The Clearsnap 2012-2013 Creative Team!!
My name is Megan Aaron. I live outside Philadelphia, PA with my husband, 6-yr-old daughter, Eliana, our dog, Penny, and our lizard, Queen Julia. I work as a software engineer during the day and use pretty much every second of my spare time to scrapbook. When I do get time for other hobbies, I enjoy reading, video games, running, traveling and dining. I have been scrapbooking for about 7 years, although I kept an old-school style scrapbook throughout my whole life. I started scrapbooking after a trip to Europe, when I was home, mostly alone, and pregnant in my apartment while my husband was traveling for work. I had hundreds of photos and tons of stories that I wanted to record. I also needed something to take up my time. HAHA, I never had any idea just how much it was going to do THAT! After that I found the online scrapbooking community and was hooked. I love everything about this art - the people, the inspiration, the creativity, the papers, the embellishments, the changing trends and the new challenge that comes along with each one.
My style is mostly clean and simple but I like to include a lot of layers and texture. Most of my pieces include sewing because it's a great way to add texture and interest without adding bulk. I also love color; I just love mixing and matching it and playing with new combinations. Finally, I love challenges and trying new things. Challenges, assignments and contests make me think outside the box and keep things new and fresh.
I’m a mixed media designer with several years of experience in various degrees of art and design. My book, Altered Art Circus, Quarry Books, is dedicated to my love of recycle, everything we see and own has an endless supply of uses, my job is to navigate one’s thought process into seeing this. One man’s trash is definitely one man’s treasure, a philosophy I engage in every aspect of my life including my store front, Piddlestixs, located in a turn of the century former theater where creating vignettes and displays is done on a budget through finds at thrift stores, rummage sales, curbside, dumpster diving and recycling. I am known as queen of the re-purpose process, and laugh over Sanford and Son.
My works have been published over 100 times worldwide, I am the creator behind the Lisa Kettell Designs Line, the Piddlestixs series of Magazines, and how to videos. I teach workshops in various locales from Museums to my store Piddlestixs, located in Lafayette, NJ, where I can create within my enchanted environment.
I'm an artist who believes in serendipity, accidental chances especially when it comes to my works. Some of the best pieces I created were out of a mistake or accident, nothing I do is plain or ordinary, you never know what is going to come out of my imagination when I take on a project, even I don't.I'm a visionary who see's the gold in found objects, if its discarded or forgotten I'm going to love it and treasure it, and give it a new story, every piece I create tells a story based on some fact, some fiction and brought to life for all to enjoy. My approach to art is out of the norm, I pick an unusual theme, and just run with it, I never follow straight lines, I mix colors, patterns and materials. If you want to set your own style never copy another artist's style, be inspired by it, but find your niche which will separate you from the rest and make your work your own!
Diana "The Craftaholic" is a self taught mixed media artist living in Brooklyn, New York. Seeing a lack of community within the artists and crafters that dwell in the New York City area fueled her passion for bringing artists together, for inspiring others to create, and therefore, helped her build up her blog, The Confessions of a Craftaholic, which she started in 2007.
She sells her work both on etsy and on her website.
Hmmm...my art philosophy is....well I don’t know. It’s hard to say, really. I can tell you that I am majorly influenced by Basquiat. A LOT. I love his art so much, and I love that no matter where he was, or how little he had, he was ALWAYS making art. That’s my thing. ALWAYS make art, no matter where you are in life.
my fan page: www.facebook.com/thecraftaholicfanpage
and twitter: www.twitter.com/thecraftaholic
Hi! My name is Suzanne Austin. I'm a SAHM of 3 kiddos living on the Gulf Coast in Alabama. I've been married to my wonderful husband for 15 plus years and feel very blessed to have each and every one of them in my life. I began scrapping shortly after the birth of my son (5yrs ago) and like most haven't looked back! It wasn't hard to become completely immersed in scrapbooking, the process, the art, the design-it simply AMAZES me STILL the talent in this industry. My style is pretty versatile (and still ever evolving), but I tend to lean toward the grungy, "painty," and inky side of scrapping; I've also done some mixed media and incorporate that into scrapping as well. I love the enrichment (and therapy :D) this hobby has to lend and will likely be sticking with it for some time!
