It's Friday! Woot!

Good morning Blue House Fans!!!  It’s FRIDAY!!!  I have serious mad love for Fridays.  You know what I love more than Fridays?  My family!!!  So imagine how excited I am that I am going to Lake Texoma with my family this weekend.  Woot woot! I will share some pics of our lake-time fun later in the month.

Speaking of family, today I want to share with you some questions Nat & I had presented to the matriarch of our own little Blue Crew family…the creative genius behind it all…the woman, the myth, the legend---MISS TRACY!!

Miss Tracy!

TBC: When creating, do you just start cutting papers and placing about the page? Or do you free hand a sketch or have an idea in mind where you want your layout to go? (yes, this is often a question we have secretly asked ourselves with your Page Builder layouts. Lol.)

Miss Tracy: Great question…the answer to both is YES…haha! Most of the time, I hand sketch with a pencil (usually late at night when I can’t sleep) …but sometimes, certain papers just scream out to me to be cut in certain ways. I know it sounds crazy but papers speak to me…LoL! I do think for all my fellow Scrappers that suffer time to time from what I call “Blank Page Syndrome” that working with a sketch (your original idea or a sketch found in a magazine or online) can be a huge help in getting started. It’s funny how even though I may start with an idea or one of my late-night pencil sketches, sometimes the creative process just takes over and my layout becomes something totally different from my original plan….I LOVE it when that happens!!!
Here’s a look at one of my sketches and the end result…my Summer Favorites Layout…

TBC: How did the Little Blue House evolve? Was the location really blue before and you ran with the idea? Or did you envision a cute little location that you could make into the Little Blue House? 

Miss Tracy: You know the old saying "when one door closes, another door opens"...well that old adage couldn't have been more true for me. A new door (full of wonderful possibilities) had opened for me! After careful thought and prayer I decided to open my own little studio in 2010. Through a quite unforeseen, fortunate circumstance, I stumbled upon a wonderful little house...made a few calls, met a few people, and boom! The Little Blue House became my “Home away from Home”! It was blue when we moved in but wasn’t intended to be called the Little Blue House….after brainstorming a name (nothing seemed just right) …me and my small team kept calling it the Little Blue House because it had no name. The name just stuck and now I can’t imagine it being called anything else. The LBH was the perfect choice!


The Little Blue House

TBC: We’ve seen a ton of your super cute layouts, but tell us….are you a card maker?  I would classify myself as the “Occasional Card Maker”.

Miss Tracy: I make them, but (being totally honest)…I rarely ever send them…LoL! I’m a Card Keeper! That’s how I came up with the name for our Specialty Card Workshop (Card Keepers) at the LBH. I love to create and keep cards…they are like my own little technique reference guides. Sometimes I try out new techniques on a card before I take it to a “bigger” project, like a layout or a home deco project.

One of my past Card Keepers samples...

TBC: So, tell us: WWTD (What Would Tracy Do)……You’ve just completed a page and you take a step back and realize it needs something to “wow” it. What are your go-to embellishments, techniques, etc. that takes your layout that one step further?

Miss Tracy: I’m a texture junkie! I would find a way to add some dimension and depending on the layout, I might do that in numerous ways. Maybe a fabric flower, scrunched tissue, a touch of ribbon for softness, embossing folders (one of my fave’s)….Lotions and Potions are a great way to add a little “wow” to a layout too. A little spritz of Perfect Pearls Mist, some stickles here and there, inking edges of papers. Glossy Accents is big “go to” for me…It can transform a title or icon on a layout. One of the simplest ways to add a little depth and dimension is by simply using pop dots! Pop up a photo mat or journal card…it can really impact the look of a layout. I also love to “doodle-dee-doo” on my pages with a good quality Black fine tip pen. Outlining, broken lines, doodles, and tracing around the details on my printed papers always adds some “wow”!

Wow indeed, Miss Tracy.

TBC: How much ‘personal’ scrapbooking do you get to do?  Are you caught up or behind?

Miss Tracy: Sadly, not near enough time for personal scrapping…but pretty much everything I design for the store eventually comes to live with me. I have tubs of layouts just waiting for me to add photos and journaling…maybe I’ll get to it in my “golden years”…LoL! Actually, I keep saying that I’m going to print a ton of pic’s, pack up my tubs, grab my journal pens and ATG gun and head out on a long retreat…Relax and do nothing but attach photos and journal on my pages. I’m not caught up, not even close, but it doesn’t bother me. I just enjoy the process, the memories, the goodies, etc…that make up a layout. I’m happy to be a perpetual Scrapper…

TBC: What’s your preference…buttons or bling? 

Miss Tracy: Really I have to choose…I can’t have both?!?!?!?!? If forced to choose….I would have to say buttons. I’m sort of a button addict…especially vintage ones! The Picker in me loves those! Can’t get enough…I love creating with them and I even LOVE just looking at them in a pretty glass jar…just brings me joy!

TBC: When you visit CHA, whose booths are you most excited to visit?  Why?

Miss Tracy: I always look forward to seeing all the new goodies at CHA but the booths I generally am the most excited to see are the ones with elaborate displays and altered decor…Graphic 45 and Ideaology booths never disappoint. They always have great samples and impressive projects in their displays. This past January, I would have to say my favorite booth was SpellBinders…My good friend Ken did an amazing job with their displays…so unique and “Picker” inspired…My love of old things, upcycled things, repurposed things, draws me in hook, line, and sinker. As for paper companies booths…it’s too difficult to choose. I’m a paper addict, so I love them ALL…

TBC: If you were having a dinner party and could invite 5 people from the crafting industry, who would it be?

Miss Tracy: Jeepers…hard question…I would invite women that have inspired me. I would love to pick their brains and gather advice from them on running a successful business in our beloved, crazy, creative industry! Peeps that first come to mind…Carolee McMullin (Adornit), Rebecca Cross (Pink Paislee), Stephanie Hunt (Bella Blvd), Amber Crowell (Simple Stories)...gosh, I could go on and on… Eventually, I would love to design and manufacture our own paper lines so that would more than likely be the topic of discussion at my dinner party!

TBC: True or False: Cat & Nat are awesome?!?

Miss Tracy: True…Cat and Nat are totally awesome! I love that the LBH is what brought you together…I still remember seating you two near each other in class and watching the two of you hit it off…who would’ve thought you’d become life-long friends!

TBC: Give us some hints and exciting news of products coming soon to LBH.

Miss Tracy: Oh girlies…We have so much scrappy goodness in store for you! Some fabulous collections and new products, tools, lotions & potions…In fact, the entire month of May is being devoted to a feature we call DIY “Design it Yourself”. It will all kick off with Nat’l Scrapbooking Day. Lots of great new workshops and some fun scheduled demos of all the latest and greatest goodies coming to the LBH! Prepare to be InsPireD!!!!!

Awsome, Miss Tracy.  Sounds like you have some fun in store for us...you never cease to amaze us!

How about you, Blue Fans?  Do you have a question for Miss Tracy?  Comment your question below and Miss Tracy will answer them, AND we will draw a winner for more scrappy goodies tomorrow.  (Hint: You can win more than one day this month, so keep on commenting!!!)


Yesterday Natalie promised 5 winners for commenting about her blast from the past, so here you go: Liz Huggins, Amy, MichelleCole, DeeDee & dgrammes...you girlies are winners of scrappy goodness.  Email us at lbhbluecrew@gmail.com to collect your prize!