General Announcements

Five Questions for….Felicitas Klink

Felicitas Klink is one of the wonderful German Scrapbookers whose work I love a lot (there are others too :) )  There is something in her work that makes me happy  – might be the colors ;)

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1. What do you do to get into your creative zone?

That is a good question…I get inspired by so many things, magazines, nature and my daily routines. Very often I see some color combinations or some graphic patterns and I am inspired. On the other side there is hubby (my favorite scrap motive)…he also can be inspiring: When we fool around or when we are on one of our geocaching hikes. That all gets me into my creative zone and helps me creating my art.

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2. Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work?

No, not as i know!?! At 80% I create projects for me and my family. I try to keep our daily memories and pictures and I create my layouts and projects as soon as possible when they happened. So I have the backstories about these moments in my mind. That’s because I’m not a big storyteller or journaling person. I try to express our story in pictures…that’s my message.

3. If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

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Bild via pinterest (http://pinterest.com/pin/1579442/)

Hmm, maybe a mixture of spices and other cooking ingredients. Some spices, some grains, some crunchy things, some flexible. Different sizes, different colors, different textures, different tastes…mix it together and you get a completly new taste explosion!
4. What is your favorite creation?

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I love this Layout. It combines my passion for regular scrapbooking and mixed media. I love bright colors and mixing different styles together. Thats why I started to pimp my scrap backgrounds and give them more color and texture. I do my pages in layers and I love that something catches the eye. I also love doodling and stitching. A few months ago, I had a crush on my new sewing machine, since then I use it on every project I make :)
5.What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

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Uh that’s hard to choose. There is so much I can be proud of…
When I started scrapbooking/paper crafting I never thought that this will be such a big part of my life. I am proud to design for Scrapbook Werkstatt. They ask me to join their amazing team when I was a newbie in that business. I never thought that I start writing my own crafting blog  because in realife I am a very shy person. Now I blog for over a year now and I love it so much! Last summer I was asked to join the editors team of the austrian print magazine “Die Scrapperin” . I have so much fun to be involved in designing and creating this magazine. For the current issue I created different projects (layouts, cards and home decor) and I designed some downloads. You can find them on the download section on their website. And last but not least: This opportunity to share some sneak peeks of me and my creative work here at Nat’s. I love her so much and last month I met her in person…what a great women :) Thanks again, Nat.

Danke Felicitas :)

  • Sue Clarke

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    That last photo of you is sweet! Joy and success outside in the sun!

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  • Martha Richardson

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    Hi Danke – Nice to meet you and I like how you “pimped” out your LO!!

    Reply

  • Vicki Chrisman

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    Totally fun getting to know more about you Danke! I see why Nat loves your work!

    Reply

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Five Questions for….Birgit Koopsen

I know Birgit now for quite some while and we have met several times and share the room at Workshops and CHA :) Can’t ask for a better roomie and wonderful friend in the creative world :) And I’m looking forward teaching with her again this upcoming May at Scrapbook Werkstatt!

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First of all, thank you so much Nat for having me here as your guest blogger. I consider it a great honor and I really enjoyed answering your questions!

1.     What do you do to get into your creative zone?

To get into my creative zone I clean up my studio! Although I’m making a BIG mess when working on a project, I need to clean up my studio before starting a new one. A tidy studio makes me want to take out stuff and play! Make it a mess again :)

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Something else I discovered latelty that is making me want to create is browsing Pinterest! Seeing all the gorgeous stuff people are making makes me want to make something beautiful too! Oh and when the mailman comes with a box of new goodies! That makes me want to create instantly. Or a pile of new nice pictures, like after vacation. When I have so many that I hardly can choose which one to use first. This makes my head start spinning with ideas:

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2. Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work?

Uhmmm nope, everything is clear on my projects, just like I am. No hidden meanings on my part, what you see is what you get! LOL!

3. If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

I love to use a lot of color and mix them all together on one project so I guess my work would be cup cakes J

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Picture by Lynette Horner

4. What is your favorite creation?

Ohhh, this is a hard one. There are a couple I like! J

I guess it’s the Tattered Angels mini album I made a couple of months ago. The title is I am blessed and it hold pictures of my children and me and my hubby. I am truly blessed and looking through this album makes me realize that even more! So therefor this has to be it!

