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SYW292 – My Way with Cheryl Ashcraft

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Cheryl Ashcraft has been a fixture of the digital scrapbooking community for well more than a decade. Known for her layered and maximalist style as both a scrapbooker and digital designer, Cheryl’s style is easily recognized by peers. In this episode you’ll learn more about her creative journey and process.

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[00:00:00] Cheryl Ashcraft: You can organize your photos and you can put them in photo books or photo albums. Having identifying information is helpful as well. But to be able to create something beautiful, a layout, and at the same time document that story is just like a huge attraction for me.

[00:00:19] Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a Memory Keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 292. In this episode, I'm interviewing Cheryl Ashcraft for the My Way series. My Way is all about celebrating the unique ways Memory Keepers get things done.

[00:00:45] We're excited to have Cheryl as the February featured artist at Simple Scrapper.

[00:00:49] Hey, Cheryl, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

[00:00:52] Cheryl Ashcraft: Hey, how are you?

[00:00:54] Jennifer Wilson: I am doing well today, excited to chat with you. Can you share a little bit about yourself?

[00:01:01] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, well, my name is Cheryl Ashcraft and I'm a native Floridian, um, living in Northwest Florida. Not in the Eastern Town Zone, Central Town Zone. We live right there, in the Gulf Coast, very near Pensacola Beach.

[00:01:16] Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Nice. We went to, uh, Gulf Shores for the first time.

[00:01:21] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh, that's not far away from me.

[00:01:24] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that was mid October and we drove over to, uh, to Pensacola to go to the Air Force Museum.

[00:01:32] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh yeah, mm hmm,

[00:01:34] Jennifer Wilson: It was all really cool.

[00:01:35] Yeah, yeah. It's just a, yeah, a fun area. I thought, like, I'd never been in that part of the country, even though I used to live in Texas.

[00:01:43] We just, we never really went, we never went east. So.

[00:01:46] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right, as do we, we never really went west to Texas, I've been a couple of times as an adult, but growing up, we always were on the eastern seaboard, so.

[00:01:59] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes.

[00:02:01] And, and who's in your family?

[00:02:03] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, my husband, Jay, and we've been married for 31 years. It's weird to say, but.

[00:02:11] And then we have two children, Olivia and Daniel. Olivia is, um, she is a graphic designer and she works full time at our local university. And, um, she also designs digital scrapbooking products at Sweet Shop Designs.

[00:02:32] Jennifer Wilson: That is so fun. I feel like I've seen her kind of like grow up from, you know, older child to, to being an adult, uh, since I've been in this industry. So it's very cool to see.

[00:02:45] Cheryl Ashcraft: And Daniel, he's also interested in, uh, information technology and cyber security. So, uh, he's still at home with us, but, um, he'll be 20 this year.

[00:02:58] Jennifer Wilson: Wow. Wow. That's so crazy. They do, they grow up fast, don't they.

[00:03:01] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right, they do.

[00:03:03] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. And I bet you guys have all the tech devices in your house. So.

[00:03:07] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, and he's so funny because he took a semester off, so he's just been working and went, uh, with his first paycheck, um, he purchased a new computer, a gaming computer. And it was neat to see, you know, he, all the things that he was able, all the bells and whistles. So I know when it's time for me to get a new computer, I'll be, um, I'll be going on his expertise. I'm like, okay, this is what I want it to do. So far, I'm still doing good with the one I have, but we'll see.

[00:03:43] Jennifer Wilson: You know, there's been times where I've thought, you know, like, I wish I was a gamer because I really want like all of my computer stuff to light up. But I'm just a Mac user. So instead everything is silver and white.

[00:03:56] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes. Um, my tower, if it's, um, you can see on the left side of it, it's open. And it changes colors. You can have it set up like little tropical colors or whatever. I don't know why I find that so fun.

[00:04:13] Jennifer Wilson: It is fun. It is fun. We just got those, like, uh, those, uh, light bulbs that you can change with an app on your phone. Like all of our neighbors had them. So we started doing that for outside. And I'm like, I think I want to do that inside too. So, um, yeah, it's fun. So we have some kind of new questions that I've designed this year, trying to keep things fresh.

[00:04:33] The first one is, do you have a favorite recent layout or project and what is it about and why do you love it?

[00:04:42] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, it's gonna have to be a layout I did called Beethoven Blues. Um, it, it was created actually for, um, the 25 days of December Delights at Sweetshop. And it was, gosh, I think it was one of the first three days or something. I can't remember what day it was for. But the prompt was you had like two tracks you could do.

[00:05:12] So one was like your favorite Christmas music. And then the other one was, you know, what's on your playlist. So that people who don't necessarily celebrate Christmas could, you know, join in too. So

[00:05:23] I did the, um, I did the, even though I celebrate Christmas, I chose the alternate track. I like to challenge myself sometimes.

[00:05:31] So, um, I'm like completely in love with, um, John Batiste. I don't know if you know who he is. Um, yes, he is. And, uh, you know, I first knew about him from Stephen Colbert's show. And have kind of, you know, followed along with his other releases. But this one, this album is so cool. I love how he has taken Beethoven and I think he says that he's like, you know, 270 something years later.

[00:06:04] It's time for an upgrade. So he works in different aspects of like, uh, Southern Gospel, Blues. Um, he's, you know, from Louisiana, so he has that edge. But I, I really like the layout too because I was able to use a lot of blues from the kit to, you know, go with that theme. And the main image on the layout is a screenshot from Spotify. So.

[00:06:39] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, fun. love it. Yes.

[00:06:42] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, so, I like, um, have a set of, um, journalers, and it's on top of these pieces of paint. And so I just kind of like stuck that in the middle of this black hole area, and that's where I put my journaling. So, It just, I don't know, it just, everything came out perfectly with it. It's, it's ordered, but there's still a lot of stuff on it.

[00:07:08] Jennifer Wilson: Well, of course, Because it's a Cheryl page.

[00:07:10] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right, I was gonna say, you've known me for a long time, so I like to put a lot of stuff on there. But, um, I do like that page. It was hard to pick, but I'm gonna, I went with that one.

[00:07:22] Jennifer Wilson: We will, we will link to that in the show notes for this episode. We'll also link to that album. I want to check it out. Um, and yeah, it, you know, just, uh, I don't know, a preview here. Our member challenge that we organized around your work is called Maximalism. So.

