Creative Blog Tour

Hello my crafty friends and followers! 

 

 I am so excited that I was asked to be a part of the Creative Blog Tour by my friend dear friend Alicia over at http://www.goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com.  What a fun way to get to know each other better. Alicia and I have become great friends over the past few years. We have been in Facebook groups together, in tons of Blog hops together and are now even on the same Design team together (Kiwi Lane Designs), which is AWESOME! I love working side by side with her. She has amazing talents and is always there to lend a hand and help me out with crafty advice. And she is even there for me when I just need to whine or vent. Thanks for that Alicia!!! You are a super friend and an amazing crafter for sure!!

So we are given a couple of questions to answer because apparently inquiring minds want to know what makes me tick. LOL! Or craft?! So let's hope I can do them justice. Haha!
 

What am I currently working on? 

Honestly not really anything in particular. Not as far as large projects go anyways. I have a few Ebay orders I need to create. My Duct tape wallets are a pretty big seller. As far as my design team projects go, I am all caught up. That gives me more time to work on my own personal albums. I am behind by 6 years in my kid's school and scout albums and my family albums I am behind by 3 years. So I hope to be spending some much needed time working on those.

    
 

I recently played with mixed media on canvas and loved the look. (Thanks Suzy West for that amazing class!) I think I would like to create a few of those for Christmas gifts this year. I designed my Christmas card for 2014 and I need to get busy on those too! So somewhere between my homework, kids, husband, and laundry I WILL get all my crafting done! If you know me then you know I will make it happen.

 

 

 How does my work differ from others of its genre?
 

Well I guess we can start by saying  I'm not really sure what my genre of crafting is. I fit somewhere between shabby chic and modern urban I think.  I have been told I am creative and that I have an eye for just throwing things together and making them look amazing. I tend to prefer scrapbooking first and foremost. Then I am a card maker and an altered artist. I like things to be very clean cut, balanced, and not too busy. I really enjoy layering and paper piecing so my Cricut and Silhouette get used almost daily. I love adding flair to my  creations with flowers, bling, sequins, ribbon and buttons. And you will notice the majority of my scrapbook layouts are made to fit multiple photos and not just one.


 

Why do I create what I do?

 I create because it's my passion and my therapy! I love to craft! Nothing makes me happier than sitting down and creating a beautiful layout of my family memories or a card that I am going to send to someone I love. I love the look on my kid's faces when they see what I created in their books. I love inspiring others, my friends, my blog followers, and people I meet at scrapbooking events to try something new or lift something I have just done. It just warms my heart like no other.
I was born crafting!! LOL! Really! My mom is a very crafty woman and growing up I remember always wanting to do what she was doing. I have played in almost every medium there is: needle point, sewing, ceramics, hook n latch, fabric paint, oil paintings, cake decorating, candy making, and the list goes on. But playing with paper and creating keepsakes with our photos is by far the most treasured hobby of them all. At least in my book!!

 

How does your creating process work?

My creating process really is a process. When I am dealing with scrapbook layouts I sort my photos and then put each event into one of my big clear pouches. Then I go through and look to see if I have any specific paper or embellishments that go with the theme I am scrapping. This step includes deciding if I am using a SVG file or Cricut cut. After that step I will go through and add my cardstock to match. I will go through and pull together about 10-12 sets of these layout "kits" and then I am ready to go to a crop or a retreat. When the layouts get made I go to my photos and start the process again. It may sound kind of complex but this is what works for me and I really do get layouts done in no time at all. Been using this method for 9+ years now.

If I need inspiration for a layout design I have many sources to pull from. I use my many Sketch Books that I have from different artists. Or possibly look up sketches online. There are so many great ones on the internet. Pinterest is a great place to check for ideas too. And of course my blog friends. I get lots of inspiration from all the wonderful ladies I follow. I hope I have given you some ideas that will help your creative processes get to work!!

 

Now enough about me, I would like to
nominate the following amazing ladies:

My first pick is Sarah at http://www.sarahbiswabic.blogspot.com

Sarah Biswabic  has been making amazing cards for around 7 years. She  belongs to a card group called The Sassy Stampers and nothing brings her more joy than making cards for others. I have only known Sarah a short time. We met through facebook where Sarah has joined several of my blog hops. And I am super happy she has!! 

Next up is Georgiana at http://carsonscricutcreations.blogspot.com
Georgiana is an elementary school teacher who loves to craft...both for pleasure and for her classroom. She is an amazing talent and it shows with her many spots on several Design Teams. She has been a great inspiration to me and I have loved designing with her on Die Cuttin' Divas.

 

And last but definitely not in the least, is Pamela at http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com
Pam used to teach high school English and Social Studies but after she retired her daughters talked her into crafting. She started with a Cricut and began to learn the fine art of paper crafting. She helped establish LoveBug Creations, makers of fabulous hand dyed rumple ribbons. Her hobbies include genealogy, reading, and writing. She loves digi stamps, paper piecing, Stickles, and, of course, Rumple Ribbon!! And might I add she is amazing with Julie Nutting dolls by Prima! I have loved getting to know Mama Lovebug and being part of the LBC team.

Please show your support for these awesome ladies and see their questions next Monday, September 8th. 
Thanks for joining us on the Creative Blog Tour!!
Scrappy Hugs!