“Living my dash” comes from the well-known poem “The Dash” by Linda Ellis. In the poem, the “dash” refers to the small line between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash represents everything that happened in between, the life you lived.

In 2009, I stumbled into the world of digital scrapbooking—and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love. What started as a way to create scrapbook pages quickly grew into a deep passion for designing the products themselves. I taught myself Photoshop (thank you, YouTube and trial-and-error!), and during those early days, I even dreamed in layers and adjustments.

In January 2010, I dipped my toes into the designer world by opening a font shop at the now-closed Gotta Pixel. It was my introduction to how digital stores worked, and it gave me the confidence to keep learning and creating. Six months later, I entered the Designer Contest at Digital Scrapbooking Studio—affectionately known as theStudio. Each week brought a new assignment, and each week, I hovered over that “submit” button with a queasy stomach and a racing heart. In the end, I won First Place and was offered a spot as a Designer in their store—an opportunity that opened the door to a journey I never could’ve imagined.

Designing has been a defining part of my dash. I’ve poured my heart into designing—driven by passion, and yes, obsession. I absolutely love the creative process, but that deep love has made it hard for me much of the time to set limits and keep a healthy balance in other areas of my life. As much as I’ve treasured this chapter, I know it’s time to make space for other parts of my dash I’ve been neglecting.

There are photo albums waiting to be finished, sewing and woodworking projects calling my name, and everyday moments I want to be more present for.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. Your creativity, your friendship, your emails and your encouragement has inspired me more than you will ever know.

Best wishes for your creative journey as you live your dash…

STORE CLOSING INFORMATION:

I will be closing my personal shop (Karen Schulz Designs), as well as my shops at Digital Scrapper and MyMemories on July 25th. I will be hosting a Closing Sale at those stores July 11th – the 25th, where you can save 65-70% on all products.

Starting TODAY, July 11 through July 25th
SAVE 65 % on all Kits and Extras, Personal Use and Commercial Use
70% on all Collections
Karen Schulz Designs | Digital Scrapper | MyMemories

GINGERSCRAPPERS shoppers: The same sale will run at GingerScraps August 15-31 and my store will close there on the 31st.)