I've already met some of you, but I thought I'd introduce myself here too. Hi! I'm Kelly and I'm an addicted digi scrapper. My obsession grew over the summer and now it's uncontrollable. LOL. First, all I cared about were the freebies. Now I'm obsessed with my favorite designers. I gotta have their kits. The worst part of it is, everything is so affordable. They trick you with their $1 or $3 kits. Then when you buy 10 of those kits, it really starts to add up. I bet there are a lot of you out there who are just the same. Don't be shy. You can admit it :) They should make bumper stickers for us. Ooh, that sounds like a fun hybrid challenge.

So what is it I do for TRP exactly? I'm the community administrator/pr chick. I basically get to hang out with you as often as I can. Doesn't that sound like the best job ever? I try to make my rounds in the gallery. In the last week, the activity has picked up tremendously. It's hard for me to keep up. But I'll do my best. I LOVE seeing everyone's layouts. Whenever I'm designing my own LOs, one of my favorite thing to do is to browse through some galleries to gain inspiration. I am always blown away at how creative people are. I only wish I had an ounce of that natural creative mojo. Maybe I'll get that for Christmas this year.

If you visited my profile (add me as a friend) you probably read some facts about me. So to keep it short, here is my intro: Married the boy from my Algebra class in high school. He bought me a soda and I was sold for life. LOL. Well, it didn't exactly happen that way, but something like that. Our 2 year old son can instantly pick my spirits up with his rascal smile and wild imagination. I've experienced an unthinkable loss but feel I'm a stronger person because I survived it. I tend to have sporadic bouts of silliness. I come from a heritage where story telling is the way our history is told, so my favorite articles, pictures, and LOs, are the ones that tell a story.  I really do believe that you don't know where you're going in life until you understand where you came from.  Idioms bewilder me. I often have random thoughts. Oh, and I actually love my mother-in-law. I hear that's rare.

Sorry to say I don't have any fancy designs to showcase, but I think you can handle going without sneak peeks for one more day...

I'll be back on the blog later tonight to reveal the challenge/game schedule for the week. Stay tuned!

All my best, Kelly

As you can tell, we are just bursting at the seams to launch the store on Monday. We're hard at work, putting the last minute touches here and there, getting the store dressed for it's big debut. Our poor CT team really had to hit the ground running. I hope they still love us at the end of this week.

We love giving away gifts for being here at The Red Porch. We have a special offer for Monday, 12/1, only. If you purchase 2 or more items in our store on launch day, December 1, you will receive this fantastic alpha kit for FREE.

These the super cool alphas you've been drooling over on the homepage, designed by our fabulous Nicole, can be yours for FREE. Once our store "cash register" closes on Monday, Dec 1 at 11:59pm PST, our tech support (aka Carson) will work his technical magic, find out who purchased two items or more, then place this lovely kit in the "My Download" the next day. There will be a notification, either from him or me (Kelly), that will let you know when it's ready for download.

Make sure you head to the store on Monday and buy like crazy! Tell your friends too!

Have you seen a guy's profile pop in and out of the gallery in comments? You may be wondering who he is. He's also the same guy behind tech support, the unique design of the site, and the one of two players who pulled this whole thing together (concept to fruition). It's all thanks to Carson, the site owner/marketer/resident Tech guy. Since you met his beautiful, talented, and creative other half  the other day, you get to meet him today.

What made you two decide to open up a scrapbooking shop?
To be honest, it’s been about four years in the making. The idea originally came to me (Carson) when I was doing some Internet marketing work for my client Debbie Mumm. They have such a fun and rewarding business and customer base, I wanted to be part of that world. With my background in web business, I thought it would be fun to work with Jessica (who is very creative) to bring a carefully polished web experience to scrapbookers. Jessica is super-wife and supportive of all my hair-brained ideas. I shared my kernel of an idea, she helped shape it into something that could work, and she’s worked tirelessly along with me to help us realize our vision.

