Our New Design Team!

Today I have the more-than-enjoyable task of revealing to you the new Design Team for the Sketches: Creatively Yours blog! 

We have a very strong and exceptionally talented group of ladies on this term's Design Team, and I am so excited to introduce them to you! Each brings a special skill or talent to the table... and to add a cherry on top, we have some widely varied styles represented.

These gals have it all... they can do ANYTHING. From traditional to shabby chic, steampunk, whimsical, dreamy, romantic; contemporary, crisp, and graphic, you will get a peek at everything imaginable as far as styles go!!! You will also get a peek at the keen love of storytelling through journaling that some of our Team Members have developed.  At S:CY we encourage Designers to create in whatever media that a Sketch inspires. When I open my emails, I'm always excited to see what the gals have created. Members of this Team add their signature styles to layouts, altered items, mini-albums and cards... and I know we will see it all represented this term!

We also have a special treat for you over the next few months! We're welcoming a Guest Artist to the Sketches: Creatively Yours Design Team. 

Please help me extend a warm "How do you do?" to S:CY Guest Artist Virginia Wong!

S:CY Guest Artist
 Virginia Wong

Here's one of Virginia's recent fave projects:

 

"Me, right now" layout created by Virginia Wong
 Virginia says "I rarely if ever scrap about me let alone take a picture of lil ol' me so this layout is special to me!"

***We will be able to spill the beans soon & will share a bio that will tell you a wee bit more about Virginia in the next week or so. For now, just know we have this fabulous Guest Artist working along with our Design Team!***


Onward we go! This whole team is exceptional! So happy to introduce each of them to you ...


Our next Design Team Member is Jennifer Cassista ~  WELCOME to this elegance-loving scrapper who hails from Ontario!!

S:CY Design Team Member
 Jennifer Cassista

Jennifer's Bio:

Hi everyone, my name is Jennifer and I am thrilled that Ali asked my to be on her Design Team this term. I love working with the wonderful sketches - they never fail to inspire me. I have been scrapping for a few years now and I have to admit that it is my creative outlet. By day and by night I am a labour and delivery nurse. When I find a free moment I can't wait to dig into my stash and get a little inky! My 2 kids roll their eyes when I get my camera out but they are great sports and will (mostly) grin and bear all the crazy photo ops. (My husband, on the other hand, runs and hides when I get the camera out.) I look forward to working with this wonderful team over the next few months and being inspired to "take it to the next level."

Here is one of my favourite recent layouts. I love distressing things yet keeping it elegant. It is where I am happiest.

"Forever" layout created by
 Jennifer Cassista

I would be thrilled if you checked out some of my other work right HERE.

I'm excited to announce that Cheryl Casas is with us for the next 5 months! So glad you're sharing your talent at S: CY!

S:CY Design Team Member
Cheryl Casas

Cheryl's  Bio:


Hi everyone! My name is Cheryl. I am 31 years old, a mom to 3, a wife to 1 and a massage therapist to the rest of the world lol. I have been scrapping for 2 years and it is my passion!!!! I am so thankful for finding this love of mine. It really gives me the sense of calm that I often need. Plus, I have been so blessed with meeting so many fabulous people, I am forever grateful. I tend to be very versatile with my scrapping style, always trying new techniques and styles. Therefore, I love working with sketches!!! So I am super excited to be here on the DT for another term!!!! 


Here is a recent fave project of Cheryl's:


"You are the key" layout created by
 Cheryl Casas
[Credit: Scraps of Darkness kit]

Designer Renee Hagler is lending her skill at scrappin' and cardmaking to the S:CY Team too! How lucky are we?

S:CY Design Team Member
Renee Hagler

Renee's Bio:

Hi, my name is Renee and I am addicted to scrapbooking. I love pictures, both taking them and scrapbooking them. I also enjoy other papercrafting like cardmaking, copic coloring and vinyl work, as well as crocheting and my newest craft, knitting. When sitting down to scrapbook, I like to take a sketch, flip it, twist it and make it my own. I look forward to sharing a few projects with you.
Here's my Blog LINK.

