My Work
This page does not alter - but visit my other sections (which do!) and you will find all my latest works and experiments.
Arty stuff runs in my family my aunt was the most amazing needlewoman I have ever seen and used to knit lace wedding ring shawls. I started crafting when I was very young; my primary school had proper sewing classes for the girls while the boys did woodwork. We did not have a telly when I was growing up so I was always creating something or other.
The thing that makes my work different is the use of colour and texture; you could never call me a minimalist! I love all the patterned paper that is about, both the printed and the Indian. I love ribbons, buttons, brads, shapes and layers.
A lot of my work ideas over lap: I make books in which I calligraphy poems, my cards use calligraphy in their design and my scrapbook pages usually make use of calligraphy in the journaling. I also make books that become scrap books or albums. I prefer the more American style of scrap booking that makes much more use of journaling than the English style.
I have the tiniest craft office in the whole world. It's what was left over when the builders put in the loft staircase for hubby, and it's about 6ft x 4ft. The wall space is lined with CD size bookcases (because they are not as deep as normal book cases) - and one wall has my tiny clerk's desk and full size bookcases for  extra stuff. I prefer to craft by hand, from scratch, so I usually make my cards from sheets of card stock rather than the ready made blanks. I prefer to cut my shapes myself - this does mean that sometimes the knife/scissor cuts show, but I think that is part of my work real hands on stuff not pressed buttons. That's what crafting is all about. The most modern gadgets I own are the Cuttlebug for embossing (which I love but is still very hands on), a few punches the Bind It All for my books.
These days I go to craft class twice a month - there is so much out there . . . and I love to learn how to do it. I take my craft and design seriously - study hard (I do have an art's degree) - talk to everyone, go to craft classes twice a month and surf the web to try to keep up. I have been working with calligraphy for about 7 years now. I do do a little stamping, but you usually find it used as another layer, texture or background rather that the point of the piece in its own right. Also you will find a large use of digital images - which are so versitileto use and colour. The copic inks (which I study with Suzanne Dean and Colleen Schaan) are just fantastic to use - and I have had to start saying that they are hand coloured so that people do not think I have just printed them off. I always weclome feed back - positive is wonderful (of course!), negative, back it up and tell me why and it's equally welcome!
My long-term goal is to be able to make my own paper and use it to cover books and for layering on cards/scrapbook pages and for accents. Then the circle will be complete.
Well, visit my shop, and a have rummage around my tiny little workshop and see what you think.
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