[00:07:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh, yes.

[00:07:40] Jennifer Wilson: Just because we want folks to, to emulate your style of filling up the page with all the fun things.

[00:07:47] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, that is my thing for sure.

[00:07:50] Jennifer Wilson: So is there something new you're excited to do, use, or try either inside of scrapbooking or in your everyday life?

[00:07:58] Cheryl Ashcraft: Uh, let's see, I really, uh, I really want to get back into watercolor painting and doodling again. I used to do that quite a bit and I have so many supplies that are just like sitting there taunting me, you know. So, I just need to, you know, make a schedule to include that in my, uh, week. My mother passed away in March of last year, and so, um, I'm the keeper of a large collection of heritage photos now. And so the big project that I want to do is to get, this good scanner that has a feeder. And I'll have to, I have to link to that.

[00:08:42] Um, so that, um, cause the one that was recommended, it, you know, it's very pricey, but when you're dealing with different size photos and stuff, you can put it in the feeder and it doesn't matter what size it is. It just goes through and it's very quick. So I'm hoping that may be, that will be part of my technology that I get. I want a new printer too. So.

[00:09:07] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. No, I've, I've wanted one of those, those types of scanners too, because I, I hesitate scanning anything in bulk just because of how time consuming it is.

[00:09:17] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right. It is just, I have a flatbed and it's so irritating to use. I just, it's like, I can't, that's too much work.

[00:09:26] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I, it's attached to my husband's computer. So I just hand him things and say, Hey, can you please scan this for me? Cause I don't want to do it.

[00:09:35] Cheryl Ashcraft: That's great.

[00:09:37] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I wonder if, you know, these two things, maybe like there's a way to couple them together. Because I imagine that, you know, working through these, you know, family photos, particularly still with the loss of your mom being fresh. Um, that the watercolor aspect can be just that, like that moment of delight, you know, a place of contemplation to, to balance all of that out. So a little bit more left brain, a little bit more right brain.

[00:10:04] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right.

[00:10:05] Jennifer Wilson: So you can keep things moving forward.

[00:10:07] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right. And of course I want to, you know, scrapbook, but,

[00:10:12] um, that's, that's a given.

[00:10:15] Jennifer Wilson: Of course. Of course. Yeah. So this is one of our My Way episodes cause you're a featured artist for February. And as I mentioned, one of our member challenges is, um, structured around your style of scrapbooking. But I'd like to start off by hearing, what would you say to a non scrapbooker about why you love this hobby?

[00:10:33] Cheryl Ashcraft: Well, I really think of it more as a passion than a hobby these days.

[00:10:39] Jennifer Wilson: Mm hmm. Mm

[00:10:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, because I, I feel really, especially passionate about telling my own story. I do a lot of all about me pages. But, now I really feel with mom's passing that there are family stories that I want to tell for my little family of four. But then my extended family as well.

[00:10:59] You can organize your photos and you can put them in photo books or photo albums. Having identifying information is helpful as well. But to be able to create something beautiful, a layout, and at the same time document that story is just like a huge attraction for me.

[00:11:18] So whether you're a paper scrapper or your digi scrapper, or you're looking into either one of those. I just think it's, I think I would encourage them to, tell their story. And you know, make sure there's a photo, there's a story, and then something beautiful around it. So, like you said, left brain, right brain is kind of like a mix.

[00:11:44] Jennifer Wilson: Mm hmm.

[00:11:45] Cheryl Ashcraft: Of those two. You know, there, there are times that I've made layouts and projects that aren't about storytelling, mixed media or journaling. Um, I don't do much of that anymore. But, you know, I use my creative scrapbooking time to tell my stories. Sometimes they're, you know, really big stories and sometimes they're just small ones.

[00:12:08] Jennifer Wilson: Well, I love how it takes something that we're kind of, particularly in this day and age, all these photos on our phone that we otherwise maybe don't know what to do with. And we have this maybe attraction to pretty things, whether they're digital or paper or both. Um, and we want, like, how can we, what can we do with these two things and that's what scrapbooking is.

[00:12:29] We get to combine those together. And then, of course, the whole huge value add, as you mentioned, is to, uh, bring that story to light and make sure that it's documented. So, yeah, this is, of course, we're, we're scrapbookers here. And, but I think the more we talk about this and, and get comfortable talking about why we love this, the more we can have those conversations with those who maybe are curious.

[00:12:51] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes. Yes. And, you know, it, it said, like we talked about, you know, it's both such a part of your life and my life. I was like, how do I, how would I talk to someone who didn't scrapbook at all? Because most of the time, that's people that ask me what I do for a living, and that's very difficult to explain.

[00:13:12] Jennifer Wilson: It is.

[00:13:13] Cheryl Ashcraft: People who don't understand what I do, so, um, usually I just say I'm a graphic designer and leave it at that, depending on who it is. I think I would just have to say I love telling stories. I used to just play and have photos and then like the name of the person and the date and that was enough for me. But now I really just feel compelled to have that story in there with the layout.

[00:13:38] Jennifer Wilson: Well I think that echoes shifts we have in our life, you know, even what our community is talking about and ways that we talk about it, uh, to get those words out easier. Um, my, but my first digital pages definitely were just, they were a photo and maybe like, you know, location comma year. So

[00:14:00] Cheryl Ashcraft: And some of the early ones woo they were there, they definitely deserve their place in time way back then.

[00:14:11] Jennifer Wilson: So take us back in time. When did you start scrapbooking and what led you to it?