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You can see the whole album here: I am blessed.

5. What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

The most exciting thing I creatively achieved was being asked to design a paperline for the French company Infocrea and getting it released last year. Revolution.com.

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If everything works out right the next paperline should be released soon! J

Thank you Birgit :)

  • Gabriela Seminario

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    Love her studio! I think I have to try that idea of cleaning up before a project, it kind of makes sense…
    Enjoyed this interview!!

    Reply

  • Karen

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    I love the floor of your studio and good luck with the new line!

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    What a great creative space Birgit!
    Nothing like a box of scrappy goodness arriving at my door to make me want to scrap as well. LOVE the I Am Blessed album.

    Reply

  • Susan K. Weckesser

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    How simply fantastic to read and to learn more about you! Thank- you!!!
    :) Susan

    Reply

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Five Questions for….Rachel Carlson

Rachel is one of those people that after several months of business work a friendship developed. I cherish our friendship a lot :) Besides that she has an amazing hand with artsy and creative work too!

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1. what do you do to get in your creative zone?

and it’s going to sound silly. i surround myself with my favorite inspiration, a polka dot rock found and given to me by my husband, a neat work space (as sick as that sounds), YES things need to be neat and organized, helps me envision calm and peace so that i can create great works. Sickening I know.

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2. Do you ever create hidden meanings/messages in your work?

most recently YES. i used previous travel memorabilia and ephemera from road trips as a base layer for my canvas. it helped evoke a sense of gratitude for making an upcoming road trip possible. more of a hidden meaning to myself than the person that will receive it as a gift.

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3. If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

A German-style beer (can I say that), ha. Tough question for me, all I ever think about is cupcakes and beer. Even when being creative. Ha.

rach at sprinkles2010

4. What is my favorite creation?

There are many but a very recent one tops the charts right now. Tough times call for desperate measures. My mother-in-law is making it possible for a LOT of things, even the road trip that we are about to embark on, hence me using previous travel ephemera in her canvas. I adore this woman, she is my biggest fan. I hope she likes this gift.

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5. What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

I’ve been published in books, magazines, online, etc. And I about came out of my skin when I was asked to join the 7 Gypsies creative team but nothing prides me more than my own will to take my creative life back most recently. Thanks to a recent creative workshop, I am going to be okay with time. Getting back to what I know and love is a huge success for me.

thanks Rachel :)

  • bonitarose

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    fabulous interview.. thks Nat for doing this for all of us! hugs xo

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  • Mandy Collins

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    Great interview with Rachel and fabulous photos of some of her creations too

    Reply

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Easter Bunny Blog Hop *Vintage Street Market*

What is the Easter Bunny Blog Hop? Its a fun GIVEAWAY going on at Vintage Street Market! “Hop” around the Design Team’s blogs and gather their favorite color eggs. Fill your basket with these answers and enter to win a fun prize! Details can be found at www.vintagestreetmarket.com. What are you waiting for? Get hoppin’!

And here is my favorite egg color :)

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  • meme

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    WOW! Very interesting reading your interviews with everyone.

    Awesome!

    Hopping along and found YOU!

    Hopping on to the next color thanks for sharing!

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  • Ginger Labry

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    This blog hop is so much fun! love your site.

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  • ava

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    nat, such a creative blog. I will come back….very colorful

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  • Katie

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    My favorite color, too!

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  • Atticelf

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    :D Love your banner! I’m a new visitor and am enjoying roaming around your blog. Happy Friday!

    Reply

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Five Questions for….Susan Weckesser

Susan and I have been emailing back and forth for a while and I enjoyed our conversations a lot- and now finally I was able to also meet her at the CHA Winter Show :)

Susan Weckesser

1. What do you do to get into your creative zone?  

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@font-face { font-family: “Calibri”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }Most of my work will have a story hidden within it. This is just the way I create. I work it layers and I build a story into my piece whatever it may be. For instance, the above canvas was made with recycled pattern pieces. Those pattern pieces mean a lot to me because my mother not only sewed all the time when I was growing up but she used this actually pattern that I used. I also tear out words and pieces from patterns and books that mean something to me or are keywords to the story of the artwork. So there is the picture that the person can see, but then there is the story that is worked into the piece that only I can understand unless I show some one! It just makes it extra special!

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Why, yummy pie OFCOURSE!!!!! Every single KIND!!!! I LUV them all!

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I love these altered baby shoes that I created a year and a half ago. They weren’t the best thing that I every created, but they meant the most to me because they went to a good cause. They were auctioned off at the Crop for Kids to raise some money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. That made me feel really good about these little baby shoes!

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I feel really blessed with a lot of things that are going on in my life. I got to be on a cooking Jean Pare ‘Company Cooking’ cooking show, I write for some awesome magazines & reviews, I am writing a book, and my husband & I created four wonderful children, but I guess my most exciting creative almost success(don’t want to jinx it), is the manufacturing of my own paper line this year!!!!  I am learning to believe in myself and to live my dreams!!!

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Thank you so much Susan :)

  • Kila Rohner

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    Awesome, love your creations. I appreciate music but have no talent in that area. Congrats and best wishes for future success!

    Reply

  • Susan K. Weckesser

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    Thanks everyone for the lovely comments and thank-you Nat, What a wonderful creative world! :)

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Beautiful paper line and wow…that’s a lot of instruments to play!

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  • Vicki Chrisman

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    So fun to read about you Susan! Beautiful work!

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  • rachel carlson

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    yay susan, so nice to know you a bit more. hugs!

    Reply

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Five Questions for….Erin Yamabe

So loving to have Erin, who I met last November at PACS and then also at the Winter CHA.  She is just one of the sweetest persons in the world! and check out her blog today-she is also doing a give away!

Erin Yamabe, is a Bay Area native, who is honored to be here on her dear friends’ blog! She is a SAHM to two little girls, who are the main subjects of her work. As Designer, Teacher, and DT Coordinator for My Little Shoebox, she finds her job very fun, challenging, and rewarding! Her work can be seen in Magazines in the U. S. and in Japan, on Scrapbook Memories TV Show, QVC UK and at CHA. She enjoys teaching locally, at CHA, and even abroad at PACS last Winter.

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 1. What do you do to get into your creative zone?
My scrap space is the back of my kitchen…so when my little ones are in bed, I get out my goodies and scrap away! I love to listen to music and sometimes skype with scrappy friends while we are working away!
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2. Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work?

Yes- I search for script paper, and have been known to write a letter to the person I’m scrapping about across a 12×12. Then, I paint with gesso, and a light mist of some sort…and sometimes highlight certain words, to reveal part of the letter. In each of my daughter’s books, there are letters I wrote to them behind each layout. Sometimes, too personal to put onto my work if it is being shown publicly.
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3. If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

Hmm, I would think like chocolate. Not necessarily because of the end result, but more due to the amount I could consume during a creative session! LOL!

4.What is your favorite creation?

To date, it is a canvas that I created for a recent DT call. Through Nathalie at the Paper and Co Show, where we taught together, I learned many amazing techniques, so I tried a few out!
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5. What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

After enduring many miscarriages, I would say that having my two precious daughters would be my biggest success! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have found scrapbooking…and been blessed with design and teaching opportunities around the world!

Blessings,

Erin Yamabe

Thank you so much Erin!

  • Ania

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    Truly enjoyed reading about you Erin, especially the part that you also use gesso over hidden messages!! :D *hugs*

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Thanks for your answers Erin and congrats on your two daughters. I have one son and it took us 10 years to get him! I love your canvas and you just gave me an idea for using the bird cages that I just HAD to buy. Peace, Sue

    Reply

  • Shelly Mitchell

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    Nat, I love this interview ! Punky Sprouts is looking forward to having Erin guest designing in just a few weeks!

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Five Questions for…Jamie Dougherty

Jamie is so amazingly talented, when I finally got to meet her last CHA it was the coolest- plus, she is just the sweetest girl in the world!

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What do you do to get into your creative zone?

I thrive on chaos, I need noise around for me to work. I over think things when it’s too quiet.  My brain starts to hurt and smoke begins to escape my ears.  It must be something to do with having kids.  If I couldn’t deal with chaos I would be in real trouble lol.  But they inspire me so it’s all worth it. Here is my room.  As you can see I am not a neat freak.  And I LOVE paint :)

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Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work?

Unfortunately I am not that clever lol.  I do create things though that I don’t post online, that I keep for myself.   

 If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

It would definitely be chocolate cake :)  Sweet, rich with substance, and only good in small amounts ;)

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What is your favorite creation? 

My favorite creation would have to be this LO of the kiddos.  It was a turning point in my style that made me realize I could return to my fine arts abilities.  Also everything went together perfectly, which doesn’t happen often.  The picture feels so innocent, the colors and Prima fit so well and the finishing touch of a little Pink Floyd wisdom made for the perfect journaling.  

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What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

My biggest success so far is being recognized by my fellow artists.  To have my work appreciated by women who work so hard on their own work and talent, means worlds to me. Working along side the talented people I have in the last year is amazing.

Thank you so much Jamie!

  • Heidi Kelley

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    I heart you Jamie!!! Fun to get a glimpse into your room. :))

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  • Erika Taylor

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    One of my absolute favorite artists today. What a wonderful treat to have Jamie as a Guest blogger today. Love ya Jamie!!!

    Reply

  • Bellaidea

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    I like your work very much!

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  • Sue Clarke

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    LOOK at all that fun mist and paint and such and I love your chocolate cake description!

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  • Martha Richardson

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    So glad that I have the opportunity to work with you. Your art blows me away…this LO is breathtaking!!!

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  • Mandy C

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    Am enjoying the 5 questions series, so many fun people to meet

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Five Questions for….Vanessa Spencer

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Vanessa Spencer is from Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Vanessa is a mixed-media artist and is the Consulting Editor for Somerset Memories and manages The Shoppe at Somerset for Stampington & Company. To learn more about her visit her blog at http://www.artfulanthology.blogspot.com/  or her etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtfulAnthology.

1.  What do you do to get into your creative zone?

 A number of things motivate me to create. Visiting a new interesting place can be inspiring! For example I took a trip to Salvation Mountain in 2009. The amazing vibrant colors used to paint the mountain were certainly an inspiration.

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A little blog hopping, flipping through the pages of art and craft magazines and books, and looking at the artwork and talent of other artists gets my creativity going as well. More recently though I have found that simply heading outdoors with my camera and taking all sorts of photographs is a great way to get inspired. There are a number of ways to kick it into gear and it’s good to change it up!

http://artfulanthology.blogspot.com/2011/03/trip-to-salvation-mountain.html

 2.  Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work? (if you have an example you would like to share- sent photo)

 I have a tendency to use butterfly images in my artwork. When I was 19 I had moved to Melbourne Australia and decided to take a watercolor painting class. One of the first project assignments was to just paint a picture, anything inspiring, no rules.

It was after the project assignment that the teacher came around to each student individually and we discussed what we had painted and why. It didn’t really occur to me until I finished it that I had painted a picture with some personal emotion behind it. The name “Vanessa” is of Greek origin and means “butterfly.”  The picture I had painted was of a butterfly, trapped inside a room (on a window) and I had painted a city outside the window.

I realized through the images of what I had painted that, I had in a way, painted myself trapped inside a big new city. I wish I knew what happened to that painting! I have moved an average of once per year for the past ten years so I’ve misplaced a few things along the way… I’ve always known the origin of my name and like many I just love the simplicity and beauty of a butterfly.
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 3.  If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

 

One of my favorite treats is sugar cookies! Especially the pretty ones with colorful frosting and sprinkles. They take me back to my childhood. I think these represent how my artwork would taste: sweet, with a touch of nostalgia.
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 4.  What is your favorite creation?

 

My most recent home décor project I’m actually quite proud of! My little girl recently transitioned from a toddler bed to a big girl bed. The bed I found was functional with drawers underneath it and was the right color to match the other furniture in her room except it had black drawers which were kind of dark looking and didn’t fit.

So I decided to finally use up some scraps of paper that had been sitting in a box in my craft room. I had Izzy help me tear up all the pieces and I simply decoupaged the drawers with all the colorful scrap pieces of paper. I love how it adds so much color to her bedroom, its bright and fun – perfect for a 4 year old!
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 5.  What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

Simply being a published artist is a great creative success. I have had my artwork published in over 38 publications by Stampington & Company. But being a cover artist twice for Stampington & Company’s Take Ten publication has been my greatest success.
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http://artfulanthology.blogspot.com/2011/02/cover-girl-x-2.html
Thank you so much Vanessa :)

  • kate blue

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    lurking around and am loving all the inspo-this totally rocks!

