Inside the Creative Studio with Lee Benkers + a FREE Quick Page

Happy Holidays!!!!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season this year!!! I know I am!

I just made Peppermint Bark for the first time and it came out wonderfully; despite the fact that I ate a 1/4 of the baking chocolate before I started.  Oops! This week, we enjoyed my daughter, Taylor's Holiday Sing-a-long at school.

We have Lee in the house today! Every so often I interview someone on my creative team so that you can get to know the creative spirit behind the talent! She is the spotlight for our Inside the Creative Studio!  Here is her interview and beyond the questions, you will find a remarkable FREE quick page Lee made using my latest kit, Christmas Morning (created in collaboration with Valorie Wibbens). Without further ado...

Inside The Creative Studio with Lee Benkers

Where do you Live? Where do you wish you lived? Colorado. I wish I lived on the beach.

Do you go by any nicknames that we should know about? I go by “prettypeony” or “hli” in the digital scrapbook forums.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be an Astronaut or a fashion designer.

What's the biggest decision you've made, what if you'd gone the other way? The biggest decision I’ve made so far was resigning from my job of 6 years working at a college as a coordinator then as a Student Finance Consultant to be a SAHM to my two kids (9 and 4). I loved what I was doing and missed it immensely when I left. I still have dreams about going to work there even though it’s been over two years now! If I hadn’t resigned, I think I would be miserable. Even though it was a great job, it was hard for me to drop my kids off at the babysitter’s (at the time they were 5 and newborn). I’d drive off to work in tears just about every day because I’d be so worried that something terrible might happen to them.

What’s a goal that you are proud that you’ve accomplished? Currently, I’m proud of getting into the digital scrapbook world. I started in the spring of 2011 and have been hooked ever since. It’s wonderful to be part of a friendly community that supports creativity and fun.

What was your first job? My first real job was a cashier at Dunkin’ Donuts. I made $4.10 per hour and thought that was a lot back then. Before that, I delivered the morning papers with my sisters. I think that was one of the hardest jobs ever for very little pay.

Where would your life be if you married your first boyfriend? I was 10 when I had my first boyfriend (we only held hands!). If we had married when we got older, I don’t think it would have lasted. A few years back, I learned that he had cheated on his wife and they divorced. That could have been me.

If you could live in any decade what decade would it be and why? I love the decades I grew up in : the 80’s, 90’s and now. Sometimes though, I wonder how it would be like to be alive in the 3000’s.

What is your idea of fun? If given a choice to skip work for a day, how would you spend the entire day? Since I am a SAHM, I don’t have an outside job but I do spend a great deal of time caring for my kids and the family. If I had a full day to myself, I’d spend it reading a good book or two.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done? I would say it was when I went cliff diving (more like jumping) off a 25 ft rock into a lake when I was about 17. It was scary but thrilling!

What are some fun facts about yourself; or some quirky thing about yourself? I listen to Progressive House/Dream Trance music nonstop...almost 24 hours a day! It’s my drug! It takes me to another world where I forget all things pain. Okay, not quite but it helps me with creativity and relaxation. I also collect perfumes. I probably have over 50 now.

What is your favorite vacation destinations? I would say it’s the trip I took with husband and our first child (the 2nd one wasn’t in the works yet) in 2005. It was relaxing and I got to see and go inside a real light house (a bucket list of mine)! I also really enjoyed a trip I took to Mazatlan, Mexico when I was 19 where I first fell in love with the beach.

FREEBIE QUICK PAGE

Here is Lee's fabulous quick page (with a picture in it to show you) using Christmas Morning.  Just click on the image to download.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Tina

Creations by Tinamarie

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Winner, Freebie and Inside Creative Studios

We have a store winner for the February and a Freebie but first...

Inside Creative Studios with Amelia Mayer

Every so often I highlight one of my creative team members in what we call Inside the Creative Studios. The next member to be interviewed is a girl who always wanted to teach (and is), loves crunchy things and is expecting her 2nd child this summer.  At the end of her interview, you can find a quick page that she is sharing with you all. Here is what Amelia (mrsmayer) had to say...

Where do you Live?