My philosophy when I create is to just do it! I love experimentation with new ideas and techniques, and if I get an idea in my head, I can't wait to just "get it down on paper." I tend jump in head first-no regrets. I'm not a "buy 2 sheets" kind of girl, not afraid to cut a piece of paper that I LOVE, and I throw most of my scraps away when I'm done with a project. I know, blasphemy! LOL! I don't prefer sketches (but will "tackle" one if challenged) because almost always when I scrap, it's unplanned and usually the result of me just playing around or hashing out an idea.
I am a crafter, designer and instructor. I am truly a Jill of all Trades, working in everything from paper crafting to mixed media to jewelry design. I love how all of these areas can compliment and enrich each other. One of the best things art has brought me though is an amazing circle of loving supportive and talented friends. So I hope to find a bunch of new talented friends here on the Clearsnap blog. I work a very stressful retail management job and keep busy with my dog and hubby when I am not creating.
Hi! I'm Sabrina Alery and am so excited to be joining the Clearsnap design team for a second term! My family and I live in an old farmhouse in rural Madison County, Iowa. The hubby and I have 3 kids under age 5 with one more on the way in September! I began scrapbooking as a way to create a unique baby album for my daughter over 5 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Stamping is a more recent addiction but seems to slowly be taking over my projects (and scrap space)! Since that time, I have met some really amazing scrappy friends, designed for some wonderful teams and have also had the opportunity to have my work published in Scrapbooks Etc., Scrapbook Trends, Simply Handmade, Cards and Cardmaker as well as taught an online stamping class. When I'm not papercrafting, I love to cook and bake, garden, shop at thrift stores, camp, organize and have lazy mornings. Thanks for having me again! Blog: sabrinaalery.blogspot.com
We are also very excited to welcome back our Creative Blogging Team!!
Stephanie Ackerman
Stephanie is an avid scrapbooker, cardmaker and altered artist. Working with paper is Stephanie's passion and she has worked with all kinds of mediums since she was a child. Stephanie lives in New York with her husband Gary, their 16 year old son Christopher, and their puppy Paulie. Being the teenager that he is, it can be quite difficult getting candid shots of Christopher; however, since he participates in all kinds of sports, Stephanie tends to take lots of action photos and scrap those. Paulie, on the other hand, is quite the character and allows Stephanie to take as many photos as she wants without complaint; he can be seen in many scrapbook layouts!
Cardmaking, for Stephanie, is therapy. She loves working on a smaller canvas and watching her work come to life with the use of stamps, inks and die cuts. Stephanie adores stamps and has a huge selection she loves to play with. She loves challenges, is constantly trying new techniques as well as trying new ways to use the products she has. It’s the little details that make a project come to life.
Stephanie recently discovered that she loves to teach and can often be found in her studio with any number of students, showing them how to create beautiful projects using all kinds of products, whether it be the Cricut, wood and acrylic stamps, chalk and dye inks, binding equipment, etc. Stephanie loves seeing the look on their faces when they realize what can be done with the tools and supplies that are available to us.
Stephanie finds her day is just not complete if she hasn't spent some time in her scrap room and she does tend to get lost in her creations, working on lots of different projects at the same time.
Stephanie is totally thrilled and excited to be a part of the Clearsnap Design Team.
Sabrina Alery
Sabrina Alery is absolutely thrilled to be joining the Clearsnap team!! She lives in a spooky old farmhouse on an acreage in Madison County, Iowa with a hard-working hubby, 3 energetic toddlers (ages 3, 4 and 4), 3 terriers and a pig. They are her loves and most often the subject of Sabrina's paper projects. When she's not playing with paper, Sabrina loves to sew clothing for her girls and herself, cook yummy food, garden flowers and veggies and try to instill the spirit of adventure into her kids. Scrapbooking has been her creative outlet for the past 4 years, ever since she walked into a Hobby Lobby with the plan to make a one-of-a-kind baby book for my daughter. She filled her cart with pretty papers and stickers and hasn't looked back. Clearsnap Colorbox inks were the very first brand Sabrina bought for stamping and now she can hardly believe she will be creating for them! Sabrina is looking forward to a great year of inspiration!
