'Getting to know Me' Blog Hop!

I was so pleased to be asked by Sarah ( Sazzle Dazzle) if I would join in a 'Getting to know me' blog hop, whereby we get to know a little more about what makes crafters tick, what inspires them etc.

Sarah was a regular contributor to my challenge blog "Less is More" and when I sent out a Design Team call recently she was the successful applicant... and anyone who has seen her work will know exactly why!

I began card making in 2008 when I was asked by my daughter to make her wedding stationery. I had never done anything in this field previously, although art was one of my subjects when doing my teacher training. On entering a craft shop I was totally overwhelmed by all the possibilities and was somewhat daunted and unsure where to start. However, I have now worked my way via Peel Offs and ready made toppers to a genre which pleases me and have gradually found my own style... which for anyone familiar with my work is recognisable  as clean and simple.

This was my very first attempt at card making... my daughter's wedding stationery

I served on various Design Teams before beginning my own Challenge Blog "Less is More" with Mandi from the IOW, who has become a dear friend through blogging! She is now concentrating on Wedding and Event hire company Finishing Touches, which is going from strength to strength.
I have been amazed how well "Less is More" has continued to retain the support of such talented and inspiring  crafters each week and am so grateful for this.

I have also been on the Design Team at Craft Stamper Magazine for some years and have had many projects published there.

I retired from teaching infants nine years ago and  now  spend a great proportion of my days in my craft room having fun with paper!

What creative projects are you currently working on?

At present I am doing some projects for a wedding in a few weeks time. I met with the bride on Friday ...she's the mum of one of my daughter's friends and she has some really novel ideas for the reception, which I will show you when I've completed them.
I'm also finishing some stationery items for a wedding where my daughter is to be bridesmaid in Portugal  next week. Seems like I get quite a bit of business via my daughter!

I have also just done a few cards for a lady in Ireland, who was on the receiving end of one of my cards and has been a regular customer ever since. This is one of them

Today I shall be working on a couple of congratulations cards. Yesterday my nephew and his wife became the proud parents of a much longed for baby daughter... she is called Lily Mae, named after my mother, so a special card is called for there. Secondly, my son has been invited to become a partner in his GP practice after only six months of working there. Normally it's at least a year before such an invitation is extended, so it's an indication of the esteem in which he is held.  We are very proud!

What inspires your designs?

All sorts of things can inspire a design... sometimes it's a colour combination or a new die or stamp. I get so much inspiration from other bloggers and some are a constant source of this. Birgit Edblom is simply amazing, with a fabulous CAS style ,wonderful techniques and designs aplenty. Heather Telford inspired me to experiment with inky techniques and introduced me to emboss resist.

What method / process (if applicable) do you apply to each of your creative projects, and how long does each project take to complete?

There is no specific time to make a card, sometimes the thinking time is greater than the actual construction, sometimes the most pleasing finished results can take the shortest time and conversely, things that I think will merely take moments, turn out to be epic productions with many prototypes ending up in the bin. Sometimes I come across a sentiment that I would like to use and then have to try to think of an image to illustrate it. People often tell me something about the person to whom a card is to be sent and that inspires the design I come up with! 

If you had to describe your 'signature' style, what would it be?There is no doubt that my style is Clean and Simple. I did go through the phase of lots of backing papers etc, but was always happier with the less fussy, often monochromatic forms of these  and now rarely seem to use them at all. White space makes me happy!

What three crafting tools/products can you not live without?There are several items that I would call indispensable, but if I had to choose just three that I simply couldn't cope without  and would have to replace immediately if broken,  they would be my  trusty Cuttlebug, my XCut Guillotine and my Glass Mat. I do everything on this, cut, stamp, use it as a palette, heat emboss, the whole nine yards! There are a few other items on the indispensable list including my pokey tool, my heat gun and ATG gun. (I sound like a gangster)

The person I am nominating for you to get to know a little better is Anne, (Stargroves) a fellow designer at "Less is More" and friend of many jaunts to Craft Shows around the country. You do met some wonderful people through this passion of ours.
Anne will be posting her info next Monday, so do call by to visit her then! She does such fab stuff, so I know you won't be disappointed!

Thanks for wading through this lot... you really needed stamina!