How did you discover the Sweet Shoppe?

[LJSDesigns]

The designer call made me think of how I discovered SSD. I followed Misty Cato on her blog and at her previous store, so when she came to SSD in 2008, I came along too. One of first layouts that caught my eye was one by Krystal Hartley. I loved it and still do!



So how did you discover the Sweet Shoppe and what goody got you hooked?

[Gemma]

I found it when Sheri became a Babe as I was at another forum with her and she mentioned it(just checked my purchase history and it was November 2008), I used to buy quite a few kits and the first one I scrapped with and uploaded to DST was this one with Lil' Sailor by KCB -



Then I found the forums in Jan 2010 when I joined Fee's team, I've never left since and I'm on a few teams from here

[MamaBee]

I was figuring out how to use Memory Mixer software to help my mom who struggled with layout design and I thought the software would help her (I was a die hard paper scrapper who thought digi was a fad... )... I was curious as to what other papers/elements were out there for the software and went searching... so I guess Google brought me to Sweet Shoppe. That is where I found out that I could use Photoshop - a program I used at work... and the first thing that hooked me was a template challenge...

as you can see... I didn't know how to save for web, or how to use shadows...



That was July 2008 - I had the software for almost a year before trying it out...

[ayaandjudah]

I discovered it in early 2008 when some friends on a different forum mentioned it.

this was the first LO I was brave enough to post

[Jengerbread88]

Mine isn't the happiest story, but I'm still happy it brought me here! There was some sort of chatter at a store I shopped at frequently about kit piracy- that around some of the other sites, people were having their work ripped off by someone, and they had posted a public warning about kit piracy by both scrappers and designers. In the other posts on the thread, someone linked here- to Robin's statement about it- because Libby was being ripped off.

I signed up for an account solely to comment in support of Libby and the other designers here- their work was just... incredible. I was so sad to see someone ripping them off.

After posting that comment, I started nosing around- after all, if I had taken the time to create an account, I may as well look around here.

I was blown away by the art, and the challenges. I wanted to participate in the challenges, so I immediately went shopping here and picked out a kit (it was Autobiography by Susan). I started participating in the challenges and I've been pretty active here ever since!

I wish that the kit stealing had never happened... but I'm just glad that I found the site in the midst of all of it because this site has been a complete blessing.

[taracotta7]

My story is kinda cool........I was a pretty active blogger and one of my blog "followers/friends" was Nikki (nikkiARNGwife). Yep, that is right. One of the babes here. (she wasn't a babe at the time though). We were sharing about scrapbooking on our blogs and her pages were always so amazing to me. I was sharing my paper pages on my blog and was frustrated that they didn't look as good on the blog because they were just snapshots of my pages. Her's showed up gorgeous because they were digital! So, I finally got the nerve to ask her all about it and how to get started. It took me a while to finally take the leap into digi. (not because I thought it was the DARK side......just because I was SO intimidated! LOL)

Lucky for me, Nikki was VERY patient and REALLY good at explaining things through PM's that I found myself working through scrapping on PSE and found the Sweet Shoppe. Once I shopped here it still took me almost a year to get active in the forums. Again, a little intimidated and again, Nikki's sweet encouragement helping me through it.

And if you don't have it figured out by now......I adore me some Nikki. Without her I wouldn't of found my passion for digital scrapbooking and met all my awesome friends here. (I am ignoring the fact all the money I spent on the hobby and won't blame her for my lack of self control. LOL)

One of my first pages I did here......... (I think this was a lift of one of Nikki's pages! LOL)

[gypsystar]

I've been here since the store opened , but I'm kind of shy so you'd never know it! I applied to a CT call for Paula Duncan way back in like December 2006 which was before the store opened but she was going to be making her designer debut here at SSD when it opened in February 2007. That said, while I was around I didn't become more active until 2008 when I started doing the challenges.

[jessica31876]

Umm I bought I think before I started on the forums and I am pretty sure it was Traci Reed I followed here LOL. I cannot even remember what store she was selling at then but I think the first kit I bought here was Paging Ms. Betty. Still one of my favorites of hers.

[pewtertm]

I didn't know Paula used to sell here!

How did I find SSD...I was looking for a kit with a tricycle (ISO at DST maybe? can't recall). Someone suggested Julie's kit, which I promptly bought. I didn't really stick around though...I was still comfy at the digi 'home'...but when it shut down, I wound up coming over here and haven't left

[nesser1981]

I've been around since not long after the shop opened I think. But I'm honestly not sure how I ended up here. LOL!

