I make stuff out of paper, fabric scraps and ink and now I'm making stamps, too.
Junior high sewing class was grim. The assignment was to make one of those floral vests with the satin back (this was the 90's, mind you). There was a pattern involved; it was a terrifying labyrinth of angles and lines and numbers. In essence, it reminded me of geometry and anything math-related has always been my downfall. Long story short, I failed the vest. Despite the skills of my mega-talented mom, I just couldn't follow a pattern to save my life. Even today, the sight of a pattern gives me hives...unless I'm gluing it or painting on it for some sort of mixed media project.
Because of my traumatic vest memories, I avoided the world of fabric and sewing for many years until fate led me to the doors of an adorable local quilt shop. I was looking to buy a gift for my friend, but I was blown away by the explosion of patterns and colors and artistry that I saw all around me. Fabric, I suddenly realized, wasn't so different from patterned paper or other textures I loved working with. So I bought a few fat quarters and started experimenting. I still had no desire to follow a pattern, but I learned that I could "scribble" onto fabric with thread and I could color it, paint it, ink it up, or stamp on it. Ripping it and leaving scraggly edges was a look I adored. Before long I found myself happily gathering fabric scraps with as much gusto as my mom! Fabric became a wonderful and welcome addition to my crafty bag of tricks.
Today I make all sorts of 3D creations and paper art pieces that often incorporate fabric. My work has been published in several magazines including Somerset Studio, The Stamper's Sampler, Sew Somerset, Stuffed and Cloth Paper Scissors.
In addition to these mixed media creations, I've recently completed one of my Bucket List dreams which was to draw my own stamp set and have it produced. And so begins my latest crafty endeavor!
If you like my style, swing by my blog at snappingmonsters.blogspot.com. I love being a part of the creative community and am always inspired by you fellow artisans out there!
My shop and blog were named after the stuffed creatures I began making a few years ago. I would take pictures of them, hence the name snapping monsters (as in me snapping pictures of my monsters).
So that's my story and it's proof that you don't have to be traditional or typical to find your creative wings!
