Julie//Feature Artist

Today's feature artist is Julie of Notes on Paper; her blog has been a favourite of mine for a while - she's very talented, loves to art journal and does blog series' about colour!!! Here is her interview:

1. Who is your biggest creative influence?

In the papercrafts field I hugely admire the work of Katie Licht, Dina Wakely and  Magda Bolinskafor. And I am so inspired by the work of collage artist Graham Rawle, assemblage artist Joseph Cornell and painters Paul Klee and Mark Rothko. Oh and I love the cartoons of Berger & Wyse.

2. Why and when did you start creating?

Ever since I could hold a pen I’ve been writing and ever since I was allowed near scissors I’ve been making things. But as for ‘why’ I create … I don’t exactly know. I think a lot of it is about creating order and inventing or telling stories from random moments and random scraps of paper.

3. What is your favourite thing to create (and why)?

At the moment it’s anything to do with vintage and/or found paper and text. So that’s scrapbook pages, collage and even the paper packs I make – I love putting those together. I’m also settling into a style of art/visual-journaling which feels ‘right’ to me, so that’s a favourite [for this week at least!!].

4. Do you have a favourite song to create to?

I don’t often have music on while I’m creating as I get too distracted and end up singing along and tapping the table instead of working! I mainly listen to dramas and documentaries on Radio 4 or sometimes Classical music on Radio 3 [but then I run the risk of pretending to conduct an orchestra with a pencil.]

5. What are your favourite materials/mediums to create with.

Patterned papers, text cut from books and magazines and white paint.

6. Your blog turned 3 in November, how did you go about creating a successful blog?

I guess it depends what you consider ‘successful’! But it’s good of you to say so!

I’m afraid I’m a bit of an over achiever, I don’t like to do things if I’m not going to throw myself in fully and learn all about them. So I’ve read lots of tutorials on everything from making blog buttons – to keeping readers interested and engaged. I also created a wide variety of categories and features I return to from time to time [like ‘My Month in Numbers’ or my ‘Overheard’ conversations amongst others] so I always have options of what to blog about – they’re like prompts and they focus my mind on what kind of atmosphere I’d like to create over there.

Whenever possible I like to create a blog series which readers can really join in with [eg. Tips for the Twitter Curious; Tips for the Design Team Curious; Going Postal] rather than constantly talk about myself!

If anything I have too many ideas about what I want to blog about, so I write them all down and add ideas and photos to draft posts whenever I get 5 minutes spare. That way there’s always a choice of things to complete and publish when I get more time.  I’ve even been known to keep a spreadsheet of posts, to keep me organised, especially when I’m blogging a series over several weeks/months.

7. How do you keep your blog balanced with your life?

If you call sitting next to my partner on the sofa while I blog ‘balance’ … then that’s how I manage it! Other than that … I don’t think I’ve found the answer to the balance question. That said, I took a nice long break from it over Christmas and New Year and came back refreshed. Plus I never take my laptop away with me on holiday!

8. What gave you the inspiration for your purple phase blog series?

It was during a discussion with Shimelle Laine on Twitter where I mentioned that, at that particular moment in time, purple had been my regular ‘go to’ colour in both my crafting and clothing. When she responded that many scrappers have, over time, told her they find it the hardest colour to use … I had a spark of inspiration to create a series where I could share new, interesting ways to use it and,  like most of my favourite ideas, I had to start working on it straight away. When it’s fun and it’s something which excites me, I don’t mind putting in the time it takes to produce enough interesting content for a full series. 



Swing by and visit me at my blog: http://notesonpaper.blogspot.com/

Tweet me: https://twitter.com/#!/notesonpaper

Or join my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Julie-Kirk/182561398482471

Julie has created a 15% discount code for her shop, Julie Kirk + The Carousel Zebra - it's valid for one week only, so go check it out using this code: VICKIYB.

Thanks for stopping by, be sure to show Julie some love on her blog, facebook page or twitter.

V x

Stacey//Feature Artist

Today's feature artist is the ultra talented Stacey Young of My Boys, My World. Stacy is the wonderful mother of 3 little boys, she lives in Australia and is on the design team for Prima Marketing. Here is her interview, be sure to pop by her blog and leave some love!!!

