Here is an interview with Victoria, one of digitalGinger’s first Creative Team members. It is illustrated with some of her fantastic layouts along the way. Don’t forget to check out her “Spicy Tip” for her gorgeous baby layout at the end.




Have you always lived in Glasgow? What is your family background?

Yes, I have always lived in and around Glasgow, I just love the city — it’s such a vibrant mixture of old school culture and modern living.

My immediate family are from Glasgow too, with my dad coming from a line of master bakers, so you can imagine how much fun I had when I was a kid visiting the bakery!

“Day Trip” by Victoria Greenlees

digitalGinger Products
Paper and Embellishments: Marigold - Bed &Breakfast
Ribbon and Staples: Folded & Knotted Ribbons Jewel Tone
Stamp: Marigold Vintage Frames

You currently work teaching new media at Cardonald College in Glasgow. What brought you from working in graphic design at an agency to teaching?

I was always interested in teaching, and I guess I was just lucky that a friend called me to tell me about the job at Cardonald. I was ready for a new challenge, as I had been working in industry for 11years. I absolutely love lecturing, knowing that you are making a difference, and helping to guide students onto a successful career.

Was digital scrapbooking your first medium for layouts or did you paper scrap before?

Do you know I went to one ‘crop’ and bought some papers and bits and pieces. I liked the idea of paper scrapping, but somehow it never really stuck with me.

What attracted you to digital and what are your digital tools?

I am a digital chick at heart, and love the immediacy of sitting at my Mac and playing around with my stash of gorgeous digi products. The tools that I use are my Mac and Photoshop CS2.

“Almost Famous” by Victoria Greenlees

digitalGinger Products
Green Photo Frame:Rockstar 4×6 Frames
Ribbon and Staples: Folded & Knotted Ribbons Jewel Tone

What brought you to apply for the digitalGinger Creative Team?

Definitely the look and feel that your (Bevin’s) hand drawn illustrations bring to the scrapbooking items at DigitalGinger! You have created such an individual feel to your papers and embellishments, so when I saw the call for the CT, I knew that I would love to be a part of this new venture!

Tell us more about your digital style and how you approach a new layout?

I scrap happy!! I think that my style is quite clean and graphic (which is why I love DigitalGinger items), although I do end up using loads of embellishments! I love typography, so I guess that a lot of my layouts make use of that in the way that I do the titles.

When I have a new LO to do, I usually get inspiration from looking at some of the galleries. Then I will choose the photograph — which is very important, as it can make or break your layout, and depending on which color scheme I have chosen, will enhance the photograph to fit in. Then it really is a whirlwind of papers, embellishments, and usually the title work last! I can easily sit and ponder a layout for over four or five hours!

“Such a happy baby!” by Victoria Greenlees

digitalGinger Products
Paper and Embellishments: Marigold - Bed &Breakfast

Victoria’s Spicy Tip :
Adding subtle dimension to your layouts using Photoshop

In order for the flowers in this layout to ‘come off the paper’ and appear over the photograph I duplicated the floral background paper in the layers palette, creating a new layer with the same paper on it. I moved this layer to above my photograph and then just used the magic wand tool to select and erase areas of the paper that I wanted to reveal.

I then used a subtle drop shadow action on the duplicated layer to make the flowers pop out slightly more.

Because the same paper lies underneath the duplicated layer, it appears that the flowers have been cut out of one sheet of paper!

DigitalGinger joined the Melting Pot Restaurant, Michael’s and Close To My Heart to offer a super fun evening of food and crafts. Over 100 ladies attended this past Wednesday night. During the event they had a three course meal and a chance to join us in the party room to make three different craft and scrapbooking projects.

This was digitalGinger’s first live event and I had so much great feedback! We created a “Thank You” card printed from the Marigold Printable Card Kit No.1. Most of the ladies had not tried hybrid or digital crafting before and they loved the idea of a card that they could print whenever they needed it. They also loved the “click and type” areas that are a part of the kit that allow you to change the “Thank You” text and add addresses to the envelope template. (I didn’t have a computer there to show this, but the descriptions evoked ohhs and ahhs!)

The ladies also were impressed that the drawings and designs were my own, and I really appreciated all the great encouragement and congratulations for opening the website and shop.

I want to thank my good friends Kerridan and Heidi for helping me out over the long night! They were great at pointing out what words seemed to connect the best with everyone, such as saying “drawings” instead of “illustrations.” I really want to expose traditional paper crafters and scrapbookers to digital and hybrid products, and Kerri and Heidi were great at using my poster board of digital layouts and a digital scrapbooking magazine, to point out digitals many benefits. I also included a digital scrapbooking explanation sheet and coupon in the guests folders.

I have added a short tutorial for creating the card we made that night so anyone can re-create our project. I am looking forward to having similar events in San Diego in late 07/ early 08 too!

This project uses the Marigold - Printable Card Kit No.1 to create a vintage inspired thank-you card. This card was big hit at the Creative Diva - Girl’s Night Out in Tucson Arizona, held at the Melting Pot Restaurant.

Tools and Supplies

Step One:

Punch a hold in the middle of the Thank-You journal area, about 1/4″ from the top.

Also punch a hole in the card about 1/2″ from the top of the peach stamped frame.

Step Two:

Place Thank You paper over the front of the card and line up the two holes. Insert brad from the front and fasten it on the inside of the card.

Step Three:

Use your decorative scissors and cut around all four sides of the stamp to give it a stamp-like edge. While you have your scissors, you can also cut the edge the of envelope flap to match the stamp and give it a deckled edge.

Step Four:

Peel paper backing from foam square. Place foam square on the back of the stamp and then position stamp over the card and place to the left of the thank you area. Then you are finished!

It’s here and I am so excited! After so many months of work and a year of planning, I am finally able to bring you the beginning of what will be a very fun company.

What is included in the Opening?

• an updated website.
• the digital scrapbooking store with digital kits and printables, like cardmaking kits.
• this new blog, which will host the latest information on all things digitalGinger.
• a new Creative Team whose layouts you can see in the soon to be gallery and the product info pages.
• a second store, the “Gift Boutique”, where I offer my unique illustrations and designs on ready-made products like notecards and T-shirts. You may see designs here that are not yet in the digital kits too.

There is so much more to come as well!

Now that the stores and website are going, I can focus more on getting my designs to you in the form of new digital and printable products and gifts. Check back to the website and shop often, as I will be adding new products to the two stores almost daily.

I focused mainly on the Fall line of designs, like Marigold Collections, for the opening, but I have started botanical drawings and designs for next spring and summer too! I also plan on creating the first children’s lines from a beautiful set of watercolor illustrations of fanciful sun, moon and stars.

DigitalGinger’s home office will be moving to San Diego, CA the end of November, and after the move, I will begin to develop a set of simple and fun online tools for scrapbookers, both traditional and digital.

Thank you to all the friends that have given digitalGinger their encouragement and I am glad to welcome them and you to join the digialGinger community!