Designer Spotlight

Learn exclusive tips from the experts in the crafting industry and get to know them better!

2021

Jenny Colacicco

July 2021

I’ve crafted in some form or another probably most of my life. One of my favorite things to do when I was a child was to go to paper shops and choose pretty colored sheets of paper to spend my pocket money on - it was too nice to use, though! Read More

Dana Joy

June 2021

I got started crafting over 20 years ago at my first Stamping Up party. I instantly became hooked on card making. It has been one of my longest craft hobbies, and I enjoy learning and teaching this hobby to others. Read More

Amanda Baldwin

May 2021

This might sound silly, but I think I was kinda born with a paint brush in my hand, lol! For as long as I can remember, I have worked as a children’s visual art teacher and Art Educator for Little. Read More

  Designer Spotlight Nicole Watt

Nicole Watt

April 2021

I have always enjoyed crafting and other art hobbies. My friends in college used to call me “Martha” because of all the crafty things I would create. I’ve been cardmaking for a long time (over 10 years). Read More

 Designer Spotlight Tania Ahmed

Tania Ahmed

March 2021

My why is and has always been bringing my love and joy of crafting to others. Teaching is my passion! Crafting is almost like therapy for me, and if I can share a little bit of my love for arts and crafts with others and inspire them, I consider my job done. Read More

2020

 Designer Spotlight Jaycee Gaspar

Jaycee Gaspar

April 2020

I embrace empty cardstock space on my cards when I can. So if I were to summarize the style that I like to stick to it would be geometric, monochrome, clean and simple. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Nathalie DeSousa

Nathalie DeSousa

March 2020

I love doing mixed media on my pages. One of my favorite techniques has to be a watercolor background. It just creates the perfect setting for your picture/sentiment. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Ashlea Cornell

Ashlea Cornell

February 2020

Since beginning card-making and stamping in general, I’ve been inspired by so many artists and creators to try different techniques and mediums. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Reiko Tsuchida

Reiko Tsuchida

January 2020

I saw the beautiful and elegant flower layering stamps for the first time and fell in love at once! It was such a clever idea to layer each stamp and the result was so beautiful. Read More

2019

 Designer Spotlight Zsoka Marko

Zsoka Marko

December 2019

On cards, my most favorite thing to do is using stamps to create my own colorful background - I can do any and every color combination I just want. And I love the process too! Read More

 Designer Spotlight Kelly Latevola

Kelly Latevola

November 2019

My favorite technique to do is mixing watercolors and Copic coloring. I just love the way the water does the work on the background and then I can add tons of detail with alcohol markers to the stamped images. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Kathleen Graumuller

Kathleen Graumuller

October 2019

I often choose a color scheme that works with my photo when I start a project and then select my papers and embellishments accordingly. This makes the design process a lot easier because it limits my choice and it helps give the project a coherent look. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Emily Midgett

Emily Midgett

September 2019

My favorite technique is no-line coloring, partially because of the challenge that it presents in keeping the individual images crisp, and partially because the finished product looks so unique! Read More

 Designer Spotlight Zinia Redo

Zinia Redo

August 2019

I've always loved experimenting with different techniques and ideas. Even if the result is not perfect; even a crafty "disaster" is a great source of inspiration for the next project. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Amber Rain Davis

Amber Rain Davis

July 2019

I encourage everyone to look at their stamp sets in a different light and think outside the box. Layer stamp sets aren’t just for layering! Read More

 Designer Spotlight Kymona Tracey

Kymona Tracey

June 2019

I love creating mini albums. Times are changing, so should our scrapbooking. I love showing others different ways to document their lives. Albums, big or small, are a fun way to share your lives with others. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Galina Filippenko

Galina Filippenko

May 2019

I love to experiment with different techniques and I love to combine more than two techniques on the same project. But my favorite technique is masking. Using only one floral stamp and a few masks, you can make bouquets, floral patterns, shaped wreaths, and so much more! Read More

 Designer Spotlight LauraJane

LauraJane

April 2019

First, enjoy the process. Learn as you go by watching your favorite colorists/cardmaker on YouTube. Practice what you like to create to improve your own style of coloring. Walk away from a troubled piece and come back with fresh eyes. Read More

