Featured Blogger Friday!!

I'm back with another Featured Blogger for you :) This week's blogger is Tracy Clemente - a super-creative lady and a super blogging friend. Check out Tracy's blog, "Eat, Sleep, Stamp" right here. And here's some more information about Tracy (and a sample of her beautiful work!):

Tell us a little about you:

I was born and raised in Northern California. I currently live in the Bay Area - the best place ever! By day I work in human resources for a high tech company in the Silicon Valley managing employee benefit programs. And when I'm not spending time with the family you can find me huddled away in my stamp room getting crafty. My husband and I have been together for 12 years and we have a 7 year old daughter who is our world. We also share our home with 3 very spoiled kitties and any other kitties that seem to gravitate to our house! I am also a Step Mom to 2 wonderful (grown kids) and a Grandma to 2 amazing little boys!

How long have you been blogging?

I began blogging in early 2007 after stumbling across Amy Rysavy's blog. I'm consider myself technically challenge so it's kind of comical to me that I even have one!

Why do you blog?

That's a really good question. One that I ask myself often, like when I'm behind on my ever growing TO DO list! LOL! But seriously, I blog because it's an extension of my passion for stamping and a way to connect with others that are just as passionate. I have met so many *amazing* women as a result. And some actually in real life! The world truly is such a small place.

What’s your favorite topic to blog about?

Everything crafty! But I do also love to talk about my family & kitties. :)

Have you learned anything special from blogging?

That there are A LOT of good people out there. I have had a few bumps in the road since I began blogging and the unconditional support and random acts of kindness that I have received is such a special and unexpected gift. While I try to keep my blog mostly about my passion for stamping, I have to be honest when my life happens. I can't tell you how many times someone has left me a comment or sent me an email that has truly made my day or gotten me through a dark time. My family isn't terribly large so my extended family of friends is HUGE for me.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog?

You mean people actually read the darn thing? Just kidding! Well hopefully they get my sense of humor! But seriously I hope that they get a little bit of inspiration and a lot of friendship!

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell us what you like about them?

The hardest question for last! There are literally dozens that I pour through on a daily/weekly basis the I get inspiration from. Three that I visit every morning (with my coffee) are:

I {heart} 2 stamp - Jen del Muro
Wild Stamping Sprinkles - Tori Wild
Taylored Expressions - Taylor VanBruggen

I am completely in awe of each of these artists.

I am drawn to Jen's clean style and flair. Every time I see her work I'm like WOW, I never would have thunk to do that!

Tori is the queen of color. All of her cards have such a fun use of color. I am lucky enough to be on a design team with Tori and she just knows how to work a card. Oh and it's because of her that I own almost every Nest-ability out there!

And Taylor. Taylor is just amazing. She has a simple & clean style that I just love. And when my mojo isn't cooperating I can always turn to her wonderful Key Ingredients kits to help me along.

Featured Blogger Friday

Hi everyone! This week our Featured Blogger is a super-talented crafter and a new mom who was nominated by several other bloggers :) Say hello to Sarah Coggins over at her blog, "2 Paws Designs" - and here's some more information about Sarah...

Tell us a little about you: I'm 30 years old. Born and raised in rural Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I moved to North Carolina in 1996 to attend college, and I have been here ever since. My husband and I share our home with our new baby boy, Dylan, and 2 cats (aka my "four-legged kids"), Cali and Chester. For the last 9 years, I've worked in commercial architecture designing buildings. With the recession and the arrival of Dylan, I'm currently holding a new title - "stay at home mom." I plan to return to work when I can, but for now I am just enjoying every moment being at home with my son.

How long have you been blogging? I'll celebrate 2 years in late October. That truly stuns me, as I had blogged once years before (circa late 90s - i.e. before the term "blogging" was even coined!) and grew tired of it. I think part of my problem was that it was also before the age of the comment section - having that interactive portion to blogs helps keep them interesting and proof that you aren't just talking to yourself! LOL!

Why do you blog? Initially I began blogging to share creative ideas from paper crafts to do-it-yourself projects. Over time, I began to write more about personal events in my life - a public journal of sorts. Now my blog is a mix of these and I continue it both for myself as a way to remember and as a way to share with friends and family.

What's your favorite topic to blog about? My little boy is my newest favorite topic! Can you blame me? :) As a first-time mom, I'm trying to absorb every little moment and blogging about them helps me remember to jot them down so I don't forget and can add them to his scrapbook album as I have time later. My second favorite topic would definitely be that - scrapbooking.