[00:14:15]

[00:14:15] Cheryl Ashcraft: When husband and I were dating, I kept like a junk journal, kind of like a smash book. Kind of thing. It was just, you know, a big album. I think it's like, it was kind of oversized. I've never even measured it. But it just had like that almost like construction paper feel to it. So I would throw photos in there and write about where we were as lots of notes and cards and if we went on a trip, there's all that kind of stuff. But I didn't really like decorate it necessarily. But when I was pregnant with Olivia, my mother, um, gifted me this eight and a half by 11 album and this is in 96. So, um, this was before all the really pretty stuff came out. So, uh, you know that that particular album had a lot of different colors and patterns. In particular, I remember one that I had like this kelly green color and then there were some bright pink hearts on another piece of paper so it was like just this green pink, scary looking layout now that I am, I'll have to take a picture of it to share it cause it's just, wow. Uh, but that's when I started, um, and I did eight and a half by 11 albums, for a while. Uh, we started going camping as a family, uh, with my husband's side of the family. And his sister, Um, she was a scrapbooker too, and so that's when I moved, I did the first one in like eight and a half by eleven, and then I moved to twelve by twelve size. And uh, I did a couple of years of that, and then in August of two thousand seven, I um, I read a tutorial, Creating Keepsakes magazine. And, um, it was how to do a, like a circular photo collage. And, um, you know, from the magazine itself, I was, um, really drawn to the digital layouts that were in there.

[00:16:39] I was like, how did they do that? And, uh, so I followed that tutorial. So I had Photoshop Elements on my computer. Then I started resizing from four by six to bigger photos to smaller photos. And, um, My son, you know, was born in 2005, so in 2007 he was just a couple years old, and he was into everything. So, if I got out any of my paper scrapbooking things, he was in it.

[00:17:12] He loved tools and, you know, so I couldn't just, start and stop. I had to take everything out and then put it all the way back up. And that was frustrating. So having Photoshop Elements and I could leave it and come back and and nothing was torn up or you know, so. That's that's how I got started in digital scrapbooking was just by following that tutorial and then stumbling across some digi sites. And I'm like, oh they have papers and look at all these flowers. It was, it was so fun.

[00:17:50] Jennifer Wilson: At what point did you, um, put your hat in the ring as a designer?

[00:17:55] Cheryl Ashcraft: I was at the, um, oh it's so sad to talk about all the places that aren't in existence anymore, but, um.

[00:18:03] Jennifer Wilson: So true.

[00:18:04] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, so I was a member at a lot of sites. But I was at the DigiChick, uh, DigiChick as a creative team member. And there was a template designer that was supposed to guest, and they backed out at the last minute, and so, um, Nicole, I told her, you know, what if I just filled in for this month, and she said, sure.

[00:18:30] And then she asked me to stay and keep creating. So I did that. Uh, that was like in 2010. And then I moved like six months later, uh, to Scrap Orchard. And I was there until they closed in 2015. And then from that point, I was at the Lilypad until just this past August, and now I'm at Sweet Shop. So it's just, um, you know, I started out just converting my layouts and making them into templates, and I'm still doing it all these years later.

[00:19:10] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. I mean, it seemed like a natural fit given, um, how many layers and embellishments that you love to use. That, uh, that your templates would, would do well in the industry. And so it's been so fun to see your evolution. And, and of course, as you said, it's kind of bittersweet to see how things have changed and, you know, shops have opened and closed in that time.

[00:19:33] The community space is just so much different than it was back then. I remember. It was like a couple of weeks ago I said My Scrapbook Art for the first time in how many years and I'm like, wow, that closed so long ago.

[00:19:45] Cheryl Ashcraft: You know, right? And then DigiShopTalk, and what, let's see, there was, um, wasn't, Shabby Pick, Shabby Pickle? What was it?

[00:19:58] Jennifer Wilson: Shabby pickle. Yeah.

[00:20:00] Cheryl Ashcraft: Okay, and then, because there's still Pickleberry Pop, but then there was, like, one of my friends helped start 9th and Bloom, but it didn't last very long, but it was a really cool site.

[00:20:13] Jennifer Wilson: Surely there's some sort of like, I don't know, family tree of digital shops somewhere.

[00:20:19] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right?

[00:20:21] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[00:20:21] Cheryl Ashcraft: Like, there's got to be. So I do. Oh, and I know when Two Peas In a Bucket closed that that was like my first big, You know, I guess big site that I was at because I.

[00:20:34] Jennifer Wilson: Mm hmm.

[00:20:35] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um I think it was a Friday night live chat. And I think it was, oh heavens, what was her name, Ronna Farrar, I think, I was so excited, she was there talking to us and she was actually like, typing my name. You know, when I was like, ah. So I did take some screenshots, um, before they closed, so I could scrapbook about that, and I did take screenshots at Scrap Orchard. I don't, I don't think I did any at the Lily Pad, but, um, luckily they're still going to be continuing on. So that makes me feel good. Yeah.

[00:21:17] Jennifer Wilson: So tell us about, are you still using Photoshop Elements? Are you using Photoshop or, or using, uh, Affinity Photo today? Are you printing in 12 by 12 or 10 by 10? Do you put things in albums or photo books? Like talk all about that for us.

[00:21:33] Cheryl Ashcraft: Okay. Um, I almost always scrap 12 by 12. I love the size and that's because I like to use larger size photos. And again, I like to have a place to tell my story. And I need space for that as well as space to be able to put my embellishments and papers and everything so they all work together without crowding one another out. And I'm sure people who are more minimalist don't agree with me that I have enough space. But, um, I did do, I started a little journal that was TN sized, and it was about the COVID pandemic.

[00:22:17] But, um, like most every album I have, it's not finished. Um, but I still found myself creating in it, um, in a larger size in Photoshop. And, then, you know, resizing it down to print. Because it was just so hard for me to see it. And it actually printed out well. So that

[00:22:40] was good. But, um, I did start out with Photoshop Elements, and then I moved into Creative Cloud. Was only in the last four or five years. And, um, It was, it was a hard transition. Uh, because I kept, if I got frustrated in Creative Cloud, I would always just open up PSE again and just do what I had to do because I knew what I was doing. And so finally, I just had to uninstall PSE and force myself.

[00:23:16] To figure it out. And uh, that was the only way I could do it, so I know some people say they're intimidated by PSCC, but really it's just, just, if you give yourself time to learn it and don't give yourself any, any little cushion to fall back on. They're just so, I haven't even scratched the surface of what the program will do. But I really enjoy using it.

[00:23:44] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I think that particularly in recent years, I feel like they've changed more things in the past few years than they have in the past 15 before that. Um, in terms of like moving things around or like, well, that doesn't do what it used to do type of thing. So I think that could certainly be a frustration for somebody trying to move. Because maybe even like the tutorials that have been around and were totally relevant for such a long time, maybe are not accurate anymore.