Sabrina's Blog: http://sabrinaalery.blogspot.com/
Cathie Allan
Cathie Allan has been teaching rubber stamping for approximately 30 years. It all began when she began working in a family-owned, educational store where she introduced the art of rubber stamping and scrapbooking. It did not take very long before the rubber stamping and scrapbooking side of the store grew to equal the size of the teacher supplies. Classes taught by Cathie at the store filled up on a regular basis. At the closing of the store (due to a death in the family) Cathie was offering a repertoire of 180 different rubber stamping classes for the cardmaker and the scrapbooker.
Since 1995 Cathie's techniques and projects have been published in a large variety of publications. She has been a featured instructor on numerous stamping cruises, has taught across Canada, in the United States, Paris and Africa. Cathie demonstrates for Clearsnap (a manufacturing company known worldwide for their ColorBox line of ink pads and artist quality stamp tools) on a regular basis and her projects have been the focal point of many advertising campaigns.
To Cathie's credit she has come up with numerous original techniques that she shares openly with her students and regular readers of her articles that she publishes regularly in both Scrap & Stamp Arts and Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Cathie's columns in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, "It' s All about Rubber" and "Cathie's Choice" were received so well that she was brought on board as a contributing editor and as a result developed the main projects and wrote 2 of the books in a 5 book series called Canadian Scrapbookers Basics. The projects she developed for these two books were designed to instill confidence in the readers, allowing them to add stamping to their layouts. The projects range from an introductory level of stamping to a 'not so introductory' level, however, all of the projects are geared for success and fun. Cathie's techniques are doable, fun and use stamps in such innovative ways that many instructors now incorporate 'Cathie Allan, techniques' into their projects and classes.
With 30 years of experience and a heart full of love for her art she has now developed a postioner/ repositioner for the cardmaker and scrapbooker alike. This non-slip positioner/ re-positioner is a tool Cathie is never without. Great tools just make the art of stamping and scrapbooking easier and therefore 'way more fun'!
For Cathie rubber stamping is more than a job, it is a passion. The focus of her classes is not only to create beautiful projects but to teach skills, techniques and an understanding of all the mediums employed in every project. All of her projects begin with white paper and with her magical stamps, stamp pads and stamp tools she takes them to a place where they are 'white no more'. She simply loves to create with her stamping tools and toys and truly enjoys sharing her passion and expertise in every class and every article she writes.
Daniela Dobson
Daniela Dobson lives in Dallas, TX with her husband Peter and little boy, Alex, who is 3 years old. Alex keeps Daniela busy and her days are filled taking care of him. She has been scrapbooking and stamping for over 8 years. Daniela really enjoy challenges and strives to be innovative. Daniela loves recording every day moments, especially now, with her son. She is a night owl and stays up way too late creating. She loves patterned paper and is a collector of things, stamps in particular: they are everywhere. When she is not crafting, Daniela can be found watching reality TV, cooking, reading or traveling. Daniela is so excited to be a part of Clearsnap Design Team.
Daniela's Blog: http://danieladobson.blogspot.com
Charlotte Jenkins
Charlotte, AKA Suepup in the virtual world, lives in central Ohio, born and raised in the heart of an Appalachian coal mining town. Charlotte lives with her husband, a Doberman Pincher, a Rottweiler and a Pharoah hound/Doberman mix. She is addicted to art and crafting! Charlotte's current loves are scrapbooking, mixed media, photography and printmaking.
Charlotte's creative journey began as a young child, when she began oil painting, drawing with pastels and beading. As a child and even now, Charlotte loves anything that is rusted, weathered, and distressed. She finds beauty in things people may find ugly or consider junk. A couple of years ago, one of Charlotte's friends dared her to just scrapbook one page. Well she did, and now she is addicted. Charlotte finds scrapbooking is a way to create smaller pieces of mixed media artwork! She loves Distressed, Steampunk, Shabby Chic and Grunge style scrapbooking and considers herself an artist rather than a crafter.
Charlotte is THRILLED and feels SO BLESSED to be part of the Clearsnap Design Team.
Charlotte's Blog: http://suepup.blogspot.com/
Jean Okimoto
Jean Okimoto lives in Washington with her two cocker spaniels, her husband, and a huge, colorful stash of inks, papers and stamps. Her samples appear in Clearsnap catalogs, ads and tradeshow displays. New item development, testing and evaluation projects allow her to work with the latest, greatest products in the papercrafts industry.
