18 August 2014

TAG | Getting To Know Me

Hello there, I have a little bit of a different post to share with you today. I was recently tagged by the lovely Rebecca over at Melly Moo and also Sarah over at Sazzle Dazzle Crafts to take part in a different type of blog hop. Unlike the usual ones where bloggers take part in sharing creations they have made, this one is about getting to know the blogger/card maker. It is all about the creative process and basically just getting to know people a little more.
 
Before I get started with the questions, I wanted to thank Rebecca for tagging me. If you do not already know Rebecca I encourage you to go and visit her blog. She is an amazing card maker and such a sweet, lovely person too. I have had the privilege to watch her card making style become her own over the last few years. If you haven't already, please go and show her some love :)

I was also tagged by Sarah, although technically Rebecca got there first, I just wanted to take a moment to thank her too. She is an amazing card maker and I just love her style.
 
So on to my questions ...
 
What creative projects are you currently working on?
 
Here in the grotto, you can pretty much guarantee that I will have an organisational project on the go most of the time. I love organising and I am constantly trying to streamline the storage/organisation of my products so that they better work for me and my card making process. Of course I have had tons of inspiration from the ultimate craft organisational guru, Jennifer McGuire. I like to take her ideas and tweak them to fit in with what works best for me and my space.


I have recently moved my paper pads to my Ikea Raskog cart and I am loving them much better on there. I can flick through the pads so much easier and they even look quite pretty!

 
I am also working on the Clearly Besotted Stamps September release. I have the privilege of being part of the Design Team so I get to play with these amazing products in advance. I love sharing my teaser cards with you. I think it is a great way to share how the products can be used and also give you all peeks to see which ones you are going to like (all of them most likely!). Stephanie will start the teasers on the 1st September and the DT will follow suit on the 2nd :)
 
What inspires your designs?
 
This is a great question but the answer is ... EVERYTHING! It could be packaging where the graphics/layout has inspired me, colours that I see and of course fellow card makers. I am inspired on a daily basis by the amazing Clearly Besotted Design Team - Aimes, Caryn, Debby, Mandy and Stephanie - these girls ROCK! I also love Pinterest and Instagram for daily inspiration from crafty peeps. There are so many talented people out there.


I took this photo the other day of some Lilies in my hallway. I adore the colour and this photo makes me want to get out some flower stamps and colour away!
 
What method/process do you apply to each of your creative projects and how long does each project take to complete?
 
This is a little difficult to answer as it completely depends on what kind of card I am making and what for. For design team work I usually start with the product - the stamp or die. I then decide on the layout, colours etc. in response to that product. If I am just sitting down because I want to create, then it may often start with a layout or design I have in mind and then I will find the products that I want to use for it.
 
The time it takes completely depends on if I have a whole design in my head before I start or not. Even when I have a whole design in my head, sometime when I apply this to cardstock it doesn't quite work out how I had planned it. If I need to change my design this can take a little longer. Cards usually take from anywhere between 30 minutes - two/three hours to complete. If you stick in some Glossy Accents or Embossing Paste in there, well that is an hour added on right there! ;)
 
If you had to describe your signature style, what would it be?
 
I very much fall into the clean and simple style of card making, I often go for a minimalistic look too. The card is pretty much guaranteed to have a fair amount of white space on it. Here is a card I think fits my style quite well:
 
 
What three crafting tools/products can you not live without?
 
I think this one is quite easy ... white cardstock, black ink and a colouring medium (Copic Markers would be my preferred choice!). Oh I better have stamp to make the image hadn't I? oh and a guillotine to cut the cardstock ... oh and some foam tape to layer the panels together ... and .... the list could go on couldn't it! ;) I share my 10 favourite tools for card making here.
 
Who shall I tag?
 
As part of the tag I get to tag two other card makers who I admire. There could of been so many people that I could tag. Like I said above there are tons of card makers who I love but I wanted to pick these two individuals because not only are they amazing card makers, they are lovely people too. I would say that both of their styles are slightly different to mine but they both also have that crisp, precise look to their cards that I just adore! In no particular order I would like to introduce you to ...
 

 
This woman is amazing! Simple as that! Her use of colour is simply stunning. I adore Mayuri's designs, you can tell that she puts so much work into them, they are true pieces of art work in their own right. Mayuri is currently part of a number of design teams including Winnie & Walter and Neat & Tangled. I truly believe she brings these products to life and showcases them beautifully.



If you do not already know Joy's work, where have you been?! I adore her clean and simple but layered style, she is an amazing colourer and I just love her cards. She also makes amazing videos too. Joy is part of a number of design teams, one of which is La La Land Crafts. She truly brings the characters to life. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Joy over the past few months and she is just as nice as she is on her blog, a true kind and caring person :)
 
I really hope that you enjoyed getting to know me a little more today. Thanks so much for visiting me :)

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the kind words and I loved readings bit more about you and your crafting! Rebecca x

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  2. A fantastic read Michelle and loved reading about you and your crafty process. Sarah xx

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  3. Thanks so much for tagging me Michelle! Really enjoyed reading more about your processes and getting to know you a little more ;-)

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  4. Great interview Michelle, I love my Rasgog too! Love getting to know you better!

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  5. Enjoyable read, Michelle. Love your cards, haul videos and storage ideas.

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