Have you learned anything special from blogging? I like to think I've learned to write better. Not sure if that is true or not. I've definitely learned a lot about other people and how it is possible to create wonderful friendships and truly care for people you've never met in person.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? A little entertainment, some creative inspiration, and maybe the desire to try something as crazy as repairing a bathroom disaster with their own 2 hands? :)

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell us what you like about them? Just 3?! There are so many blogs that I enjoy reading. Off the top of my head...

Pattye Duffner's blog - I love the fun, creative projects she shares and the how-to's she shares.

Cameron Crazy - Besides sharing my love of scrapbooking, I became hooked on Laura's blog after realizing we were both expecting our first child (both boys) within 2 days of each other (although her little Cameron surprised her a month early and my Dylan held out 10 days after my due date). Now I enjoy seeing what similar adventures she and her son are up to.

Trying Our Best - If you want an ab workout while blog reading - this is the spot. My belly has literally hurt after reading posts by The Mrs.

Featured Blogger Friday!

Hi everyone - this week I have a terrific Featured Blogger to share with you - Lisa Foster, and her blog "Stampin' for Sanity". I hope you'll hop over and say hi after reading all about Lisa and checking out a sample of her beautiful work on the right :) Not only is Lisa amazingly talented, she is also a super blogging friend - thanks, Lisa!!

Tell us a little about you: I have two grown kids, both in the military. One adorable granddaughter that will be 2 years old very soon. I'm married to a wonderful husband who supports my "Stamping Disorder" with a smile on his face (mostly). I have a dog that thinks he's a person, and a cat that thinks she's a dog. I'm a surgical nurse by trade, but am currently taking a sabbatical.

How long have you been blogging? I've been blogging about a year and a half and now all the friends I've made through blogging have become extensions of my family.

Why do you blog? I started blogging to share my cards and scrapbook pages with others, and to become part of the blogging community. I have learned so much from being a part of this crazy, cyberspace world!

What's your favorite topic to blog about? My favorite thing to blog about is still stamping and papercrafting.

Have you learned anything special from blogging? Oh, so many things! Probably the most important thing I've learned, though, is confidence. It means so much when someone leaves a compliment on your project. That has really helped me grow as a papercrafter by giving me courage to try new things!

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? Mostly I hope people get a smile. If they happen to pick up an idea, or be inspired by my work, great. But more so, I want people to feel happy and uplifted when they read my blog.

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell us what you like about them? Ha! Choose only 3??? I'm sorry...I just can't do it...when you see my blogroll, you'll know why - THOSE are all my favorite links!!

Featured Blogger Friday!

Hi all! This week's Featured Blogger is a great blogging friend of mine - her name is Janet Petersma and her blog is called "Of Cats and Cardstock". I found Janet's blog not long after I began blogging. It's a favorite stop of mine because of Janet's entertaining writing style and variety of posts (cats, cardstock and everything in between). Janet writes a weekly "Feline Friday" post about the antics of Lily and Tinsel, and I know she has a loyal following of bloggers. Be sure to stop by and say hello after reading more about Janet:

Tell us a little about you: I was born and raised in central Iowa and have lived here most of my adult life. My husband and I have one wonderful daughter (now a senior in high school), and my daughter and I have two wonderful kitties (notice I didn't include my husband in that last part - he's not a cat person!). In college, I majored in French and International Business and following graduation, I worked for a French bank in Chicago. After my husband and I moved back to Iowa, I continued my career in Human Resources and Learning & Development. A few years back, I left my work to do something completely different that offered more flexibility and the opportunity to use the creative side of my brain again - developing and teaching scrapbooking/cardmaking classes for a local scrapbook store. I love creating and teaching, so this line of work is perfect for me right now. I also do some freelance design and writing on the side.

How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging for over 3 years now.

Why do you blog? Before I started blogging, I thought about my goals and listed them on one of my first posts. And they're still true today! Here are a few:

* To discuss various attributes of cats and cardstock. If you know me personally or have been reading my blog for a while, you know that cats and cardstock are two of my very favorite things. Most of my posts have to do with cats or cardstock in one form or another!

* To write more, especially stuff that could be used for my scrapbooks. I frequently use blog posts as the basis for layouts.

* To learn how to add cool features to my blog, thus improving my technical skills. Through blogging, I've learned just enough technical skills to be dangerous, but enough to be conversant with teenagers :) It was a pretty exciting day when I figured out how to import my blog on to my Facebook page!