 Designer Spotlight Amy Tan

Amy Tan

March 2019

My style has definitely evolved over the years, but I think for the most part it has stayed true to who I am. I love mixing and matching and throwing in a little bit of a twist. When it comes to paper crafting, I think you should have fun and experiment. Read More

 

Agnieszka Malyszek

February 2019

I’ve been crafting almost my whole life. I enjoy all craft activities: drawing, painting, knitting, needle crafting etc. I started my paper crafting adventure from Origami and paper quilling. Read More

 

Sandra Dietrich

January 2019

I prefer a clean and modern style for my projects. I love simple designs without complications. And I don’t like to do mainstream things. Read More

2018

 

May Sukyong Park

December 2018

I used to like making clean and simple cards based on creative designs and unusual ideas. Especially one-layer card with lots of white space. I also loved telling a whole story with a single image. Read More

 

Paige Taylor Evans

November 2018

I started scrapbooking when I was 16 years old and got my very first job at a local scrapbook store. The first time I put photos on paper and added stickers, I was hooked! Read More

 

Laurie Willison

October 2018

I am a clean and simple stamper. I love stamps that you can use to create
a gorgeous image and turn it into a card quickly. Altenew’s images have
inspired me since day one. Read More

 

Enza Gudor

September 2018

I remember going to my local craft store for some ribbon, but ended up bringing home all sorts of paper crafting supplies. Little did I know it would grow to become my biggest passion! Read More

 

Norine Borys

August 2018

Watercoloring is my favorite technique to use on Altenew’s florals. I rarely use a color of paint directly from the tube or pan, and the result is an antique-y, vintage look. Read More

 

Rubeena Ianigro

July 2018

I love paint splatters! My favorite combination to do is black and white. I feel like it will change the look of colored images or backgrounds for me. Read More

 

Nancy McClelland

June 2018

Enjoy the process/classes and don’t be too critical of your work. Sometimes we want to have all the supplies and are envious of others but some of my best works were clean and simple. Read More

 

Gayatri Murali

May 2018

I love experimenting with new techniques. Bright and bold cards are my thing. I started off with clean and simple cards which are a total contrast to my layered scrapbooking pages. Read More

 

Svitlana Shayevich

April 2018

I suffer from not actually having a style. Everyone has their own style, except me. My cards are very different. I like making both dramatic and soft, both quick and easy and complicated (taking hours to make). Read More

 

Terhi Koskinen

March 2018

I’ve always been keen on photographing, and once I saw my friend doing her scrapbooks I was sold! Creating an art piece around a beautiful photograph at the same time as capturing stories and memories to the page is fascinating. Read More

 

Therese Calvird

February 2018

I was frustrated with paying so much money for cards that didn’t suit the person or the occasion, even when I would spend hours looking - for me it always had to be the perfect card. Then, one day I thought I could make them myself. Read More

 

Laura Bassen

January 2018

Years ago I went to a Stampin’ Up party. It didn’t take much for me to be completely hooked on stamping & cardmaking. I started my blog so that I could participate in card challenges and never dreamed it would turn into a job. Read More

2017

 

Taheerah Atchia

December 2017

I’m a bit of a style chameleon - I like to mix it up quite frequently! However, I gravitate most towards modern styles that have a bit of quirk. That, or layered, more complex designs. Read More

  

Nina-Marie Trapani

November 2017

I enjoy trying new things and stretching myself outside the box! I believe that expanding your style outside of your “comfort zone” helps you to discover new ideas and create fresh designs! Read More

 

Keeway Tsao

October 2017

I have always grown up with lots of arts and craft in my life, but as life got busy, it slowly phased out. But 4 years ago, I received this beautiful hand-painted birthday card from my friend that inspired me to look into making my own cards. Read More

  

Vicky Papaioannou

September 2017

I like elegant and clean looking cards. And I love dimension on my cards. I am incapable of making a flat card... there is always something sticking out... I can’t help it! Read More

 

Flóra Mónika Farkas

August 2017

I have always been a big fan of pretty papers, stickers, and crafting. I feel in scrapbooking I can conduct my creative energy and create something useful and meaningful. Read More

  

Lydia Evans

July 2017

I have crafted in some way, shape or form for as long as I can remember. When I was little I used to love to cut pieces of paper as small as I could get them.... my parents loved me for that... not! Read More

