When did you first start crafting and how did you learn?
My earliest memory of crafting of any kind was hand sewing items for my Barbie doll. My mom, a talented seamstress herself, taught me how to do this.
My interest in drawing began when I was in sixth grade. Starting about that same time, I took art classes through our city's Recreation Department every Saturday. I enjoyed this so much that, once I was old enough, I became an aide to this art teacher. I took every art class available while I was in high school. I continued drawing after graduating from high school and on into adulthood. And to the present time!
Can you remember the first thing you made?
It would probably be some piece of high fashion couture for my Barbie. No, really. I was very amateurish in my hand sewing. But that is my earliest memory of doing anything crafty.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Most of my inspiration and ideas come from my head. I take pride in the fact that my cards and projects, with few exceptions, are all original work. I may be influenced by projects other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators share, creations on the Stampin' Up! Demo website, reading others' blogs, crafting books and, of course, Pinterest and YouTube.
Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for more than 14 years, I had been concentrating on my papercrafting in general, but a little over a year ago, I became involved with a Facebook group called #dailycreating. Every Sunday we are given a list of prompts for each of the days of the next week. Following the prompts is optional, but I have been following them consistently for more than a year now and they often serve to inspire me to wander into artistic territory that I'd never entered before of am so uncomfortable with, totally outside my comfort zone. I am learning so much, and broadening my artistic realm.
What's your craft space like and how do you organize your supplies?
I have what is often called a "stash", a big one! The supplies I use for workshops -- basically all my Stampin' Up! products -- are quite organized and easily accessible. To me. It wouldn't be considered at all organized for anyone else. Believe me. I am terribly, horribly, depressingly DISorganized.
My crafting area is downstairs. Our entire basement was flooded as the result of a failed sump pump/spring storms in April, and everything had to moved and/or removed. Since that time -- and is the end of summer currently -- many of my supplies have been either ruined, more disorganized than ever, or have not even turned up yet.
My crafting space, which I have dubbed my Creation Station, consists of four banquet tables against the two walls. Between monthly workshops, I work all over every single inch of these tables. A few days before workshop time, it get hastily stashed away. Luckily for me, as I complete the creation of each one of the four projects I feature at my workshops each month, I put all the necessary components in a separate storage container, so when it comes time to prep for the workshop, it is all together, making prep so much easier and quicker. I clean up immediately following a workshop, only so I can get right back to messing the space up again with my personal work.
It's a neverending circle of disorganization.
What music/podcasts/TV shows do you love to craft along to?
As stated previously, I don't watch any television at all. Nor do I listen to podcasts while I am crafting. If I am upstairs at my computer, working on my blog or Social Media, I always have Pandora playing. I love that option because I can personalize the music completely to my taste. I am not afraid to give a song the thumbs down to keep that type of music from showing up on my feed ever again. Downstairs, while working in my Creation Station, I always have CDs playing on the stereo. Lately I have been listening exclusively to The Beatles/Paul McCartney, with a few of my other favorites slipped in here and there.
Do you do any other crafts and what are your hobbies?
Besides papercrafting, I like to pull out my Gelli plates and do some heavy duty printmaking and of course I do my daily drawing. When the right feeling strikes, I also enjoy hand lettering quotes.
Having earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as a nontraditional student (age 45 when I graduated), my degree emphasis was Photography. After college graduation, we built a darkroom into our house where I printed lots and lots of black and white photos. Going from film to digital has taken its toll on my photography skills. Like everyone else with a cellphone, I take lots of digital photos. However, I am not happy with the results like I used to be with film photography.
As far as hobbies go, I would be lost without Pandora -- listening to music -- and my voracious love of reading.
Cards
Stationery