1. Who is your biggest creative influence?

I have so many creative influences.  I love to blog hop around and gather inspiration from all types of scrapbookers.  But a picture or even a piece of paper definately get my creative juices flowing:)  My boys inspire me every single day!

2. Why did you start creating?

I have always loved art and being artistic.  I started scrapbooking about 7 years ago, I think it was quite new back then and to me it sounded like a fun way to pretty up photos.  It wasn't until my first son was born over 4 and a half years ago that I really got into the craft.  It is now a passion and "my art".

3. What is your favourite thing to create, and why?

I love to create 12 x 12 layouts.  I just love picking out a picture and adding some life to it by creating around it.  I love playing with embellishments, inks, mists and paints.  There are so many different possibilities with scrapbooking and no 2 pages look the same. 

4. Do you have a favourite song to create to? 

Not a particular song, but I do love to create with music when I can .  Most of my time scrapping these days

is spent at night when the boys are tucked up in bed so I have to be quiet.

5. Who are your favourite manufacturers?My all time favourite would have to be Prima Marketing, I have always loved there beautiful papers but their flowers are my ultimate favourite and to now be on their Design Team is such a dream come true.  Their products just get better and better with every release.  I also love Crate Paper, Hambly, Sassafras, Webster's Pages and October Afternoon.

6. You are on several massively known design teams; what advice would you give anybody trying out for a DT?

Never give up, I,  never in a million years thought I would ever be on the Prima Design Team.  I still remember when I received the email and how overwhelmed I felt.  You also never know what the manufacturers are looking for in a design team member.  They always choose such a variety of different styles that it might just be you one day.

7. Many of your layouts and canvases are created using layers; do you have any tips on how to create that look?

Yes, firstly I never ever glue anything down until I have layered it all down on my page first.  I will then take everything back off and start adhering to my page.  I always start on my bottom layer with paints and mists.  I will then tear and distress my patterned papers.  I use alot (and I mean ALOT) of foam tape!!!  I poke things in here and there and can't help myself to just keep adding more and more. 

Thanks so much for popping by,

V x

Feature Artist - Anna

Happy Wednesday all,
Today's feature artist is the fabulous Anna Bowkis, who is the founder of Pencil Lines; runs her own personal blog and has an amazing photography website too:

Who is your biggest creative inspiration? Gosh this is a hard question! I am inspired by many. My favorite scrappers are Christine Middleton, love her use of dimension and texture! I also love Elizabeth Kartchner and my fav UK scrapper is Emma Trout, she is so talented. Her work up close is stunning, so much detail.


Why did you start creating? I have always been creating as long as I can remember. I did Fashion and Textiles at Collage and then I moved into Interior Design, and had my own business for 6 years. I love colour and texture, and use it everyday in different mediums. Whether its in my garden, in the kitchen baking, or crafting in my studio, being inspired and creative is part of my daily life!

What is your favourite thing to create (and why)? Mmm, I love creating mini books, but alas they don’t get seen as much as they should, they end up on a shelf or in a box. Layouts are fun and not so time consuming. I usually create a layout using my most recent photos and I always have a layout displayed in the dining room as a reminder of that event. The girls love seeing my layouts too :)


Do you have a favourite song to create too? I don’t, to be honest, Ioften scrap in silence, our home is such a busy and noisy place that often I like the peace in my studio!

Who are your favourite manufacturers? I love Crate Paper, Dear Lizzy American Crafts and Maya Road ribbons!


You are the founder of Pencil Lines, where do you get inspiration for your sketches? I get my inspiration from many things. I love looking at advertising in magazines and bill boards, they provide a great starting point for placement, also CD covers!

How do you keep the balance between your blogs? Good question. I have just started my photography business full time as of 3 months ago and have a photo blog and my Scrapping Tonight blog. I have now made the decision to keep photos on my Anna Bowkis Photography blog and my Scrapping Tonight blog for personal and crafting bits. Unfortuanetly my personal blog ahs been lacking content recently and I must get back to blogging more regular; I actually miss it!

