The Creative Blog Hop

Hi, today I am taking part in the Creative Blog Hop, a continuous hop that happens every Monday where all sorts of crafters share a little about their work & creative processes.  There are four questions & at the end of the post there is an opportunity to tag other crafters, who in turn complete the questions the following Monday.

I was tagged by the lovely & awesomely talented Nance Lempinen-Leedy (Canopy Crafts), who I had the honour of working alongside when a did a guest designer stint at The Paper Players challenge.  Not only does Nance make the magic happen behind the scenes at The Paper Players, she definitely makes the magic happen with her fabulous designs.  You can find Nance's Hop post here & one of my favourite creations here.  Thank you, Nance, for inviting me to participate in The Creative Blog Hop. ♥

So here goes with the questions:-

What am I working on now?

Right now I am actually working on a house floor plan.  I designed a major renovation for friends several years back & now they have asked for my input on a second home that they plan to build on a seaside block of land.  Not only will this be their eventual residence, it will also house their respective businesses, so there are a lot of aspects to consider.  Other than that we have quite a few upcoming birthdays for family & friends, so I am creating for those as well as any papercraft challenges that spark my interest.

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I don’t believe my work is necessarily any different to anyone else, but my head definitely works differently, lol!  I like to push my own boundaries & create a range of items, in a range of styles.  

Why do I create what I do?

Friends tell me I have an “outside the box” mind.  I tend to “see” different things when I look at my supplies & I like to push those supplies to the limit, by using them in ways other than those they were designed for.  I have a real persistent streak & like to create things from scratch, nutting out the pros & cons as I go.  This applies to all my crafty pursuits including designing patterns, house plans, fancy dress costumes or hand cut pop-up & 3D creations.  Creating something from start to finish gives me enjoyment &, believe it or not, I actually find fiddly fussy cutting relaxing! 

How does my creative process work?
Most of my designs begin with a sketch, whether I am working from a challenge, or whether a random thought popped in my head.  I draw up a rough sketch & go back to create when I get the chance.  My favourite new toy is a tablet that has a stylus, so now I can sketch up my designs on that, rather than having little bits of paper here, there & everywhere.  When I do sit down to create the eventual outcome can be quite different from the original sketch, but, chances are, I have made a range of new "discoveries" along the way.  :)

Here is a project I made quite a few years ago that combines some of the things I love to do when papercrafting - making a one-off pop-up from scratch, stamping, watercolouring with my inkpads & an aquapainter, plus lots of hand & fussy cutting!  (You can find the original post here.)

 

As part of the Creative Blog Hop, I get to nominate other crafty bloggers & these ladies are two of the sweetest & inspiring I have come across.  The best part is we have actually met in real life & get to share our friendship & love of crafting in person.  Thank you both for participating in the Hop with me! ♥

Bron & I crossed paths via the Just Add Ink challenge site & I was thrilled to work on her Design Team at Still Addinktive challenges.  Bron is well known for her gorgeous easel creations, & more recently, her fabulous MDS/e-cutter projects.  Here is a wonderful e-cutter version of her popular butterfly easel.  You will find many more inspiring projects & tutorials on her blog.  :)

Bronwyn Eastley

Addinktive Designs

 

Hi.  I live in the beautiful state of Tasmania, Australia.  I have been paper crafting since May 2008 and joined up as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in August of that year.  My day job as the Principal of Newstead Christian School keeps me super busy.  When I do snatch some time for myself, you’ll find me in my craft room, playing with MDS and my Silhouette Cameo, stamping and die cutting, discovering different ways to make an easel card, or writing the occasional tutorial to help fund my paper craft obsession. I am the founder of CASE-ing the Catty Challenges (an idea that popped into my head when I was preparing for a Team Catalogue Launch).

Nikki & I "met" when Nikki first entered the challenge world as an entrant at Inkspirations Challenges.  I loved the stunning palette she had used on her project & we had a lovely chat behind the scenes.  Nikki is currently on the Design Team at Just Add Ink & regularly posts her beautiful projects, including lots of wonderful gift packaging.  You can see some of Nikki's fantastic candles, complete with stunning packaging here.  :)

Nikki Spencer

My Sandbox 

I am a mum to 3, Nan to 5 and wife to 1 and also have shared care of a pampered Spoodle called Ralph! I live in Melbourne, Australia and my passion of choice is papercrafting, followed closely by Candle making & Crochet, well for now that’s my list. But l do love Painting, Jewellery making and the list goes on.

I have been enjoying stamping and cardmaking for about 7yrs and became a  Stampin Up demonstrator in 2009.

Thank you, Helen, for tagging me to participate in the “ Creative Blog Hop” and for always inspiring me with your clever and creative projects, but mostly, for the happy you bring to my life..:0)

Bron & Nikki will both be answering the Hop questions on their respective blogs (Addinktive Designs & My Sandbox) on Monday, September 15, so please make sure you check them out & take the time to stay awhile to browse their awesome blogs!

Thanks for dropping by & Happy Crafting!
Helen  :)