Welcome to the Creative Blog Hop. Margaret Raburn nominated me. I am to share one or two projects, anwer four questions about my creativity and then nominate two others to participate.
As Margaret mentioned in her blog post, I do love creating with MDS, Stampin’ Up!’s digital crafting software. So I have created this digital card for you.
I love it when Stampin’ Up! creates a digital version of a traditional stamp set. This card is made with the Painted Petals stamp brush set (138139) which is one of the January new downloads. The traditional Painted Petals stamp set (w 138819, c 138822, photopolymer 137146) is in the new Occasions catalog. I don’t like leaving the background without texture so I added the Spring Shades Designer Series Paper (120172) – pattern 4 to a square punch. I used the paint tool to color the flowers and leaves.
I am as addicted to traditional stamping as I am to digital design and I absolutely love all the new stamps, papers, and accessories in the new Occasions catalog. It is so difficult for me to be frugal in my purchases when a new catalog comes out and then, once I see what others have created with a stamp set, I often just ‘have to have’ that set too.
One of my favorite sets from this catalog is the Sheltering Tree set which only comes in photopolymer. Not only is the tree in this set graceful but the set also has a lot of additional things to add to the scene. In this card I cut out my image with a Labels Collection Framelit (125598). The pink floral strip of designer series paper under the greeting is one of the beautiful Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper (138635) which you can get for free when you make a $50 of products from me during Sale-a-Bration. I sponged or rather burnished Strawberry Slush ink into the paper. Click on the image below to see all the parts of this wonderful stamp set and order it for yourself.
This year I decided to go to Stampin’ Up!’s Leadership so I have been working on a swap I joined with the SUDSOL group. I love the new Butterflies Thinlits Dies and am using them on the card. I’m finding that gluing them down on 40 cards is rather time consuming!
2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?
I find that my style is mostly simple and elegant. While I can create a fussy card, I prefer cards that highlight an image with minimal embellishments. My go-to embellishment is ribbon. I also love cards that are interactive, that are pop-ups, cards in a box, etc.
3. Why do you create what you do?
I find that I am usually creating at the last minute for a specific person. While I know that when I buy a Hallmark card, it wasn’t created for a specific person but when I stamp a card, I want to stamp a new card for each person. I also love to knit but stamping gives me the instant gratification I desire. I love seeing the results of my creativity in a matter of minutes.
4. How does your creative process work?
I start with a specific need like maybe a birthday card or sympathy card or to join a challenge. Then I choose a stamp set that works with that need and choose the colors I will use. Sometimes the colors are determined by the colors in the designer series paper I am using. Since the process is a creative one, it often evolves as I go along and the end result is different than what I initially imagined. Once in a while the end result is God inspired.
To continue the fun and creativity of this blog hop going, I have nominated Donna Bagwell and Leonie Schroeder! I met Donna when we went to the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration Catalog Reveals together. Donna is from Sand Point, Idaho, and drove over with her husband. Ron drove me down to Seattle to the reveal and we shared dinner with Donna and John after the event. I have known Leonie through a couple of online demonstrator groups and hope to meet her in person some day. She lives in Australia and I think it is so cool to have international friends. Donna and Leonie will be posting their blog hop post on Monday, January 19 but you can see their blogs now by clicking on their full names above. Thanks ladies for agreeing to participate.