Renee asked me to share this photo display that she created with you today, as it is a fave project of hers.

Photo display created by
Renee Hagler

Bravo! Maggi Harding's here for the current Design Team term! Welcome Maggi!~



S:CY Design Team Member
 Maggi Harding with her 'spoo fur-kids

Maggi's Bio:

Hi! My name is Maggi and I live in NC with my wonderful husband and two standard poodles that we refer to as the spoos. They are my children and of course, I do a lot of layouts featuring my furkids.
My husband and I have been married for 19 very happy years, and in those years we’ve lived in Washington DC, Fairbanks, Alaska, Denver, CO and North Carolina. No, we are not currently military, but my husband is a retired Navy pilot and I am an Army brat. That means that moving is second nature to us and every 2 - 3 years we get the bug to move. However, I have nailed the furniture down and I’m not moving again! We do like to travel with the spoos in our motorhome and that means I also do a lot of travel layouts.

I think I’ve always been a scrapper, I just didn’t know it! I had scrapbooks as a teen with all kinds of ephemera in them. Unfortunately, in my later years, I was so embarrassed by my silly childhood collections that I destroyed them! There was a mostly disintegrated leaf from a tree at Paul McCartney’s house in there. That is a clue to my age. Then in 2005, I started scrapbooking as we know it today and I’m completely OCD about it!
I describe my style as vintage/shabby chic with touches of bright color. I love scrapping 12 x 12 pages but I also have a real love for making paperbag albums and ATCs. For me, scrapbooking is an artistic adventure, what can I create, how can I make this piece of paper come to life? Along with scrapping the pictures, I love to tell the stories and often reflect on how to tell the story hidden in my photographs. I was fortunate enough to get a huge box of old photos from my Mom and have been scrapping those for most of the last year so I have really been developing my “vintage” style.

You can find Maggi's Blog HERE.
  
Here is one of Maggi's favourite pages from her recent work: 

"Grace:" layout created by
S:CY Design Team Member Maggi Harding

Journaling reads:

1953 Verdun, France – Dad had already gone to his duty station in Verdun, so you had to fly to France with a baby, Margaret, and Craig, almost 5 at the time. The plane was struck by lightening and caught fire so we made an emergency landing in Newfoundland. By that time, you must have been scared out of your mind and wondering why on earth you were traveling to this foreign land.

There you were, in France, living in a house with bullet holes from WWII in the front door. Our French landlady & her son had hidden in a cabinet in the kitchen when the Germans forced their way into her home. Fortunately, they didn’t look there and she was ok. ou and Dad lived on the French economy and with the grace that you’ve had all your life, you accepted the situation and set about learning to speak French. You and our landlady, Madam Gaillard, sat with the French/English dictionary and learned to communicate. By the time we came home from France, you were speaking fluent French.

Still more creativity: Now we welcome S: CY Designer Heather Bridges Topich!  Awesome to have you with us!~



S:CY Design Team Member
 Heather Bridges Topich

Heather's Bio: 

I am a stay-at-home mom of 3 kids, but I do anything BUT stay at home. I'm the main errand girl-cleaner-launderer-cook-problem solver-message returner-volunteer in our house.

I have been scrapbooking since college but have only been very active for the past five. I have a whopping... or embarassing... 18 albums full of layouts (not including minis, altered art pieces, or cards that I've created)! I would call my scrapping style sometimes shabby-chic, sometimes whimsical, and, lately, very clean-lined. I'm paint-phobic, and I'm working on becoming a better photographer. I am so honored to serve another tour of duty with S:CY!

You can visit my blog HERE.

"Que c'est beau" ("How beautiful") layout created by
 Heather Bridges Topich

Exceptionally excited to extend the hand of welcome to Designer Rita Barakat! Welcome to the S: CY Team, Rita!



