Our March Guest Designer already shared her talents with us through her wonderful free download earlier this month and her fabulous templates and goodies shared through our Challenge Chats. Today she shares a bit more of herself through a Q&A-style interview. Read on to learn all about Suzy Iverson of SuzyQ Scraps … and be sure to enter our giveaway contest for a chance to win the full version of her amazing new kit, Serendipity!
Name: Suzy Iverson (design name SuzyQ Scraps)
Username: suzyqscraps
Location: Ranch outside Garrison, Utah
Retail Outlet: Scrap Orchard
Please tell us a little about yourself … your family, your background, pets, hobbies, etc… I’m a SAHM to a rambunctious 2-year-old boy and wife to an amazing husband of almost 4 years. We are blessed to live in the middle of nowhere. I love the solitude and wide open spaces – and seeing bazillions of stars on clear nights. I graduated with a BS in biology (yep, I wanted to be a zookeeper) and now spend most of my free time in creative pursuits. Not where I thought I’d be 5 years later – but definitely happy. I love to create! I also enjoy reading, baking desserts (love me some cheesecake!), hiking & camping, and learning.
Are you a digital, paper or hybrid scrapper/designer? What do you like most about this method? I started paper scrapping as a teenager, back when severely cropping photos was the way to do things. I never progressed much beyond papers and stickers in all those years. In 2007, I started searching for a way to use a computer to scrapbook and stumbled upon digital scrapbooking. I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m just starting to dabble a bit in hybrid … I’ll let you know how it goes. I think one of my favorite aspects of digi-scrapping is being able to UNDO things. I’m safe to crop and move and adjust sizes to my heart’s content without any of it being permanent. No more wasted paper or ruined photos that I have to reprint. (And there’s no mess to clean up!)
And Many More... Kit
How long have you been a designer & how did you first get started? Officially, I’ve been a designer 15 months. I started playing around designing my own stuff from the very beginning and spent over a year learning all I could. I gave away my first freebie on my blog in December 2008 and started selling shortly thereafter.
Is scrapbook product design your full-time job? If not, what else do you do? I’m a full-time mom and wife – though the hours spent designing and tackling tasks related to product design probably equal a full-time job. 
What software & platform do you use in your design work? Do you use any other special tools? I design on a PC – just bought a new one actually and I am LOVING its speed. I design in Photoshop CS4 and Illustrator CS4. I also use a Bamboo Fun graphics tablet. And I’d be lost without my sketch book and a handful of pencils (and a very abused eraser, lol!).
Has your design style changed over time? What has influenced this? As a brand new designer, I was constantly trying new things and mixing & matching different styles, trying to find my own niche. Confidence was a big factor in helping me decide on my current style – just trusting myself that I could do what I enjoyed & not worrying too much about what others would think about it.
Dino-RAWR! Kit
What is your biggest challenge as a scrapbook product designer? Time is definitely a big challenge, though delegating some tasks to CT members and my assistant have totally helped with that. So I guess the biggest challenge is the amount of competition in the market – trying to establish myself among all the amazing digital scrapbook designers, and stay true to myself and my designs.
What has been the biggest reward or most fulfilling aspect of being a scrapbook product designer? I find the whole creation process to be so fulfilling as an individual – but there’s nothing more rewarding for that labor of love than seeing such beautiful layouts created with my designs. It gives me tingles knowing someone chose to preserve their memories with my creations – it’s very humbling.
Where do you get your product ideas? Who & what inspires you? I find product ideas everywhere. I’m inspired by my family, nature, magazines, clothes, Web sites … even dreams, lol! My mom also likes to send ideas my way.
How long does it typically take you to design a full kit from concept to delivery? What is your process? Hmm … well, I tend to jot down ideas for kits in a notebook. I flesh out those ideas when I’m ready to tackle the kit, so from the brainstorming process to the finished product, I’d say around 3 or 4 days on average. Occasionally when I’m super inspired (and my sweet husband has the day off), I’ve been able to do an entire kit, start to finish, in 1 day. But that doesn’t happen very often.