[00:24:14] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, and you did ask me about printing. I do like to print, um, Shutterfly when they have their, you know, unlimited pages. I like the, layflat, Shutterfly Books. Then they have unlimited pages sales, and I like to purchase then. And I also like Persnickety Prints for single pages. We recently moved, well, it's almost been a year now, but I used to have four 12 by 12 frames above my desk. And so I would print single pages out of like my favorite ones and then I do have a couple of albums that are just kind of hodgepodge. They're not any particular person or trip or anything so I just slide them in those page protectors. So, that's pretty much what I do.

[00:25:11] Jennifer Wilson: When you're doing the Shutterfly books, are they for a particular period of time? Like, or in terms of like, I scrapped these pages during this time until I filled the book, or is it a particular time based on the stories themselves?

[00:25:27] Cheryl Ashcraft: I'm not a chronological scrapper, so the last ones I did, I did for me and my husband, and I just put in the dates of the photos. You know, uh, the first one to the last one. And it was a pretty big span of years. And then the other one I did was, uh, both my children. So I went through, um, Lightroom and had it search for, uh, the two of them. So those layouts had to have both of them in it.

[00:26:02] Jennifer Wilson: Okay, so a little more like thematic for the books. That's cool. I like that idea.

[00:26:06] Cheryl Ashcraft: So which is a way to get around when you don't scrap chronologically.

[00:26:13] Jennifer Wilson: Certainly. Yeah. Yeah. And what is the page limit on those Lay Flat books?

[00:26:17] Cheryl Ashcraft: It's a hundred pages.

[00:26:20] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I'm Sure they're hefty still, even with a hundred.

[00:26:23] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes and my mom, you know, I did I did print some eight by eights for her and she liked them, but she found it hard to read. So, but then when I gave her 12 by 12, they were too heavy, so she could read better. But, um, so then I got, you know, to where it was just easier to do single page prints for her.

[00:26:46] Jennifer Wilson: Certainly, that makes sense. Yeah. Fortunately, we have the options depending on what you prefer and how you're sharing your work with others.

[00:26:55] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes.

[00:26:55] Jennifer Wilson: So we've talked a little bit about this already, but what projects or activities are you focused on this year? Is it more of like, this is the story and I'm going to tell it, or are there particular challenges you're working on or goals that you have?

[00:27:09] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, I really am wanting to finish some albums. There are so many that are just halfway done, three quarters of the way done. Thinking particularly right now of like December Daily, because I have years of them that I've started and they just need to be finished. And it's, I mean, it's 30 days and you don't really have to scrap about every single day. Um, so I'd like to finish those. I really would like to, to, focus on that.

[00:27:40] Jennifer Wilson: How are you approaching a project like December Daily in terms of the, the digitalness or hybridness of it?

[00:27:47] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, I'm not, I'm not a hybrid girl.

[00:27:50] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. So we're just talking about making, you know, 25 ish layouts.

[00:27:55] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes.

[00:27:56] Yes. So, and a lot of times I will start in late November. Because, um, you know, I start decorating then, and there's some things we're already starting to do that I consider part of the Christmas season. And I'll even take it through, you know, to the first of the year. And let that be part of the album itself. Other than scrapbooking, I do, um, I do cross stitch and I'm almost finished with the piece that I've started now. I have like one page left, I think, of the pattern. And I'd like to do another couple before the end of the year, but we'll see, what I end up picking up next from there. And then, I have found myself in the need of multiple cards, like birthday cards, sympathy cards, thank you cards. And so I think Olivia and I are going to have a little card making session. Um, And we're just going to make a bunch. And it's so nice when they're just right there, but then they are handmade and they look so pretty. So, um, I will use paper products for that.

[00:29:15] So, like at Michael's right after Christmas, I think I picked up, um, these big paper pads. They were like $3 each or something.

[00:29:25] And, and I still have a stash of things. And for someone who digi scraps, I buy a lot of paper things. I do, I do use a Happy Planner. So I decorate that way. Um, uh, and that's not digital. Um, and then after that, uh, I read constantly. That's one thing I found my interests are circular in nature. So like, I'll spend a lot of time cross stitching and then I'll move into, say it's card making, or decorating my house, whatever it happens to be. And then I'll end up coming back to them. I don't, but reading is the one thing that just never comes off my daily activity. It's just, a habit, and I'd like to read one book a year. I mean, one book a week this year.

[00:30:18] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Yeah. Those are different numbers for sure.

[00:30:21] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, I was like, one book! I'm done! I'm done

[00:30:25] Jennifer Wilson: Must be a really big book. Yeah.

[00:30:27] Cheryl Ashcraft: I guess. It's, it's, I'm actually reading the second book in the Outlander series, and, it's just because I felt like I needed something. I've read them multiple times, but they're, you know, it's like hanging out with an old friend. So that's , that's what I'm reading right now.

[00:30:47] Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. Yeah. I imagine that many of our listeners have similar kind of, um, suites of, of various more cozy hobbies. We like, we like all these things and, and, and we, and we jump between them as, as our interests shift. And also even the time of year, depending on, you know, what's going on, whether or not you're more inside or outside though, again, in Florida, you might be outside more than most of us where we have snow on the ground.

[00:31:11] Cheryl Ashcraft: Well, there's no snow here, but for this Florida gal, it's cold.

[00:31:16] It is cold here today, so, um, I feel bad for, you know, those and other areas, like, you know, it's midday and it's 43, so that's, that's pretty cold for for Florida.

[00:31:33] Jennifer Wilson: So how would you describe your style in three words? If you know, to someone who hasn't seen any of your pages.

[00:31:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: That's really hard. Um, I'm going to go with maximalist one. To start off with. Um, and then I'd say story centric. And then I want to say photo centric, but it's more like the photo dictates the composition. I don't know how to describe that. So we'll just go with photo centric.

[00:32:02] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Okay. Yeah. Can you talk more about how you use photos to design a page?

[00:32:09] Cheryl Ashcraft: Well, um, what's funny is I used to create pages before I even put photos on the page. And now I do the exact opposite. So.

[00:32:20] Jennifer Wilson: Interesting.