S:CY Design Team Member 
 Rita Barakat

Rita's Bio:


Rita Barakat is mixed Media Artist new to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She hand painted murals for a living before stumbling onto scrapbooking. She loves incorporating art into her scrapbooking. Journaling her heart onto her pages is her passion. She is currently designing for Clear Scraps, Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft, Creative Memories and Ta Da Creative Studios. She has written scrap-therapy curriculum for teens and is the Square Foot Scrapbooking Coordinator for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. Previous teams include Glue Dots, GCD Studios, Shimmerz, Best Creation and Momenta.

You can find more of her work on her blog right HERE.

Here's a recent favourite project of Rita's:

"Attitude is Everything!" layout created by
 Rita Barakat

Patchi Moussatche is racing along the Design Team track with us this term. Thrilled to have you with us, Patchi! 

S:CY Design Team Member
Patricia (Patchi) Moussatche

Patchi's Bio:

My name is Patricia Moussatche, but I'm known as Patchi. I'm a scientist by profession and mother of two boys aged 3 and 5. I turn to scrapbooking and card making to release my daily stress and creativity. I blog over at LO and Read  I have also post some of my work on Flicker  and I have been published in SNR. I like doing a bit of everything, so you will see a mix of 1- and 2-page layouts along with a variety of cards on my blog. I enjoy using bright colors, scrapping vacation pictures, mixing patterned papers, decorating boxes, multi-photo layouts and making cards with scraps. And of course I love working with sketches - they are so inspiring!



"Out in the sun" layout created by
 Patchi Moussatche


Onward to some more news! This term, we have a team of two gals who have, at my special request, dedicated themselves solely to cards. They'll be creating knock-out beauty using S:CY card Sketches every month! 
 
Sooo.... something special rounds out the  S:CY Design Team: A Two-Designer "Card Crew!"   

A warm "Welcome" is extended to our Card Crew Designers Lindy Rabenstine and Michelle Hodges! So happy you've accepted this role at S:CY!



S:CY Card Crew Designer
 Lindy Rabenstine and daughter Gracie



Lindy's Bio:

I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend.  I have a very energetic five year old daughter and I’m married to the love of my life.  I work full time outside the home and when I’m not cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes or picking up after my husband and daughter you can find me scrapping.  I have recently starting making cards and some other craft items.  I also love to read, go camping and hiking and just spend time with my family and friends. 
Here is a recent fave project of Lindy's for your viewing pleasure, created especially for her daughter Gracie:



"Floral Vase" created by
S:CY Card Crew Designer Lindy Rabenstine 





S:CY Card Crew Designer
Michelle Hodges

Michelle's Bio: 

I am Michelle Hodges and I live in South Texas.
My husband and I have a six year old daughter. I’m a SAHM and I volunteer at our daughter's school and at church.
When I’m not scrapping I enjoy spending time with family, being outdoors, Church activities, and traveling.
I started scrapbooking twelve years ago and I started getting involved in the online scrapping world right after our daughter was born!
My scrapbooking style is shabby-chic, artsy, simple with clean lines and some vintage.  When I’m not creating tags, cards, or LO’s. I love to alter items, and create Mixed Media projects. I love to use misting, inking, paint and layering when I create! I’m looking forward to working with Ali & Ann’s amazing sketches again and getting to know the DT members and the S:CY fans!!
You can read my Blog HERE. :o) 

Here is one of Michelle's favourite projects: a Card called "Heartfelt..."


"Heartfelt" card created by
 S:CY Card Crew Designer Michelle Hodges  



Ann Seleshanko and I will be staying on as your S:CY Senior Designer (Ann) and Team Leader (Ali). So happy to be with you! We'll be sharing the sketching responsibilities this term. 

Welcome to the S:CY Design Team everyone!!!! 


Welcome to our readers and Followers... thanks for coming along for the ride!


SPECIAL INFO: Be sure to try out our Sketches...and leave us a link in our "Comments" Section, below... and... Guess what?? We'll be using the link(s) to visit your Blogs and Galleries, leave some love and take note of what we see and love for very near-future S:CY DT and Guest Designer opportunities! So... don't be shy about sharing! Be sure to indicate the sketch you have used and if at all possible, please link  back to the Sketch at S: CY.


I know we're going to have a fabulous term! Welcome, Welcome!

~