She is also a member of the Memory Box Design Team, shares projects on her InKollage blog, and contributes to the Outside the Box blog. She teaches technique- and color-directed classes at three Impress stores and has a strong, dedicated following of loyal students.
Creating with color is her greatest pleasure and she spends more time than she'll admit to searching for the perfect color combinations. She loves designing with Clearsnap products and invites everyone to join her artful journey.
Jean's Blog: http://davebrethauer.typepad.com/inkollage/
Mary Dawn Quirindongo
Mary Dawn is a stay-at-home mom of two smart, beautiful children. She creates cards in her “off” time, which can be scarce. Mary has been cardmaking since February of 2008 when a dear friend sent her a box of paper and stamps; all she had to do was supply her own ink! It was a great start and she hasn’t looked back! Mary is excited and honored to be representing Clearsnap products!
Tami Sanders
Tami is a stay at home mom with 2 very photogenic boys; Drew age 14 and Christopher who is 9. She has been married for 18 years to an extremely patient and understanding husband, Rob, who supports her scrapbooking addiction.
Tami has been an avid scrapbooker for over 14 years. During the past 9 years, she has been an instructor for several of the scrapbook stores in her hometown of San Antonio, as well as a guest instructor for stores in neighboring cities and at regional conventions.
Tami describes her style as “product driven” as she adapts her designs to best fit the style of the product or products she is working with. She is equally happy creating a project with clean lines and a bold graphic look as she is working on a “distressed” project where she can get messy and incorporate some of her vintage “junque” to accessorize it with.
A published designer, Tami is currently a member of several manufacturer design teams and also works as a freelance designer. For the past year, she has co-hosted the Clearsnap Blog and is very excited to be joining the Clearsnap Design Team.
Tami's Blog: http://tamisanders.com
Robyn Weatherspoon is completely in love with the art of scrapbooking! She is a very friendly and passionate person who is often told that she's quite humorous! Robyn is the creative and outgoing mother of two; which is a job within itself! She's an elementary teacher by day, and a scrapbooker by night!
Robyn was introduced to the scrapbooking world by a co-worker about 8 years ago. She began as a stamper, stamping cards, but quickly incorporated creating layouts. Robyn truly enjoys the creative process of scrapbooking and finds that she needs to scrap daily in order to remain centered and in control of her busy life. In addition to scrap booking, Robyn loves spending her leisure time with her family, reading, cooking, singing and laughing.
Robyn's blog: www.herebygrace.typepad.com
Robyn Weatherspoon
Robyn Weatherspoon is completely in love with the art of scrapbooking! She is a very friendly and passionate person who is often told that she's quite humorous! Robyn is the creative and outgoing mother of two; which is a job within itself! She's an elementary teacher by day, and a scrapbooker by night!
Robyn was introduced to the scrapbooking world by a co-worker about 8 years ago. She began as a stamper, stamping cards, but quickly incorporated creating layouts. Robyn truly enjoys the creative process of scrapbooking and finds that she needs to scrap daily in order to remain centered and in control of her busy life. In addition to scrap booking, Robyn loves spending her leisure time with her family, reading, cooking, singing and laughing.
Robyn's blog: www.herebygrace.typepad.com
Jennifer Priest - Coordinator
Owner and creator of Hydrangea Hippo, Jennifer Priest has been involved in the papercrafting community for over 12 years. Jennifer lives in the High Desert of California with her supportive and sometimes scrappy husband, two kids, and two dogs. For the past 9 years, Jennifer has been teaching papercrafting classes at local scrapbook stores and events as well as online through My Creative Classroom. She holds endorsements and certifications from several top companies and is the Social Media Coordinator for Clearsnap. In addition, Jennifer serves on Design Teams for several other manufacturers.
A love of sharing, a passion for teaching, and a bright, whimsical design style drive Jennifer's creative endeavors and characterize her work. When she's not papercrafting, Jennifer enjoys gardening, visiting local crafts fairs, watching reality shows on Bravo, and taking touristy day trips around California with her family. Jennifer is also an Army veteran, volunteer for local charities, and a dedicated mom & wife.
Jennifer's Blog: http://hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com
