

I'd like you to meet someone very special to me and to ScrapArtist...

Her name is Cathy Richardson (CathyRose) and she was the first customer to sign up in the shoppe 3 years ago when I first opened ScrapArtist. The amazing thing is that she is still with us, after 3 years. (Which, as my friend Jen reminds me, "3 years in digi, is like 21 years in papers"! LOL!)

I was so excited when I contacted her and she wrote back. I was even more delighted to read her responses to my questions. I hope you'll enjoy getting to know Cathy a bit more too...

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. (ie, where you live, occupation, etc)
I am a retired RN, married for 40 years, mother of one terrific daughter and grandma to two wonderful granddaughters. I live in Maryland just south of Annapolis and about 40 min. from Washington, DC;

2. How long have you been scrapping digitally?
I started scrapping digitally back in 2005, and quickly became addicted.

3. Were you ever a paper scrapper?
Yes, and I am still obsessed with paper crafting, especially making cards.

4. What's your favorite item to scrap with?
I think the one thing I consistently reach for is some kind of stitching.

5. Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration for a page can come from many things, usually it is the photo itself, but it might start from an element in a kit, or sometimes a magazine ad.

6. What do you do for hobby other than scrapbooking?
I love making ATCs, altered items, and stamping. Almost any paper craft, really. I also have a love for fabric, and quilting, and I am an avid reader.

7. What first drew you to SA back in May of 2005?
Actually, one of the first layouts I ever made was from a freebie from you, Nancie. I emailed you a link to my layout and you emailed me an encouraging note and gave me another kit. I thought that was so nice! When you opened SA you invited me to join, and I registered right away. I have always loved the artistic designs at SA and the relaxed atmosphere.

8. What has kept you coming back?
There are so many reasons. The wonderful layouts in the gallery, the beautiful kits in the store, and the creative ideas that come out of the challenges in the forums.

To celebrate our third birthday and to honor Cathy, we've asked her to join us as an honorary Creative Team Goddess for the month of July, as well as to provide her with her wish list in the shoppe and some Cafe Press gear. Thank you Cathy for being such a wonderful artist and ScrapArtist customer! I'd love to see some of your paper crafts too!

Happy NSD and Happy Birthday ScrapArtist!

Three years ago, on Mother's Day, I gave myself a gift. I pushed myself to do something that I'd, up until that point, only dreamt about. I opened ScrapArtist.com.

I had been playing around in Photoshop creating my own "backgrounds" (papers) when I began to spot other woman selling their creations on the net. Woman like Shabby P, Gina Cabrera, Katie P and Hollie McCaig. I go so excited looking at their stores. Something connected me to them and I decided to take the leap. My husband thought I was nuts. My friends just nodded their heads when I told them my plan. My 92 year old dad thought I was doing something illegal! LOL! The point is that these important people in my life had seen me talk a good game before. They've seen me come up with great ideas only to never try them. But I did try this one.

What made the difference for me? Why did I try this idea when I'd let so many others go? I could tell you I tried this on a hunch, a gut instinct. Or I could tell you that there was some magic force behind it that I couldn't stop. But, I now know this for sure... I could not NOT try this. I had to take that leap of faith. And look what happened! LOL!

I never thought SA would be much more than a hobby for me... but thanks to some incredible people, it became much more. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Michelle Coleman, my former business partner of two years and an incredible artist who helped grow SA with me. I want to also thank my first CT girls and the ones who stuck with me through some good time and bad times and are still my good friends— Lisa C., Jenn O., Isabelle and Lisa H.

I currently have some incredible woman working with me now who I would like to thank personally for their energy, enthusiasm and talent. First I'd want to thank Jen Lemar, who kept the SA spirit alive and whom I can't imagine running SA without. Next is Sweet Gabi, our fearless leader who keeps this place humming along. Amber, Linda, Robyn, Christine & Lisa W, our original fab five apprentices have been with us for the past two years and are now among some fabulous new talent in the shoppe—Aja, Angie, Anna, Amanda, Martina & Veronika, Cori, Eva, Jodie, Laurie Ann & Hope. And, finally, thank you to our current CT Goddesses. They are smart, they are funny, they are creative and they keep this place hoppin' (see more about them below) Thank you girls! It's this collective of incredible and generous souls that make ScrapArtist so very special to me.

I would be totally missing out if I did not thank the most important people of all who keep ScrapArtist alive. Without them, SA would just be a URL and that is YOU, our loyal customers and friends, thank you for making this special month more special. Keep your eyes peeled because we have some exciting new changes coming to the site. It's going to be a great year.