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  • Heidi Kelley

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    I LOVE that bed! My girls would too! So nice to read a bit more about you Vanessa!

    Reply

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Five Questions for….Heidi Kelley

Heidi is one of the people whose work always make me sit in awe and look at it over and over- I love love love her work! I’m so happy that we have lot’s of email contact the last couple months :)

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1. What do you do to get into your creative zone?

This may sound silly… but I like to say that I “blank.” What is “blanking?” (Well, besides a made-up, Heidi phrase?) When I “blank” it means that I turn off any music or noise (oftentimes this includes putting my young son down for a nap!), I clean off my desk, putting any and every other project out of sight, and I start each project fresh. I start with my photo or item that I want to alter, and nothing else. Most importantly, I don’t look at anyone else’s work right before I begin a new project and enter that creative place. I find that starting completely fresh, with this clean, blank, slate – opens my project to all kinds of possibilites – and I am not influenced by anything else visually right at that moment. I want my photo (in a layout) to dictate what emotion I want the layout to portray in the end. I want the altered item to “speak” (I know, silly) to me. In the end I want my artwork to make me FEEL what I felt when I took the picture, or how I feel when I hold the altered item in my hand, and starting the creative process by embracing only what I love about those items in the beginning helps me to do this.

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2. Do you ever create hidden meanings or messages in your work?

Absolutely… because ultimately, what I am creating is a keepsake for my children. The story of us, who we are, who they were, and a lot of times these messages or events that I am documenting don’t mean anything to others, or aren’t for sharing! :) I often make pull out tags for behind photos, or little messages folded into the layouts. I also write journaling on the backsides of a lot of my work. These are messages to my children, to my husband, to myself… notes that are private, things that others don’t need to see. On another level, like I said above, I want my work to portray an emotion that I felt or feel when it comes to the subject matter, so while this feeling may be not as apparent, and remains “hidden” to other viewers… it is to me. The way I stitch or apply paint, the chaotic or neatly printed journaling, all of it means something to me. I want to remember this down the road too, so on the backside of my work, I write words, or tags so that I remember. “Joy, adoration, stress, contentment” are just an example of what you might find.

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3. If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

A drumstick. Yep…. definitely a drumstick. Layers upon layers of yum. Each layer is delicious by itself and can certainly stand alone, but when you put it all together, the end result is absolutely scrumptious!  (Mmm, I think I need to go raid the freezer now…) And the best part of a drumstick? The surprise in the end (chocolate in the bottom) – yep, see right when I think I am finished with a project, I almost always add just one more thing…. and it finishes things off perfectly. :)

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4. What is your favorite creation?

I hollowed out a book not too long ago, and altered it as a keepsake for my children. In the inside, I wrote them a letter… things I wanted them to know, things I wanted them to remember about me and who I am, and why. Things that I want for them, words that I hope will encourage them if/when I am no longer here. I poured my heart into the letter and into the book, and I hope one day it means as much to them as it does to me!

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5. What is your biggest creative success so far and why?

I’m not sure that I can pinpoint one thing… so I guess I have to answer this with – 2011 is my greatest success, lol. This year has been amazing for me, already, and this creative adventure has me doing things that I never even thought were a possibility! Each little thing that happens means different things to me, for different reasons, so the whole journey has been more that I ever imagined. A few of the best things that have happened?

I wrote an article for Somerset Memories this year, and that was mind-blowing. Never in a million years could I have predicted that.

I begun teaching for several different companies and guest designing for others. Those opportunities have nurtured my soul and creativity in so many ways. Being able to surround myself with other people who share my passion for artwork has been so uplifting and I am grateful for every conversation, every paint stroke, every memory, I have with them!

And I can’t forget another extremely important event..

THIS ONE.
Guest blogging for Nathalie Kalbach, one of my long-standing, inspirational muses, is such an amazing honor. Thank you Nat, for everything.
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xx Heidi

Thanks Sweet Heidi :)

  • vanessa spencer

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    love your answers Heidi! drumsticks are another fav treat of mine also…

    Reply

  • Martha Richardson

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    Great blog…Hi Heidi ~ Totally agree that Nat is inspirational. Your book is a beautiful keepsake for your children!

    Reply

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