Fabulous Florals and a Creative Blog Hop

Hello everyone! It's Monday and today you'll be getting two posts from me. First, I have been invited to join the Creative Blog Hop. I am honored to have been invited by my creative friend from the Anything But a Card Challenges team Lisette Baker {aka Mrs Beez}. Thank you so much for your kind words and praise! Lisette and I share a passion for paper, texture and dimensional projects - especially her attention to the little details!

I particularly love her holiday makes like this altered Christmas spool ornament {click here}. So today I will continue this by answering the following questions and introducing a couple artists too.

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My project I'm sharing today is a recent creation resulting from a workshop taken with Eileen Hull learning all about her ATB {artist trading block} dies, and techniques making dimensional projects using embossing folders and dies {I have a lot of these, both which have been pretty neglected lately}. If the #PaprTrail3 tour is coming to your area - I highly recommend taking a workshop with Eileen!

With the holiday season approaching, I want to be putting them to use in making some fabulous dimensional gifts... like this embossed metal ATB box used as a faux planter box holding die cut metal flowers. Embossing and layering metal die cut flowers... I never considered it and I've got loads of floral dies and punches!!! I colored the leaves and bow with alcohol ink markers, but left the flowers silver - they are just so pretty and whimsical... and will never wilt - LOL!

Now for the questions...

1. What are you working on at the moment?

I am most at home with paper crafting, but I find I'm always stamping, molding and casting something. I am the creative team lead for Amazing Crafting Products and most projects scream for something 3-Dimensional. I just returned from a weeks vacation in Jamaica and I strategically snuck a bit of Amazing Mold Putty in my carry on so I could mold something special from my travels. 

Here's a peek of my mold I captured. Its flat now, but I'm adding on a border so I can fill with resin and transform this into a special keepsake.

I'm also working on some projects that are outside of my passion for papercrafting - bringing me back to my love of sewing and handcrafted holiday creations.

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I'm a junkie for any and all media - which could really send me off in a tangent in any direction. I'm always striving to include repurposed items into my creations. Reinventing something ordinary or discarded into something lovely is truly rewarding.

3. Why do you create?

I create because I have a muse that never stops. Creating is a necessary to me as eating or breathing... running a close second to my favorite pastime sleeping. I have been creatively inclined since a very young age, and now as an adult I have the privilege of sharing my knowledge as well as arting for sheer enjoyment.

4. How does your creative process work?

What a tough question... hmmm! Sometimes I've got a vision that I've scribbled down that will come to fruition through mixed media exploration. But I also love a challenge... give me a constrained set of supplies or a prompt and I'm off and running by the seat of my pants. 

Now I will pass the baton and introduce a couple of my creative friends to you!

Please give a warm welcome to Tracy Alden, who blogs at Art Resurrected. She is a creative friend of mine who is talented in so many media - though she really shines with her hand crafted unique jewelry creations. One of my favorites is this custom spilled cocktail necklace that was mold/cast in resin and is certainly one-of-a-kind! She also creates amazing dimensional mixed-media pieces too like this altered papier maché book box... the contents just spill out so beautifully.

Next is my the super imaginative Sandra Strait of Life Imitates Doodles! We share a love of creatively experimenting... and the patience to see a project to fruition. Sandra is an expert with pencil, pen and brush as an illustrator and her zentangled inspired works are a must see. I was inspired instantly by her creative stylings and have enjoyed watching her work evolve from the page into a 3-Dimensional reality. I have so many favorite work of hers I couldn't even choose just one - but I will point out that even a resin spill will be transformed into a one of her creative characters!

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Tracy and Sandra... please continue "The Creative Bloghop" by answering the above questions in a blog post published next Monday (October 13th) and inviting a couple of other artists/crafters to continue the following week.

Lisette’s post you can find at the following link; and you can visit Ruth Levy {aka Lerusho} who tapped Mrs. Beez for THE CREATIVE BLOGHOP by clicking here.

Have a happy Monday everyone! Sb :)