What's your favorite topic to blog about? I love posting about our kitties, Tinsel and Lily. Most weeks, they provide ample material for multiple posts. I carry my camera around with me so that I can catch cute cat moments as they happen. I also enjoy sharing completed layouts and craft projects. At any given moment, I have multiple projects in the works, so posting them when finished gives me a sense of accomplishment and a record of what I've completed! As opportunities arise, I also like to post about do-it-myself projects. I particularly enjoy posting "before" and "after" photos of decorating or gardening adventures. In fact, we're having our house painted right now, and I can't wait to share the story!

Have you learned anything special from blogging? This may sound a little cheesy, but I've learned that the world really is getting smaller. Blogging weaves us together as a community, no matter where we live. Through blogging, I've deepened friendships with local friends and connected with many wonderful people in places far and wide. Although I may never meet some of my online friends in person, I can feel their warmth and know that we're kindred souls. For this reason (and many others) blogging has enriched my life.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? I hope my blog is a warm and happy place, like your neighborhood Starbucks, where people leave feeling a bit better than when they came.

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs? This is a tough question, because I spend a lot of time reading different kinds of blogs which are inspirational to me in many ways. Here are three I visit every day:

Cathy Zielske (Bits & Pieces) - Cathy Zielske is my all-time favorite scrapbooker. I love her simple, graphic style and her quirky sense of humor. Cathy's blog never fails to make me smile.

Heather B. Armstrong (Dooce) - This is the blog of Heather B. Armstrong, a former web designer with a great conversational writing style. Heather has an incredible way with words, as evidenced by her recent story of labor and delivery which will leave you laughing and crying.

Daisy (Daisy the Curly Cat) - Daisy is a very special kitty who has her very own blog. I love Daisy's movies and her Fashion Fridays, especially when she dresses up in her denim outfits. Through Daisy's blog, I've found many other blogs written by cats! :)

I hope you've enjoyed reading all about Janet (and Lily and Tinsel!). If you'd like to nominate a blog for Featured Blogger Friday, drop me a line at toners@wispertel.net - I'd love to hear from you!

Featured Blogger Friday

Thanks for stopping by for another installment of Featured Blogger Friday :) This week I wanted to introduce you to my good friend Lisa Itatani and her blog "Flatfish Paper Arts". I met Lisa several years ago through a cirle journal group that we were both involved in, and that group of women has become a very special part of my life. We were even able to get together and meet in California last summer! Lisa is a creative, strong woman whose blog is filled with variety (family, cardmaking, bees, cats) and talent! Please stop by and say hello! In the meantime, here's the scoop on Lisa...

Tell us a little about you? I was born and raised in San Jose (better known as Silicon Valley) in California, which is a great place to live. I've been married to a Michigan transplant for 28 years and we have 2 grown children and 2 very spoiled furbabies. I got to see the valley change from orchards and farmland to become one of the high-tech capitals of the world. I've been teaching scrapbooking and rubber stamping classes for over 15 years. Although I love the altered art look but can't live with a lot of it, I teach the clean and simple style. I believe that once someone has the basics down, they can develop their own style or at least CASE things they like.

How long have you been blogging? Since August 2007, so I'm a newbie in the blogging world.

Why do you blog? My customers kept asking me if I had a website so that they could find out about my upcoming classes. I didn't want to go through the whole process to find out how to set myself up with a website, but when blogging became commonplace, I jumped on it. It's so easy and fast to learn. Having a blog is also a great way for my friends and family to keep track of what I'm up to.

What are your favorite topics to blog about? Cardmaking, rubber stamping, my furbabies (Honey Bunny and Purrcy), bee keeping, gardening, reviews of craft products, and travel.

Have you learned anything special from blogging? I'm a little more techy - or, as my IT guy says - just techy enough to get into trouble. I also love all the craft tutorials you can find. I learned how to knit and make a star book, two things I've been trying to learn how to do for years. I've also learned how to better stage my cards and what photos will work well on my blog. I've been known to take thousands of photos only to use one or two images.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? That being creative can be learned, or at least copied well :) I hope I provide creative inspiration, that I am a bright spot in the reader's day (that's one reason why I don't rant on my blog), that my information is helpful, and that I can encourage readers to follow their creative path.

Can you give us links to some of your favorite blogs?

Understand Blue - Lydia has a wickedly funny sense of humor, great tutorials, and two great cats.

Hooked on Houses - I'm an architectural junkie.