For NSD and to celebrate our anniversary, we are having a series of great challenges all week and a killer sale May 7,8, & 9... 33.3% off the entire shoppe.

Please join us in celebration of our craft and our digital home.

Meet the ScrapArtist Team...

Aja

Buddhini

Emi

Erika

Gabi

Gabi B.

Jennifer M.

Joy

Kathy

Kim

Kristen

Mic

Nancie

Suzy

Tracy

Hope Wallace is back at ScrapArtist!!

I am so pleased to announce that Hope Wallace, creator and owner of Paper Relics, is back at ScrapArtist! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hope's work, she creates delightful collage art for her own line of greeting cards, stationary and stamps. And she is once again offering her designs digitally — just for ScrapArtist!!

Hope's work has gotten alot of press lately as the popularity of collage and altered art is on the rise. She's been featured in such publications as Legacy, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and most recently at Daily Candy.

For a limited time, you can grab Volumes 1-3 of her Borders & Trims for almost 30% off. In addition to adding visual interest to your layouts, try using them as masks to cut out your digital papers. Check out Hope's store here.

Welcome Hope - we are so happy you are back with us!

Some new faces at ScrapArtist!

I am so excited today because we have some AMAZING new designers in the shoppe! Each of these lovely ladies bring their own unique flair and real talent to offer you even more variety when you shop!

Amanda Rockwell brings a classic and delightfully textured and artistic quality to her work. I adore her textures - they almost look like she painted each paper by hand! And her elements are so realistic and unique. Welcome Amanda!

Aja Abney is one of our very own Creative Team Goddesses. I knew this lady was special when I first spotted her designs for our CT Fiesta kit. Her work is truly artistic and whimsical. It has a real earthy quality with lots of wonderful surprises thrown in. Look for more great work from this new designer!

Anna Russell, another of our SA Goddesses, is well known for her graphic and fresh layout designs. She has come up with some unique quick page and project concepts for the shoppe that go beyond your standard fare. Each one has a theme and really makes you stop and think before you scrap! Way to go Anna!

Join me in welcoming these ladies to the shoppe!

Ring in the new!

Any guesses who they could be?

After Christmas sale!

Don't miss it!!! There are so many fabulous winter/Christmas/holiday goodies in the shoppe!!!

Happy shopping!

Happy Holidays!

Card made with Merry Memories Quick Page Album by Anna Russell, alpha from Merry & Bright collab kit

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Natal! Mele Kalikimaka! Maligayang Pasko! Joyeux Noel! Frohliche Weihnachten! God Jul!

Wherever you are ... however you are celebrating the holiday season ... we here at ScrapArtist wish you all happy holidays. Thank you for all your love and support of ScrapArtist. We're looking forward to seeing you all in 2008!

Issues with site...

We are having some traffic problems on the site due to the sale. Rest assured for those of you who are having problems with your order - or orders not showing up... I will take care of it for you. For those of you who have paid but orders aren't going through, you will get a full refund through Paypal so you can re-order.

If you have any issues, PLEASE use the customer service email instead of my personal email (customerservice@scrapartist.com)

I'm sorry for these hassles and the slow site.. I'm working with my server company to figure it out. In the meantime, remember that the sale does go through Sunday night and I'd be happy to extend it through Monday night.

Thanks for your patience and your patronage!!

xxoo
Nancie

Christmas in July

Don't forget that we are having our Christmas in July Sale today through Sunday, July 8th. Everything in the store is 30% off - excluding classes. Come do some VERY early holiday shopping!

Unveiling ScrapArtist Studios

I'm so excited to get to talk about this today! For a while now, Nancie and I have been working on developing a class to kick off ScrapArtist Studios, and it's now in the shoppe! This inaugural class is a journaling workshop that will span five weeks, from June 4th to July 2nd. We're limiting class size to 25, so that it can be cozy and interactive without being overwhelming! So, get out your photos--old, new, scrapped or unscrapped, it doesn't matter-we're going to look at them in a whole new light! I'm really anxious to meet you and get this workshop going~I just know that I'm going to be learning as much from all of you as you will from me.

The best part about this, is that it's only the beginning! There are going to be many fabulous classes in the future! For anyone who has signed up already and has questions or wants to get started talking about what kind of photos to use, go ahead and email me at the email provided in your .pdf!

Annnnnd, if you need a teaser to get  you excited, here's a thumbnail of my layout for the first week!