Happy Monday, er Tuesday! I was supposed to post this yesterday and time got away from me...let's just say it won't be the first rule I break in this blog hop, ha! Today I am honored to be a part of an ongoing "Favorite Scrappers" blog hop. I was nominated by two people.
First, the super crazy talented Ginny Hughes. I love her fun, colorful style and how she's comfortable with herself and her style. She's so creative and is always making me go, "Hey! Why didn't I think of that?!" ;) Ginny has a big family, which I love. I've gotten to know her better in the last couple of months, and I hope someday we can meet in person!
Second, the equally fabulous Diane Payne, who puts paper and embellishments together in a way that makes my heart go pitter-patter. I have had the privilege of being on a couple different teams with Diane and her cool, colorful layouts always jump out at me in the galleries! I'm super excited to have her on the new Gossamer Blue team. I know she is going do amazing things with the kits!
1. What am I working on right now? I am up to my ears in assignments right now!! I have to finish my Gossamer Blue September layouts, as well as some fun stuff for my new Fancy Pants gig, and I just might have a couple of other things up my sleeve. I know...I'm such a tease! ;) Here's a peak I posted last night of an upcoming GB project:
2. How long does it take me to create a project? I have no idea. Seriously. Three kids (including one who still doesn't sleep longer than two hours stretches) seems to mean that I will never again sit down and complete a layout from start to finish without interruption. ;) I'd guess it probably take me anywhere from 1-3 hours. It seems like the times that I have a great idea it takes me forever to finish...and the times that I just fly by the seat of my pants I'm done in like 45 minutes! I also think that the layouts that come together quickly tend to be my favorites. The longer I take, the more I question myself, and ultimately, I usually end up not super fond of what I made.
3. What are my favorite things to create with at the moment? It never changes really - paper, paper, and more paper. I'm totally a paper fiend. Embellishments are nice, but paper is where it's at in my {scrap}book! Sorry, I'm a total dork, I know. ;) If I had to choose a few more favorites they would include enamel dots, file tabs, and label stickers. I love working with kits because it often forces me to use products I might not otherwise choose!
4. How does my writing/creating process work? Honestly - I do everything so backwards. Because I'm usually scrapping assignments, I almost always start with an idea and product in mind and then I find photos to use. The funny thing is that more often than not, my final product looks nothing like what I set out to make in the beginning. Sometimes that's a good thing - sometimes not so much. ;) I usually pick a pretty specific color scheme and then try to incorporate as many elements within that combo in my layout. Nothing I make is very tricky...there's not enough time for that! I never want scrapping to become a chore, so I try to make everything fun and easy.
5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired? Like everyone else, I'm totally inspired by the work of others. The scrapbooking world is so huge and there is so much inspiration out there. I'm constantly perusing the galleries and Pinterest. I'm just amazed at all the creative people out there in the world!
6. What is my signature style? I don't think I'll ever be the kind of scrapper where you look at a layout and just know it's mine. But, I'm okay with that. I feel flexible enough to try new things and change things up a bit. I always describe my style as fun and simple with lots of color and extra attention to the little details. I love color, but I have also embraced the *white* trend, so a lot of my layouts use white + lots of other bright colors. I also have this bad habit lately of putting strips of paper on the top and bottom of all my layouts and dropping some black mist on everything. I am still working on mastering the perfect mist technique! ;)
Now...let the rule-breaking continue. The official blog hop rules state that I am now supposed to choose my three favorite scrapbookers and tag them. Well, this is problematic for a few reasons. First, I have WAY more than three favorite scrapbookers. Like ten times more. Also, I like different people in different ways...so it's really hard for me to choose three. Finally, some people whom I adore have already been a part of this blog post, so technically I don't believe I'm supposed to tag them. But whatever. I'm going to do it anyway. Come and get me scrapbooking blog hop police!!! SO...here are FIVE people whose work and personalities I admire. If they play along, fantabulous. If not. Equally awesome. ;)
1. Mandy Koeppen - I can't remember when I first saw Mandy's work, but I can tell you that I knew immediately that her work was awesome. She's just got this way with paper and pictures. I don't know how she does it - her layouts are so fun and look effortless like her fingers just work magic. Her large photo layouts are beautiful and some of my favorites of hers. I've had the pleasure of meeting Mandy in real life, and I now know that she's just as awesome in person as she is on paper! ;) She's honest, funny, and keeps it real, which is what I love the most about her!
2. Melanie Blackburn - I don't remember the first time I noticed one of Melanie's layouts, but I do remember all of a sudden seeing her work all over the place and it being totally awesome. She's got this knack (that I totally don't have) for using all sorts of stuff and making it look like each piece was perfectly placed on the layout. Nothing ever looks awkward. I don't know how she does it. I'm hoping she'll teach me her secrets because her layouts are so, so fabulous!! I'm super excited to be working with Melanie on a few teams now. Hooray!
3. Iara Baer - Okay, so poor Iara probably thinks I'm a total weirdo, because I'd never actually talked to prior to this blog hop, but I absolutely LOVE every single things she makes. I'm always fawning over her layouts in the Studio Calico gallery, and I wanted to list her here even though we'd never properly "met" online. So, I emailed her and told her, and she was so kind as to offer to play along. Check out her work. It's simple and perfect, truly.
4. Gillian Nelson - So...in true stalker fashion, I never actually asked or told Gillian (aka: JustG) that I was going to "tag" her in this post. I figure she's probably been asked a million times since her work is just so gosh darn cool. I have been a fan of GIllian's since her very first layout at Studio Calico. I've stalked her (see, there I go again) for YEARS and was so, so happy when she was added to the SC design team. Her work is so unique and fun. It's my favorite. :)
5. Latrice Murphy - Latrice is the scrapbooker on this list that I know the best and have spent the most time with in person. I can tell you that she is truly one of the kindest, sweetest, people you will meet. She is crazy creative and makes both gorgeous paper crafting projects as well as some pretty fantastic decor and apparel items. Her crafty dedication is incredible, and I'm so lucky to call her a friend. Sadly, we don't live as close anymore now that I live in WI, but I know we will stay friends!!
If you made it this far, you deserve a treat! Go get yourself one. ;) Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday!