Small Studio - I love Ginny's blog roll.

Martha Stewart - Have to love the big Martha.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into Lisa's blog - now hop over there and check it out (including pics of her new kitten!).

Featured Blogger Friday - Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of Featured Blogger Friday! This week the featured blog belongs to the super-talented Jenny Gropp. Jenny's blog is called "One Krafty Kat" :) I came across Jenny's blog in the past year; she and I are slowly but surely getting to know each other. What I know so far is that she is friendly, supportive, enthusiastic, and amazingly creative - I hope you enjoy reading more about Jenny and that you'll pop over to her blog to say hello and to see more of her beautiful work. She has generously created this card for me to show you - isn't it beautiful? The cake stamp is one I recognize from TCP - it's called "Cake No Plate" and you can see it here. Here's some more information all about Jenny...

• Tell us a little about you? I am 36, married to a wonderful guy, no kids, one very cool cat, I work and I stamp! I don't like answering questions like this because I always feel like I sound really corny. Seriously, I love crafting. I have a local stamp group of 6 ladies that meet once a month; we have a BLAST together. I have met so many blogging friends, wonderful ladies! I just love sharing the craft, seeing the ideas that people come up with...the creativity is endless and totally inspiring.



• How long have you been blogging? OK - I just looked - my first blog post was February 14, 2008. And BOY my picture skills have come a long way since then!! When I first started blogging, I was scanning my cards. Now I have a semi-fancy little camera and a light tent...the light tent makes such a difference in my pics, allowing the true colors to come thru. My scanner always did really funky things with pastel colors. Some scanned cards I could not even post or people would have thought I was color blind!!



• Why do you blog? I like being able to create something and immediately share it with all my crafting friends. I also like the immediate feedback and seeing what people like and dislike. I have been stamping for about seven years...through the years I have been involved with several different craft/stamp groups, people all over the world - which is so cool, various stamp companies...blogging allows us to stay in touch and keep tabs on everyone and their art, even though we have moved on from specific stamping groups.



• What's your favorite topic to blog about? Well, all I really blog about is cards that I make and stamping. I try not to blabber on too much about me and my issues. For the most part I TRY to keep it to the details of the project. I probably talk about my cat too much. But he is the best cat in the entire world, so how could I not??? Sometimes my posts can go on and on - I have found that I blog just like I talk. I like pictures. Good pictures are important to me - for my blog and others that I read. That is the draw for me when looking at a blog - I want to see the project/art - then after the picture catches my interest, I'll read.



• Have you learned anything special from blogging? It has been a process...at first, blogging was ALL fun - it was new and exciting. I really enjoyed it...last December I hit a little slump where it began to feel like work. It took me a few months - but I finally said to myself - this should be enjoyable and FUN. I released myself from feeling like I had to post constantly. If I post every day of the week, wonderful! If I only post a few days of the week - that's fine too. I'm enjoying the blogging experience and plan to continue. I do think you have to keep current with products and techniques and blog pretty regularly to maintain regular readers. I do try to post a minimum of three times a week. Feedback from my friends/readers, whenever they send an email or leave a comment is HUGE in keeping me motivated. Playing in challenges regularly is a good thing to help me stay current and keep up with what's going on in Blogville.



• What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? Well, I know a lot of people don't read it, they are picture lookers. That's OK by me. The info is there for those who want it. I tend to be similar when browsing the blogs, so I don't take offense to that. With so many blogs to choose from, I hope folks that read my blog find inspiration and ideas that motivate them to go grab a stamp and create!



• Can you give links to some of your favorite blogs? Oh - geeez! Just three??? I can't do it!! I can't! There are too many. I have a list of blogs that I do regularly visit on my page - but I can't pick favorites - I love 'em all!!

So, there you have it - some of the scoop on Jenny!! I think you'll agree with me that her work is stunning. Her blog is definitely a regular stop for me!

If you would like to nominate a blog for Featured Blogger Friday, send me a quick email at toners@wispertel.net - I'd love to hear from you!