[Paula]

I've been here since they opened too. I was also on Paula Duncan's CT. I've been doing the challenges here since the get go. I remember when Julie Billingsley and Libby Pritchett were babes.

[krystalhartley]

I totally aw'd out loud.

I followed Misty here, too. Was CTing for her. She's still my designer idol.

Originally Posted by Loriebug66

The designer call made me think of how I discovered SSD. I followed Misty Cato on her blog and at her previous store, so when she came to SSD in 2008, I came along too. One of first layouts that caught my eye was one by Krystal Hartley. I loved it and still do!



So how did you discover the Sweet Shoppe and what goody got you hooked?

[nikkiARNGwife]

Aw Tara! I you too girl!! And I'm so glad you've made SSD your home too

I can't really remember how I ended up here either lol! I was on Laura Deacetis's CT back in the very very early days so I think that's probably how.

[iScrap]

I have been a digital scrapper for a long time, but was never active in forums. I always liked coming here for the portfolio challenges even though I never submitted my pages to galleries, etc.

There is always something going on here to get me scrapping - and it's more than just "here's a challenge, submit your page" type of stuff. It's a real community, not just something a store is doing for my business. It doesn't feel forced or like "work." I love how active the designers are here in the forums. It's a real personal touch.

[DeepGirl]

I was led here by Adrianka in August 2009. She had been around for some time and she told me it was her most favourite shoppe - so I headed here and it has been my digi home since then!

My very first SSD scrap:

[calvinawalsh]

I found my way here by viewing the Recent Digi Layouts at DST. I kept seeing layouts done with the kit "A Mother's Love" by KCB & Scrap Kitchen Designs and had to check out the store they were in. I really like KCB's style and kept coming back for her gorgeous kits!

[Sherri Tierney]

Well, I only recently started posting and joining in on the challenges but I've always known about SSD... there was no 'discovering' to it. I've been digiscrapping since 2004 and remember when SSD opened. Some of my friends have been designers here over the years and some are now. I remember when SSD first went exclusive as a few of my friends had to make tough decisions on what to do. Gosh, I remember the early days when Amy Bleser was here. Does Amy even design any more? I have her on facebook but I don't remember if she is around in that capacity or not these days. Amy was one who didn't go exclusive with the change if I remember correctly. Oops... here I go taking a walk down memory lane! LOL While I'm at it though... did you all know Traci Reed got me started in designing? Long story, long time ago but its true. I really miss those days of my early scrapping addiction!

[MissKim]

Another who has been here since opening day. I remember when one of my favorite shops was losing all the good designers... and then they were all here at SSD on opening day. I bet I still have some of the kits from opening day on one my EHDs, too. Since then, it's become a tradition to wake up on Saturday morning and see what's for sale.

[Jennilyn]

I used to hang out at the DigiChick when some of the girls started up SSD so I came here, but I really started hanging out here when there was a designer call and La & Amanda Rockwell joined on. I was friends with them from designing at Elemental Scraps.

[MommaTrish]

My friend Lindsay (Linz) led me here. She was on several CTs here at the time and she was one of my hugest scrap idols. Her C and my Ryan are exactly one month apart and we met on a parenting forum.

[Becca Bonneville]

I was introduced to digi and SSD by my dear friend Sarah Cornish. She had started scrapping and convinced me and Sara Gleason to join in. I haven't looked back since. SSD was my first and only real digi home since I joined in early 2008. And wow I can't believe I am going to show my first page I added to the gallery after I finally got the nerves to upload it back then...

I definitely didn't use dropshadows etc in those early days of still learning. Funny to look back at everything.

[Sharon Kay]

Stacy (pewtertm) told me about the site ... and I love it! I've been here since March 2008.

[rach3975]

I was here on opening day. There were a lot fewer shops then, so a new one opening meant a lot of buzz throughout digiland. Plus I liked a lot of the designers from their former store. Back then my scrapping budget was almost non-existent, but I loved to browse and see the releases every week. I started shopping here a couple of months later, but I didn't really become active until I started doing the challenges here in 2008. I don't remember for sure, but that may have coincided with KCB moving over from Scrapbook Graphics. Here's the first LO I seem to have posted in the SSD gallery. Back then anything done for a challenge didn't need to use SSD materials, and it looks like this one was actually non-SSD. Kinda embarrassing, LOL.

