a question for all designers

[seatrout]

I am sure that most people on here know your stories .. but I would love to know how you got involved in designing for SSD.

Did you design somewhere else before
Were you headhunted by Robin ?
Did you apply ?

Rach

[Libby Pritchett]

Awww what a fun question!!

I have been a part of SSD since early 2007 when I was on Robin and Dani's personal CTs. I became a babe in Aug 2007. At the time, I worked full-time outside the home as a dental assistant. By late spring 2008, my job was really getting to me, and I thought I'd like to try my hand at designing. I made a couple of kits just for fun and ended up sending them to Robin for a critique. We went back and forth a little, and she gave me some advice and told me to make more kits. Pretty soon, I got brave enough to ask if there was a spot here at SSD for me.

Honestly, I never dreamed that I'd get to start here because this is one of THE top stores in all of digiland. People who have been designing for a long time aspire to be here... what made me think I could just start out on top?

You can imagine my shock when Robin got back to me a few days later and told me that she'd talked it over with the other designers, and they wanted to invite me to join them. I was THRILLED. I gave notice at my dental job and right then and there decided to make designing at SSD my full-time job.

And I've never looked back! This job has been such a blessing for me. I've been through some major life-changing events since I've been on staff here (illnesses, divorce, moving out of state, remarriage, now pregnancy), and I know I couldn't have gotten through those things without the flexibility of my job here. I LOVE it here!

[lauren grier]

I was a noob designer.. Had only been designing 6-7 months i think? SSD had just opened in February & had their first call in June or July. I am pretty sure I actually MISSED the call deadline- my aunt had just passed away and I didn't think I actually had a chance -- was pretty much holed up in my saddness and applied because someone told me to Imagine my surprise when I got that invite
The rest is history.. I've been at SSD forever now.

[scrapweaver]

This is so interesting!! I love reading people's stories . . and Libby, I'm pretty sure you've ALWAYS been a BABE hehehe

[Libby Pritchett]

bwaaaahahahahaha Donna! I like to think so.

[seatrout]

Thanks Libby and Lauren - interesting to read
Rach

[brooke22]

Great question!
Libby I remember when you started designing

[mrshobbes]

Originally Posted by brooke22

Great question!
Libby I remember when you started designing

I do, too! I seem to recall a certain "mystery designer" tormenting people on the forums days before you debuted

[Jenn Barrette]

I started designing in 2006 and have sold at a few stores...but once I discovered SSD it became my "dream store". I was a dedicated customer (re: SSD owned my Paypal LOL) and have been on a few of the designers creative teams for a few years when I gathered up my courage to e-mail Robin about becoming part of the team. She let me know that there might indeed be a call coming up...and she encouraged me to apply!

I just about died when I got my acceptance e-mail and began selling my designers here October of last year.

[seatrout]

just loving the whiskers Jenn

[BrattyMeg]

I was a Sugarbabe from Nov 07 til I started designing here the same time Jenn came on board in October last year I did sell at another shop from May 09 when I first started designing until I gave my notice in Sept 10

SSD has always been my digi home and I couldn't ask for anything more than to work alongside some of the best girls in digiland at my all time favorite shoppe!

[adrianka]

What a great idea for a thread. It's so interesting to read this.

[krystalhartley]

It all started when I was a wee kid at my mother's knee...

j/k

However, it really did start with the birth of my daughter because at that time, some dormant sleeper gene awakened and the girl who cried at the thought of being required to do anything right-brained became the girl who couldn't get enough creativity in her life...and entered scrapbooking...a perfect combination of form and function.

That was 1996. It started with me cutting my priceless photos into silly ovals and/or rounding every corner in sight, "gluing" them to stark white archival paper and embellishing them with possibly the least cutest stickers in all stickerdom. After a couple of years, I discovered there were "other" scrapbooking products that actually were cute, and I became such an addict and hoarder. In 2003, I became a consultant for a direct sales (like Mary Kay, Scentsy) scrapbook company. Because it was a start-up company, it was easy to shoot up to the top, making "creative" flyers and marketing materials along the way in PowerPoint. I had to eventually teach myself PSE to get the high resolution files needed for print ads in magazines and such.

In 2005ish, I discovered a couple of digi stores and fell in love with the idea of digital scrapbooking. Then, when my "business" company introduced its own digi scrap software and products, I was ecstatic. My business really boomed because it was so easy for me to sell something I loved so much. I was pretty much the digi guru, and I was devastated when they chose a less profitable, less creative direction for their product. I stepped away from the company and looked for some other way to harness my creative energy.