[00:32:21] Cheryl Ashcraft: What I'll do, you know, if I have a certain kit that I want to create with, then I'll have that up and I'll really take a look at it. Not just if, it's a themed kit, I don't necessarily have to use it in that theme. I look at the word art, word strips and how I can use it best to tell my story. Um, so then I will go into Lightroom and I generally have a pretty good idea of my photos. I tend to go through them a lot, um, but I will, you know, okay, I'm going to tell this story with that kit. And, um, then I will pick the photos and sometimes there might be one photo and sometimes there might be six or more. And then those get placed on the page.

[00:33:08] And depending on the subjects of the photo are doing. So are they looking to the right? Are they looking to the left? Are they looking up or down? That really dictates to me where I'm going to place those photos. Because, you know, you want your eye to be led into the page and not off the page. So that is one way that a photo will actually dictate composition. And of course that's a little different for my templates because, you know, you can always flip it horizontally or vertically to have your, your, own photos do what they need to do for you.

[00:33:45] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, certainly. Or add, you know, uh, use four photo places for one photo or vice versa.

[00:33:51] Cheryl Ashcraft: Exactly. Get, get creative. And some people are like, I'm so sorry, I did I really did start off with your template. I'm like, well, that was, it did its job. Because it's supposed to help you scrap more easily. So it doesn't need to be an exact replica.

[00:34:11] Jennifer Wilson: 100%

[00:34:12] Cheryl Ashcraft: Unless you're on my creative team. I'd like to, I do like to have, you know, some pages that don't look, you know, that have been rotated or turned some way so that people can see. But for the most part, I like you know, like for scrappers to see, oh, that's what that template looks like in action.

[00:34:33] Jennifer Wilson: That makes sense for sure. So, what are some of the products or even tools and techniques you are using most often?

[00:34:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: You're always going to find me using flowers and leaves. It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy, man or woman. I'm going to include those. So those products, those particular parts of a kit is something I always reach for. And I love using multiple labels for my journaling. Because I can make those labels part of the page design. Um, so it's like the story is part of the page, you know what I'm saying? It's not like I just plop, plop down journaling in a square, or, um, I like for it to help move your eye around the page. And, I do love using a lot of paint and mixed media, digital, of course. That just, you know, helps enhance the composition. So, as I'm building, I may put a bunch of stuff on a background, but you may not end up seeing, a little quarter inch sticking out. That doesn't matter to me. It's just, I need to have it where I want it.

[00:35:42] Jennifer Wilson: When you're using digital mixed media or when you're trying to like, um, apply that look to a page, how often are you using, um, individual files that already make that versus, you know, brushes or actions or things that create help you create it from scratch.

[00:36:01] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh, um, I usually, well, because I get to create for people who make really fabulous mixed media, uh, where they already have the paint, the stamps, it's all one piece. But, um, I do like when they have them individually as well. So, , they will have your doodles, paint, um, you know, different kinds of stamping. Um, and I like, I really do like it when they are individual pieces. So that I can, you know, move them around the page to fit my needs. I do find that when I use those pre made pieces, I end up rotating them. So, because I like to do repetition. So, I like for there to be pieces showing.

[00:36:48] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. That makes sense. Are there any trends, um, that you're loving right now? Things either you are, have already tried and are embracing or things that you see others working with and you want to experiment with yourself.

[00:37:01] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, Lord, I think I've tried everything. But, but I do like putting my journaling on top of my photos. Um, like, you know, the favorite layout that I talked to you about, that's not the only one I've made where I've put my journaling smack dab in the middle of the photo. And usually it's a larger photo. Um, I just did one yesterday called Sky and it was, you know, oversized picture of the sky outside of our house and the journaling I just made a text box using the pen tool. And, you know, built out my shape and typed in white and it really showed up against the blue. It looks really pretty.

[00:37:47] I really love to do that. And then I think the last time I was on the Gallery Standouts blog was for a template, not a template, a layout I did. And it was a picture of me from a Snapchat that I had tattoos all over my face. And it was kind of one of those, uh, very emotional kind of working through emotions on that page. But I ended up using word strips and I, I stuck them all over the top of the photo and on top of my face. And I don't know just I really, I really like that. I don't know if that is a trend or not, but I like doing that.

[00:38:37] And then I love cut files. Um, I have a series called Big Words and I really like that it just makes this big punch. You have this huge title and, um, you know, maybe not a whole lot of journaling on those. They're great for like cover pages for albums. But, um, I do like those.

[00:39:03] Jennifer Wilson: Fun, fun. Yeah. No, those are, they can be really dramatic. And of course, it's easier to do more of like a paper piecing look with digital than it is with paper too.

[00:39:13] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right? And I do have, I did make an action, um, so that when I'm using, you know, cut file that isn't mine, where I already have the paper piece behind the cut file.

[00:39:25] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[00:39:25] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, it actually, you use the magic wand tool and you select the portions you want the papered, pattern paper, solid paper to be in, but it actually expands that selection. And then makes a shape and you just drag it behind the cut file and then you can clip your papers to it and so that makes it really quick.

[00:39:49] Jennifer Wilson: For sure. Yeah. Going back to the trend of journaling on photos. I mean, I think this to me extends even, it's, it's more of a timeless thing. I feel like I've been doing that for a very long time. And I even, take photos with that in mind now. I will intentionally take photos with more sky, more ground, whatever, just because like, Oh, that's going to be some really good white space for some scrapbooking.

[00:40:15] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, and you know, um, Ali Edwards is fantastic about that. And she's so brave. Because she's like, she has got the photo and she is going to town. I don't, I do not believe she works out her journaling ahead of time. It looks so organic in her videos and, you know, I love how she'll alter her handwriting, you know, from like big capitals and she's like fitting it in and all this space. So, um, yeah, so.

[00:40:50] Jennifer Wilson: My handwriting does, is not that amenable to that.

[00:40:54] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right? Like, come on, that, she just is gifted. She's just, um, and, you know, another one of those people in the industry that's so inspiring. Um, so I do find a lot of, you know, trends from other people. Like I love Paige Evans. Absolutely adore her. She's so sweet too. And she's just, she shares so much of her creativity is just and, and the cut files. I mean, she shared hundreds of cut files. So if you're, yeah, if you're looking for them, there they are.

[00:41:33] Jennifer Wilson: She He is very generous in her, in her Facebook group with her cut files.