What are your top 3 photography tips? 1. Read your manual – seriously any good photography workshop will tell you the same, read your manual , everything you need to know about your camera is there 2. Light! - Good light makes a great photo. Try not to take photos when the sun is at its strongest, you will get glare and squinting faces from your subject! 3. The best photos are those that are spontainous moments. I used to get so sucked into my scrapbooking, and realized I was scrapping yet another portrait of my girls, my favorite layouts are those where I have caught a cherished moment. And at the end of the day trying to get your kid to play for the camera when she/he doesn’t want to , is never going to make a great snapshot!

Anna has offered a copy of the Pencil Lines sketches book for one of my readers!!!! If you want to take part just leave a comment and a winner will be chosen (at random) sometime soon........

A huge thank you to Anna for being the feature artist today; I have loved reading your answers and getting some photography tips!!!

love, V xoxo

Feature Artist - Stacy

Happy Saturday all,
Today I have the very talented Stacy Cohen as the feature artist; Stacy designs for Prima and Creating Keepsakes magazine as well as teaching some amazing classes. Here is her interview:

Who is your biggest creative inspiration? Wow, there are so many scrapbookers who inspire me creatively. Some people I admire for their beautiful details, others for their unique designs, and others for their ability to tell a story on their pages.


Why did you start creating? I started creating when my daughters were 3 and 1 years old. I wanted to preserve all those precious memories of their childhood. I’ve enjoyed crafting all my life, so combining paper art with the preservation of their memories seemed like a perfect match.

What is your favourite thing to create (and why)? I love to create scrapbook pages of my girls doing everyday things. I hope they will get as much enjoyment out of looking at these pages when they’re older as I do when I’m creating them.


Do you have a favourite song to create too? Nope! I always have the TV on while I’m crafting. Reality shows are my favorite.

Who are your favourite manufacturers? Prima is number one. I also like October Afternoon, Maya Road, Lily Bee, Melissa Frances and the now-defunct Girl’s Paperie.

You are an awesome designer, for some pretty awesome manufacturers - how do you balance that with your regular life? I have to confess that I’m not always good about maintaining a reasonable balance between my design work and my family obligations. I’m a VERY slow scrapper (it usually takes me three nights to complete one page!), so my other obligations sometimes get neglected when I have a lot of assignments due at one time. For this reason I recently stepped down from a couple of my design teams because I really want to re-focus my priorities and spend more time with my family and just relaxing. I want to keep my family priorities number one, so I plan to limit how much I take on in the future.

You have been published many times, do you have any tips for my readers? Perseverance! There was one magazine that I submitted to every month for almost a year before they finally started publishing my layouts. The more layouts that they rejected, the more determined I became to get one of my pages in that magazine. I never gave up and it finally worked! A lot of getting published is just a matter of getting your foot in the door and proving that you are easy to work with, reliable, consistent, and can meet deadlines. To get your foot in the door, try submitting for calls/categories that you think not many other people will be submitting for. If they only get a handful of layouts for one category, obviously the odds of getting a page picked are better.


What is your favourite thing about teaching scrapbooking? I love to see people get that “aha” moment when they try something new. And when teaching scrapbooking I often learn new things myself because people always come to the class with unique ideas and fun twists on things.

I’m currently teaching an online class at Miss Art's Papercrafting School. As a prize/giveaway for my guest blog post, the owner of Miss Art’s Papercrafting School has generously agreed to give away a 60-day extra credit subscription ($30 value). They will have access to the many classes currently posted (including my “Secret Garden Layout Class”).


Some more info on Miss Arts:
Have you ever wished there was a school which only taught your favorite classes, that had the best teachers and where tuition was so affordable it left you plenty to buy the most stylish school supplies? Miss Art's Papercrafting School is a virtual academy for every student who wants to learn the latest techniques from the industry's leading experts. Subscriptions to our monthly classes start at $5.00 and include live online chats and personal email responses from your favorite designers. Consisting of 2 - 12 videos with unlimited monthly access each class is the perfect blend of individualized crafting and supportive learning. You may purchase our reasonable kits to compliment your course or pull items from your own stash using our detailed supply lists. Learn why going back to school has never been more fun at Miss Art's Papercrafting School.