What is your store/site philosophy?
Store: our goal is to bring handmade digital art to scrapbooking. We don’t think this has been done in quite this way before. Our products are not the results of work in Photoshop – not that there’s a THING wrong with that, we love that stuff as much as anyone else – but  we wanted to bring a different style of art to the community to share and enhance their creative works. We happen to think it’s a fantastic addition, but then we’re not real unbiased. :)

Site: our goal is to create a community where scrapbookers all over the world can find and share inspiration. We hope our users will upload their work and generously share with others their ideas, their creativity, and their vision. We hope that all who arrive at the site will be inspired just a little bit more to see the world as a better place, to find friends with common interests, to find ideas and creativity that inspire them.

So far, what has been your favorite part of this whole process?
Without question, our favorite part so far has been working with our designers, and now Kelly in bringing these fantastic creative works to fruition. It’s been such a joy to work with everyone involved. Jessica and I count it a real blessing and can’t wait to share this experience with the scrapbooking community.

What is your occupational background and how is it contributing to TRP?
I have been involved in internet related businesses – internet marketing and web development – for about 11 years professionally. I’ve found a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment from using this medium to connect people and businesses. Jessica is a SAHM with a degree in education and art, who understands beauty and what appeals to people (women particularly). Her background has brought a much needed personal touch to the more technical aspects that I focus on.

Stay tuned! You'll get to learn about me next. Heehee...

All my best, Kelly

Hey TRP Community,

Thank you for hanging in there while I got all my ducks in a row for this announcement. It was a difficult decision, as you can imagine, to choose a CT team. Everyone that applied was absolutely fantastic and we felt so honored to receive so many applications on a "blind" CT call.  After viewing everyone's app, I realized that even I didn't stand a chance at being a CT member at TRP based on all the other talent out there that applied. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to apply. If you didn't get a CT position, we hope you still decide to stick around and enjoy the fun & freebies during our store launch week starting on Monday.

With that said, drum roll please......

Introducing our new CT team, also known as the Rockin' Red Porch Chicks  (in no particular order):

Leah

Claudia

Janie

Dixie

Kelleanne

Jeanette

Brynn Marie (hybrid)

Ina (hybrid)

Yes, I realize I wrote 8 names down. I promise I can count to 6. Since TRP designs are perfectly made for hybrid projects, we decided to bring on board some hybrid gals.

Welcome to the TRP team girls. We're so thrilled to have you on board to get this party started!!

All my best, Kelly

Yes you read that right. If you were speedy enough to upload at least one layout by today, you received a FREEBIE in your "My Downloads". Make sure to check your email because it gives detailed instructions on how to retrieve your exclusive pre-launch FREEBIE kit. Trust me, it's very simple. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. This fun and colorful kit was created by today's featured designer, Jessica.

What kind of artist are you? I’ve never really thought of myself as an artist, but I think I look at the world with a creative mind. 

How long have you been an artist/designer? I’ve always loved drawing.  I have sketch books I drew in as a kid.  My mom got me into a lot of art classes at our local art school,  and then I grew up and went to college majoring in art.  I changed my path to elementary education since I love teaching children, but I am glad I had experience in both since having kids is so much more fun with a creative mind.

What got you interested in this kind of designing (for digital)? I love having my calendar, shopping lists, photos, and videos all tucked neatly onto my computer.  That way they aren’t taking up space in my home.  This is why I like my art digital.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? My kids, experiences, and my  surroundings inspire me.  I’m a simple person and it reflects in my designs.

What is your favorite thing to design and why? Anything that my 10 year old daughter says looks great when I finish, because she’s got creativity in her core.

Do you have any designers that you admire? My grandma is a keeper.  She keeps everything like magazine clippings, flowers which she used to press, and every little scrap of fabric you can imagine.  She always finds a way to make something out of “nothing”.  My mother in law has this wonderful gift also. Even though I’m not a keeper, I have always admired this free flowing creative approach, so I am trying to be less rigid and outlined.

What has been your favorite kit to design so far and why? I really enjoyed designing my Party Time kit.  I just had fun.  I really love the stitching process.

And that's all the designers we are introducing for now. Since our launch date is right around the corner, we would LOVE to see what you created with your FREEBIE kit. When you upload your layout to the gallery, tag it with earlybirdfreebie (one word) so we can all see what you did with this  fabulous party kit. We would love to feature some of your layouts on launch day in the blog, so make it easier for us to search for them by adding that helpful tag.

