Our April Guest Designer already shared her talents with us through her very popular 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 Traci Reed… and be sure to enter our giveaway contest for a chance to win the full version of her amazing new kit, “When You’re Smiling”!



Name: Traci Reed

Username: Traci Reed

Location: Northern California

Retail Outlets: Sweet Shoppe Designs

Please tell us a little about yourself … My name is Traci Reed and I’m a Northern California native, wife to Patrick of 5 years and mother of 2 sons, ages 4 and 5!* I have one pet puppy, a mini pinscher mix named Abby that we rescued from the shelter last summer.* I started out life as a photographer in a studio at 15 and it’s my first love.* In addition to scrapping, I also like to cook, knit, crochet, read and garden.* I’m a full-time student in addition to all this and I’m one semester away from my degree in Graphic Illustration.

"Auntie Em" by Traci Reed




Are you a digital, paper or hybrid scrapper/designer? What do you like most about this method? I am a digital designer and scrapper.* I prefer this method because of its ease of use and the fact that I, personally, am able to make far superior layouts to my traditional scrapping (since I can’t cut a straight line, ha!)

How long have you been a designer & how did you first get started? I’ve been designing in this industry for 5 years. I started when there were very few digi scrappers back in 2004!* I’d been using Photoshop since I was a kid, all through high school and into college. After I had my first son, it was the perfect way for me to be able to work from home.

Is scrapbook product design your full-time job? If not, what else do you do? It is my full-time job. My husband is currently only going to school full-time to be an RN so I’m the family breadwinner!* In addition to this, I also go to school full-time.

"One Hot Geek, One Hot Dork" by Traci Reed




What software & platform do you use in your design work? Do you use any other special tools? I switched to Mac last year and you know what they say, I’ll never go back!* I use Adobe CS4 for my designs (mainly Photoshop and Illustrator). I actually HATE using a tablet so I’m a regular old mouse girl.

Has your design style changed over time? What has influenced this? Oh yes, greatly.* I entered the market at a time when everything was digitally done and (to put it nicely) just wasn’t that great of quality. Over time, the industry standards have changed and *I* have changed through my education in this field.* I can say however, that the overall style is pretty true to what I did 5 years ago. I still prefer the “paper scrapped” digital style in both layouts and kits.



What is your biggest challenge as a scrapbook product designer? My biggest challenge would be keeping my finger on the pulse of the industry.* I do a “create-a-kit” contest every year to combat this so that my customers have a chance to tell ME what they want to see.

"Girly Girl" by Traci Reed






What has been the biggest reward or most fulfilling aspect of being a scrapbook product designer? While I LOVE the fact that I get to be a part of people preserving their memories, I‘m not naive enough to believe that they’ll remember who designed the background for their pages 10 years from now, so the greatest reward for me personally is that I’ve found something I LOVE to do, can earn a living at and works around my schedule.



Where do you get your product ideas? Who & what inspires you? Color typically inspires me.* I let the colors lead the way unless I’m working on a specific theme, such as my recent Sesame Street-inspired kit.



How long does it typically take you to design a full kit from concept to delivery? What is your process? I’ve actually learned to be a pretty quick designer. I can brainstorm a kit on Monday morning, and assuming I have uninterrupted work time (which I NEVER do), I can be done with it by Monday night or Tuesday morning.* I always work on papers and illustrations first. I like to see how the colors come together in the patterns before I start committing to elements. Alphabets are nearly always last.