Wow that was an awesome interview - thanks so much Stacy; and the giveaway is fantastic. If you want to win leave a comment here; and be sure to stop by Stacy's blog and leave her some love - her work is fantastic. I will draw a winner in about a week's time.
love V xoxo

Feature Artist - Lizzie

Happy Saturday all, Today I have a super gorgeous mommy to share with you; Lizzie is amazingly talented - she is a designer for her own challenge blog as well as others and has guest designed for various blogs too!!! You can find Lizzie on her blog, Oh Snap or on her challenge blog, Hello Cutie Challenges. Here is her interview (and some of the cute things she makes): Who is your biggest creative inspiration? i love rachel denbow! she is an amazing crafty mom with amazing style. if i'm in a funk i visit her blog and get totally inspired! i'm also obsessed with sassafrass paper... if i'm in the mood to play with some paper but have no mojo i hit up their blog! Why did you start creating? when haven't i been creating? i've always been doing lil arts and crafts here and there. art has always been my favorite subject in school. even during the summers i remember going to the store with my granny and her buying me a new lil craft each week, from pearler beads to looms and jewelry making kits. i don't remember a time when i haven't been creating!! What is your favourite thing to create (and why)? i love making things for my kiddos something about making a dress for my daughter or a toy for my sons is really fulfilling... they are always asking me to make them things and i am glad to do it! Do you have a favourite song to listen to during your creative process? i mostly have the t.v on... i loves my scifi t.v shows and movies!! Who are your favourite manufacturers? for paper it's sassafrass and bella blvd... i love joel dewberry for fabric... and yarn i'm old school lion brand! You recently started sharing style posts, how would you describe your style? i'm a momma... so my style is simple! i don't think i could ever spend more than 50 bucks on piece of clothing in fear that my kiddlets will spill chocolate on me! i do however like to accessorize and that is what pulls the outfit together for me. just simple clothes with amazing necklaces and scarves go a long way for me!! What inspired you to start Hello Cutie Challenges? i love challenge blogs... they are SOOO fun! but there isn't really anything for ALL crafts! i have so many talents friends and b/c they aren't into paper crafts too much their work seems to be over looked and that makes me sad... so why not have a blog for ALL things made by you? it's fun!! What can we look forward to on your personal blog and on Hello Cutie? i'm trying to figure out featured posts... as in weekly things. something that fits me and not everyone is doing... of course i can do a what i am wearing wends... but where is the fun in that? that is why i have t.v thursday! it's fun and corky like me! Thanks Lizzie for your fab interview - remember to go check her out when you get the chance - her blogs are fab. love, V xoxo

Feature Artist - Roberta

Happy Thursday all,
I have a wonderful feature artist for you all, this is the very talented Roberta, she make the most gorgeous little monsters - I gotta get me one of those!!!!

Hi, my name is Roberta, I'm a 29 years old girl!
I live in Italy with my boyfriend and two cute kitties :D
I've always been in love with everything's ART. I'm colorful and tattooed girl.
I started scrapbooking in 2007 and since then I met many many crafty girls who inspire me day by day ^_^
Who is your biggest inspiration???

I'm totally in love with elsie flannigan art! she inspires me so much!

I think she creates many many cute and funny projects :)

Here's here blog

http://www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com/

but I bet all of you already know her ;)

Why did you start creating?
I think I started creating because I wanted to express myself...
I think art explains a lot of a person! :)
What is your favourite thing to create?
I love to create cute and funny softies! They always put a smile on my face :D

What are your favourite manufacturers?
In scrapbooking I love American Craft and Angie Delarie's products ^_^
In illustration I love Ecoline watercolours.

You love to draw, where do you get your inspiration from?
I'm always inspired by a feeling or a song....
music is a very big inspiration for my drawings...
I really love to draw cute melancholy girls with pink details.
Do you create with music? If so what is your favourite creative song?
I always listen to Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack and this is my favourite song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9YrUqqSmaY and my heart melts

What are your 3 must-have creative items?
For illustration:
- Black pens
- Markers
- Photoshop
For sewing:
- Felt or fake fur
- My sewing machine ^_^
- Plastic eyes

