Getting to know me - the Creative Blog Hop

Hello,

The first thing you need to know about me is that I am always playing "catch up"! My life is a constant game of valiantly attempting to keep up with all of my commitments and every now and then missing something, or just plain running late.

This is an example of running late. Michele (one l) from I Card Everyone tagged me for The Creative Blog Hop. Weeks ago. Yes, the tagging usually involves posting your own post one week later, but life got away with me, again! Apparently you're supposed to do your post on a Monday. So, I think I'm getting that part right. It is Monday in Australia, Monday in Europe, and very close to being Monday in the US (or perhaps already there).

I want to talk about Michele from I Card Everyone. She is such a lovely person! I really feel like we "get" each other. I found Michele about one day after she joined blogland. I think she had about four followers. I think it was Debby Hughes who told me about her, so I dutifully went to take a look, and I found that there was this awesome stamper who had been hiding somewhere... maybe Flikr, or SCS, or I-don't-know-where. I just know that every single card she has posted since her first has been AMAZING! I don't know how she does it.

So to answer the questions:
1. What am I working on right now?
Well, I always have several things on the go at once. In cards, I'm trying to figure out how to make a card using Altenew's Shadow Play stamps. I seriously love this set. It has SHADOWS. But I haven't quite figured out how to construct my scenes without copying other people's work yet. This one is the closest I've got so far to something I'm happy with. And it doesn't use the shadow stamps, lol!

The other things I'm working on is watercolours and drawing. The watercolours are an ongoing project. I don't paint much, so I don't give myself much time to practice. I'd like to do more art. Every now and then you'll see my painting/drawing in my cards. I have an idea for a stamp set. I'm not sure what I should do with this idea, but it is percolating away in my head right now. I'm drawing ideas and storing them away for a rainy day.

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?
Mmmm, this is a difficult question. I lean heavily towards clean-and-simple and in particular one-layer. If you look at my watercoloured cards, they are also fairly CAS, only the watercolouring disguises this, because the edges aren't as crisp. My inspiration in CAS style has always been Susan Raihala, Laura Bassen, Cristina Kowalczyk, Debby Hughes, and Laurie Willison. There are others, but these are my main CAS inspiration people. I've been lucky enough to make friends with most of these lovely ladies. How does my work differ? I'm not quite as good as them yet (by a country mile). But I'm working at it. ;-)

3. Why do I create what I do?
I've always been crafty. I was lucky enough to attend an alternative school until Grade 5. It was a student-led learning system. I learned English and Maths and Science, but I also learned so much about art and photography and craft and film-making and looking after farm animals. My Mum, my aunts, my grandma, my great-aunts all were fabulous crafters, too. My family is full of musicians and artists. It's wonderful!

Personally, I make cards because they are a quick way for me to express my creativity. I'm busy. I work five days a week. I have a family who have lots of activities. I am an introvert who desperately needs some quiet time to recharge. Making cards allows me that time. Thinking about design, colour, texture leaves no space for other thoughts, it's so relaxing! I make time every single week to make something. Maybe only one or two cards, sometimes five or six. I'm also working on a crochet rug. That may take years, lol!

4. How does my creative process work?
Sometimes it is just an amazing stamp set that requires no other inspiration. Like Altenew Hennah Elements. Oh my! That set, for me, is perfect!

Sometimes it is a challenge. Runway Inspired Challenge taught me that I can be inspired by fashion. I never thought this was possible, but not one to run from a challenge, I dove in head first. I have followed this challenge from the very first week. I don't always find time to join in, but I am always inspired.

 

Often it is other card makers. Like Sanketi, who makes amazing watercolours! Her watercolouring of a stamp set inspired this one for me. She continues to inspire me. I love her style.

Or Jen Rzasa, who makes watercolour look CAS. Jen inspired me to try my own watercoloured original drawings. The first bird was okay, for a first time drawing of a bird. The second one was an improvement. I'm yet to draw and paint my third bird, which I'm sure will be even better.

The other part of this blog hop is tagging other bloggers. When I went looking for my favourite bloggers to tag, I kept finding that they had already been tagged. So, I've given up on the idea of pre-empting who might play along. I have highlighted some who inspire me above. This is by no means an exhaustive list, because I am also inspired daily by:
Tracey of In My Creative Opinion - Oh my goodness, Tracey is just the loveliest person on Earth. One day I'm heading over to visit her and all the other Toronto girls.
Virginia Lu of Yes, Virginia - who finds time to visit and comment, despite being a very busy and very popular lady!
Ardyth of Maskerade - I forgot to mention Ardyth above in CAS inspiration. Ardyth has ultra-CAS perfected. She's also fabulously nice.
Lynn of The Mango Boys and Me - Lynn makes the best cards. She makes the best masculine cards. I love her style. And Lynn is one of the Ohio girls that I intend to visit one day. Her odd hours (very early mornings?) means that we connect most days.
Wida of Beachorado - Wida has something special. Over the years she has developed this into her very own style. I have a definite soft spot for Wida.
Darnell of djkardkreations - I "met" Darnell when she only had a handful of followers. These days she's so busy fending off her fanclub of thousands it surprises me when she still finds time to visit me, and send me greetings at the right time (birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas). Darnell makes me laugh. That's what attracted me in the first place and that's what keeps me coming back for more. One day on my grand tour of the US, I'm making a special trip to visit Darnell.

What a gigantic post. Please don't be offended if I didn't include you in my list. I have simply run out of time and must rush to bed. And I daren't delay this post another week! I'm sure most people won't make it the whole way through to the end here. If you made it, congratulations on surviving my excess of words!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx