Getting to Know Me {Blog Hop}

I was tagged by my fellow SC Creative Team girl Agnieszka Malyszek, my uncrowned queen of clever one-layer cards, to take part in a "Getting to Know Me" blog hop. I'm really honored she mentioned me in her blog post and, of course, I happily obliged to follow in her footsteps :) 

The title suggests it already - you'll get to learn a bit about me or rather what my crafting style is right now. I got to answer five questions about, for example, what inspires my designs and what my crafting process  looks like. Lastly, I get to spotlight some talented ladies in my post, which in any case makes this worth reading if you didn't know them before. Let's start with the questions and answers part, though!

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I'm working on a mini album from a city trip to Hamburg a couple of weeks ago. I started right after I came home and sadly got a little behind after that. Also, since the Studio Calico reveal is just two days away, I hope to squeeze in another gallery card before the London inspired The Underground kits go live. 

Apart from paper crafting, I practice to improve on my handwriting and started to experiment with dip pens and modern calligraphy. Still a long way to go there but you see improvements quickly plus it's fun and kind of a soothing to just hear the pen on paper and trying to perform even loops and strokes line after line.

What inspires your designs?

It can be anything from Pinterest, of course, a cool photograph, fabric designs (like Orla Kiely's for the card above), Ikea visits, to what other designers (crafters or not) make. Then it develops from there to adapt it to paper crafting, apply new techniques and make it my own. Sometimes this takes a completely different direction from the original source of inspiration, which I usually like best.

What method/process do you apply to each of your creative projects, and how long does each project take to complete?

I feel like must be the turtle of all card makers, really. Kidding aside, a project can take anything from 20 minutes (when I'm pressed for time to create something simple last minute) to several days, especially when I'm not quite content with a project and sure something is missing. Usually, though, it's 1-2 hours per card and the most time certainly takes up the decision process not the making itself. 

As for processes, when I create for a challenge or work on a creative team project, it mostly starts with a certain product in mind. Other than that, you would often find me just pushing paper and embellishments on a card base until I'm satisfied with the look. It must be my love for photography - at least 80 percent of the time, I find myself applying the rule of thirds in my projects, i.e., lining focal points up with an imagined grid line.

If you had to describe your 'signature' style, what would it be?

Despite my irrational fear of insects in real life, I love to incorporate butterflies in paper projects. Also, I'm still liking the look of sewing lines and watercoloring on paper. In general, I would describe my style as often playful with some layers but still kind of clean. And, I'm a sucker for color and texture. There can be quite a variety of styles as I go from one card to another, though, since that changes a bit due to the mood of when I create.

What three crafting tools/products can you not live without?

It's hard to limit myself to just three so I'm going to cheat, leaving out the most basic things, i.e, a good neutral cardstock, scissors/cutter, and glue. Apart from these, I don't thing I could live again without my scoring board/bone folder - nothing beats a crisp fold in my book. Also, my Cuttlebug proofs to be an amazing investment again and again. I use it with dies, for embossing techniques, and since the last year, also for letterpressing. Lastly, the Tiny Attacher is a staple (pun intended) in my crafting process to attach all kinds of embellishments and to keep layers fluffy by not glueing them down around all edges.

Now, on to two of my long-time favorite card designers!

• First up, let me introduce you to Lea - not only is she a talented photographer but also a cardmaker extraordinaire! I think, I stumbled upon her blog years ago during a PTI blog hop. Lea must be famous in the crafting world for her bright and happy rainbow cards (love them)! Whether clean and simple or detailed with many layers, her cards always get my attention whenever they pop up in my browser. 
• And then, there's Nina - that girl :) She was the first crafter I met in real life and we got along very well right from the start. She will often tell that she's mostly just lifting others in her crafts when in reality she adds her very own clever and girly twist to all of her projects. Happy to have met her and received some of her beautiful works!

Please, check out the blogs of these amazing ladies! They will post their own blog hop entry next Monday (September 29th). 

Thanks for stopping by!