[nun69]

I had a friend on another site send me a PM when SSD was doing their birthday sale in 2008, I think {LOL} and I was totally hooked on some of the designers and never left! I have always beena fan of La's designs
my 1st page was a collab by La and Mikkel Paige

[mummytothree]

I was lurking at DST and I saw La post in a thread over there kind of asking for guests (this was October of 2007). I had never heard of her but I took a shot and PMed her and she invited me as a guest and after 2 months asked me to stay on permanently. I registered here at SSD that October but I was just about 8 weeks away from having baby #4 so I really just kind of hung out in La's private forum. Then after I had the baby and got settled I started doing the challenges and posting here in the main forums...I think that was in March of 2008.

My order history in the shop isn't complete (I think the early orders were lost in the last site switch over) but the first non La page in my gallery is using a kit that Traci made called Those We Love: Nicole's Graham Kit. I still love that kit so much!!! Here was the page I scrapped with it!!

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by Paula

I've been here since they opened too. I was also on Paula Duncan's CT. I've been doing the challenges here since the get go. I remember when Julie Billingsley and Libby Pritchett were babes.

do you remember back to when Shawna Clingerman and Janet Phillips were babes? Gosh that was 6 years ago! I also followed Robin, Christy Lyle, and Manda over here from that other site they were at before. Christy had a CT call and selected me to join it. (my first CT by the way). So, I settled in and decided to stay a while LOL

[Andrea Gourley]

I have absolutley no idea how I got here, just found the shop one day, liked what I saw and bought a few things to make cards with and just stayed. I probably lurked around the forums until I became a Babe as I can't remember chatting here before then. This is my online home now

[Lyd]

I found SSD through my friend Tana (tanbanan), who was on Robin's CT when SSD first started up. I had been trying to figure out a good way to preserve my memories digitally and she shared a page on a website that we had set up for some of our high school girlfriends to gather and chat. So, I started picking her brain - asking how to get started, what sites to visit, and which designers were awesome. I bought kits from here and followed the designers, but my "home" was at another site. I came here for good when Melissa Bennett joined the team of designers. I think it was in 2008. I had a guest CT gig with her and it just happened to be the month that she made the switch to SSD. So, I kind of came with her and never left. I love it here!

There is NO way I'm posting any of my earliest pages.

[Gemma]

Originally Posted by ltarbox

There is NO way I'm posting any of my earliest pages.

Now you've said that you HAVE to post one for us!!

[Txcorey]

I found it through the Daily Digi. Steph did a post on scrapping Disney layouts and I started diligently working on my 2009 album a few months ago to try to get it done, so I was quite interested in that post. She posted some of Aaron Morris's layouts and I loved them and the products he was using. Found out that the kits were from here and that he posted over here and I've been hooked ever since. My scrapping budget has really taken a beating since I found this place ;0) I had really not bought anything for a long time because I just wasn't inspired by the products I was seeing. I found this store and was so glad that I finally found products that I loved. I've really been scrapping a lot more since I found this store and site. Love it here!

[pomi]

After a few months of dabbling into digiscrapping I finally decided to post my pages in an online gallery, so I registered at DST. And as a "welcome gift" I received some goodies from a few designers. One of them was Sara Amarie, who was here at that time. So I scrapped with her freebie, loved it (it was such a difference from all those various freebies I downloaded in my beginnings) and then decided to use the coupon she gave away with that freebie, too. Came here, bought half of Sara'a shoppe and discovered this bunch of super talented designers.

My favorite products in that time was "The Girl Next Door Collection" by Robin and Christy and "Rumble In The Jungle" by Zoe.

[cardinalskate]

Another one that came here because of Misty Cato! When I first started out, her tutorials helped me SO MUCH. I bought kits here, but never participated. My best friend (starlight-princess) made me join the forums on NSD weekend. So much good stuff going on! I jumped right in and settled right down. And dream of all dreams, I'm on Misty's team now!

[jenn7]

I honestly don't remember exactly how... but I've been here since the beginning I think!

[kscwgirl]

I followed Meg and Shannon here.

[Lyd]

Originally Posted by Gemma

Now you've said that you HAVE to post one for us!!

Uh uh. Let's just say they looked very similar to my paper layouts and that ain't pretty. I've learned so much since then. And, while I admit to being a little slower to pick up the finer points than others, it really helped to be around so many inspiring scrappers and using such amazing products. Coming to SSD definitely helped me improve as a scrapper - tons and tons.

[kim21673]

I think I found it through an online pregnancy group when I was pregnant with one of the boys. I was a member of a due date club at Baby Zone and also visited the photography board and scrapping board there. One of the girls had posted a layout and I LOVED the kit and did a search and found SSD!!!! I have been here ever since!!

