Happy Weekend! Do you ever wonder who the person is behind the blog at Down Memory Lane? If so, today is your lucky day! This is the first installment in our "Behind the Scenes" series. Meet our staff, see our facility, and learn more about how our kits are designed and manufactured. Fun, right?
Let's start out by showing you where we're actually located in the big 'ole US of A. See that star? That's us - Eau Claire, WI. If you know where Minneapolis, MN is, go about 90 miles due east. Eau Claire has a population of about 65,000. You can learn more about our little piece of paradise
here. Our area (Eau Claire and surrounding towns) is known as the Chippewa Valley.
To give you an idea of what the area is like....we're home to:
There. Some background for you. Now let's get into the good stuff - all about ME! :-) I'll be asking all our staff the same question so stay tuned for additional posts in the series to learn more about everybody here at DML!
Question 1: Give SIX Facts about You
- I'm 32 years old and my birthday was last Sunday (08/09)
- I collect Pineapples. No, not the actual fruit. But things with pineapple pattern or just decoration pineapple stuff - statues, prints, etc.
- I have completely flat feet. Because of this, I can lay on my belly and literally "clap" my feet together. It's really quite the sight! My best friend, Carrie, showed me how to do it - she also has flat feet.
- I am obsessed with the show "Law & Order". I've seen each one of the 456 episodes numerous times. After some calculation, I've determined that at least 3 months of my life has been spent watching L&O.
- I got married to Dave last August, but I don't have any children yet. I do have a sister and an adorable niece named Ella. She brightens my world!
- I am quite possibly addicted to Diet Coke. And not just ANY Diet Coke...fountain Diet Coke. And I'm even more of a soda-snob than that. My preference is definately McDonald's Diet Coke, but soda from the local Mega! Holiday Station or Kwik Trip will do as well. (Wanna know why that Mickey D's pop tastes so much better? Click here to read the story!)
Question 2: How long have you worked at Down Memory Lane?
Oooh. This one is tricky! It's actually my second time around as an employee at DML. Back in January 2011, I started as a part-time sales clerk at our previous retail location. I quickly was talked into designing page kits and loved it! My job at DML at that time provided me with a much needed break from my career field of Accounting. That fall, though, I was hired as the Finance Director at a health care facility and had to leave my "fun" job behind. Due to some health issues and after feeling unfulfilled with various accounting jobs, I reached out to the owner, Joanne and quickly found a place at Down Memory Lane again this past July! My role is different now, though, as much of my day is spent curating fun content for our
Pinterest and
Facebook pages. I've recently started crafting samples and projects - watch for posts coming soon! - and that's been super fun too.
Question 3: What is your favorite thing about your job?
Honestly, when I first started building up our
Pinterest account was really like a dream come true. I had always thought that if I could find someone to pay me for pinning, I'd truly be blessed! I've really come to like the instant gratification that comes from posting to
Facebook too. It's so reassuring when I see lots of our followers like and comment on our posts. I really do LOVE to hear from our customers! Hands down, though, my favorite thing is having creative freedom. Whether it's creating fun graphics online for posting, experimenting with new products, or designing samples, I feel incredibly lucky to have a job I really like to come to!
Question 4: How long have you scrapbooked (or crafted)? What is your favorite craft specialty?
Wow. I have to think WAY back on this one! I've probably been scrapbooking since middle school - 7th grade maybe. Doing the math, that's almost 20 years. Holy cow! My favorite craft is probably scrapbooking, but card-making comes in as a close second. I have a room dedicated to crafts at home, but it always seems to be a complete disaster area. The only thing that really saves me is that I go to a couple scrapbooking retreats each year. I power scrap during those weekends and tend to get more done in a 3-day period than I do in a 3-month one at home! My favorite retreat here in the area is
Green Haven Retreat, but I also enjoy my time at
White's Wildwood Retreat and
Rock Creek Cottage.
Question 5: Besides a paper trimmer and adhesive, what THREE tools or supplies could you not live without?
- Patterned Paper - I am a paper hoarder. I'm going to seriously be in trouble if my house ever starts on fire because my craft room will go up fast and hot with all that paper! I need it all...stripes, plaids, geometrics....red, blue, white, off-white. I truly have a stash that any scrapbooker would be proud of (and maybe a little embarassed by).
- Silhouette Cameo - This little guy is amazing. Yes, I have a Cricut too, but the possibilities are endless with the Sil and it cuts like a dream. If you don't already have a subscription to the design store on their website, get one! It's the cheapest way to get lots & lots of downloads each month! The plans start at $10 bucks a month and you get $25 worth of downloads for that price. Sweet!!!
- Ink and sponges - Okay, so technically I know that's two things, but I'm going to count it as one. I'm known for inking the edges on my pages. (Example below.) It adds a ridiculous amount of "finish" to the page and I've always loved how much better the layout looks. Yep, takes some extra time, but I just don't care! Most of the time I use Memento Dye Ink (Tuxedo Black or Rich Cocoa) and a sponge dauber or a round synthetic sponge cut into pieces.
Question 6: What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Hmmm....honestly, I kind of love being lazy in my free time. :-) But if I have to pick an activity, it would be shopping. I'm kind of a shop-a-holic actually. I love clothes shopping. I love shoe shopping. I love scrapbook supply shopping. I love jewelry shopping. My favorite stores of ALL-TIME have to be:
Maurices,
TJ Maxx,
DSW, and
Target. I could seriously spend days and thousands of dollars in just those three stores!
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I would have to say that interviewing myself for this post was pretty fun. I hope you enjoyed learning more about me and now you have a face to match all those posts to! Feel free to follow my personal page on
Pinterest! Comment with any questions for me. Have a great weekend and happy crafting!