My process … I usually start with an idea for a theme. Then I spend time brainstorming and fleshing out the idea, including possible color options. I draw & doodle and then finalize the color scheme. Then I build the patterns for the papers, with some overlap in element design. I usually texture the patterns and solids before tackling the rest of the elements. I almost always finish up with the alpha. And then of course there’s packaging and uploading and marketing. 
Love Monsters Kit
What is your favorite kit and why? Right now Love Monsters is my favorite. I love the colors and I think the monsters turned out so adorable. The design of the kit just flowed … the kit is just so “me” and I just love it!
How do you incorporate “real life” scrapbooking into your personal & professional scrapbooking & design work? Personal scrapbooking – I don’t hide anything. I scrap the happy and the sad, the good and the bad (and yes, even the ugly). I struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of my son and I still have some dark layouts from that time. Scrapbooking is therapy … it helps me to document what I’m feeling, how I’m progressing and improving. I want my son and future children to know ALL of me, to see how all the aspects of my life defined who I was and am.
Professional scrapbooking – I encourage my blog readers, customers, and fans to scrap it all. I have a monthly challenge on my blog, and starting in March the challenge is all about scrapbooking our journeys through life, with journal prompts that help us to document the sweet and the bitter. I’m really excited about these challenges. I also try to create versatile kits that can be used for any layout, and even kits like Ouchies & Ickies that help scrappers document the not-so-happy moments.
Journey 365 Jumbo Kit
What has been your most popular product? Journey Jumbo 365 – unless you count the combined sales of my Stitch Hiccups collection.
What fills your time when you are NOT scrapbooking? Chasing after a 2-year-old, lol! When I’m not scrapbooking or designing, I’m spending time with my family or pursuing talents & hobbies. I enjoy playing video games with my hubby, working on house projects, baking food, and playing outside.
What advice do you have for fellow scrapbookers interested in pursuing the scrapbook product design field? I always encourage people to pursue their dreams … but make sure you prepare, and that you know what you’re getting into. Designing is only part of being a designer – answering emails, packaging & previewing, marketing & advertising, building your brand, interacting with customers, blogging, etc. eat up a HUGE portion of my design time.
When you’re ready to pursue that dream, you’ll know – and then STICK WITH IT. More than once I’ve wanted to give up … throw in my design hat and call it quits. But I’m so glad I chose to hang in there because it just keeps getting better and better.
Anything else you’d like to add? Just keep learning and stretching yourself – in your scrapbooking skills and in your life. And remember to scrap your whole journey!
And of course, the brand new release you’ve all been waiting for … the full version of Serendipity created especially for Log Your Memory to coordinate with Logbook Weekly Challenge #11!
Serendipity Kit
This brand new kit is now available for purchase from Suzy’s store, but one lucky Log Your Memory blog reader will win the entire kit for FREE in today’s Guest Designer Giveaway. To enter, simply leave a comment below sharing something you think of as your lucky charm. One random winner will be drawn from all comments received here on the blog as of midnight (MTN) tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Our winner will be announced in Wednesday’s Story Board post. Good luck!
Get the inside scoop, be the first to know about new product releases & get special discounts by subscribing to our new weekly newsletter, the Log Your Memory INSIDER. Delivered directly to your INBOX every Sunday afternoon.
Please share your thoughts in a comment below …
How to Be a Gallery Standout
by Kristin Rutten
When it comes to scrapbooking, few things do more to keep the creative juices flowing than sharing our creations with others. After all, the reason most of us spend the time we do to create all of these pages and albums is to make sure our stories and experiences find an audience and a memory outside ourselves.
And one of the easiest and most fulfilling ways we share is by posting our layouts in our favorite online galleries.
Few things make me want to scrapbook more than the thought of sharing my layouts in the gallery. There’s just something about seeing that nice big image displayed alongside everyone else’s pages that makes me smile. And fueling that fire are the nice comments left by other scrapbookers in the hours and days that follow, validating me as a scrapbooker and helping me to feel that I have been seen, heard and maybe even understood.
