Behind the Scenes Designer - Annie (Paint the Moon)
This week in our Behind the Scenes designer interview we have the complete pleasure of finding out a little more from Annie aka Paint the Moon Designs. When I first met Annie here at CRD…her layouts just put me in a state of awe and amazement. I just could NOT get over how AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL her pages were and still are! I didn’t think it could get any better and THEN she started designing! Wow! I mean seriously, her products are just GORGEOUS! There’s no better way to describe them! Not only is she an AMAZING scrapper and designer but she is one of the SWEETEST people you’ll meet! She’s always there to share advice when you need it and I just don’t know how she manages it all! Not to mention her sweet lil sugar bee who’s ADORABLE face is seen all over Annie’s gallery. If you haven’t checked out her products before you are TOTALLY missing out and you need to go look RIGHT NOW (okay, you can read the interview first) at her OScraps store:
Alright, grab your java or drink of choice and sit back and enjoy this FABULOUS “talk” with Annie!
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
A: I sound like a complete dork and utter bore in interviews, so I’m apologizing ahead of time for that!The first thing that people usually say when they initially meet me is I’m quiet and sweet. *smirk* Okay, hopefully I am sweet … but the quiet thing I just always hated that. Even in grade school I got that label … SHY. And, later, because I was such an introvert (NOT shy!), I was frequently labeled as being stuck up … totally not who I am. I just cherish a small circle of very close friends and prefer small gatherings as opposed to all out crowds, which tend to overwhelm me.
I am a very devoted and attached mommy … my daughter and my husband are my NUMBER ONE … nothing else in the world is more important than those two. I am a loyal friend, I will literally do *anything* for my loved ones. I practice attachment parenting with my daughter. We’re all vegetarians and are big believers in a natural parenting style … extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing, cloth diapering, home birthing, the whole works. My friends call me the granola mama!
A word to define my household on most days … silliness … lots of love and quality time spent together each and every day. The three of us (my daughter, husband and I) adore just goofing around and playing … my husband and I are just big kids ourselves and so this toddler stage we’re just entering is a complete blast! I’ve never spent so much of every day acting so goofy and having so much fun. Toddlers have a way of making you see everything in a new light and I’m in awe of how she has changed our lives. My mom is also a huge part of my life. She lives only a couple blocks away and we spend several hours of most days with her and she has a beautiful relationship with my daughter. We all have a passion for animals and they play a big part in our lives.
Q: When you’re not designing, do you have a day job/hobbies?
A: I ride horses … well, currently A horse. :) I have a Saddlebred Pinto mare and ride dressage and saddle seat. It recharges my creative spark and brings me so much happiness. My daughter, my mom and I go out to the stables every single day without fail and spend several hours doing all our barn chores. Then I ride while my mama and my daughter play. My riding time is the only real “me” time I have and I cherish it. There is nothing quite like flying through the air on the back of such a beautiful and powerful animal. It makes me feel beautiful and strong, like I can do anything … and when I’m finished riding I am recharged and ready to start creating again. My daughter is also just starting to ride … on a lead line, of course, since she’s only 2 years old, but it’s a blast seeing her sit up on top of my 16 hand mare and yell “Trot faster!! GO HORSE!!” She has no fear and loves horses as much as I do!I’m also an avid gardener and love “fluffing my nest” … I love having a pretty home and garden to share with my family and friends and take pride in keeping it beautiful.
Q: What encouraged you to start designing and how long have you been doing it?
A: Actually, after having the honor of joining Christina’s Creative Team the group got together and designed a little freebie give away kit for another girl on the team. It was so much fun that I started teaching myself more and seeking out information on “what it takes” to become a designer. Before having my baby I had been a freelance graphic designer with my own business for 10 years, so I was very familiar with the business side and the actual technical aspects … I just needed to familiarize myself with this industry. My first real project was a set of ribbons. I couldn’t find just the right ribbon for my layout and had a few gorgeous silk ribbons left over from my wedding. I hand dyed them, tied them up and took my photographs … and the rest is history. That was August of last year, so it’s been about six months that I’ve been designing now.
Q: What inpires you to design? Do you love the great outdoors, flicking through magazines or do you just thrive on daily life to get your creative juices flowing?
A: Life itself inspires me … my little girl inspires me … fashion, both in clothing and home trends, inspire me … a feeling I want to invoke can inspire me. It comes from all over really!
Q: Are you on any Creative Teams? If so, who’s the lucky designer/s?
A: Yes, and I happily call all of the designers that I create for my friends. That may sound cheesy, but I am close to each and every one of the girls I create for. My teams in no particular order are Christina Renee Designs, Holliewood Studios, Jofia Designs and Digital Artist Magazine. :) I am also a Dare Girl for The Digi Dares.
Q: What software do you currently use to design, have you always used the same one?
A: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3 … I create primarily on my MacBook Pro. I also couldn’t live without my camera equipment and lighting studio (any elements not created on the computer are photographed … I never use the scanner for anything except totally flat objects such as paper or doodles).
Q: Do you design on a whim or do you plan product collections etc?
A: I most definitely have to be inspired and excited about a project first. I can’t just plan something out and do it if I’m not “feeling” it … I’ve tried and it feels too forced. I can’t scrap that way either … it has to come naturally.
Q: What kind of style does everyone associate Paint The Moon with?
A: Oh gosh, I guess eclectic? Modern vintage? I love the altered art/vintage style lately. Oh, oh … I know! Totally REALISTIC, unique and hopefully they think it’s pretty! LOL! :)
Q: What are your favorite/worst products to design?
A: I love doing hand crafted elements … anything hand made and realistic. I really don’t like the looks of obviously digitally created elements, and rarely create those. Even my papers are created from grunge brushes I created from my photographs and paintings, so there is an organic look to everything.
Q: On average, how long do you spend designing a week?
A: Well, I do all my designing and scrapping at night after my little girl goes to sleep. Much of my scrapping is done with her lying by my side, my laptop glowing in the darkness of the room. I don’t want to miss a single precious moment of her fleeting childhood and choose to spend my days with her, so I don’t let the computer get in the way of that. My Sugar Bee and her daddy always come first. So, it varies depending on how exhausted and sleep deprived I am! I would say on average it’s about 30 hours a week spent designing. My daughter does get involved sometimes during the day if I’m doing crafty type projects for my designs I’ll give her her own supplies to “play” along with me. Or if I’m needing to take product photographs I’ll give her certain “tasks” to do to keep her involved and happy while I get my work done.
Q: Can you tell us your favorite design source?
A: Lately, it’s been estate sales and auctions and I’ve been doing a lot of hand crafted items, so the craft store is a biggie for me.
Q: Can you share a designer secret or tip with us?
A: Oh goodness, I’m an open book and I can’t think of any juicy secrets!
Q: Who is your designer idol?
A: Jofia Defoe … LOVE, LOVE her work!
**Annie’s Top 3 Product Picks**
Now don’t you agree? Isn’t she just the sweetest! Just reading her words makes me *love* her a little more! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Annie and we hope to see you back here next time when we bring you some highlights from another INCREDIBLE designer in our industry!
- February 27th
