Tour of Blogs.......

Tour of Blogs: A Little Bit about Me and Paying it Forward

Hello my friends!  I have no card or project to share with you today.  Instead, I have the honor of introducing you to 3 of my favorite blog buddies in an ongoing Tour of Blogs.  I was nominated by the amazing Kathy Clement.  I have been a fan of Kathy's blog Kathy By Design ever since we served together on the Heartfelt Creations design team.   I loved her style then as well as now and she is an incredibly talented artist, and her eye for detail just makes my happy!    So the process is to answer a few questions about myself and then to nominate three of my blogging buddies who inspire me.  

A Little Bit About Me

1. What am I working on?  I don't have a large project going on at this time.  I've downsized my creating for the summer as I always have yard work and garden work during the warm months. Things are slowing down a bit and I can almost see daylight at the end of the tunnel.  Almost!  I'm so grateful for the bounty from my garden but this old lady is growing weary! Of course I'm  loving being on the design team for Craft Hoarders Anonymous!  It is a good fit for my lifestyle.  I only have to post twice a month and you just never know what the challenge is going to be. It's a lot of fun!

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? I don't think I'm very different from most card makers out there.  The one thing that makes me a bit different is the fact that I dearly love making flowers.  I watch all the ads from different companies trolling for new flower dies.  I check for what I can create as well as the ease of use.  I use a lot of Spellbinders dies and Heartfelt Creations dies; they just make me happy!  I love elegant, classic and feminine with lots of flowers and ribbons and bows! Turn me loose with some white card stock, a few flower dies and some distress inks and I am one happy girl. I love layers...lots of layers!   When my MoJo leaves....I make flowers!  My cards are very 3 dimensional with the flowers and leaves gracing the fronts of the cards.  I love displaying them on an easel and usually try to keep a couple out all of the time.  


3. Why do I create what I do?  I have done some sort of craft most of my adult life but it was late in my life when I stumbled onto a card making blog one morning before work. Well I was smitten and I never looked back...everything else fell to the wayside as I jumped head first into card making.  I still have the first pitiful card I made.  It was a flat piece of card stock with a little owl looking back at me. Now my cards are much more detailed and I try to use lots of layers.  When I sit down to make flowers I usually look at my plain white card stock and the colors of inks and the dies I want to use.  I take a deep breathe and try to visualize what the finished flower should look like.  Most of the time it takes on a life of it's own...no two are alike and I think each and every one is perfect.  (Just like in nature)  I burnish the card stock to break down the fibers and really allow the card stock to decide what it wants to be.  I usually make my flowers and then decide on the papers I will use as well as the ribbon.  I use a lot of seam binding dyed to match my flowers, using the same ink I used on the flower petals.  


4. How does your creating process work?  When I come into my craft room I usually realize that I need to make some sort of card or project for some specific reason.  I usually clear my head which isn't hard at all and just sit down and start gathering card stock and inks in colors I love.  Then I just begin. I usually don't have a clear image of what I want to do...the card stock guides me as I make flowers.  I usually work backwards to what most people do.  They will pick the papers first and then select elements that match. I have always started at the other end and then am frantically trying to match paper to my elements.  Sometimes it can be very frustrating but that's how I roll!  

 Paying it Forward

I follow a huge number of blogs with my reader and each morning spend time just cruising these blogs gathering tidbits as I go along. I am always just amazed at how much talent there is out there and the Internet has made it possible for all of us to share our creativity. What a wonderful world we live in. So now I am asked to decide on three blogs to showcase and share with you. It was hard to narrow it down to just 3 blogs, but these three ladies have really been an inspiration to me as I continue on my journey. In truth, I feel these ladies are dear friends even though we have never met in person. We live in different parts of the country but are united in the fact that we love what we do. So here are my three bloggers:

Sylvia Nelson (Sylvia's Stamping Corner)

You know how you have known someone for awhile and you don't even know how or when you became friends?  Well that is  how it has always been with Sylvia. We are kindred spirits and I would love to be her next door neighbor.  I would spend a lot of time with  her in her beautiful craft room watching her create.  I would soak up her stamping lessons like a sponge...her abilities are like none other I have ever seen.  She can make a plain piece of paper come to life with beautiful colors and images...I'm in awe of her gorgeous cards. Sylvia is on the design team at COLOURQ  and does such an amazing job with the challenges!  She uses only Stampin' Up products and oh my, the beauty she can create!  I never learned to stamp the way she does and her cards are all just little works of art!

Olga Jewell (Craftieodamae)

I first met Olga when we worked on the Heartfelt Creations design team together.  She was so friendly and right away I felt like I had known her all my life.  She has continued to be a part of the amazing design team for Heartfelt Creations and I love her creations.  Her flowers are always so beautiful and I love how she plays so well with color!  Even after I left the design team we have continued to keep in touch and we call each other now and then just to chit chat!  I always love hearing from her and catching up!  Olga and I have never met, but you would never know it if you could listen in on our conversations.  We are never at a loss for something to talk about!  Olga still works outside the home but finds time to create some beautiful cards!

Selma Stevenson (Selma's Stamping Corner)

I got to know Selma when I entered a weekly challenge and she visited my blog.  Well, you know how we are...we get a visit and we visit back.  Well when I went to Selma's blog, my heart skipped a few beats!  Her flowers were the most gorgeous, life-like, I had ever seen.  She is definitely the flower queen!  She was truly an inspiration to me and I have always tried to achieve the level of skill she has with flowers! Let me just say, it is an ongoing process, because Selma keeps raising the bar on me! Selma was on the Heartfelt Creations design team and was leaving to do other things and she mentioned to me that I might be interested in trying out for the team.  Well I decided to jump in and give it a try and was so pleased when I made the team!  Selma was a cheerleader for me and helped me get my bearings of being on a design team after so many years of not being linked to any company.  I am always anxious to see what Selma is going to do next and she never disappoints me Selma now designs for Susan Tierney-Cockburn using Susan's Garden Dies and still makes some of the most awesome flowers I have ever seen!  I would love to make a midnight raid on her craft room...I'd load up my pockets with all kinds of dies!

I’d like to thank Kathy again for giving me this opportunity to share a little more about myself with all of you. And my heart is full of gratitude for the three fabulous women I’ve featured here today.  Visit their blogs, and prepare to be inspired.  They inspire me every single day!