Creative Blogger Nomination

I was honored and beyond humbled to be chosen by two of the sweetest, most creative women I know for a special “Creative Blogger Nomination.” Karen Pederson and Alyson Mayo both nominated me for this special honor. Karen is an INCREDIBLE artist with a knack for making every project look simply perfect! I love her style and know you will too. Be sure to visit her fabulous blog here. Alyson is a sweetheart who always has a kind word to say and fun projects to share. You will be inspired when you visit her blog here.

Part of accepting the nomination is to answer some questions and share them on my blog. These questions were a little tough, but here it goes…

How long does it take me to create a project?
LOL. This is something that you may not believe. Even though most of my projects seem to be pretty simple, it can take me DAYS to create one small card or scrapbook page. So many people, even my mom, have commented that they are amazed that I can come up with such great artwork (their words, not mine) so quickly. What they don’t see is the process that it takes to get that one piece of so called “great” artwork finished. I usually have numerous trash cans filled with projects that I have scrapped because they weren’t good enough or I just didn’t like the direction they were taking. My mom watched me create a project for my Creative Club once and commented that she never realized how much time goes into creating one small project.

What am I working on right now…

What are my favorite things to create at the moment?
I think my favorite things to create at the moment are card kits. I love making a set of cards and some sort of cute little box or bag to keep them. I have a strange obsession with stationery and have always wanted to work in a stationery store since I was a little girl. (Now if I could just remember to send the cards out that I make, I’d be good to go. I need to make extra “Happy Belated Birthday” cards because I can’t seem to remember to send out my cards on time.)

How do I become inspired and stay inspired?
When I was in college, one of my graphic design teachers said that there is no such thing as truly original art. Everything is inspired by something whether it is someone else’s work, something in nature, or even a piece of clothing. I am usually inspired by other’s work that I find online (Pinterest, blogs, etc.) Sometimes I even find a font on a menu or a billboard that inspires me to go home and start creating. Whether it is a color combo, a pattern, or even just placement of objects, my ideas almost always start with an inspiration from something. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about a fun card design or layout, so I try to keep a sketchpad or notebook by my bed at all times so I can write it down and have that as my inspiration the next day.

How does my writing/creative process work?
Once I am inspired to create something, I will search my stash to see if I have the colors, patterns, or images that I need. I pull out all of my supplies and then I play, play, play until I get things just the way I want. Sometimes it’s a matter of hours, sometimes it’s a matter of days, and sometimes I just finally give up and say, “It’s good enough” before I finish a project. (There are usually lots of overflowing trash cans during the process.)

What is my signature style?
I have always thought that my style was sort of simple and “Plain Jane,” however I have had others tell me that they think I have a “clean and simple” style which I must admit sounds a little classier. I am always amazed at the incredible artwork I find online and have even tried to duplicate some of the styles that I admire so much, with a let’s just say…not such a good outcome. Sticking to my Plain Jane style seems to work the best for me. Unfortunately simple doesn’t always means quick and easy. I am always amazed at how long it can take me to make a “simple” card. LOL.