Blog Banners and Backgrounds – Laycock Designs

Gitana does a Q&A with Michelle

Hi, my name is Gitana Marsela Laycock.  I’m a sweet polydactyl broad band tabby cat. I like walking across the monitor while my mom is trying to design banners. I like to make sure all mom’s banners have been exposed to kitty fur. No blog banner is a quality banner without my kitty fur on it. Anyhow, I’m going to interview my mom for this blog today!

Ready, set, let’s start!

1. How long have you been blogging, mom?

I’ve been blogging since 1996. That was when Blogger was the ONLY blogging service available and it didn’t even have a post editor! Everything back then had to be entered using HTML code. In order to blog, you needed to know HTML. Blogger wasn’t even owned by Google yet! In fact, there was no Google yet! My first blog was a business blog. I blogged about Library Science and Digital Archiving. However, I deleted that blog many years ago and didn’t save the posts.

2. So how did you decide to start a Stampin’ Up! blog in 2003 and become the first stamping blogger on the planet?

Well, at that time I had a weekly stamp class with 7 or 8 ladies attending every Thursday. Since I had already been blogging for work, I already knew the benefits of blogging and I thought… hey, what a great way to let my gals know what we would be doing at the next stamp class! So I started a blog for the purpose of keeping my customers updated. I taught my customers to go to the blog and subscribe so that they could get the blog updates in their emails. I would list upcoming class schedules, projects and then after the class I’d post additional information and pictures of what we did in class. My class members found this to be very useful because they could easily refer back to the blog to see what we made/how things were done if they needed to. I’d also announce all the new SU! specials on the blog for my customers as well! To me it made perfect sense to use the blogging platform for this purpose… and then I realized I was the only one using it for stamping… for over a year, I was the ONLY stamper blogging her stamping business and the ONLY Stampin’ Up! blog in existance.

3. Wow. very cool. And did it work?

Yes! I feel that it kept my customers engaged and excited about stamping and it was a great way to keep them updated on the new specials. I also had an unexpected result from the blog that I hadn’t thought of when I started it. I started getting customers ordering from me from all over the country! They would locate my blog, follow what my class members were doing in class and they’d email me with orders! I even got a few downlines from it!

4. hmmm…interesting. When you design blog banners, what is the most difficult style for you to design in?

I’d have to say "cutsie". I don’t do "cutsie" well at all. Maybe because most of my designing has been for business purposes, I just haven’t been into "cutsie" at all.

5. Do you digi-scrap?

Actually, no. I’ve never digi-scrapped. I’ve only used a digi-scrap kit on a customer banner once – at their request, and with permission of the digi-scrap kit creator. But I’ve never purchased or used any digi-scrap kits. For me, scrapbooking means paper and actual touchable items. That is what is fun… the textures and ribbons, and hardware, and oh… designer papers, and and and STAMPS of course!

6. Do you own any stamps that are non SU!?

Yes! I’ve been on some design teams and I’ve gotten lots of stamps that way. I’m currently not on any stamping design teams. I’ve been asked several times but I am not currently interested. I’m sure I will go back to design team work in the future. I have lots and lots of Christian themed stamps (verses, Cross stamps, etc.), Celtic and British stamps, and cat and kitten stamps – all from various companies. The Christian stamps I use alot, The Celtic stamps are from Scottish Borders Stamping mostly, the British stamps are from a stamp store in London that I’ve been to several times, and the cat stamps were purchased all over because I love cats.

7. Well, I’m certainly happy you like cats because I happen to be one. I do have a question regarding cats by the way… why do you keep bringing into my house all these homeless alley cats and baby kittens? Aren’t I and my 3 other flatmates enough?

Why yes, Gitana. I love you and your 3 flatmates very much. However, as you know, there are many kittens and cats on the streets with no homes. I take in cats and baby kittens through an organization called Kindred Kitties. I am a foster mom and I raise baby kittens until they are old enough and healthy and can be adopted. Remember, you were once a homeless kitty that I fostered and nursed you back to health. You just happen to be the one cat that I adopted myself!

8. So how do you manage to do all the blog work and foster babie kitties and work a job too?

Oh, you may have noticed, Gitana, that I’m around the house a lot more often lately. Perhaps you haven’t noticed since you seem to do nothing else but sleep all day. Anyhow, I no longer have a job outside of the home. At the moment my job is blog and banner design full time as well as doing craft fairs for Stampin’ Up!. Don’t worry. I wasn’t layed off. I quit. Last month. To pursue other interests. So I’m home most of the time now. I feel like a SAHM to a bunch of felines. But hey, whatever works!

9. Oh, so that’s why I’ve been getting more cat treats during the day! I was wondering about that. Well, thanks for the mini interview, mom. We’ll do it again sometime. Perhaps on a different topic.

Its been a real pleasure talking with you Gitana. Yes, let’s do it again sometime. Thanks!

Posted on : Apr 21 2009
Posted under About Me |