Getting to Know you - jcaruth910

I am so happy to introduce to you today the lovely Joanne aka jcaruth910.

Thanks for talking with us today, Joanne! Perhaps you’d like to tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I am the oldest and the only girl of three children, born and raised in Northern California, the Bay Area to be exact. I lived there until I married my then husband who had just graduated from the Air Force Academy. We were married for twelve years and have two boys, Matt 28, who is a golf professional in California and Justin 23, who is now in medical school. Having been an Air Force wife for twelve years, we lived in quite a few places…Colorado, Oklahoma, Mississippi (twice), Turkey, (Matt was born there) Virginia (twice), and Arizona. I ended up staying in Arizona with the boys and after being a single mom for a few years, I met my husband, Bruce at a Rotary meeting in 1994. He has two children who are grown and have their own children now too, so essentially, I am a grandma also! Blended families are always a bit of a challenge, but with patience, understanding, a little give and take on everyone’s part it all works out…we are truly blessed in that regard.

When I am not scrapping, I keep up with our business that we run from home, and I love to cook and shop! I have been a member of Angel Charity for Children, a local charity here in Tucson that raises money for various children’s needs for over twelve years now. This is always a busy time of the year, as we are gearing up for our big gala, the Angel Ball. I am a TV junkie, enjoy music and I like to travel and see new places, but there is no place like home!
What an interesting life, Joanne! I know that it takes a special sort of person to stick with a fund raising role for that long - it must be gratifying to see the good that comes from that!

Joanne, how did you come across digital scrapping - were you a paper scrapper in a previous life?? And of course - how did you find DD?

I have always loved memory keeping. My father worked for Eastman Kodak, so there were ALWAYS photos being taken and my mother meticulously kept them all in albums. I began as a traditional paper scrapper about ten years ago when I decided to make my boys each a book when they graduated high school. From there it just mushroomed. I moved over to digital a few years ago when I got tired of the clutter of all of the paper supplies, glue, elements, stamps, etc. and have not looked back. I am addicted! A day does not go by that I don’t work on a layout or have a book in progress.
I began posting layouts and purchasing product from a view different digital sites in the beginning. I came to really enjoy Designer Digitals because of all of the positive feedback in the gallery and of course the products are fabulous! I have learned so much just by studying other member’s styles.

I think many of our community members would say they stayed for the very same reasons! What was the first product that you purchased from the store - do you still use it?

My first purchase was the December Daily overlays by Ali Edwards. I had every intention of completing that project last year, but I am still working on it! The overlays are very versatile, so they can be used anywhere.

It’s always exciting to see people getting their pages ready for December Daily. I know you’ve also been having fun doing Jana’s class, so I’m guessing you have been a fan of her scrapping style for a while (who wouldn’t be??). Are there any other DD galleries that you particularly like to browse through for inspiration??

There is SO much inspiration in the gallery; I see something new every day that I like. I would say that some of my favorites would be Amy (mymalloryboys) and Georgina (georgeinci) for their wonderful layering and element placement. Jana (Jana Morton) for blending and her wonderful use of papers. These are just a few.
I have never taken a digital scrapbooking class before. Everything I have learned has been from looking at layouts and reading posts in the forums or online. Jana’s class has taught me that there is much, much, much more to learn about this wonderful hobby. I can see myself taking many more classes in the future.

If you were giving advice to a new scrapper, Joanne, what five products would you say were “must haves”.

I would say -
Lynn Grieveson’s - Worn Page Edges
Katie Pertiet’s - Pencil Line Twists , Messy Stitched borders and Taped Photo Masks
Ali Edwards - any of her wordart - all of it is wonderful!
Studio DD’s templates - Love them!
Oops, I think that’s more than five!

Some great product choices!! What makes the perfect scrapping experience for you? Time of day - company or not - special drink or treat - new product - new pics etc etc???

New photos are definitely high up on the list, but lately I have been scrapping older photos. A lot of times a particular challenge in the forum dictates what I scrap. The challenges and the gallery also help me get my creativity flowing.

Do you have a favourite layout that you’d like to share with us today?

Yes, this one!

That is really gorgeous, Joanne - than you so much for chatting with us today, we value your input and support in both the forums and the galleries and are so glad that you are part of our DD community!

Thanks for joining us, everyone - don’t forget to hop on over to Joanne’s lovely gallery here to be inspired by the rest of her wonderful work!