Featured Blogger Friday - Week 1

As promised, this week I'm starting "Featured Blogger Friday". I am hoping that each Friday I can introduce you to a person whose blog you will get something positive from, whether that is some new stamping techniques, scrapbook layouts, some fantastic recipes, unique shopping sites, or simply some excellent writing that will make you smile. And that's where my first Featured Blogger fits in :)

I discovered Maureen's writing a couple of years ago. Her blog is called "I'd Rather Be Blogging", and her writing style is just fantastic. Maureen has a way of making everyday life happenings sound like fun. I think her style appeals to me because there's occasionally that sarcastic tone (yep, we Brits like that) and the entries are very easy to read. It's the kind of blog that you can read and relate to in some form or another. Maureen very kindly took the time to answer some questions from me. Here are her responses, written in fantastic Maureen style::)

Tell us a little about you: Okay, let's see...in a nutshell I am a 48 year old Canuck; a wife of 29 years, mother of 18 years and hospital computer geek for the past 30 years. I am also a Star Wars collector, Johnny Depp obsesser, animal lover and wannabe artister, er, artist.

How long have you been blogging? Over three years now...gad, that can't be right...hold on. Yep, I just checked; it's correct alright. I've been on the interwebs for even longer. Since the my-ears-are-bleeding-from-the-screeching-modem days, believe it or not. I've been building websites since 1997 for me, my daughter, family members and even for work. Which isn't as much fun, but it's the bestest part of my workday. I mean, who wouldn't love to get paid to surf the web!

When I began blogging in 2006, I started with not one, not two, but three (of course - leave it to moi to go overboard from the get go):

- a general blog ("Stale Coffee")

- a blog about my Pirates obsession ("Pillage and Plunder")

- and one for my artwork and hobbies ("Creative Chaos")

In 2007, I morphed "Stale Coffee" into my current humor blog, "I'd Rather Be Blogging". Most recently, I've re-vamped and resumed my "Creative Chaos" blog so that I can post my paintings, cards and drawings online.

Why do you blog? Hmmm...I keep asking myself that same question; especially when writer's block smacks me upside the head.

I guess I simply wanted to find out IF I could do it, for you see, I sucked (no I really, REALLY did) at writing when I was in school. I couldn't tell the difference between an adverb and an adjective. Erm, I probably STILL can't, but I have honed my skills by reading gobs of grammar and writing books. Which you can probably tell, particularly when I used refined words like "gobs". Then when I started blogging and getting some positive feedback on my posts, I enjoyed writing more and more. Now, as in my typical OCD fashion, I am obsessed with it.

What's your favorite topic to blog about? I started out doing a general topic blog, simply writing about whatever mundane thing happened that day. *Yawn*. But when I wrote about plunging myself into yet another stupid, er, humorous situation, I was surprised at the positive response. So now I focus on humor. Disconcerting though it may be, these situations seem to occur all too often around here, so I have blog fodder to last quite awhile it seems.

Have you learned anything special from blogging? I've realized how very small the Internet has made the world. I have 'met' so many talented bloggers from all across the globe who I love to visit on nearly a daily basis. I've also learned a lot about coding by finding templates I like and customizing them ad nauseum. 99% of my computer skills are self-taught, so I get a real Geeky Thrill™ when something I do actually works! (I think "Geeky Thrill" SHOULD be trademarked. Just imagine the gobs of money I'd make at Comic Con)

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? I hope they get a laugh, giggle, snort or even a smirk...unless it's on my art blog. Then...not so much.

Can you give links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell a little about why you like to visit them? Well, since I could never limit my choices to only 3 of my bloggy friends, I'll choose a couple of pretty well-known larger sites that tickle my funny bone:

Cute Overload - because who can resist kittens and puppies that make you go "Awwww......"?

I Can Has Cheeseburger - because who can resist kittens and puppies that make you go LOL, LMFAO, ROTFL or even LOLZ?

Cake Wrecks - because who can resist laughing at other people's horrendous mistakes - especially when it's in icing?:)

Soooo...there you have it! My first Featured Blogger Friday :) Be sure to hop over to Maureen's blog for a laugh and to say hi! Tell her I sent you :)

If you have some nominations for FBF, drop me an email at toners@wispertel.net - and remember, any blog goes! Crafty, non-crafty - just anything that you want to share with the rest of us!

Can you help?

I'm hoping to start up a weekly post on my blog - it'll be called "Featured Blogger Friday", and I'm planning to showcase one blog each week. The blog can be crafty or non-crafty, related to a specific topic or just someone's everyday writing; whatever you think is a great blog to share with the rest of us!

If you'd like to have your own blog showcased, or if you'd like to recommend a blog (or three!), send me an email to toners@wispertel.net with a link to the blog and why you think it should be featured, and I'll get this thing started in the next couple of weeks!! I know you all have some great sites bookmarked out there...I look forward to hearing from you!