We are really starting to revv up for our launch date on Monday, Dec 1. Let me give you the low down on what to expect from the TRP in the next couple of days...

- Later tonight, by 5pm PST to be exact (edit: what was I thinking? Crazy day! On or about 10pm PST I say!), we will be announcing our new CT Team

-Tomorrow, we will be introducing our site owners and posting the schedule of all the challenges/games. This means EVEN MORE chances to earn FREEBIES! So basically, when our store launches on Monday, the theme will be "tons of fun," "lots of FREEBIES," and "the coolest digtal creations you've ever seen."

UPDATE: This just in....I've been given the ok to share with all of you that if you purchase items on the first day of our launch, 12/1, you will receive that adorable Mocha and Blue alpha on the homepage of TRP for FREE...WOW...Christmas must really be early this year. More details on how to download your Mocha/Blue alpha will follow.

That's a lot of goody information for now. Don't forget to check back later tonight to find out who our CT team will be.

All my best, Kelly

Hey TRP readers,

You are in for a treat today. You get to meet Sarah. She has created some super cute items for TRP, like this cutie here on the right. Don't you just want to pinch its adorable cheeks?

When you get a chance, you have to take a look at her Etsy shop. Ah. I just want to buy her whole store. I especially love the penguins. Where were these when I was a kid?

What kind of artist are you? Felt and hand stitching is my   main craft, but any kind of sewing and fabric can grab my attention!

How long have you been an artists/designer? I've always loved crafts, since I was a kiddie cutting out paper dolls with my Mum...years later I took a degree in Theatrical Costume Design which taught me so much...now I feel very lucky that I can call myself a working crafter!

What got you interested in this kind of designing (for digital)? I'm always interested in new ways to craft...and if someone as computer-shy as me can enjoy it, it must be good :-)

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? It's hard to pin point inspiration...ideas seem to come at me when I'm busy sewing something else...I always have a notebook at hand to jot down ideas or some rough sketches.

What is your favorite thing to design and why? Turning a 2-d sketch into a 3-d object has always held magic for me, be it pattern cutting clothes or making softies, I am always pleasantly surprised that a piece of paper and a few pencil lines can turn 3d !!

What has been your favorite kit to design so far and why? Designing for the digital market bought about a few changes in the methods I ordinarily use and once I have conquered the computer side of my first kit I have so many more ideas I want to produce...my sketch book is overflowing with cupcakes and owls and I can't wait to get started on them!

Make sure that you stay tuned to the blog tomorrow. Our CT call results will be in and we will be announcing our new CT Team later in the evening, Pacific time. Not to mention, Santa must be coming early because early TRP registered members will be getting your free  kit TOMORROW. Can you believe it! So make sure you have that one layout uploaded in the gallery before the elves go snooping through the gallery to check!

All my best, Kelly

We hope you are all recovering well from your turkey holiday. For some of you, yesterday was just an ordinary day. Either way, I hope you had a wonderful day and are looking forward to reading our latest blog posts. 

I'd like to introduce you to Ms. Aimee. She is the creative talent behind the wonderful kit that adorned our CT ad at DST. Her embroidered crafts are just amazing. Some of you have already sent me a PM about her kit. Read the interview 'cause she reveals the name of this adorable kit.

Yes, this is a picture of Aimee. She is a creative genius for her age and we got her parents' permission to exploit her art. LOL. Just kidding. She swears she doesn't have a recent pic.

What kind of artist are you?  I guess I'm a "little bit of everything" artist. Embroidery is probably what I'm most known for. My embroidery book "Doodle-Stitching" came out about a year ago. But besides that, I love watercolors, digital painting, sewing plush, clay sculpture;  I just love trying out new techniques. I'm always coming up with new stuff for my etsy shop.

How long have you been an artists/designer? As long as I can remember. I have always loved drawing and making things. I picked up sewing and embroidery again though about 5 years ago.