I live in Wyoming in a tiny little town of 1000 outside of Jackson Hole. It is a paradise of it’s own, though I do admit that the small-townness of it gets to me a bit being a stay at home mom. Sometimes I just want to be able to take my son to a pool or something when it is nasty out! However, I love that we can essentially bike everywhere most of the year (it is called the Valley of the Warm winds and so snow doesn’t stick for very long) and there is a really great community here. I will miss that someday when we move on.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I have always wanted to be a teacher. I went to college in Washington to do just that and have taken “non-traditional” teaching jobs over the years. However, for the next many years I will be a teacher to my children. I love that. I also love to teach community classes when I can: blogging, digital scrapbooking, and Toddler Gym are my current ones. I also LOVE to learn and am always trying something new. Digital scrapbooking really challenges me and I think that is why I love it so much! I am constantly learning new things.

What's the biggest decision you've made, what if you'd gone the other way?
The biggest decision I’ve made was to marry my husband!! And it has been the BEST decision I have made also. He challenges me to be the best version of myself and is a great husband and Daddy. I am so blessed.

What are some fun facts about yourself; or some quirky thing about yourself;
I can wiggle my ears.

I was named after Amelia Earhart (my dad loves to fly though that is not his profession.)

I grew up in Alaska

I love to create and pride myself on giving homemade gifts and baking/cooking

I really like crunchy or chunky foods (crunchy PB, chunky salsa, guacamole with lots of “stuff” in it, cookies with nuts, coconut, chocolate, etc., you get the idea….)

I am a computer geek.

I NEED my exercise time or I simply go stir-crazy.

I am going to be a Mama of two sometime in July! 

What is your favorite color?
Green! I love earthy colors and LOVE green. In fact, there was a time in my life when I was teaching that the girls I worked with made up a song about how I always wore green. It was hilarious (and a bit embarrassing… )

What are your favorite foods?
I love cheese and crackers and could eat them all the time and be completely happy. I also love bananas (we go through them like crazy at our house) and anything chocolate. I will stop here because I could go on and on (can you tell I am pregnant?!? ;))

Here is Amelia's quick page made with my current kit "You're Simply the Best".

Click on image for download. Please leave some love for Amelia! I sure love having her on the team! 

Finally, Mr. Random drew a winner from all the individual purchases from February made in my Oscraps store. Here is our winner!!

Congratulations, Mardi!!! Please email me for your $5 gift certificate.

Inside The Creative Studio with Kym Tsukamoto

I have such an amazing Creative Team!! I love them all!! Now, I'd like you to learn more about my amazing team. The second in our series of "Inside the Creative Studio" is with layout artist, Kym Tsukamoto!!!
Here is her interview. Scroll to the bottom for her fun quick page freebie she created using my collaboration with Wild Blueberry Ink Grand Love Story.

Where do you live? Where do you wish you lived?

I live in Aiea, Hawaii. It is a short drive to Pearl Harbor and about 30 minutes (w/o traffic to Honolulu). I do not wish to live anywhere else but here. It is home to many family and friends and I would be lost without them.


Does your name suit you?
My mom named me Kym, with a y, because she didn’t want people to think my name was short for Kimberly. My name suits me well. It is short, sweet, and unique, just like me.


What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
The craziest thing I ever done was go zip lining with my husband on Kauai and parasailing with my friends off the coast of Maui. They were both very thrilling and something I wouldn’t have thought of doing on my own. In the end, I loved every minute of it.


What are your favorite foods?
You had to bring up food, my favorite. I love to eat and I eat everything. When it comes to food, I do not discriminate. I love eating dim sum (Chinese), sushi (Japanese), fish piccata (Italian), pad thai noodles (Thai), bi bim bap (Korean), lau lau (Hawaiian), just to name a few.


What are your favorite vacation destinations?
This is another topic that will get no specific answer from me. I love to travel and experience new cultures, people, and places. I love the peacefulness of Taha’a and Bora Bora in Tahiti, I love the Japanese gardens in Kyoto, Japan, and I LOVE the food in Florence, Italy. Can anyone say that they had a better steak than a Florentine steak from Il Latini?


What are your favorite herb / spices?
My favorite spice is good old Hawaiian salt. I love it when it is freshly picked off of the rocky coasts and mixed with a variety of other herbs and spices. My favorite is a blend made by a family on Molokai. I don’t think you can even buy it in the stores. We usually get a bottle for Christmas.

Here is the sweet yet simple quick page Kym created with Grand Love Story.

http://www.4shared.com/dir/bgPjb5Yp/GLSQP.html
password: iloveqps  (Inside the download is a 10% coupon to my shop. Happy shopping!!!)

What was the most interesting/surprising part of Kym's interview?
Make sure you leave some love for Kym and for her quick page!!
If you haven't already, join my newsletter (upper right corner), for updates and more discounts!
 
