Getting to Know Me {Blog Hop}

Hey there, blog friends!  So- you've probably seen lots of these posts over the past couple months on the blogs of other card designers.  Well, I was tagged by Dana Fleckenstein (one of my FAVE Studio Calico card designers) to take part in the getting to know you blog hop this week.  You can read more about Dana on her getting to know you post HERE.

Alright...as it suggests in the title, you are going to get to know me a little bit better.  I've got some questions to answer, a project to share, and a couple of other card designers linked up at the end.  How about we get this party started? :)

What creative projects are you currently working on?
Well...I am in the middle of finishing my October design team projects for My Mind's Eye.  Today I will also start working on a Winnie & Walter card for World Card Making Day.  And tomorrow I need to finish my entry for week 1 in the Cropped 2014 contest at Pixels & Co.  I don't have any sneek peak photos to share though. :(  But, I also created this card this morning so I would have something to share with you!

I fell in love with this week's Sunday Sketch from Studio Calico, so I used it as my starting off point in the card design.  I love how you can use a sketch, and your card still looks completely different from all the others!  I also created this for the Simon Says Stamp "Anything Goes" Wednesday challenge.

InLinkz.com

What inspires your designs?
I find inspiration in a lot of different ways.  I LOVE card challenges.  I find them such a great way to get started, and there are so many different types.  I have a list of all the different card challenges, and I try to update it daily so I have the most current ones in my mind as I create.

I also really love product...and I find that it inspires me just as much as challenges do!  If I genuinely love the product I am using, creating is such an organic process for me.  On the flip side...if I am trying to create with something that isn't my favorite, I really struggle with it.

What method/process do you apply to each of your creative projects, and how long does each project take to complete?
I always get a solid design in mind first, often found in my favorite sketch challenges.  Then I pull all the product that I might want to use on the project so it is readily available when I want to grab for it.  I might not use it all, but I like it to be handy!!

After that I just start cutting paper & placing items together on the card front.  I don't completely adhere anything down until I like how it looks, and then I add in finishing touches after that.  I don't really worry too much about time...as long as I am enjoying myself it doesn't really matter to me.  One card can take me minutes....or hours.

If you had to describe your 'signature' style, what would it be?
I don't know....why don't you tell me (as I smirk at my cleverness....lol!)  Here is a peek at detail shots from some of my favorite cards this year:

Truthfully...I think my style is a little eclectic.  I like bits of every type of style, and product!  I think the one thing that stays pretty consistent with me is that I follow trends, but not to a fault.  I still try to have sound designs that are pleasing to the eye, and that a recipient would enjoy to get in the mail.  I use white a lot, and like my cards to have that nice & bright feel to them.  Honestly- I don't know how else to describe my style!!


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

1. Patterned paper/vellum
2. Sentiment stamps
3. Metal dies

And now on to two of my favorite card designers!!

• Jocelyn Olson - I am in awe of her hybrid abilities, and how "free" she seems to be when creating cards.  I love how she layers papers with unevenly cut edges to them, all the bits of stitching that she does here & there, & how she dabbles in all different mediums when it comes to her cards.  Not to mention...we've gotten to know each other through Glitz, and I think we would be besties if we lived in the same town.  Lol!
• Miriam Prantner - She is like, always ON.  Almost every single day you can go to her blog & she has an amazing project to share with you. She is an excellent stamper, and her clean style always showcases the stamp sets that she is working with so perfectly.  Not to mention...she is so great about checking out other people's work & leaving them comments!  She makes me want to get better at this...it is is easy to like something on Facebook or Instagram, but very rarely do people comment any longer unless it is a "famous" designer's blog.  She makes me want to be better at leaving my fellow crafters genuine love on their projects!

They have both already participated in this fun blog hop, but I decided that I wanted to stick with the two designers who immediately came to mind when preparing for my post today.  Be sure to check out Jocelyn's post HERE, and Miriam's post HERE.

I hope that you guys enjoyed getting to know me as a card maker a little bit more today.  If you have any questions at all about me, my creative process, or any cards that I've made...feel free to ask!  I will reply back in the comments....so be sure to check back.

Until later,
~L.