Have you ever created anything you've hated?
Woooooooooow sure!
Who hasn't? :) It's totally normal! I often get frustrated, but my boyfriend helps me to never give up!!
Roberta is doing a fabulous giveaway, here are the details:
Here's a super cute pink monster :D
She's searching for a loving family... Hope she can find one here ^_^
If you want extra chances to win just post this to your facebook/twitter or on your blog - make sure you tell me what you've done. We'll keep this giveaway open for a week, and I'll announce the winner next Friday.
I have been quite busy, but I'll be back over the weekend to share some stuff etc.
ciao ciao xx

Feature Artist - Michelle

Happy Wednesday all,
OMG so far all it's done today is RAIN, ewww. So I thought what better on a rainy day than a feature artist - especially this extremely sunny person. Michelle actually designed a WHOLE range of papers for Sassafras........
Hello! My name's Michelle Alynn Clement, I'm 25 years old and I live in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada. During the day I work in a local animation studio on kids' cartoons (with my hubby, too!), or sometimes freelance from home. In my spare time, I like to do any and all things crafty - especially scrapbooking, drawing, designing goodies, and crocheting. I currently design paper collections for Sassafras Lass, as well as have my own little Etsy shop, Bubbly Shnooks (http://www.bubblyshnooks.etsy.com/) full of cute illustrated paper goodies. I've been creating for as long as I can remember - from covering my kindergarten journal in wallpaper to taking sewing & ceramic classes growing up - my mom was always incouraging me to make things, and so I grew up in quite the crafty house. :)

Who is your biggest inspiration???
I would have to say my mom, because she's always been the most supportive, encouraging person in my life - she's such a sweetheart - and I'm also very inspired by the business savvy & crafty goodness of Boy Girl Party/Susie Ghahremani, My Paper Crane/Heidi Kenney, Red Velvet Art/Elsie Flannigan, and The Black Apple/Emily Martin. Not only are they incredibly talented artists & crafters, but they're bizz sense makes me smile & aspire to follow my own dreams. :) Not to mention how cute their goodies are!

Why did you start creating?
Hmm. I've never actually thougth about the 'why' behind it! I guess it's just in my blood - I have to do it, like breathing, I think. :) I've always had a vivid imagination, and I guess it's just always needed a way to escape. I've always loved the hands-on of making something, and when I can combine that with self-expression, it's a necessary thing in my life! I get really antsy if a few un-creative/can't-make-something days go by...lol.
What is your favorite thing to create?
I *love* to scrapbook/do anything with paper the most, but lately crocheting has been sneaking in there & taking over my time! I also go through sewing spurts that really make me happy - I have a vintage patchwork quilt brewing in the back of my mind to start, soon!

What are your favourite manufacturers?
I really love Sassafras Lass (of course!) lol - but really, I've always loved their goodies so much since I started scrapbooking! I'm also a big big fan of Bam Pop, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, and Jenni Bowlin. Anything bright & cute, I love - especially if mixed with a vintage feel.
You designed a collection for Sassafras, where did you get your inspiration from to create this?
I actually was very inspired by a pile of blue & yellow floral vintage sheets I had recently picked up thrift shopping! You can read more about the behind-the-scenes/inspiration behind my collection, 'Mix & Mend' in this recent blog interview over at Sass, too!

Do you plan on designing anymore collections?
Yes, I have a contract with Sassafras and am working on what's next, so there are plans in the works for more paper from me! :)
Do you create with music? If so what is your favorite creative song?
Oh - music is so inspirational! Especially when I'm stuck on my computer doing digital cleaning up/repetitive work or if I really really need to focus, I *need* to have it on. I don't have one go-to song, they change every week or so, but right now I'm listening to the 'True Blood' instrumental score, Carla Bruni, & Diane Birch a lot.

What are your 3 must-have creative items?
I must have coffee, scissors, and a needle to hand sew.

Have you ever created anything you've hated?
Oh, goodness. Well, hate is a strong word - but yes! Haven't we all? There are some pages that you make and then end up never showing anyone or ripping parts of them up - and then there are the ideas that you finally get out and it ends up looking terrible, nothing like you'd imagined. Thankfully, it doesn't happen everyday or anything - how discouraging would that be?? But I do rip some stuff up and go through a lot of experiments/throw-aways sometimes when trying something new, for sure. :) We all have our days.