Cheers!
Tina

Inside The Creative Studio with Sue Wilson

We will be spending a little time throughout the year getting to know each of the members of my Creative Team. Our first layout designer that I’d like to introduce you to is Sue Wilson. I picked Sue to go first because she is game for anything. I call her the “cheerleader” of the team. On the day my store at Little Dream Designs opened, I woke up and was greeted with the cheeriest email from Sue giving me very enthusiastic RaRa!!! (Designers, I don’t want you to all get the same idea and grab Sue for you own because I really need her too!!!)  At the end of the interview, Sue shares her creativity by giving us a very cool template! Be sure to download it and leave some love for her!!
OK, Here are the questions that Sue answered for us..
Where do you live? Where do you wish you lived?
I live in a town called Abingdon, which is approximately 7 miles outside of the historic university city of Oxford in England. I’ve lived here for 17 yrs, but prior to moving here, I was a bit of a nomad … my dad was in the Royal Air Force, so we moved around … A LOT! I like living here because it’s pretty close to some of the UK’s best cities like London, Bath, Birmingham. The only down-side is that hubby’s and my families both live in Scotland and it takes around 7 hrs to drive there to visit them.
Does your name suit you?
I think so. My name is actually Suzanne, but I’ve been known as Sue for quite some time now. When I was younger, my mum used to call me Suzy Bluesy … but only because it rhymed.
Do you go by any nicknames that we should know about?
I’ve never had a nickname, other than the Suzy Bluesy thing from my mum. Hubby calls me Honey … sweet, ain’t he?
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I had no idea. In fact, I’ve still got no idea. LOL!!! When I was 18 I applied to join the Royal Air Force to work as an air traffic controller … YIKES … if you weren’t scared of flying before hand, you would be knowing I was in control of the skies around you!!!
What’s the biggest decision you've made, what if you'd gone the other way?
See the answer above!
What’s a goal that you are proud that you’ve accomplished?
I passed my driving test on my first attempt … that’s quite a big deal for me. The driving test here in the UK is pretty tough, consisting of both a theory test and a practical driving test. I’m proud to say I got 100% on the theory test.
What was your first job?
Working in a bar. Actually that’s where I met my hubby.
Where would your life be if you married your first boyfriend?
Yikes what a question! No idea [again]! I don’t even know where in the world he lives now. We both lived in Germany at the time and he was in the British Army.
If you could live in any decade what decade would it be and why?
Definitely the 1950’s. I’d love to wear those gorgeous frocks and get dressed up to go grocery shopping. Not sure I could live without my laptop or mobile phone though, and I guess I’d be paper scrapping rather than digi-scrapping!!!
Who was your first crush? Did you ever tell him/her about your feelings?
My first and only crush was on the actor Andrew McCarthy; he was in films such as St Elmo’s Fire, Mannequin and Pretty In Pink. He was usually the tall geeky guy behind Rob Lowe or Emilio Estevez, but I thought he was cute.
What is your favorite color?
I’m a real fan of ALL colours. My wardrobe is pretty colourful and I particularly like bright, bold colours. Pastel colours don’t really suite me, but I love them in home décor. My scrap room is painted pale green, has a large white shelf unit (from IKEA) and pink accents all over the place.
What are your foods?
It’s probably easier to say which foods I don’t like … cauliflower and sushi … yucky! Everything else … yummy!
What is your favorite vacation destination?
I adore the Maldives! Hubby and I have been five times, and each time we visit, we stay on a different island. They all have soft white sandy beaches, warm clear turquoise lagoons and pretty much year round sunshine … they are the perfect place to relax.
What are your favorite herb / spices?
Coriander (aka cilantro I think) is my favourite herb, it’s so versatile. Tear is up and serve on top of chili, rip it up and serve with mozzarella and tomato salad, add it to salad leaves and chuck it in a tortilla with tzatziki dressing …. Mmmmmmmm, I’m drooling just thinking about it!!
I just LOVE the fun template that Sue created for us!!!
It was created from a variety of my kits.

Download Sue's Template here:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/nuq45BW9/Paradise_Found.html

Password: pf01

Here are some beautiful layouts from Sue using my kits.

Nature's Finest using "One with Nature"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just waiting on the Rain using "One with Nature"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sing a Rainbow "Summer Sorbet" & "One with Nature"

 

Just Chillaxin' using "Just Chillin'"

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Holiday Snapshots using Shiny Chrome and "Sunny Disposition"  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sunny Disposition using "Sunny Disposition"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much!!! Enjoy your week!!!! Tina