Blog Hop with a difference and a prize...

Tuesday, August 19, 2014


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.

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!

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 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.



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39 comments:

  1. I loved reading about you-your projects always inspire me!

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  2. Great getting to know you better Melinda :)
    You ALWAYS INSPIRE me with your AMAZING and DELIGHTFULLY detailed projects!!!
    THANK YOU for giving us the chance to win too!!!
    ... time for me to head off to bed now, nearly 1am here in Victoria, Australia, so I promise to hop on over to visit the other talented ladies later today.

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  3. Love the details on your layouts, so beautiful. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  4. Good Tuesday! Love your
    designs and all that paper
    cutting and piercing!
    Wonderful!!
    Carla from Utah

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  5. Oh Melinda, I am as much in awe of your work as you are of those that you mentioned. Your creativity just astounds me. I am always in awe of your pages and cards. Every one is a masterpiece. You have the most beautiful pages I have ever seen. I have enjoyed watching your kids grow up through your pages (along with all of the photos on FB and instagram. ;) )

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  6. How fun to get to know more about you!!
    - April W

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  7. Thanks for sharing all this information. I have admired your clean and sophisticated style for a long time. Absolutely stunning creations that you produce all the time.

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  8. Loved reading more about you! Your work is amazing, and I do find it fascinating that you have to have a clean desk, sketch, and finish the project that night....it is like we are polar opposites! I wish I could do that!!!

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  9. I'm amazed that your scrapbook layouts only take 2-3 hours - every page I've seen from you always has incredible detail - every accent is thought out! Love love love your work - thanks for sharing your creativity with us!

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  10. Thanks for the insight into your process. I really love the wood veneers too!

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  11. Ohhhh I have found some new scrappers to check out! Love your work Mellinda ♥

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  12. Always love popping over to your blog Melinda - I love that there still some simple scrappers out there (although not sure I'd call any of your beautiful pages simple!)

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  13. An adorable sketch, lovely details - what more could one ask for?! You do beautiful and inspiring things.

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  14. That sketch is beautiful, love seeing your wonderful pages.

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  15. It is lovely reading about your scrapping! Esp since I thought ditto about every single thing you wrote (except finishing the project before bed, I always sleep on it and then glue in the morning if I'm still happy with it!)
    Thanks for thw chance to win some amazing goodies!

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  16. Interesting to hear about your scrapping process and inspiration. I love your work and I find it very inspiring.

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  17. So fun to learn more about you and what makes you tick - I am like you I have to finish a project or I cannot sleep either!! Thanks for sharing a bit of yourself with us!!

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  18. I love you and I'm following you now! You are the first designer I've come across who shares my "quirks". Procrastinate,clean desk,have to finish or can't sleep-yup that's me. I'm not a CAS-but I haven't found my "style" yet either. After all these years I'm not sure I really have one. Love your honesty, and the insights into your creative process. Really looking forward to learning more.

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  19. It was interesting to see that you sketch out your ideas. Even though I may do that for my pop up cards, I never do it for other cards. Perhaps I should start. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  20. Just beautifully written & with your photos this is a perfect post....
    How lovely you participated in this everlasting blog hop. I also did in early July!
    Lovely to have a moment & peruse your blog...always inspirational.

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  21. What a great blog post, I truly admire your style and creativity. I am now off to follow the other blogs you highlighted and I may even buy a sketch pad later today.

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  22. Interesting planning is a big part of your process. I agree-gotta have alphas and a good title.

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  23. Oh my! Most DEFFO leaving a comment...cos I so do admire your style...I had a giggle over the clean desk (errr..I might be the opp to that!!) & I've never drawn a design ...just plop down the photo where it wants to sit!!!! It speaks to me...seriously !!!!!! Love the photo with they 'ssshhhhh!' on it, too:)) anyways, thanks for the chance of winning some lovely goodies too:):)

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  24. Really lovely to read a bit more about you.. really love your creations.. and love those color combos you put together too!

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  25. I loved reading more about you...it satisfies my curiosity about the person behind the art. I love your work and I love the random things that inspire you.

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  26. Wonderful reading about you! Such a delight to get to know your technique and how much time it takes! Its amazing your level of creativity that it leaves me in Awh everytime I see your work! You ALWAYS inspire me, ALWAYS! Thanks for the chance to win these lovley goodies and thanks for sharing your story!

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  27. Thanks for sharing more about your creative process. You have such wonderful projects!

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  28. It's so good to know more about you and your creative side... Love your work

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  29. I think we all procrastinate at times this was a fantastic read and look at how you go through your creative process thanks for sharing it :)

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  30. Love your handstitching! Also in awe of your ability to finish a page in a sitting ... I *have* to sleep on mine (not literally though LOL)!

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  31. just such stunning creative work Melinda... your work is a piece of art!!!!!

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  32. What a lovely post. It's always so interesting to me to find out how a designer figures out what works in their own words. And your style might be considered clean...but I would never say simple. You weave colours and patterns with intricate designs through out to create your beautiful masterpieces. I have used your work for inspiration but no one can really copy your style. It's not difficult to pick your work out on a Pinterest board.
    Thank you for sharing your work and your blog! It is really appreciated :)

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  33. Wow, I so enjoyed reading about how you create and love that you do a sketch b4 you start, and that you must have a clean desk. It was also nice to see who inspires you and all the other wonderful details. I am relatively new to papercrafting, and love to understand more about how others do their work. my email is nance459 at yahoo dot com, my blog is nancecarroll.blogspot.com.

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  34. It boggles my mind to see all of those little flowers that you used on the layout.
    They make the page so unique that they are worth the effort - though I'm sure you are happy that we have punches for those types of projects.
    thanks for sharing your ideas.

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  35. It was so nice to read all your answers and learn more about you. I love hand-stitching on my layouts too. When people see me doing it at crops, they always comment that I'm very patient, but it's like you, it relaxes me. It's normally the final stage of my layout so after all my holes are punched, I usually sit on the couch in front of the tv and just stitch away. :)

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  36. Your work is absolutely amazing! I totally adore it!!!! :D :D

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  37. I really love your style and innovative designs

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