Yoonsun Hur

June 2017

I love to make colorful cards using watercolors. I rarely try other styles. I like my comfort zone but I think I need to try others (and card-making videos, maybe?) starting this year. Read More

 

Erum Tasneem

May 2017

I love to fussy cut or diecut my floral images and arrange them in bouquets/bunches on cards! That is my go to style. You will also see me using a lot of gold embossing and watercolouring together, it always ends up looking beautiful. Read More

 

Terri Marie Koszler

April 2017

I would say I am a CAS (clean and simple) card maker, I love simple, elegant designs. I used to be afraid of too much white space on a card but now I love it. I do at times try my hand at more colourful mixed media type cards but I really have to work at them as it doesn’t come naturally for me. Read More

Karen Dejarnette

March 2017

I guess you could say my style is ‘shabby chic.’ I love layers. Layers of color, layers of texture, layers of images. Why send a one layer card when you could add a background layer, some foam tape, and a little bling? Read More

 

Lilith Eeckels

February 2017

I got married in 2000 and once I had received our wedding pictures I wanted to do something special with them. At that time I used to watch DIY programs on the BBC and on one of them they mentioned scrapbooking. Read More

Jennifer Rzasa

January 2017

I have always enjoyed creating things, and have many fond memories of crafting throughout childhood. However, I didn’t start doing paper crafts until 2006. Read More

2016

 

Kathy Racoosin

December 2016

My number one tip is to be fearless when coloring and to experiment with different color combinations. Ninety percent of the time I travel with markers and that’s when I do my best work because I have limited markers and I experiment more. Read More

 

Sara Naumann

November 2016

So often we worry over the little details—is this the right shade of blue cardstock, or did I stamp this perfectly?—and it’s easy to forget that simply giving someone a handmade card is one of the kindest things you can do. Read More

Virginia Lu

October 2016

I love browsing old magazines, Pinterest, and store catalogs. When I’m lacking in creativity, I seek inspiration from these places. Sometimes, a trip to the local mall also helps. Seeing the window displays and advertisements help me think about my card designs! Read More

 

Julia Altermann

September 2016

I feel most comfortable with clean and simple (even though I find it very difficult), but I just love the look of it. After a while, I usually feel the need to go the opposite direction, with many layers and extras, but I always end up in the CAS corner again eventually and I’m totally fine with that :) Read More

 

Melania Deasy

August 2016

I like to make sketches before I make cards. I see the products, imagine things related to it, try to find something unique, sometimes I combine it with another products and begin to sketch. Read More

 

Julie Ebersole

July 2016

Inspiration is pretty much everywhere you look—I love clothing and home decor catalogs, peeking into the local boutique/shop windows! I’m inspired by art I see on Pinterest, as well as other card makers, too! Read More

Ellen Hutson

June 2016

It was the year 2004 when I first discovered rubber stamping. I had walked into a local store a couple of times and had been intrigued by what I had seen, but I dove in head first when a dear friend hosted a little class using stamps that had been brought over from Sweden. Read More

 

Paulina Nakamura

May 2016

I grew up in the stamping industry; my parents have had a stamping business for over 25 years, so I’ve been around stamps basically my whole life. As a kid, it was something I did for thank you and birthday cards; as I grew older, it was something I did for a job, but I didn’t really start to enjoy it until I got older. Read More

Heidi Crowl

April 2016

I craft as much as possible. It’s one of my most favorite things to do and luckily my kids really enjoy it too. We turned our dining room into a craft room and are in there as much as possible - if we’ve crafted in there alone or together 3 times in one week, it’s been a very good week! Read More

Kristina Werner

March 2016

I was hired at Stampin' Up! right out of college. I got a graphic design degree and was hired to design their catalog. After seeing all the fun products, I wanted to try it out myself! Read More

Debby Hughes

February 2016

I was asked by a friend to help at the local community center with a pre-school art class. It was very simple projects – lots of splashing of paint, gluing and teaching motor skills like how to use scissors but it reignited my own interest. Read More

Jennifer McGuire

January 2016

I started out as a scrapbooker. I was volunteering with my church senior high youth group and wanted to do a scrapbook of a mission trip we went on. I was hooked immediately. Read More