We’d like to welcome our November Guest Designer, Danyale Lews, a.k.a. Etc. by Danyale.

About You:

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

A: I live along the beautiful Gulf Coast in the Pensacola Beach area with my firefighter husband of 18 years. We are a home of laughter with three smart, quick-witted kids (only one still at home), and on special visits, a beautiful silly granddaughter.

I am that kind of friend that will keep it real no matter if you are a stranger or longtime friend. I love anything to do with the water, and spend a lot of time in a beach chair. I am a girl that can get lost in a book and feel bereft when it is done, like I lost a friend. I just finished reading the “Fae Series” by Karen Moning again. The main character, Barron, reminds me of my husband, so I am more than a little in love with him. My husband and I love shows like Homeland and Big Bang Theory with equal passion.

About Your Designing:

Q: What inspires you to create? 

A: I wish there was an easy way to explain what inspires me, but I just always come back to “everything.” A commercial, a photo, a song, or a moment with my kids while bumbling around the kitchen at dinner. Ideas comes to me sometimes at the most random moments, and I have to jot them down real quick. I have pieces of paper with sketches and notes on the back of napkins and power bill envelopes. I do the same thing to keep notes on funny things my kids say so I can scrap them. One of my favorite conversations with my daughter was written on a McDonald’s napkin.

Q: Where do you create?

A: I finally moved into my son’s old room about six months after he went to college this past year. (Roll Tide!) It is a slow process to get a whole room to my liking, but I am finding that spending time there and looking out to a view of my hammock hanging from the large tree in my backyard is comforting. I enjoy working while watching TV shows or listening to music. I also enjoy having my daughter come hang out in a comfy chair while she does homework. When work is done, I shut PSE down, turn off the lights, and walk away.

Q: What are your favorite kits?

A:

About Your Scrapping:

Q: Tell us about your scrapping style.

A: I came from a paper memory keeping mindset. My first album was when I was in high school. It was lost during a fire, and I gave up for a while. When I got my second cancer diagnosis, I thought, “What am I doing?” I have not kept any memories that my kids need to know. Who is going to tell these stories for me if I am not here for them? That year, through surgery and treatments, I scrapped. I scrapped as many hours in a day as I could squeeze in. As time went on, and I was declared cancer free, I continued to build on that.

Finding digital was a way to incorporate digi/hybrid into my crafting. I still do a little of them all. I could never give up my paper or walk away from digital. Because of my paper start, I really love to keep a paper style in digital. I love shabby kits in both worlds and grunge textures on pages. I am always drawn to those first for my own pages. Shadows are another thing that draws me to pages, and I am envious of those that look realistic. I have a base set but love tweaking them depending on the layer. I think everyone should have a good set of shadows to start with, and they should journal on a page. Even if it is only the date, place, and people, make sure to include the information. The days of writing on the back of a photo doesn’t work in scrapbooking.

Q: What are some of your favorite layouts?

A:

Each week at Digital Scrapper, you’ll find Danyale’s latest releases for 30% off. Check out her store to see what fabulous things she has available.

You can find Danyale here:

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