[00:41:38] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah.

[00:41:38] Jennifer Wilson: Is there something in scrapbooking, you know, it could be a supply, a technique, a size, a format you've decided is just not for you. And I'm wondering if, like, you could easily say like, oh, well, paper really predominantly is not. But is there even something inside of digital that you like? No, I don't do that type of thing.

[00:41:56] Cheryl Ashcraft: I'd have to say there's, I mean, I'll just, I'll try just about anything.

[00:42:01] Jennifer Wilson: Uh huh.

[00:42:02] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, I don't get the little dolls, the figurines that are appearing in some kits lately. I don't know what to do with those. I mean outside of an art journal page and even then that's just not something I would reach for. But I'd have to say I think the biggest thing is minimalist layouts. They are a challenge for me. And I've made some really pretty layouts that are minimalist. But it's not my, it's not where I can go and just not think. That, that is more maximalism for me, where I can just go.

[00:42:46] Jennifer Wilson: Well, when sometimes making a more minimalist layout takes, as you said, more thinking, it takes more effort to get it feeling just right. Whereas it's easier to find that balance when you can just add more to the page.

[00:42:59] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right, right, and sometimes I have to take things off. I'm like, no, that, that's not working there. But for the most part, when I'm scrapping If it goes on the page, it stays on the page. It's, it's rare for me to take things off. And, and hybrid. It doesn't, it's not that it's not for me. I just have not invested in a good printer.

[00:43:23] Jennifer Wilson: Well, that makes sense too.

[00:43:24] Cheryl Ashcraft: That you know, because that really leads to a lot of frustration and printing.

[00:43:30] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, I mean, yeah, I don't know anybody who's not had a semi recent printer frustration. I feel like it's just kind of a given.

[00:43:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, I'm like, I don't want to spend my creative time fighting with that printer.

[00:43:45] Jennifer Wilson: No, life's too short for that. So Cheryl where and when do you typically scrapbook? So you have, you know, you have one, one kid at home and one kid out in the world, but they're both adults at this point. Um, you know, what, what does that, what does your life look like in terms of scrapbooking and how has that changed over time?

[00:44:04] Cheryl Ashcraft: I have always been a night owl. I do love staying up late. Um, I didn't get to do much of that when the kids are little, you know, you have to go to sleep. Um, except for when, like, Olivia was in high school. And, you know, I you know, they go through that stage where they want to talk to you, and it's usually at 12 or 12 30 at night. So you're like, okay, they're finally talking to me.

[00:44:33] I need to make myself available. Um, but I still do what I consider my best creative, making layouts and templates. Um, really anything to do with advertising or marketing, I just seem to be more with it in the afternoons, evenings. And then later, you know, at night and my husband, he, you know, has to get up and go to work. He's out the door by seven. He's home for thirty five o'clock. Um, so I really, you know, would like to ideally move my sleep schedule back a little bit. So, you know, we can chit chat at the end of the day or whatever, but. Right now, um, I just find a lot of comfort in the house when it's late at night and the dishwasher's running and everything has been put to rights.

[00:45:28] The pillow's on the couch and the, you know, blankets are folded and, you know, the laundry's been put away, whatever. I have nothing that's calling on me to be done. So I think that really gives me that spirit of freedom. That I don't find in the early morning. And that has changed. I mean, you've known me for a long time, but you know, I've had back issues for many years and it's just getting worse. So I don't sleep well. And so that makes mornings getting up and moving, um, difficult.

[00:46:03] Jennifer Wilson: Mornings are very creaky, so.

[00:46:05] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, it's, it's terrible to grow old. But, um, I'm, you know, I never know when it's going to be a bad day, and sometimes I do. I still try to go out and do things. I went shopping last Friday. And Saturday and Sunday I had, I paid for it. But, you know, I have to decide. And it's, it's hard to tell people, okay, um, you know, well, I can't go. And they're thinking, well, I just saw you go two days ago. I'm like, well, I can still build up my strength enough to go back out there again. So I think that that has changed my scrapbooking because I scrap at a desk with, you know, a desktop. I need to have at least as pain free as I can get.

[00:46:59] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yeah.

[00:47:00] Cheryl Ashcraft: To the desk. Yeah,

[00:47:02] Jennifer Wilson: When it's, it is, it's just, it's a challenge to balance kind of the boundaries we need to set for ourselves in terms of feeling good and also feeling optimally creative, but then also balancing that with wanting to see our family members. And, you know, particularly for, for those of you that are night owls, like, okay, yes, you could sleep while your husband's at work every day. But, you know, there are other things in the world, like doctor's appointments and things like that, that they also want to see you during those times.

[00:47:32] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right.

[00:47:33] Jennifer Wilson: Um, it's definitely a juggle.

[00:47:35] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, and I, and I do use scrapbooking as therapy. So like grieving my mother, dealing with my back issues, when I'm having a little pity party for myself. And getting that out is, is healing.

[00:47:53] Jennifer Wilson: It's just another, another value that, that we can, that this hobby brings to the table for us. So is there an organization strategy, whether it's for photos, supplies, or other tools that has worked well for you?

[00:48:07] Cheryl Ashcraft: I love Lightroom and I do use it for photo organization. And I also have a catalog set up for my supplies. Uh, I've always used ACDSee. I started out with it and I think it's a great, supply manager. But over the years, I've lost so many catalogs. Um, you know, you think you're backing up and you're not really. And, you know, I was like, okay, I'm done with that.

[00:48:37] So I, I still use ACDSee because I like the interface and how I see, um, the items in a kit. But I don't really use it necessarily for keywording or that stuff anymore. And for the Lightroom Supply Organization, I'm really just tagging previews so I can see really quickly at a glance. I'm not looking for a blue button or, you know, I'm just kind of looking at the kit overall and then I can pick from, from there.

[00:49:12] Jennifer Wilson: From those kits, yeah. So you said you do have a separate catalog for your supplies versus your photos.

[00:49:18] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, yeah, so it just makes it a little easier. You just, you can just switch between them. And usually I have already gotten my photos ready, so it's easy just to switch over to that and look for, you know, it does help look for kits. If you're looking for a particular designer or, um, you know, a collab or something like that.

