Hello! I hope you had a great weekend. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by because today’s post is a little different. It’s a long one so you may need to pull up a chair and maybe grab your favorite beverage! (Mine is coffee!)
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I was asked to participate in a unique blog hop that is going around the blogesphere, I was tagged by the talented Larelyn Sartini whose blog is Handmade from My Heart. You can read her post HERE. I first met Larelyn when we were designers for Melinda Beltran at Cooking with Cricut (now My Papercrafting World). That was my first design team, and Larelyn was such a great teammate. I love her crafting style, always bright and cheery and such attention to detail. Plus we bonded a little because our names are similar! Being on design teams is such a wonderful way to bring crafty hearts together.
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So a little about MY creative side – I started paper crafting whenI was just a girl. One of my favorite things to do was make clothes for paper dolls and play with them for hours. I always kept a scrapbook with old black and white pictures, locks of hair, programs from events and plays, even swatches of paint from when I painted my bedroom in high school! I became interested in “scrapbooking” when an acquaintance invited me to a Creative Memories party. I was hooked! What’s not to love? It’s paper, right? I have since branched out to making all kinds of paper things including posters, bulletin boards for school, handmade cards, decorations, and mini-albums.
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What am I working on now? I’m the owner and a design team member of the Cut it Up Challenge Blog, so creating and doing all the behind-the-scenes work for that takes some work. I’ve also recently joined the Designs on Cloud 9 design team, and things I’m creating just for fun. I’ve got lots of projects going at the same time!
I’m also a member of my school’s Sunshine Committee and am trying to use a little of my summer time to get ahead of the holidays. I just finished making 60 Halloween bookmarks and am still working on about 150 little doo dads that will go on pencils for all the staff.
How does my work differ from others of its genre? I like the clean (and sometimes simple) look on my crafts. I don’t put a lot of bling or extra embellishments on my projects, especially my scrapbook pages. The goal of my scrapbooks is to preserve photos of moments in my family members’ lives. I like to have the photos take center stage.
Why do I create what I do? I create mostly for other people. I’ve given little cards and gifties to friends and co-workers and have found those items tacked to their bulletin boards years later. People always like to be appreciated, and I like to brighten their day.
How does my creating process work? Sometimes it starts with an idea, phrase, or feeling and I build from there. Then I’ll look through my supplies and see what I have that will work with my idea and I’ll start the project. Sometimes it starts with some leftover paper that I simply must use. Most of the time, I come up with something that I really like, but this process doesn’t always work for me. I’ll start with an idea and start to make the project, but it just doesn’t feel right. In those cases, I put it aside on my desk where I can still see it. Usually a few weeks later I will think of the perfect way to finish it off. If not, I think of my old adage, “It’s only paper!” and throw it away! This is one card that found its way into the circular file 🙂
How do I get and stay inspired? I’m always inspired by other crafters online. I’ll see a different card design or fold or technique and want to try it. When I see something online from another crafter that I’d like to try, I put it in a folder on my computer desktop for when I have the time to try it. Sometimes a freebie comes into my inbox that is just so cute I just have to make something with it right away. I’m also inspired by guilt. I see the overflowing stash of paper in my craft room and think, “I better get using this stuff!”
Ok, enough about me…and on to the talented lady I tagged.🙂
Cindy Messer is In love with PAPER! and that’s also the name of her craft blog. Cindy is a member of the Cut it Up Challenge Blog where she always brings her A-Game! That’s how we “met!” She’s also a DT member for Scrapbook Blessings Club blog, and is guest designing for Meljen Designs and the Crafty Catz challenge blog. I love Cindy’s playful style. She has a fun way of integrating superbly colored digital stamps with die cuts and embossing folders to make the cutest projects. She really pays attention to detail and adds just the right finishing touches! You’ll have fun exploring her blog and, and I can’t wait to learn more about her Creative Side on her post next Monday.
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Well that is it for this lengthy post! Thanks for visiting and sticking with me to the end. I hope you have a wonderful day!! You won’t want to miss Cindy’s post next Monday, August 11!!
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Evelyn
(ps – sorry for all the happy faces. For some reason, my formatting wouldn’t work!)
My Little Craft Blog 
What fun ideas and projects.
Hugs Diane
I loved this post. Thank you so much for playing along with me and keeping this going. Your craft room is overflowing with fabulous crafty ideas. I love what you’re doing for the school – you’re the best!
Hugs,
Larelyn
This was very interesting to read. I buy so much from Designs on Cloud 9 and when I did the scrapbook for my 1st grandbaby, it practically all came from there. She is getting ready to turn one, so I’m thinking of doing a scrapbook that would go from one to 5.