Blog Hop with a difference and a prize...

I'm really delighted to be part of an industry blog hop... with a difference! Recently I was asked to participate by the gorgeous Jessy Christopher who has me in awe every time she creates! Although Jessy and I have never met in person I truly feel as though I know her well through her scrapbooking and also through her pregnancy and subsequent birth of her precious little miracle. I've watched as Katelynn has grown in front of my very eyes on each scrapbook page and project that Jessy has meticulously put together with such love and creativity. Jessy has the ability to make you gasp at each new design with her use of touching photography, exquisite colour palette and perfectly balanced design. She is a true asset to this industry with her constant inspiration and positive attitude towards everything she does.
 Thank you Jessy for thinking of me!

So, as part of this blog hop I have a small series of questions to answer...

WHAT AM I WORKING ON NOW | My desk is covered in lots of the brand new Jillibean Soup goodness as I'm in the process of my next tutorial.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE ME TO CREATE A PROJECT  and HOW DOES MY CREATING PROCESS WORK| I've never been known to scrap with any speed as I tend to procrastinate quite a bit before I start. Firstly I must have a clean desk or I can't begin and secondly I have to come up with a sketched idea. I have book after book of all my doodles and drawings for each and every project I've ever done. Once I have the idea on paper I can usually have my layout finished in two to three hours or a card in one hour. I must finish the night I start... I cannot leave a project unfinished before heading off to bed or I won't be able to get any sleep.

WHAT ARE MY FAVOURITE THINGS TO CREATE WITH AT THE MOMENT |- I'm a total sucker for wood veneers at the moment and add them to everything I do!

- Sequins and Epoxy Dots are next on my hit list but these little things tend to come shopping with me on my sleeve or the bottom of my shoe, they also like to take a shower and even go for a swim in the washing machine. I draw the line at taking them to bed... so far!

- Vellum... how I love thee, let me count the ways!

- Chipboard and Sticker Alphas... well it's pretty obvious why I have a growing relationship with the alphas because my layouts would be title-less without them and I've tried to draw my own headings with ink to no avail! Will leave that to the experts.

- Rub-ons (are my staple) A good quality rub-on always has a place to stay in my house.

- Definitely Patterned Paper in every shade of the rainbow.

- Finally I can't live without my embroidery thread for hand stitching which is the one technique that I find relaxes me the most!

HOW DO I BECOME INSPIRED AND STAY INSPIRED | I often find myself out and about and spot something that triggers an idea so I try to take a photo or scribble something down on a piece of paper whilst it's fresh in my mind. I love to doodle so dream up weird and whacky ideas while I fill up the pages in my sketch pad. And then there is Pinterest which is definitely a place to rummage for inspiration but I have to be strict with myself as I can get awfully distracted with all the beautiful photos. I also find inspiration in colour so I have been playing around with marrying two of my favourite things... cake and colour to create the 'Colour My World' palettes.

WHAT IS MY SIGNATURE STYLE | That my dear friends is a work in progress! I think it would be easier to say what my style isn't... I'm not a shabby chic type person or mixed media however I absolutely admire those who make it look so beautiful. I just hate getting messy and I fail miserably at using anything wet because I freak when my paper buckles. Clean and simple is probably one way to describe the way I scrap but more of the clean and less of the simple as I tend to come up with wild ideas that leave me punching hundreds of tiny flowers to hand cutting itty bitty squares to cover an entire layout!

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So with that out of the way, I would like to hand over the batten to the following three ladies who I admire profusely and find they inspire me every single day.

Lori Allred

I'm slightly unsure how to describe Lori as she is so many wonderful things to so many people that it's hard to actually put into words how amazing she truly is. I'm always astounded at the amount of creativity she fits into each and every day along with everything else she manages to do for family, friends and work commitments. I'm sure she has a hidden 30 hour clock somewhere which I'd like to borrow from time to time. No matter how busy she gets she always has time to lend an ear when someone (me) on the other side of the globe needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to share a joke with or simply someone to talk to when everyone else is in bed. And as for her Pinterest board with it's 30,000 + followers... need I say anymore!

Jen Chesnick

I have known Jen for the past few years through DT work and I have come to really appreciate her design and photography skills, and more recently her sewing skills. To me, she is the epitome of what scrapping is all about... someone who carefully and creatively preserves the day to day life of her child and family in such a way that inspires others to do the same. Jen has bold ideas with the use of beautiful bright colours and the most outstanding photos of her gorgeous young subject. This girl can really make me smile!

This next lady is someone who I didn't want to leave off my list even though she said she just couldn't commit to the blog hop due to an overwhelming schedule. So, I decided that rather than choosing someone to take her place I would simply continue with my choice and have Summer as my honorary designer without the pressure of having to continue the blog hop.

Summer Fullerton

Summer is another lady I have met through DT commitments and I must say I think I've pinned more of her work than I have of anyone else. I cannot go past Summer's graphically beautiful layouts with multiple photos, and amazing story telling. She simply knows what looks good and how to mix and match patterns and colours to absolute perfection. Each layout gives you the true sense of her love for her family and how they spend their lives together without skipping over the details. She also makes me drool with her food photos or amazing meals that adorn her table... honestly it's like looking at a new page in a cook book each day. 

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Thank you for stopping by today and as a thank you I have a little prize I would like to share with someone so leave a comment to enter and I will draw a winner next week.