[00:49:41] Um, now I will use ACDSee, if I am using, like, if I've been, challenged to use like four kits. So I will go in and actually make a category. Um, you know, say four kit challenge. And then I just drag that over the top of those four, kit folders. And then, once I've done that, once I click on that category, it pulls everything up. So, I'm looking through all four kits at one time without having to, yeah, so I, that's one organization way that I use ACDC. But I just went back to Lightroom. Um, and as far as I love Lightroom's facial recognition. Um, yeah, but I do have to say Google Photos. It's, it's pretty cool.

[00:50:37] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[00:50:38] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah.

[00:50:39] Jennifer Wilson: I mean, all of it is really cool and it's increasingly cool and some are cool in different ways at this point in terms of what they can find in terms of like, you know, blue button, as you said, or a particular person or a location and things like that.

[00:50:53] Cheryl Ashcraft: Like, I was looking, I was like, I know I have that photo, and you know, it takes a while to do even the facial recognition, you know, to go through each folder. Um, and make sure that's taken care of. But I was like, I know I have a photo of me doing this, and I typed it. Oh, it was cause I was looking for me reading. So I just typed in books and Google photos is just, you know, steady. I mean, it was, it was a lot of photos that I had to choose from. So I was like, why am I not picking these up in Lightroom? Oh yes, because it is contingent upon me adding keywords to the photo. So I like with Google photos, it's just, it just happens. Um, So that's the AI, right?

[00:51:47] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. And like the Lightroom, like Lightroom cloud version does have some of those capabilities. Um, I don't think they're quite as robust, but they are improving. Um, so I have searched by, you know, particular things. Like I think I was trying to do like a Easter over the years. And so I just typed in Easter and it managed to find a lot of, I was surprised at how many I've found. And this was in, this was in Lightroom. So. Yeah, it's just, it's cool that it has decreased the need for tagging or allowing us to be more intentional with how we're doing tags because it, it takes a lot of time.

[00:52:28] Cheryl Ashcraft: It does.

[00:52:29] Jennifer Wilson: And it's not particularly fun because you have to make decisions and, um, yeah, I, I'm glad to have these resources.

[00:52:37] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah.

[00:52:38] Jennifer Wilson: You mentioned earlier when you were talking about printing your Shutterfly books that you would use Lightroom to find those layouts. So which catalog are your layouts living in? Your photos or your supplies?

[00:52:50] Cheryl Ashcraft: Photos. Um, so it's just, I have one folder called photos. And then there's a year. And then each date that I've taken a photo has its own folder.

[00:53:03] So I can see everything though that's in that year just by clicking on the year or I can be really specific and I can look at July 4th very quickly and find, you know, photos.

[00:53:16] Jennifer Wilson: What about your, like, your printed, your finished layouts? Like your final, your final JPG.

[00:53:20] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh, yeah. So they're in the layouts are in a folder called layouts.

[00:53:25] And the, when I create my layouts, I'll put the title of the page, who is in the photo, and the date. And the date is not the date I created the layout, it's the date of the photo. So, um.

[00:53:42] Yeah, so that's how they get organized. Um, and in, like, say 2024, I do have a folder for document your December. So all those layouts are in there, but I also use an Excel spreadsheet. Because I like to look at them, and I'll just put little thumbnails in there to show me what I've completed. When I scrap a photo, and it's completed on the layout, I will tag those photos with a purple color. That's what I've chosen to mark that I have already scrapped those photos. Because believe it or not, you'll scrap photos that you didn't realize you had already scrapped two times over. So that really helps that. And also, you know, when I'm looking at those photos to be able to go to the Excel sheet and go, Okay, I've already done these three layouts.

[00:54:35] Am I really going to do anything else in that folder? And then I can go ahead and I usually gray out that particular row so I know it's done.

[00:54:45] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, nice. I like that kind of cross referencing to, uh, to feel like you're moving forward and something's been handled.

[00:54:52] Cheryl Ashcraft: At some point it will be filled. But it won't be today.

[00:54:57] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no that's part of the joy of what we do. Each thing that we add is a bonus. So. Where would you like your scrapbooking to be in another 10 years?

[00:55:06] Cheryl Ashcraft: I would like to still be scrapbooking. I'm just, you wonder at the changes of the last 10 years. Um, you know, whether it will be a hobby or a interest or passion that people will still continue to have. I think it's going to change a lot and I hope I can hang on through whatever technology, you know, comes our way. Um, I would like to have my albums completed in 10 years. Some of the, you know, earlier ones from, you know, uh, 2015, 16, you know. I need to get those finished. And so I'd like to do that. Um, and I, I think I would just, Like, to also remain open to whatever the future happens to bring.

[00:56:01] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it's so interesting because it could be, I mean, if you look back 10 years, things, yes, they're different, but they're not, I mean, they're not whole, like, I don't know, wholesale different. But maybe they could be in 10 years, like, who, who knows what, what could shift things? Um,

[00:56:19] Cheryl Ashcraft: Well, like, you know, I remember, you know, there was DigiShopTalk and MyScrapbookArt, and there was another one. And, you know, if you were a creative team member, you were at those sites all the time. And you weren't just posting layouts, but you were involved in the forums. And, you know. And, you know, Facebook really changed a lot of that. And we had no idea. I can remember somebody saying, you need to come join us on Facebook. And I was like, I don't want to do that.. then, then I'm like, okay, I'll do it. And then, you know, Once I got there, I was like, oh, this is fantastic. And I still think it is fantastic. Because most of my extended family, they all live around the same area, but I do have family that live far away.

[00:57:12] So, um, you know, it's, it's just wonderful to be able to share, you know, my layouts so people can see what's going on with my family. You know. Um, so I think that's one of the biggest things for Facebook for me. I don't really use it to, like, people use Twitter. to talk about, you know, hot button topics. Yeah. This is just, you know, I share photos, I share layouts, I share things that I think are punny, I like puns. And, um, so, yeah, I, I, I didn't realize when I joined, I think I joined in 2009, that how much it would change.

[00:57:56] Jennifer Wilson: Well I guess I, there's, there's two sides of that. Yes. Like I totally agree. And, um, personally I'm, I only follow one person. I said, I have lots of friends, but I have unfollowed everyone, but my husband. So, so I can see people who comment on his photos that he shares of our family and the rest of the groups.