Michelle is giving away a $5 gift certificate to her Etsy store, Bubbly Shnooks, where you can buy cute stuff like this:
All you have to do is leave a comment, I'll give you till next Wednesday to enter - that will be my last blogging day before the wedding!!!
I'll be back later in the week with some more posts...... ciao xx

Feature Artist - Keely

~Happy Tuesday all,
~This week I have the extremely talented Keely, who designs for Kiki Art and Scrap Tiffany as well as others - she's also been published a whole load of times in different magazines:
Hi! I'm Keely Yowler from Georgetown, Kentucky, USA. I have been scrapbooking/paper crafting for 12 years. I love creating layouts, cards, mini-albums, and altered projects. My inspirations are my sweet hubby, our 5 kiddies, 10 dogs, and 2 cats. There is never a dull moment in my house :) I'm proud to have been published in several magazines. My latest publication was the Summer 2010 cover of Altered Arts Magazine.

Who is your biggest inspiration???

One of my biggest inspirations is Lisa Pace. I love her wonderful attention to detail. She is an amazing talent.
Why did you start creating?

I have always love creating. I saw Lisa Bearnson on QVC, ordered her scrapbook kit, and the rest is history. I love everything about scrapbooking.

What is your favourite thing to create?

I love altering found items. My husband and I love to attend auctions and estate sales. I'm always collecting wooden cigar boxes, postcards, old frames, and vintage books to use in my creations.

What are your favourite manufacturers?

My favorite manufacturers are Kiki Art, October Afternoon, Echo Park, and Jillibean Soup.

You do alot of DT work, which is your favourite to design for? I currently design for Kiki Art, Queen Kat Design Stamps, and Scrap Tiffany. I love the bright colors and patterns of Kiki Art collections. I always love the projects I create with Kiki Art.

Do you create with music? If so what is your favourite creative song?

I love all of the latest pop music...Katy Perry, Black Eyed Peas, Michael Buble, Pink, and Lady Gaga.

What are your 3 must-have creative items?

My 3 must-have creative items are:

Ranger Distress Ink

Kraft cardstock

Fiskars Fingertip Knife

Have you ever created anything you've hated?

I've never created anything that I've hated. Usually, if I'm not happy with a project, I leave it for a few hours. When I come back, I can look at it with fresh eyes and have a new perspective.

~Thanks so much Keely for your fabby interview!!! Make sure you leave Keely some love.
~I'll be back tomorrow with another style file.
~love, Vicki xxx

Feature Artist - SJ

~Happy Tuesday all,
~This week I have the lovely SJ doing a fabby interview. SJ is not only a talented scrapper but she does the most awesome drawings too. Here she is:

My name is SJ (Short for Sarah Jane – but not many people call me that!)

I am 29… dreading 30… living in Bexhill on Sea with my husband and son Finlay.

I have been crafting since I was small – when I was 18 I opened a little craft shop with my sister, which is still in trading (in it’s 10^{th year) and is now run by my mum (family business!!!) so I guess you could say have been involved in the crafty world since 2000. I started off where a lot of scrapbookers did – making cards – and when living briefly in NY I found scrapping – albeit in the aisle of a Walmart!}

^{My main crafty love though is illustration. I have always drawn and doodled ever since I was young. I have a small business called "Little Musings" where I turn family photographs into illustrated artwork.}

^{I have designed rubber stamps for a couple of companies in my time, however, I have now got a main line coming out with Personal Impressions, which is amazing and fun and something I am very proud of (Stamps available from Sept 1st)}

Who is your biggest inspiration???

