Creative Blog Tour!

I've been tagged by my friend Roxy in a Creative Blog Hop!  Today I am answering four questions for you and then next week a friend that I tag will do the same- it's a fun way for all of us to meet new people in the creative blogosphere :)

I met Roxy a few years ago the same way I was able to meet so many wonderful creative ladies, through my store!  Roxy was a member of our Design Team for a while as well, even after she moved out of town she managed to create fabulous samples for us featuring her beautiful family!  Roxy is a scrapbooker who creates fun & colorful layouts as well as cards and SMASH book pages! 

Here's a link to the post Roxy tagged me in.  Check it out, feel free to visit the hop backwards and forwards... and maybe sometime you'll get tagged and join in as well!

Okay... now for the questions.

1. What am I working on? 


I am currently working on card & canvas projects that will hopefully become some upcoming classes!  As I'm new to the area here, I'm figuring out what sort of classes people are looking for, and I'm hoping to teach in more than one location (trying to set some up at our local Hobby Lobby store) and get to know a bunch of new creative friends :)

I also have a ton of wedding photos that I'm getting in an album either by scrapbooking them or pocket page style... just for fun, I'll include a few that have been previously featured on the blog in the past several months:

 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 


That's kinda a tough question... I guess my work is unique in that it pulls inspiration from so many different places and styles to mix together.  I have always loved mixed media (even before it was a 'thing') and adding texture to my work.  I started out as a card-maker and have tried & loved so many different things, including scrapbooking, mini books, mixed media... My work tends to be inky but I love clean lines and balance as well, so I try to work all of that into my projects.

 

3. Why do I write/create what I do? 


If you are an artistic person, you are probably laughing a bit at that question... I do it because I can & because it's in me and it needs to come out!  It makes me happy to get ink & paint on my fingers and to see the colors mix together on a page/paper/canvas...  Sometimes I do it for emotional release and other times I do it simply to try to bring joy to someone else.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

To be honest, I'm still kinda re-learning & discovering my process since my situation is a whole lot different now than it was for the past several years!  I'm used to having a whole store and classroom area at my disposal when I create, but since closing my store and moving from BC to NC I'm adapting to creating at home, still setting up my little studio space and working with a much smaller work surface (but no matter the size, I usually have less than 12x12 to work with!)  If I'm card-making or working on a mixed media type project, I really enjoy starting with a challenge- either a product, sketch or technique.  Sometimes I challenge myself the same way if I'm designing a class!  I like to narrow down my theme or materials to help keep myself focused, because the variety of materials available to me (even after buying almost nothing since closing my store) can be overwhelming! 

If I'm really stuck creatively and my mojo is missing, I like to pull out some tags and Distress Ink and just play with technique.  I'm working on using my art journal the same way, but don't quite have it as a reflex just yet ;) 

So I'm not sure how helpful that was for you... but you learned a bit more about me at least :)  Now for my linkup...

I'd like to introduce you to my creative friend Lynn Kopas!  Lynn & I met when we were connected to be roomates at Ranger University in 2012.  We had a great time sharing a fab little condo together (talk about a great free upgrade from our hotel!) and getting some major inspiration from our instructors there!  Now that I'm living a whole lot closer than I was when we met, I hope sometime we can spend another weekend creating together :)

Lynn is a very talented mixed media artist who has been on a bunch of fabulous design teams, but right now she's a part of the DT for the new Mixed Media Monthly Challenge blog- it's so great, you need to check it out (and I'm not just a fan because I won a big prize from a random draw before the blog went live).  Her blog is really beautiful and you'll find a fun combo of canvases, tags & project life pages there most recently!  Here's a sweet canvas she created:

Love the textures and bright colors!  I hope you'll visit Lynn's blog (tell her I sent ya!) and watch for her post next Monday where she will tag another creative friend :) 

If it's your first time visiting my blog, I'd sure love to have you follow me on bloglovin' or join my little group on facebook. I'd love to keep in touch!