What got you interested in this kind of designing (for digital)? I do mostly digital work in my job as a greeting card designer, so I guess it was a natural progression for me to merge handmade and digital.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? Everywhere! I am particularly inspired by nature, my dreams and other artists online. There are so many talented people out there! Seeing everyone else's projects (at places like flickr and craftster.org) inspires me to work on my own.

What is your favorite thing to design and why? I love to do anything that comes completely from my own mind. It's fun to work on projects for other people, but the stuff I do just for myself is my favorite. I try to save time to work on my own things and try not to think about what anyone else will think of them, just make them for my own enjoyment.

Do you have any designers that you admire? There are hundreds! Some artists I'm particularly enamored with right now are Badbird, Mimilove, and MrMuju.

What has been your favorite kit to design so far and why? It's hard to pick one! My Woodland Whimsy set is a fave. I especially love woodland imagery, leaves and trees and cute animals. There is so much to be inspired by in forests, they are so magical.

Hey TRP Readers,

In an attempt to introduce you to all of the designers before our store launch on Monday, Dec.1, we're featuring TWO designers today. Woot! Woot!

Grab your fresh cup of coffee, park your behind in a comfy chair, and read about our talented ladies behind the crafty, anticipated creations.

Introducing Nicole! She is the fabulous artist behind the "handmade digital art" felt alphas you fell in love with on the homepage.

What kind of artist are you? I work primarily with wool, threads, fibers, and embellishments but I also love pretty papers and fabrics and beads. I do a lot of hand stitching but I love painting and printmaking and jewelry as well. So I guess could say I am an All-Sorts!

How long have you been an artists/designer? I think since I was allowed safety scissors and a bottle of Elmer's glue – but I began selling my work about 10 years ago in high school. I had been doing shows and private parties and then discovered Etsy in 2006.

What got you interested in this kind of designing (for digital)? This is a whole new world for me – I do love the scrapbook aisle at my local craft shop – all those pretty papers and tiny embellishments! But I truly think that the Red Porch has such a clever and creative concept using handmade items for digital art. They are really offering scrapbookers something that you could never purchase at your local craft shop – gorgeous, detailed needle art to embellish their creations.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? I am definitely a seasonal – holiday kind of thinker and I also try to think of what special moments or occasions that someone would want to create a scrapbook around. If you take a look at my other work, you will see it is just my style of design sort of expanded upon.

What is your favorite thing to design and why? I work primarily on a pretty small scale, and I love the idea of creating a little world of things. I am also a big fan of putting a couple of googly eyes on a felt piece of toast or a felt slice of bacon. My favorite designs are a little whimsical and silly and if it makes someone smile – then it is a success!

Do you have any designers that you admire? Though these artists are not associated with the scrapbook community - I absolutely love the work of Sally Mavor, and the artists behind The Black Apple, My Paper Crane and Wee Wonderfuls. It is so inspiring to see their beautiful work!

What has been your favorite kit to design so far and why?  Hmmm ... that is a good question. I have really been enjoying my Christmas kit that I am currently working on. I also have been having a lot of fun with the alphabet sets. I am working on a “holly jolly” alphabet right now and it’s very fun to add all the decorative little stitches and embellishments – who doesn’t love teeny tiny candy canes!?

Introducing the Sweet & Sassy designer Aubrey.  Her kits are filled with eccentric, silly, and sweet creations. Chocolate everywhere beware! Aubrey's kits may be your new sweet addiction.  

What kind of artist are you? I like to be different & make everything fun. My happiness is a mess of mismatched colors. One of my besties & I have an Etsy shop. We sell items mostly made out of felt & fabric. I love to make everything. I do have a problem finishing things. My mind wanders a little onto new ideas. I am learning to stay focus...maybe.

How long have you been an artists/designer? Well, I have always been very creative & artistic...the whole working with felt thing has only been about 2 yrs.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? Everywhere! I try and look at things & think okay, how can that be made into felt or how can that be made a little cooler.

What is your favorite thing to design and why? I really don't have one. I love it all. I think it's so much fun.

Do you have any designers that you admire? I admire all designers. Most people don't realize the work & patience put into handmade items. Well, I know first hand!

