My sweet friend, Claire Broadwater, at Claire Creates Cards tagged me to participate in a Creative Blog Hop- a fun cyber trip across the crafting community.

You can meet Claire and see my Bio HERE on Claire’s blog last week.

I hope you enjoy your visit and hop along next Monday on September 8

and visit my friend Lisa Johansen that I tag at the end of this post.

It is my pleasure to amuse you with my answers to the four questions I was asked to answer:

What am I working on now?

I am cutting and packaging class kits for my three groups of wonderful stampers who meet on the first Wednesday and Thursday of each month in my Pittsburgh, PA home. I am also “super” excited to be having my first Friday night class at a stamping spot in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. We are playing with some fun new products from the Stampin’ Up Holiday Catalog. I want to show what we are making but it would spoil the surprise for everyone coming to class so I will show them in some upcoming blog posts after classes are done. Be on the look-out…

I can say, it was difficult to pick what to use with all the neat stuff in the new Stampin’ Up Holiday Catalog…I am also planning and designing for October, November, and December classes. I design for the Friday Mashup Challenge blog so I am getting a card ready for an upcoming Friday Post. I am also a designer this year with Paper Crafters Sampler so I am working on my project to submit for October, too.

 How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I don’t really think I do anything out of the ordinary in my genre- except maybe- I try to share cards that others can easily CASE (Copy And Share Everything.) I see beautiful cards all the time made with such fantastic and perhaps time-consuming techniques that I am in awe of but don’t have time (or talent/patience) to try so I keep it simple. If you follow my blog, you should let me know what my style is…because I don’t quite know what it is! I guess I am a clean and simple- kind of classic- stamper who likes a few layers here and there. I hope you enjoy visiting my site and find something that inspires you. Here are a few samples of my work:

Why do I create what I do?

I was never very artistic and second guess myself when buying a comforter or even a rug for my bathroom!  But I do love the art and decorating that others do. When I am at someone’s house, I am taking it all in- their decorating, their style, and how they “do’ things.  I feel that stamping is a creative outlet for me that does not overwhelm me- something that I can actually do- something artistic! It’s a 4 1/4″ X 5 1/2” canvas that I can finish and feel I have been creative. It brings me much joy to hear how someone was touched by a handmade card I made for them personally or how someone who received one of my cards from someone else was blessed.  I am beyond happy and laugh when my stampers send me an email saying how happy they were with the card we made at class and that they can’t part with it!  It makes me feel purposeful to stir up creativity in others. Here are a just a few of my awesome stamping gals that I was able to find some pics of- I know the others are hiding somewhere in my computer…

 

How does my Creative Process work?

I have to say that I see the world through Stampin’ Up colors! My son’s elevator in Washington, DC is painted Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry. My husband’s golf shirt is Lost Lagoon and my daughter’s bedspread is Elegant Eggplant.  I am continually being inspired by the colors and designs around me. Usually, when I am designing a card, I get my inspiration from a sketch or color challenge site- it gives me a starting point or sometimes I believe I would sit all day and not come up with anything- actually, that happens more times than I would like! When my mojo is faltering, I go to my favorite blog sites, Pinterest, and Google images to get ideas to foster some creativity. Sometimes, I can just go to town and create one thing after another without even thinking about it but other times, I just CASE something to keep me sane. I always tell my stampers that CASEing a card is just fine- no shame in it at all. Just share with others who inspired you when you made it.

My desk gets very, very messy just making one card! I try to clean it up after I finish so I have a clean slate but I am not very obsessive about it. Luckily, my stamping room is out of sight of visitors! It helps me to put everything I need for a challenge- embellishments, ink, and paper out together and see how they might go together. I often make something and let it stew a few days and walk past it and say- Aha! It needs a button or a banner to finish it off.

Now that I have probably drove you crazy with my answers, I want to introduce you to a wonderful lady I look to for inspiration:

Lisa Johansen

Lisa is on the Friday Mashup Design Team with me, and I eagerly await each week to see what she creates. I literally get lost on her blog Snowy Moose Creations when I go to comment. I know you will love her work. She is such a talented stamper and US Navy Veteran- thank you, Lisa.

Hello there! My name is Lisa J and I live in beautiful Alaska with my wonderful husband of over 20 yrs, our 2 sons, my nephew, and my daughter (well, she just moved to the Lower 48, sad mom here!) I’m a Navy veteran, former firefighter/EMT who now works for the local school district. I absolutely adore the outdoors and I especially love winter. The colder it is and the more snow there is the happier I am! Moose are my favorite animal (and one of the best things about living in AK!) and the inspiration behind my blog name, Snowy Moose Creations.

I’ve been stamping off and on since my oldest was born in 1994 but became a Stampin’Up! hobby demo around 2003 when my good friend Holly, who lived on the street behind me at the time, introduced me to the addictive world of SU! I’ve been hooked ever since. Blogging has been a wonderful tool, I learn so much from all the different stampers I meet online!

I don’t know how I would describe mystyle…..I like clean lines and am not one for using many embellishments or layers. I love dark colors and the regals collection gets a lot of use in my stamping! When I’m not stamping you can find me out playing outdoors, hanging with my family and taking photos of whatever catches my eye!

I am a huge fan of Cindy’s work, and she is such a sweet person, I am honored that she chose me to be a part of this Creative Blog Hop!

Be sure to check out Snowy Moose Creations next Monday, Sept. 8 to keep going on the Creative Blog Hop…