Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Team
Cindy Dake

Scrap Girls Editor

Cindy Dake is a stay-at-home, work-at-home, teach-at-home mom in Arlington, Texas. She and her husband Edward are the parents of one child Ryan, plus his dog Odie, and his Beta fish Boo-Boo.

Her 20-plus years of editing experience include newsletter, magazine, curriculum, and website editing. In Alabama for six years, she was editor of two Christian women's monthly magazines and designed/launched a third monthly magazine in 1995. Since returning to Texas in 1997, she now edits Bible study materials, newsletters, writes for publications, and has published two books, one on coping with infertility (www.InfertilitySurvivalGuide.com). She also loves speaking to women's groups whenever possible.

Cindy has been homeschooling (or she prefers “parent-directed education”) since 2008. Field trips to the Museum of Science and History are their favorite educational diversion. A lifelong learner herself, she is passionate about cultivating that “endless curiosity” in her son.

Now on Scrap Girls staff since January 2010, Cindy edits newsletter articles, tutorials, and e-Books. Ironically, Cindy resolutely refused to get into paper scrapbooking for years—until the arrival of Ryan—then, she admits, she was a goner. She received her first 12x12-inch scrapbook album at a baby shower and that began her adventure in 1998.

“I attended a scrapbook convention every year,” she explained. “After a while, I got annoyed at all the new techniques that were pushed—really now, handmade clay embellishments on a layout? Who has that kind of time? It felt like the general craft industry had intentionally collided with paper scrapping and this was the result.” At home, she felt she was losing the battle to keep all the scrap products organized, much less get it all out and actually scrap. She was just about to give up on scrapbooking entirely when someone told her about Scrap Girls and their freebies.

“I signed up for the newsletter and got the freebies for a year before I ever did anything with them,” she admitted. She finally dove into digital scrapping with the only graphics program she knew—Publisher—and began playing around and loved it. Now, she uses Photoshop Elements and is building her Scrap Girls inventory as she learns new techniques.

“Because I'm a newbie to digital scrapping, I feel I bring a unique perspective to the editing task. If I can understand the steps in a tutorial, then anyone can!”

Forum User Name: CindyLuWho
Cindy's Digital Scrapbook Layout Gallery