What has been your favorite kit to design so far and why? I really loved doing my Sweet Shop kit. It was so fun & so much could be done with all the different colors of felt & fabric designs. Actually, working on all of them was great. The designs are so different from each other that it was nice to maybe put down a cupcake for a moment & switch to a swordfish, then back again.

Check back on Friday to meet more of our talented designers and catch a glimpse of the secrets they've been keeping...

This Thanksgiving holiday, we hope you are surrounded with the ones you love, be filled with the delicious foods that nourish your body and soul, and given moments to treasure always.   

All our best,  The Red Porch family

Hello fellow anxious scrappers! The countdown begins!! Our official store launch date is set for Monday, December 1. As our store launch date peeks its head around the corner of that big fat turkey, make sure you've uploaded at least one layout in order to receive the FREE kit by Saturday, November 29. You won't want to miss the chance to get your hands on the designs BEFORE everyone else does. Did I mention the part where you would get it for free? Ok. I'm just making sure I didn't leave that part out.

I hope you are all enjoying the site so far. It's been great to see the gallery grow 10-fold everyday. I can't seem to keep up with the speed of those uploads, but I guarentee that I will get to view all of your layouts as soon as I can. It's incredibly important to us that we get to know all of you as much as possible. You are not just another number in our gallery. We love seeing your layouts, no matter who the designers are or where you get the kits come from. The talent amongst the uploads is astounding. We are so fortunate to see a community of talented scrappers flourish here. You've become part of our family and we hope you continue to make yourself at home here, at The Red Porch (TRP).   

Speaking of family, I thought I'd reveal a little more about our team as every day gets us closer to our store launch date. Each day this week, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, I will be introducing you to our designers, site owners, and myself, to give you a better idea of who we are and what we all bring to The Red Porch's home.

For starters, today's feature will be on the fabulous Stephanie. This graphic designer has brought a bag full of talent to TRP. Read her fun interview below and get a glimpse of her designs...

What kind of artist are you?
I’ve never really thought of myself as an artist, but since joining The Red Porch team I feel like a felt artist.  Since starting this project I have started thinking outside the box and worked on things I might never have considered.  It really opened a new avenue for me.

How long have you been an artists/designer?
I’ve been a graphic designer for over 10 years.  It’s not my passion although I groove on all things design related.  My passion is being creative.  I have so many ideas and I pull from every source I can.  I have notebooks and binders full of inspiration and concepts. I need to live 3 lifetimes to fulfill them all!

What got you interested in this kind of designing?
I started making felt clippies over a year ago and opened an Etsy shop as a way to make a little extra money.  I added embellishments and French barrettes upon requests from friends and it took off from there with bracelets, tote/gift bags, clip holders, wall hangings, ornaments and travel tic tac toe games.  I’ve since opened a second Etsy shop just for my child related items.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
Everywhere.  If I see something I like I sketch it or write about it in a notebook.  I love the fabric designs that are out now.  I get a lot of ideas just from my daughters clothing and children’s clothing shops.  Catalogs and magazines, I see something I like and I think of how I can translate it to felt.  The internet, there are so many wonderful creative blogs, I get lots of inspiration there. 

What is your favorite thing to design and why?
My favorite design is the travel tic tac toe games.  They are my own creation and I’ve made several custom games.  I think people are steering away from the bells and whistles toys and are getting back to the good old basics.  Creative play is very important.  Puzzles, blocks, books, play food, it may be the direction I head next!

Do you have any designers that you admire?
All around number one favorite:  Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
I have no words to describe how I feel when I see his work.  I’ve been to Glasgow and seen first hand his art, design and architecture.  All I could do was just stand there in awe and let it soak in.
Graphic designers:  Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, Peter Max.

What has been your favorite kit to design so far?
The Retro Collection.

What did you like about that kit?
The colors mostly, but I also did two cars and a jukebox that were time consuming but I think are very cool. (check out the cool peace sign next to Stephanie's pic above).

Here are some great samples of her work.

Make sure you check back tomorrow to see what other goodies we'll reveal and who else you will meet.

Until then, all my best!  Kelly

Since we gave DST a sneak peek, I thought I'd add that sampler here on our blog. Hope you like it! And trust me...there is plenty more where this came from...