That was summer 2007. I discovered DST and a designer contest. I entered. LOLOLOLOL I won! even more LOLOLOLOL. But because I was still a scrapper, I begged Misty for an opportunity to work with her products and she somehow agreed. It wasn't long after I'd been on her CT that she made the move here to...PARADISE!!

I was just AMAZED with this site. I loved being here. I loved the inspiration and the community. I became a Hybrid Babe and saw things behind the scenes and I KNEW that this is where I'd want to sell my wares. I emailed Robin but was told they weren't looking to add any new designers...Libby and Darcy had just recently joined them. So I continued to try to find a good home for myself in digiland...as good as I could possibly find knowing that my heart was really here. That's such a conundrum, ya know.

And then...the most amazing message ever from Robin came in the spring of 2009. She and the designers wanted me. Could I even believe what I was reading? I cried. Not gonna lie. I was so emotional. I started on iNSD that year. The rest is a dream I'm still living.

Off to grab my daughter from school. I'll have to check for typos when I get back. Thanks for reading my novel.

[seatrout]

What a great story Krystal

[Darcy Baldwin]

Back in...2007? Was it then? Yeah - wow. I got the opportunity to begin doing font design and sold with one of my favorite designers at her personal store. I was too chicken to even ask a big store to take me on, figuring no one would even want me. A while later I was given the opportunity to sell at a bigger store and grabbed it.

About the same time Libby came on...I cold-called Robin and begged She and the designers felt so sorry for me, that they invited me to come play - true story.

[lliella]

i learned about digiscrapping a few months after my son was born (mid 2007) from a baby board. Hoarded a lot of freebies and i started doing a few freebies for a site. then started selling late 2007 at several small digistores. i was still learning and sometimes it took me almost a month to finish a kit. i applied to several calls and got accepted at a more popular store, while also selling at another store. i always thought i'd only be exclusive if it's SSD.
a few months after my daughter was born in early 2009, i got an email from Robin inviting me to sell at SSD!!! i could not stop grinning from ear to ear!!
I started NSD 2009 (same time as Krystal)

[Amy Carey]

oh yeah Libby... wasn't the first Porkchops and Applesauce? LOL I have ALWAYS loved your kit names This is so fun to read..and I love having been here to witness most of it.

I reead this thread and I keep looking for the "like" button, rofl

[adrianka]

I never realised Allie and Krystal started to sell at SSD approximately at the same time I joined the forums. Neat. :-)

Keep the stories coming, it's sure fun to read them.

[Libby Pritchett]

Originally Posted by MizAmyLou

oh yeah Libby... wasn't the first Porkchops and Applesauce? LOL I have ALWAYS loved your kit names This is so fun to read..and I love having been here to witness most of it.

I reead this thread and I keep looking for the "like" button, rofl

hehe actually, the first was A Man Named Brady, but I did Porkchops & Applesauce on my 1st anniversary as an "ode" to my first kit. LOL Thanks Amy!

[Traci Reed]

Well, I started designing in 2004 just after Karsten was born. I worked at and/or owned a few stores that are defunct now and then worked for some bigger stores that are still around before I got up the gumption to apply to SSD in 2007..and the rest is history...

[Julie Billingsley]

I started scrapping about 6 years ago in 2005. I immediately fell in love with the Sweet Shoppe when it started up and was on several creative teams here. In early 2007 I became a SugarBabe here, which was a dream come true I started designing and talked to Robin about selling here. I'm very grateful SSD took a chance on me as a rookie designer. It is tough to get into SSD as a designer, and I'm incredibly blessed that I debuted here. This is my home. I'll be celebrating my 4th anniversary as a Sweet Shoppe designer in a couple months!

Prior to designing, I studied fashion design in college, designed websites, and was even featured in Yahoo Internet Life Magazine for outstanding web and graphic design back in about 1999. So designing gathered up all my skills and gave them a wonderful creative outlet.

[Penny Springmann]

I began digi scrapping after my first son was born in 03. I knew I wanted to scrapbook my son's life, but paper scrapping wasn't for me since I don't get along well with scissors and glue. After a few internet searches, I discovered digital scrapbooking and was hooked! I began designing as a profession in 06. I then bounced around a bit until I answered a call in the fall of 07 and debuted here on DSD. SSD is such a fabulous digi home!!!

[seatrout]

thanks so much for taking the time to reply. It's been great reading your stories.

[pixelstix]

This is so fun to read about. I am "new"(again) around here, but was into digi early on, and I remember a lot of your names. All the designers here are so talented.

[Laurarae13]

One of the first kits I ever purchased was Traci's (from another shop) it was a brown and blue boys kit called something T or T-shirt? I also used to download Lliella's freebies from her blog! So long ago!