Q:: Why do you call your store, Penny's Miscellany?
Penny::
I knew my store would have a hodgepodge of kits, templates, and my Café Press store, etc., and I thought Miscellany had a nice ring to it, so it stuck.

Q:: How long have you been designing? When and how did you get started?
Penny::
Well, I guess I really started designing for fun when I began digital scrapping in 2004. I had some experience in Photoshop, so I made my own papers and elements from the start. Then in the spring of 2006, I opened my Café Press store and began giving away kits and other gifts on my blog. I then decided to become a designer and the rest is history.

Q:: Where do you sell your products?
Penny::
I currently sell my products at my personal store, Penny's Miscellany and Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Q:: Where did you sell your first products? How did you find that store and what made you applying for a designer position there?
Penny::
The first stop of my designing career was at Digital Scrap Gal. I replied to a call at DST and was there for about two weeks before moving to Plain Digital Wrapper. I then bounced around quite a bit until I found myself at Sweet Shoppe where I’ve been for over a year.

Q:: Can you still remember your first product and first sale? What do you think of the product now? Do you still have it in the store?
Penny::
My first product was I’ll Fly Away. It had 9 papers and maybe 15 elements with butterflies in a yellow and blue color scheme. When I see it now, I’m not so fond of it! Blegh... [laugh] My first sale, however, came with my second kit, A Tranquil Afternoon (my first and second kits were put up for sale at the same time.). This kit is still one of my favorites even though it would need some updating if I were to put it in the store today. I really liked the color scheme: it was blue, tan, and green color scheme. The elements were beach inspired. Neither of these products are still in my store, they were retired a long time ago.

Q:: What do you think make a good kit?
Penny::
Versatility and high quality - I think that it’s important to create a kit that has enough papers and a variety of elements so that a scrapper can complete more than one page or project with it. Obviously, quality is of the utmost importance as well.

Q:: When designing a kit, where do you start off first?
Penny::
It depends on the kit. Usually I begin with the papers because I love playing with texture layers and patterns. However, some kits I begin with the elements. For example, I created my critters first when designing Pet Names.

Q:: How and where do you find the inspirations for your designs?
Penny::
I find inspiration everywhere! Magazines, photographs, TV, movies, and nature have all inspired my designs. Pet Names was inspired by the movie, Over the Hedge. I was watching it with the boys and thought….hmmm..a kit about the cute names we come up with for our kids would make a fun kit!

Q:: How long does it take from the idea to putting the design in the store? Tell us the process.
Penny::
The entire process can take as little as a week or as long as a few months. Usually when I get an idea for a kit, I’ll start a brainstorming list for papers and elements. After doing my own brainstorming, I then either run with my idea and begin designing, or I turn to my creative team and have another brainstorming session with them. I really enjoy bouncing ideas around with my team; they are awesome!

Q:: Your store looks like it has been managed very professionally. How do you do that and what staff force do you have?
Penny::
Thank you. I manage the site – the look, the behind the scenes stuff – with help from a few CT members.