As first a scrapbooker, and now also as the owner of an online scrapbook-related business, I have noticed there is an often unwritten etiquette to being a welcomed and valued member of the online scrapbooking community, particularly when it comes to site galleries. But I’ve also noticed that it sometimes takes a while before newcomers catch on to these commonly accepted and expected standards of gallery behavior.
So today I thought I’d take a few minutes to share what I’ve learned in hopes of helping fellow scrapbookers make the most of what the gallery experience has to offer.
When it comes to playing nice in our favorite online galleries, just think about the advice our mothers gave us …
1. Play by the rules. Every gallery has its own set of rules which you generally have to agree to in order to become a registered user with uploading and commenting privileges. The rules typically spell out what can and cannot be included in your image descriptions (such as whether you are allowed to link to outside stores and Web sites), file size requirements, daily upload limits, and whether you are allowed to post layouts created with products purchased outside that specific site’s store. Follow the rules out of respect for all of your fellow scrapbookers, as well as to avoid annoying the site administrator.
2. Give credit where credit is due. Product designers deserve to be acknowledged when you post a layout that includes their items, including templates as well as all papers, elements, alphas, fonts, etc.The same holds true when you “lift” the design of another scrapbooker or when your page is inspired by a particular book, Web challenge or other source. By providing such information you are not only showing your support and respect for these designers and authors, you are helping your fellow scrapbookers find new sources of inspiration and resources.
3. Do unto others… If you like to receive nice comments on the layouts you post (and who doesn’t?), then take a little time to return the favor in the galleries you frequent. It doesn’t take long for fellow scrapbookers to recognize “hit-and-run” posting, which nearly always means the layout is there just to sell a product or that the person is much more interested in receiving than in giving, neither of which will earn you much love from your fellow scrapbookers. This is especially true for galleries supported by specific stores, as opposed to the open galleries that are not connected with any one particular retailer.
4. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Most scrapbookers practice this art because they enjoy it, not because they’re looking to have their pages picked apart. Unless someone specifically asks for constructive criticism, it’s best to leave only positive, encouraging comments in the gallery. Even if they do suggest they are open to critiques, it’s wise to think twice before saying too much … and then only through a private message. The same holds true for typos and other little mistakes. No one likes to have their weaknesses pointed out in public.
5. Quality over quantity. When it comes to gallery comments, more is not necessarily better. If you’re going to take the time to leave a comment, say something that shows you actually looked at the layout and found something to appreciate. A handful of sincere messages is much more meaningful to the page artist than a big, long list of comments that look exactly the same as those on every other page in the gallery.
6. Do a little more than is expected. While you certainly are not required to include the text of your journaling in your layout description, it sure does make it easier for your friends to really appreciate and enjoy your page if you do. This is particularly true if your journaling is lengthy or in a size that is difficult to read on a computer monitor.
7. No trespassing. If you are posting a page in a gallery owned by a site that sells scrapbooking products, it is generally a good idea to limit your posting to pages that are created mostly, if not entirely, with products purchased from that site. Some sites require this, but this is a good rule of thumb even for those sites that do not. The exception is a gallery that is truly an “open” gallery, in which case this will usually be made known in the site’s policies. Remember, it is often product sales that make it possible for a site’s gallery to exist. It’s poor form to make a habit of posting pages using products sold by that site’s competitors unless such a practice is specifically allowed on that site.
8. Say thank you. One of the best ways to show your support and appreciation for your favorite product designers is to share the pages you create using their products in the galleries where they reside. This is particularly true if you happened to obtain those products through a freebie post or giveaway on a site outside the designer’s regular venue … let those designers know you appreciate their generosity by letting others see their products in action. A nice little thank you note never hurts, either.
Have your own tips or advice on how to be a true gallery standout? I’d love for you to share them in a comment below…
Get the inside scoop, be the first to know about new product releases & get special discounts by subscribing to our new weekly newsletter, the Log Your Memory INSIDER. Delivered directly to your INBOX every Sunday afternoon.
Please share your thoughts in a comment below …
Tags: comments, everyday scrapbooking, gallery comments, gallery etiquette, gallery how-tos, gallery rules, gallery standouts, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking community, scrapbooking etiquette, scrapbooking rules, storytellng
Categories: Inspiration, Real Life
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