^{Kurt Halsey. I literally worship his work – I even bid and won a post-it-note with his writing on as it is perfection!}

^{http://www.kurthalsey.com/}

^{Why did you start creating? June 2000 = it started off as art therapy for depression, but blossomed into true love lol!}

^{What is your favourite thing to create?}

^{I love it when a scrapbook page comes together – but there is nothing that beats the feeling of someone falling in love with their own Musing that they have commissioned – it validates it for me that what I am doing is right.}

^{What are your favourite manufacturers?}

^{In Illustration, I would have to say WACOM – as they make amazing drawing tablets and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without mine! (I use a Bamboo Fun tablet - but would love to upgrade!)}

^{In scrapping I would have to say Cosmo cricket, October Afternoon and American craft}

^{What was the inspiration behind Little Musings?}

^{My best friend Laura said to me once – Your drawings are cute, why don’t you do a Friday Freebie? I was like "Ok.. I will give it a go… we will see what happens" so I have her to thank for a LOT – because since January I have had over 39’000 downloads!}

^{If you want to read more about the freebies - go here:}

http://scrappyfairy.blogspot.com/search/label/freebie%20friday

^{and if you want to commission your own little musing - there is more information here:}

http://scrappyfairy.blogspot.com/p/musings-orders.html

^{Do you create with music? If so what is your favourite creative song?}

^{Gosh – Um, I am very eclectic when it comes to music – I have crafting play list on my itunes that ranges from the Beatles to Eminem! But – If I had to put one song on, to get the emotions and thought process going – it would have to be:}

^{Snow Patrol = Give me strength.}

^{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTuaVhZhpm8}

^{It is a incredibly personal song for me and Ben – and literally makes me stop in silence when it comes on the playlist.}

^{What are your 3 must-have creative items?
For drawing:}

^{A propelling pencil! (who needs sharpeners!!)}

^{My Wacom tablet}

^{Adobe Illustrator (I actually am using a trial of this at the mo, and NEED IT!)}

^{For Scrapbooking:}

^{A pair of detail scissors}

^{American craft thickers}

^{A glue roller!}

^{Have you ever created anything you've hated?
Tons – heaps! Who hasn’t?}

^{I have been known to go through albums and throw away layout after layout.
I also get frustrated when I draw – and have days when nothing will go right. I know when to stop though, get up, walk away and come back to a project at a later time - otherwise you can end up resenting what you do, and I never want to do that!}

^{~SJ is giving away an Alice in Wonderland inspired digital stamp, which you can see here. To win this awesome prize just leave a little comment!!!}

^{~love, Vicki xxx}

Feature Artist - Deb

~Happy Tuesday,
~I know I'm LATE, again!!! I'm really sorry - it's so uber hectic here and I'm soo tired - I'm just getting this done and then heading off to bed. This week we have the uber-talented Deb, she's super amazing and she designs for the Paris Hilton scrapbooking line:
My name is Deb Famularo. I'm a mom, a wife, and besides being creative, I am a huge football fanatic! I'm Armenian, born and raised in San Francisco. I currently reside in Dallas, Texas but am hoping to relocate to Florida this year.

I've been scrapbooking for over 11 years. Many years back, when there were little scrapbooking embellishments to be found, I formed my own handmade line called Button Kisses. I was one of the first scrapbookers to create and sell 3-D embellishments in the scrapbooking market. My claim to fame was being one of ten finalists in the Home Shopping Network's national scrapbooking contest. I currently design for the Paris Hilton Creativity Collection, a line which I adore that is geared for teens.

Who is your biggest inspiration???

My biggest inspiration was, is and will forever be Shell Kepler. Shell was an actress who played Nurse Amy Vining on the popular soap opera General Hospital years ago. She had a fabulous fashion line called Lacy Afternoon which she sold on HSN, and it was she who got my creative juices flowing! She sold kits filled with beautiful embellishments to inspire us to get creative with our clothing. I took it a step further and brought it into my scrapbooking world. Sadly Shell passed away a couple of years ago. I was lucky to "meet" her boyfriend online and created an album of Shell for him after her passing. That album is definitely the most meaningful thing I have made to date. Even though she's not here anymore, I will always look to her as my source of inspiration.

Why did you start creating?

A neighbor of mine showed me her scrapbooks and I was instantly hooked! Being creative, I thought this was an incredible way to showcase my family photos other than just having them in photo albums! It's been 11 years and I am still going strong. I don't think I could ever sicken of this hobby!

What is your favourite thing to create?

I don't think I have a favorite thing to create! Maybe I would say wall hangings though!

What are your favourite manufacturers?
My favorite manufacturer is Prima. I'm addicted to everything they make!

You design for Paris Hilton's scrapbooking line, what is you enjoy about doing this?

