So I have the Who are you post for June 16th, and I’m totally profiling my bestie! For those that don’t know, I am Trixie’s CT lead, but that relationship has blossomed into a wonderful friendship that I cherish very much!!! So it’s only right that she be picked this week! lol

Without further adieu….

For the record, could you state your name please?
OK, it depends who is asking. Officially? Most people call me Tracy. But, my formal given name is Theresa (yeah, don’t ask… I’ve been explaining how you get Tracy from Theresa my whole life). But I only get called Theresa when its about official life stuff or I’m in trouble And then, when I met my hubs, he and his dad coined the nickname Trixie and they pretty much call me that all the time. And in the forums, you’ll see people calling me anything from Tracy to Trixie to TK… all works, I answer to ’em

You have an awesome hubby, Erick. How long have you guys been married?
We have been married 7-1/2 years. He is my soul mate and I love him very much. Our anniversary is in November, close to Thanksgiving every year

OOHHH! Tell your engagement story! It’s the best!
Crazy girl… I don’t want to type that whole thing again! lol. If you want to read it, you can do so here.

I know where you live but others might not….do share!
We live deep in the woods at the very top of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. It’s beautiful here… quiet and peaceful. We are both homebodies, so the lifestyle suits us. A 20-minute drive gets us to most things we could ever want or need and we’re about 70-90 minutes from both of our families, so we still get to see them a lot.

Tell us about Lucy and Diamond, who I’d totally take off your hands if necessary. They’re adorable!
Ahhh… Diamond and Lucy are the fur babies who light up my days and keep me from completely succumbing to the depression of infertility. Diamond turned 8 in January and Lucy will be 5 in October. They are both pit bull mixes (we think) that we rescued from shelters… and they are the sweetest, most loyal and awesome dogs I’ve ever known. I know everyone loves their pets, but these two really are my babies… I wish I could take them with me everywhere I go and keep them by my side all the time And, I know I’m a biased mama, but they really are cute… see???

What keeps you going everyday?
Coffee. LOL. Country music, expressing my creativity, humor… making someone else smile. And lots of coffee

What is your favorite invention EVER?
Back to the coffee again… right now, its my Keurig coffee maker. I’m just a teensy bit obsessed.

If you were stranded on an island, what 3 things would you want to bring and why? {you already have your hubby and L&D}
Satellite internet, my laptop and a generator than ran on coconut husks. What, you think I’m kidding? For one, I wouldn’t really be stranded… I could send an email for help whenever I was done with my vacation!! lol

When you were little, what did you want to grow up to be?
When I was really little, a teacher. When I was in high school, an architect. I had a full scholarship to NJIT, too… I still kick myself now and again for not taking it and going to school there. Obviously, I have design in my blood, though… I still landed in a career designing things for others, its just not buildings! lol

I know you like to have some chocolate on occasion, but what is your favorite dessert of all time?
That’s a tough one. But if I have to narrow it down to just one, it would probably be Creme Brulee. Usually can’t pass it up when I’m in a place that serves it!

Tell me something unique about yourself. Besides the fact that you are fabulous
Well, I don’t know about fabulous. Something unique… well, I’m pretty nerdy in real life. I love to write. I won an essay contest sponsored by M.A.D.D. when I was in 7th grade – it was a story I wrote about a teen who drove drunk and suffered some pretty tough consequences. My win was published in an article on the front page of our local newspaper. It was sort of a big deal at the tender age of 12, lol. And I graduated from my Associate’s Degree program with a perfect 4.0 GPA (I don’t have my bachelor’s degree). Oh, and my mom calls me a human dictionary. Told ya… nerdy

Okay, I should probably ask some digi-scrap related questions….yanno, just cuz, this is a digi scrap blog and all 😉

How long have you been digiscrapping?
September will be three years

We want to see your first layout!! {linky please!}
Ugh… for reals? I’m not even sure which one was first, but I’m going to say it was this one because its hideous… the technique is just all wrong! Sorry its not linked… I have definitely not shared this train wreck in any galleries! lol

Now, show us your favorite layout you’ve ever done. {linky please!}
I have lots I love, but I have these two… both tough to do… but cathartic. Those are usually the ones that end up being favorites!

What inspired you to start designing? How long have you been designing?
I’m not sure what inspired me to start… if you know me, you know I get these ideas in my head sometimes…. lol
Ellie Lash mentored me early on and taught me a lot in the beginning, so there is one more reason to love Ellie (as if we needed any!)
I’ve been designing now for about 20 months, I believe. I love it and I’m having a blast

What is your favorite kit you’ve designed/collabed with?
For a long time, I would have told you Carly. Then Sunday Afternoon came along with Sarah Bennett and took top spot. But I also love my Defining Me kit a lot, and my recent Oceanside kit is my new favorite (my most recently designed kit is usually my favorite, anyway)

Have you done a layout with it yet?
Yanno what’s strange? Out of that list, the only one I’ve worked with personally is Sunday Afternoon (for shame!) I do confess the longer I’ve been a designer, the less and less time I make for my own personal scrapbooking. I need to be better about it. Here’s one of my Sunday Afternoon layouts:

Give the audience a little taste, what you got in store for us in the upcoming weeks?
Oh, I’ve always got lots going on. For sure, you can count on the next P365 grab bag soon… it will be Father-themed. A new patriotic collab is coming soon with a partner I’ve worked with before. In July, I will be one of the Featured Designers at Scrap Matters and have a terrific collab partner I’m working with on that one. Oh, and the Special Request Saturday kit is almost done, so I will be sharing that one with everyone soon. I have dozens and dozens of ideas in my trusty notebook – making time to get to them all is more of a challenge!

One last question, what is your take on OOBS? Oh gosh… I’m sort of an OOB-lover. Nothing makes me happier than when one of my CT members flashes her OOBs. Ask Carrin. (Inside joke… I’ll leave it to Bree to explain since she is the silly-head who asked me this question). Thanks for interviewing me, bestie! This was fun