Getting to Know Me Blog Hop

Hello!

I was absolutely delighted when Beverley from Uniko Studio tagged me to take part in the 'Getting to Know Me' blog hop!  I enjoy reading about other bloggers and how they create so I hope you stick with me through my ramblings below :)

If you do drop by my blog on a regular basis you will know that I absolutely love Beverley's great stamp designs which you can find here at her store.  She showcases them brilliantly on her blog with her great CAS style and fresh colours.  Do go and visit her - I promise you will be inspired!

Bev is about to become the proud mum of twins any day now - best of luck for the happy event :)  I am looking forward to reading about her adventures as a new mum! 

Bev has also tagged the awesome Carol from Just Me:c so do go and read her post too....

Anyway, let's get on to the questions.....

1. What creative projects are you currently working on?

As I work full time and have two energetic boys keeping me busy I always have more plans for things I would like to make than time to complete them...I am sure that I am not alone in that :)  I am a member of the design team at A Blog Named Hero so I always have cards/projects that I need to make for that.  I also like entering challenges which keep me on my toes and often kick start my mojo when I am struggling to come up with an idea.  It is my Dad's 70th at the weekend so I really need to get started on his card too!

In terms of creative projects that I have just completed here are two cards that I have made this weekend:

 

This card is for Less Is More's sketch challenge and uses Uniko stamps which I have watercoloured.  I will also enter it into Uniko's current challenge to make cards for special occasions.

 

 

I don't know why I decided to make a purple card with a gold glittery bee but that's what I did :)  It is evidence of the  haphazard creative process that I describe below! I will enter it into Addicted to CAS's geometric challenge.

2. What inspires your designs?

There is so much inspiration online these days - I absolutely love visiting the blogs of all the talented bloggers out there and browsing on pinterest.  I have to be careful though as I can find that hours have flown by and I have no time left to do any creating of my own :)  I won't take up too much time listing all of the blogs that I follow for inspiration - there is a list on the right hand side of my blog if you are interested. 

I really started becoming aware of the online community through the Hero Arts Flickr Group where I started posting my cards about 18 months ago.  There are some fantastic cardmakers in that group and they are so encouraging - the creativity and comments from such generous crafters as Barb G, Barb Engler and Paperpicnic (Jayne) has inspired me to keep developing and gave me the confidence to start my blog in March this year.  It is really worth checking out the inspiration on the Flickr group and enjoying the cards of the fab crafters there :)

Like lots of you, I also get inspired by the wide range of challenges out there.  Favourites that I participate in whenever I can are Time Out, Less Is More, Addicted to CAS and CASology.  I am always so excited when one of my cards is spotlighted and I love the opportunity to go visit other bloggers too - it is always fascinating to see the different ways that we all interpret the challenge :)

3. What method or process do you apply to each creative project and how long does each project take to complete?

I am a SLOW cardmaker and my 'method' is haphazard :)  It can take me about an hour to make a card - either because I get distracted by going through my crafting stash or angst for far too long over where to put my sequins/enamel dots!  I have also been known to daydream looking out of the window....

I do occasionally sketch out a design when I know that I won't have time to make a card but when I am in my craft room I start with the stamps and/or colours that I want to use and things tend to 'evolve' from there.  I often stamp things out on scrap paper to get a sense of layout before I commit to the final design but I tend to find that my scrap stamping is better than my 'proper' stamping as I have ruined so many cards with a wobbly sentiment right at the very end :(

4. If you had to describe your 'signature style' what would it be?

I tend towards CAS and love lots of white space on a design but I also do like playing with inky techniques and texture.  I think I will go with the description 'eclectic CAS' that Bev used to describe my style - I like it :) 

5. What three crafting tools/products could you not live without?

I have a room full of supplies and gadgets - I am definitely due a clear out!  However, at the end of the day I only really need stamps and inks (just lots of them).  I am also really enjoying the great dies that are coming out at the moment and like working with stencils too.  When thinking about 3 specific tools I would go with:

Heat tool - I love heat embossing stamped images
Grand Calibur - for die cutting
Versafine Onyx Black ink - great for crisp stamped images

Are you still there?!  Thank you for sticking with me.  Before I go, let me introduce you to the two inspiring cardmakers who have kindly agreed to take part in next week's instalment of the blog hop:

Michelle Lupton of Handmade by Michelle is a super talented cardmaker!  I have admired her designs for a long time and was thrilled to join her on the design team at A Blog Named Hero.  Michelle's fab creations will be familiar to many of you as she is also on the design teams for the Addicted to CAS and Fusion challenges.  Michelle's style is definitely CAS but she also adds great warmth and texture to her designs through her use of colour and techniques.  Her blog is definitely worth a visit to find inspiration :)

My second talented cardmaker is the lovely Sandie from London Days!  Sandie is a team mate of Michelle's at Addicted to CAS and also hosts the fab Time Out Challenge (with the lovely Nonni) alongside designing for STAMPlorations, Addicted to Stamps and More and Inkspirational.  Sandie is a really fun and generous (and busy) member of the crafting community as well as an awesome cardmaker.  Her designs are CAS and are always bright and fun.  I really admire her ability to make the stamps shine and to put her personality in to her designs.  Go and check out her blog - you will see what I mean! 

I can't wait to read Michelle and Sandie's posts next Monday to find out more about them and how they create - hopefully they make more sense than me :) 

If you are still here then thanks for the time you have taken to read my post.  I would also like to say how grateful I have been for all of the visits and support I have had since I started my blog in March - I was very nervous about taking the plunge but have had lots of fun!  If this is our first meeting, I hope you will come back again and visit :)  Leave me a comment so that I can drop by your place too!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x