[clearskies]

I came in March or April of 2008. I'd asked Kresta to teach me how to digiscrap (over e-mail since I'd moved away) and this was one of the places she directed me to...

[SweetMelissa]

I believe I heard of it from Trish at JustMommies.com on the digital scrapbooking board.

[LJSDesigns]

So many great stories! Thanks for sharing them with me.

Since it seems that many people followed a designer to the shop, I'm thinking we may be seeing some new faces when the new designers move in. What fun! Lots of stuff to look forward to!

[SmallMoments]

I had just started thinking about going digital... and I swore I'd never go 100%- ha ha ha ha ha ha!. I'm not sure if I googled digital scrapbooking or what, but I somehow got here, but didn't spend much time here. Then they had a click-a-sig contest, maybe? Or some kind of daily freebie? And they lured me in. And they've been stuck with me since!

This isn't one of my oldest layouts ever, but the oldest one I have in my gallery here. I obviously didn't know about resizing. LOL And check out my "shadowing." Ha!

[isaacsmom]

I'm another one that followed Misty over here. And I've been hanging out here ever since she came on board!

[mrshobbes]

Aggie was the one who got me hooked on digital scrapbooking, and then I just stalked her pages Then I started stalking Jacq's from MSA and was led back to here. I was also once part of Libby's CT when she first started designing in...2008? 2009? I was really a lurker though.

It was one of my goals in 2011 to be more chatty/active here so I started doing that in January. I never ever dreamed that nine months later I would get that email from Robin SSD is the gold standard for carrying awesome stuff, talented designers, and a loyal community and fanbase

[lovely1m]

I don't remember exactly how I found my way here. I was active around the digi world and when I finally started buying the occasional kit, I found my way over here and bought a collab by Shawna & Kristin called Beep Chugga Zoom. I used that kit probably 5 or 6 times. Its from 2008, but I had been scrapping for 2 years already before that. It was a 2 pager, but I can't seem to find the other side right now.

[rach3975]

Wow, there are some designer names in this thread that I haven't thought about in a long time. Mindy Terasawa was also here for a little while, though I can't remember how early in the store's history that was. I think she was the first designer whose work I loved and that finally pushed me past scrapping with freebies, grab bags, and other low cost supplies.

[TeriBeary]

I bought my first kit in the fall of 2008. I'm not sure how I found SSD though. I did my first pages in 2005. No shadows. My friend got me started and I posted on a different site for a bit. Can't remember the site but I know it's closed down. I've never been a big poster here, but I am trying to be more than a lurker!

[NeverendingJen]

I think I found it back when SSD and SO did a collab together. I've been shopping here since 2008, but it took me a long time to become active on the forums.

[MommaTrish]

Originally Posted by SweetMelissa

I believe I heard of it from Trish at JustMommies.com on the digital scrapbooking board.

Trish me? There was actually another Trish on there in the way back also. lol

[LenaGardner]

I came in Feb 07 to make purchases...I have since lost the kit and have NO idea what it was called, but I'm pretty sure it was Dani Mogstad. I made this page with it:



I wasn't active in the forum until September when SSD cohosted Stand Up And Scrap.

I fell in love with SSD and never left. I didn't get active with challenges and such until Spring of 08

[ashleywb]

My friend Kellie (joelsgirl) had told me about her love for digital scrapping. I had been a paper scrapper for years and was pretty skeptical about digi! LOL! When I was finally sick of the paper mess and ready to dip my toe into digiland, I contacted Kellie. She sent me to the Sweet Shoppe where she just happened to be the "treat of the month". I was AMAZED at her layouts as well as everyone else's here!

I think it was 2010. Dani's Pumpkin Spiced Latte is the first kit I ever purchased.
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...0&cat=0&page=3

[heathergw]

My friend from a moms forum knew I liked to edit photos and thought that I would really like to do digital scrapbooking... she told me about Sweet Shoppe Designs and told me to grab a cookie from one of the challenges here and she walked me through my first layout and then saving it for web... there was a GGG sale and I sold a couple of my baby carriers to fund purchasing several kits and a couple digital scrapbooking classes... I fell in LOVE with the challenges and the people and the designers here instantly and it quickly became "home" for me. That was fall of 2009 and my first purchase was Penny's 100% Recycled which is still one of my favorite kits ever and I don't have the heart to purge it, and not sure I ever will LOL.

This is my first layout that Kristin (smallmoments) walked me through after sending me here she told me to add shadows... notice I forgot some and that they're all the same size and distance and opacity and also check out how I used the "flowers/elements" spot on the template and clipped paper to it instead of switching out for an element in the kit LOLOL