[00:58:14] Like, cause I like to interact with others who have similar interests in a whole variety of topics. Um, but you know, it's been a challenge because a lot of people do post about hot button topics and even whether I, even I was mostly being fed things I agreed with, but I'm like, I don't need to be enraged even in agreement, um, uh, as much as I am.

[00:58:35] And so I had to shift how I used Facebook. But then like the other side of the coin is it's so interesting how active the digital forums still are. I know it's definitely not the same as it was.

[00:58:46] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right.

[00:58:47] Jennifer Wilson: But, you know, if you're a digital shop, it's kind of expected that you're going to have a forum and you can't really say that about other industries or spaces at this point.

[00:58:57] Cheryl Ashcraft: Very true.

[00:58:59] Jennifer Wilson: So that's, that's kind of cool. That's, that's still there for sure. Um, so last question here, what has being a scrapbooker taught you.

[00:59:07] Cheryl Ashcraft: Well, I don't know if it's scrapbooking or if it's the internet that taught me. Um, it's probably a combination of the two. But, they taught me that no matter how other people look or act, how much different they are for me, where they live. What their religious leanings are, their political leanings, that it is a small world. And that, you know, I've become friends with people that at first glance, we don't look like we would go together. But, um, being able to have those friendships, people I would have never have met otherwise. Is, you know, I just think it's fantastic. I have a friend in particular and she and I have never met. And she was commenting on some of my layouts that I was posting in two Facebook groups. And you know, we just started chatting and usually if I start chatting with somebody, I'll send them a friend request and we just realized how much we had in common.

[01:00:21] And she, uh, she also had a battle with cancer, um, as well as I. So we kind of bonded over that, but she also takes these amazing photographs in spite of her disabilities. And, uh, she really loves her family. And it's just such a treasured friendship that, again, she lives in North Carolina. I'm like, I would not have met her.

[01:00:47] Jennifer Wilson: For certain. Online communities in general, regardless of what you're involved in, can bring people together in ways. And as you said, across, you know, differences, people you might not have met or come across otherwise, or even found common ground with. And so it's, yeah, it's definitely such a beautiful thing.

[01:01:03] Cheryl Ashcraft: And then, you know, just being able, my, my husband and I were talking about this. He goes, you really share a lot of your life on Facebook. And I'm like, well, why wouldn't I? I mean, it's nothing I'm embarrassed about. And he's like, well, usually guys don't share like you're sharing. And I'm like, well, that's true. I think there is a difference between what men and women share. But to me, I feel like the people that I'm communicating with on Facebook are doing the same thing I'm doing. So I'm reading their journaling, and I find it incredibly interesting. And maybe they think I'm incredibly interesting. I don't know. They'd be like, okay, there's another page, let's move along, Cheryl, but, yeah, I think it's good to be open. And as far as who I see, I, I guess I, I guess I started ruthlessly unfollowing people who, who were pot stirrers. And, I didn't enjoy, you know, seeing their feeds and so I would just hide them. And, you know, and this is terrible, but you know, when the birthdays come up.

[01:02:13] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[01:02:14] Cheryl Ashcraft: I would look at it and I'd be like, I'd go look at the friendship between me and the person. I'm like, we don't even know each other.

[01:02:22] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. It's, it's, it's interesting how you can be so like, you can be connected via just one chat from someone you knew long ago, but if you're not really having regular interactions, then. You know, Facebook friends is definitely different than real friend.

[01:02:39] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yeah, so that curates my feed quite a bit. And I do like now I've noticed Facebook is putting up the, um, would you like to see more or less of this person's post? And it's funny because it's come up for a lot of my family members. I'm like, yes, I'd like to still see that, please.

[01:03:00] Jennifer Wilson: Well, at least they're trying. You know, like finding ways to help us see what we want to see for sure.

[01:03:04] Cheryl Ashcraft: Right.

[01:03:05] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Well, and of course that, you know, that's how we connected to the digital community long ago. And then I kind of transitioned primarily to paper when my daughter was born. But I still have a heart for the, for the digital folks and, um, try to stay connected to what everyone's doing, particularly through the podcast.

[01:03:21] So I'm, I'm so glad we had a chance to chat.

[01:03:24] Cheryl Ashcraft: Yes, me too. And how old is your daughter now? I was trying to think.

[01:03:29] Jennifer Wilson: 13 and 8th grade.

[01:03:31] Cheryl Ashcraft: Oh my goodness. The time just, just goes by. I mean, Olivia was like, does she digi scrap too? Does she paper scrap with you?

[01:03:43] Jennifer Wilson: She does, she's mostly using Procreate on her iPad. She's not really doing like memory keeping, but she does a lot of like drawing. She does photo editing in Snapseed maybe like, so she definitely has like a creative, uh, bent to her.

[01:04:00] Cheryl Ashcraft: Good. good. That's awesome.

[01:04:03] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it's super fun. Cheryl, can you share where our listeners can find you online and anything you might have new or coming up later this year?

[01:04:14] Cheryl Ashcraft: Um, well, you can find me at Sweet Shop Designs. Um, I'm exclusively there for my template designs. You can find me at Watch Cheryl Scrap on Instagram and on YouTube, because I do record my scrapbooking process and share those, um, pretty regularly on, uh, YouTube. Uh, I'm trying to think what my Pinterest handle is. I think it's WatchCherylScrap2, it may be FiddleDDDesigns, I'm not sure.

[01:04:49] Jennifer Wilson: We can, we'll find the link and we'll make sure to include it for our listeners. Yeah.

[01:04:55] All right. Thank you again so much for spending time with me. I love having these conversations where we get to dive deep into the behind the scenes of, you know, how we got to where we are today and what it all means to us.

[01:05:07] Cheryl Ashcraft: That is awesome that you asked me. I was so delighted to be able to talk to you today. It's been a while. So, thanks for taking the time to chit chat.

[01:05:16] Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

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1 Comment

  1. Dianne
    Dianne on February 12, 2025 at 8:51 pm

    Great podcast. I love Cheryl’s layouts. I really like how she is able to get all the embellishment on her pages and they are so beautiful. I am strictly a paper scrapper and do not believe I have the patience to learn digital scrapbooking.

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