What program do you use to make your digital and hybrid cards?
Photoshop Elements 11.0. I’d love to get the full-size Photoshop program, but Elements is much
cheaper. It was the best $70 I’ve spent on crafting.
Where do you find inspiration?
My biggest sources of inspiration come from online places like Pinterest, fellow designers’
blogs, general design blogs, and Etsy. I love looking at new product lines (both digital and
traditional), and I always get ideas for cards that way.
I also find inspiration in unusual places like my three-year-old’s books. My husband and I have
collected art, mostly from when we travel, and that provides me with ideas. I have a giant oil
painting of a lawn chair in my craft space. ;) (her craft area is a small corner in the dining room).
What do you do for a living? Does it influence your design?
I’m a research and evaluation consultant for state, federal, and higher ed disability and special
education programs. I was a professor and went back and forth between teaching and research
for over a decade, but when we moved to South Dakota, I decided to take the leap and become
self-employed.
My work and my paper crafting are pretty separate, although I do sometimes find card sketches
in my work files. The move into the digital world was influenced by my work. I travel to other
states from time to time for work, and since I always have my computer with me, I can design
any time I travel. Last summer I participated in Gallery Idol, and for one round, I was designing
one of my cards on the flight home. A couple of months ago, we were driving home from
Minneapolis (in a snow storm, no less), and I was on Photoshop make a card for a call. You get
the idea.
Did you take a digital class when you first started?
No, I’m all self-taught.
Why did you chose digital?
The main reason I started using digital elements is because I would have an idea in my head, and
I didn’t have the products to execute it. Frankly, I was frustrated because I couldn’t find stamps
and papers in the designs I wanted. Now I can usually either find an image I want or make it
myself.
Otherwise, here are my top five reasons:
1) Convenience (like I already said)
2) The huge diversity of products
3) I can tweak images, like change the color or scale of an element, to fit the project
4) The undo button is my friend J
5) I don’t have a big craft space, and I don’t have to store as much stuff
Card you are most proud of?
I’ve always been proud of my “Hey” card. The card was published in Paper Crafts Magazine,
and although it wasn’t my first published hybrid card, it represents a turning point in my mind
for when I fully committed to hybrid designs.
(comic book inspired cards have become her signature)
What are your best publishing tips?
Before I started blogging, I stalked a lot of blogs for several months. One of my favorite bloggers
was Chan Vuong, and I contacted her for some tips for getting published. She gave me some
great pointers that I would not have known at the time (e.g., make projects other than cards,
use new products, take a close-up photo of the project, etc.). She was incredibly helpful and
supportive. I’m no publishing expert. I guess I’ve had the best luck with submitting projects with
less common products.
How long do you think about a card before you are on the computer creating it?
A long time. When I get a design team assignment or a call, I typically think about the project(s)
for about a week before I do anything. What can I say? I’m a slow crafter.
Total card time (how long it takes to create a card from start to finish?
From the point I sit down to start crafting, it usually takes me about 1-3 hours to make a project.
Cards with a digital element are usually slower for me, but that could be because I’m distracted
by e-mail, Facebook, TV, etc. Traditional (non-digital) cards are typically faster, but I obsess
over things like cardstock and ink colors.
Favorite place to buy clothes?
I’m short and need short lengths. I tend to shop at Ann Taylor Loft or Banana Republic since
they’re available locally. Since I work out of my house, I don’t buy clothes as often anymore.
Funniest joke you ever heard?
I’m a big fan of Laffy Taffy jokes—the cornier the better. I hate when I buy a Laffy Taffy and
it’s a repeat joke (which of course means I’ve eaten far too many Laffy Taffies).
Most admired blogger?
Oh goodness, I’ve been dreading this question because it’s like choosing between a slice of
lemon meringue pie and a piece of chocolate cake (I must be hungry). My favorite bloggers are
ones who make projects that make me wonder “why didn’t I think of that?”
Saddest thing about blogging?
Without a doubt, the saddest thing is when a fellow paper crafter passes away.
What is the secret to longevity to bloghood?
I have no idea. I suppose I should be more analytical about it, but I just try to keep my head
down and do my own thing.
How long have you been crafty?
Like most crafters, I’ve always been crafty. I used to love to draw and make sticker books.
I loved my Fashion Plates, Lillian Vernon personalized colored pencils, and metallic paint
markers. In my 20s, I dabbled in cross stitching and quilting but was pretty terrible at both. I
didn’t get into papercrafting until I was in my 30s.
Most pinned card?
I’m not completely sure since it’s hard to tell with Pinterest, but I know I had a bunch of pins on
a card from September 2011. It’s not my favorite card, but I still get weekly traffic on my blog
for this card.
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