I am so honored to be designing for Wooky Entertainment's Paris Hilton line. I was impressed not only with the sparkly product, but with the concept behind the teen-geared line which is to inspire girls to be creative. If I can help do that, then I've succeeded at doing my job! And that's what's important to me! It's not about fame or being the "best" scrapbooker out there working for the best manufacturer. I'm designing for a company that produces creative products for girls! We're not even in the same league. And I love that!

Do you create with music? If so what is your favourite creative song?

Believe it or not, I do NOT create with music. And that's probably a good thing since I am an 80's rocker! Could you imagine my work if I designed to heavy metal?? I did create this Me in a Box project. It's a mini album of me with page titles of rock songs. Does that count? :)

What are your 3 must-have creative items?

OMG, this is so hard to narrow down. If I have to choose, my 3 must-haves would have to be flowers, rhinestones and ribbon. I think everything I've made has encorporated all of these items!

Have you ever created anything you've hated?

Absolutely YES!!!!! All the time. And when I've wasted hours and still get nowhere, that's when I have to walk away and come back with a fresh pair of eyes!!!!!!!!! Sometimes things look better after doing that!~Deb is doing an AWESOME giveaway of a $20 gift voucher for BlueMoon Scrapbooking:
~Just leave her a fabby comment, and your name will be put in the draw - the winner will be random.org(d) next Monday!!!
~I'll be back on Thursday with my creative favourites for the month!!
~love, Vicki xx

PS - for all you WOYWW fans, i'm sorry i haven't done it in a while - i WILL be back - just when things have settled a bit!!!

Feature Artist - Kara

~Happy Tuesday all,
~Before I introduce our feature artist for today, I just need to say I'm sorry it's so late - it's been a busy day but hopefully I'll be back on schedule next week.

~So today we have the very lovely (and only 18!!!), and extremely talented Miss Kara Haupt - she had done some fantastically awesome classes and her Etsy shop is rockin:
My name is Kara Haupt and I am 18 years old. I've been scrapbooking since age 12 and taking pictures and creating since I was 15. I live in Boise, Idaho, but will be moving to Brooklyn, NY for art school in August.

Who is your biggest inspiration???

Who? Oh dear! I've been inspired mainly by authors and random artists... Sabrina Ward Harrison, Donald Miller, Annie Leibowitz, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Anne Lamott. Sabrina Ward Harrison is a goddess of art journaling and those authors always make me want to write.

Why did you start creating?
Hmmm. I don't really know... (I've sat here thinking about this for a few minutes and I seriously have no idea!).
What is your favourite thing to create?
Probably art journal pages at 3 a.m. when I have something to say.

What are your favourite manufacturers?
Scrapbooking, I assume? Hambly Screenprints, Sassfrass Lass, and American Crafts?
You own an Etsy Shop, The Sequined Shoe, what inspired you to start this up?
I had some product ideas I wanted to try out and an Etsy shop seemed like the perfect way to do it. I <3>

You have taught several different classes, which has been your favourite to teach?
My Life Story class(http://www.etsy.com/listing/50684099/6-day-online-class-life-story) will always hold a special place in my heart. I think it's one of the more meaningful things I've ever created and it really captured who I was when I was 16. I also really loved my Summer of Love Class(http://karahaupt.typepad.com/my-blog/2010/06/summer-of-love-class-2010.html) that I ran a few weeks ago, also. I have the *best* students.
Do you create with music? If so what is your favourite creative song?
Absolutely. I rarely create in silence. Current favorite is probably Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li. But then I feel like dancing so y'know.

What are your 3 must-have creative items?
Glue sticks. Emo music. And random paper.

Have you ever created anything you've hated?
Totally. Most of my scrapbook layouts have gone through a stage of hate. Sometimes I rip things apart and re-start. There are certain pages that I've made that I don't necessarily hate, but don't like to look at it or read the journaling because it reminds me too much of the place I was in when I made it.

~ Miss Kara is giving away not 1 BUT 2 prizes this week, available to 1 very lucky reader!!!! To be in with a chance to win a mixed tape kit and access to one of Kara's classes just leave her a comment.
~Thats all from me today, sorry it's short from me today but I'm ready to sleep now!!!
~love (and night night), Vicki xx