I was honored to be tagged by my friend Cindy Brumbaugh to take part in a Creative Blog Hop! This hop lets folks meet people from all over the crafting community, how fun is that? Please take a moment to go by Cindy's website CindyLeeBeeDesigns to learn a bit about her (and you can also see my bio on her blog post for the hop). On Sept.15th please go visit my friends Holly and Rita, who I tag at the end of this post.
Now, here are the 4 questions that I was asked to answer for the blog hop :)
What am I working on now?
That's easy, its pretty much what I'm always working on....Christmas cards! They are my favorite type of card to make and this time of year I already have orders from friends and family that I start to fulfill. My sister in law's mother passed away recently and she asked me to make a set of Christmas cards that had butterflies on it in honor of her mom so thats my main project right now.
How does my work differ from others in my genre?
I don't really think I do anything that stands out much. I'm not one to use many embellishments. I like to keep things pretty minimal...maybe some candy dots or brads here or there, maybe a thin ribbon to accent things. I also like clean and simple lines and I try and stay away from lots of layers. I love dark colors and therefore the Regals Collection from SU gets a lot of use from me. I try and avoid the use of pink and purples unless I'm making a card for someone I know who specifically loves those colors. I also LOVE sponging. My daughter gets so irritated with me because 99 % of the time I sponge my edges. There is something about an edge that is left unsponged that just drives me crazy, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me! Of course my daughter, who loves glitter and all things sparkly, also feels that I don't use enough sparkle on my cards. Kids these days ;)
Here are a few samples of my work.
Why do I create what I do?
I've always loved crafts and handmade items but I cannot draw, sew, quilt or anything along those lines. I have zero artistic ability! When I discovered stamping I was like wow, I can create something nice that someone will appreciate but yet some of the hard work, like the design of a stamp, has been done for me! I love that Stampin' Up! has matching stamps, papers, colors, etc. For my brain having the coordination makes it so much easier to put things together, especially since I tend to be pretty literal when it comes to challenges and such.
Growing up sending handwritten letters is also a big reason why I make cards. We moved from MA to CO when I was 12 and I used to send letters to my grandparents and others back east all the time. As I grew older and entered different phases of my life letters and cards continued to play a big part in my life. I left home for the military when I was 17 and then married my husband, who was also military, when I was 20 and I never lived near my family in CO again. Cards helped me feel close to them and just let me say hi whenever I wanted, especially since I started stamping long before we had the internet and Facebook so readily available!
How does my Creative Process work?
I really wish I was one of those stampers who can sit down and create a card in 30 mins or less but alas I am not. I get an idea in my head and I toss it around for a while. Layouts are the hardest part for me so I keep a close eye on sketch challenges, as a good sketch is the first thing that will kick my brain into gear. I spend a lot of time looking out of my windows for inspiration. Living in Alaska I feel lucky to be surrounded by such beauty and my favorite animal, the moose, has inspired many a card for me. I love nature and a lot of my cards tend to be inspired by something I've seen or done in the outdoors.
I used to scoff at Pinterest but let me tell you, that site has become my best friend for sketches and card designs. I havent directly CASE'd anyone yet but I'll see a card that will spark an interest in certain colors or stamps and I'll sit down at my desk and see where it takes me.
I'm not very good at digital stamping or scrapping because I need to have my stuff out on the table in front of me to really get a good feel for what I want to do. I have to look at the colors next to each other, I have to stare at the DSP and turn it over in my hand, my brain needs to make the visual connection to all the pieces. Needless to say my desk usually looks like a bomb has gone off! I try and keep it neat but um yeah, doesnt work out so well for me!
Now that you've learned about me I'd like to introduce you to 2 friends of mine!
I've known Holly for close to 10 yrs now. We met in WA state, 2 Navy wives living a street apart. Holly introduced me to Stampin' Up! and I dont think she realized what a monster she created LOL I loved going to her stamping classes and learning all kinds of new things and even though we havent lived near each other for many years now she still inspires me through her blog Hollybeary Creations and the various challenge blogs she has started or takes part in!
Hi my name is Holly Endress.. Some of you may know me from the Friday Mashup & my blog Hollybeary Creations. I’ve been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for 11 years and stamping for about 26years. I love all things art and paper crafting! I’m a huge fan of Lisa’s as well , we are fellow retired Navy Wives and have been friends for about 9 years. You could say I’m her enabler..lol I love to work with all brands of stamps and different types of mediums. I was an art major in High School and College so it’s always been my passion. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of you better and making new Stamping / Blogging friends!
I got to know Rita when she was a design team member on The Friday Mashup. In many areas Rita and I are opposites but you know what they say, opposites attract :) I love Rita's stamping style and getting to know her as a friend has been a joy. Her awesome blog, where she also shows off her adorable little girl, has inspired me on many occasions!
Hello! I'm Rita and live in the way too hot state of Texas. I've been here for twelve years, but I still can't eat the hot salsa or tolerate the heat. My amazing husband, Jason, keeps me here and I feel blessed to have him. He's our chef and a total hands-on dad. I started scrapbooking back in 2004 and only intended to make a wedding scrapbook and then be done. Ten years later and I wouldn't give up my stamps for anything. I don't scrapbook much these days, but I love cardmaking and try to stamp and mail out as many as I can each week. Having an active two year old makes that tough sometimes, but I'm already teaching her to tap, tap, tap, stamp! It won't be too long before we are creating together and I can't wait! Thank you, Lisa, for selecting me to be featured today. Lisa became a friend through our love of stamping and I enjoy her work and her humor so much.
Make sure you go by Holly and Rita's blogs on Sept.15th to learn more about them, and to see who they have tagged!
