Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Creative people that make me happy...

Day 9: Make a list of creative people you are grateful for today.
Well, it's kind of a long list...so I think I am going to narrow it down to maybe 10 people? And say something about each one, maybe? Each one has a blog that I follow, something I do nearly as religiously as I drink my coffee in the morning. Usually I do it at the same time. These aren't meant to be in any particular order...so try not to read too much into it!

Allie of Hyperbole and a Half. She never fails to make me laugh. I get giddy when I see the bold text that means she has a new blog post...and seriously, a lot of the time I wonder if she secretly knows me. Case in point, This is why I'll never be an adult. Go. Read. Love. If you don't think she's hilarious, then I can't talk to you any more.

Stephanie Severin of Ingenious Inkling. From her Thursday Link Love posts, which feature all sorts of fun things from her own trips around the internet, to her inspirational Quotes of the Week, to her fabulous art collection and photographs from all sorts of trips and vacations...and last but not least, her own card creations. One of my very favourite things about Stephanie's blog is that she posts cards she's not happy with, and explains why...most of us shy away from embracing those creations.

Jill Foster of Inspired By. I think I already covered this last week when I used a card of hers as inpiration myself...but not only is she a talented and creative stamper herself, she features new artists each week, showcasing their creations and those of her own that have been Inspired By the guest artist. In a sense, she teaches me how to be influenced and inspired by other artists while still making my own creations.

Lydia Fiedler of Understand Blue. She makes beautiful things - and tucks them inside the funniest stories. The other day she talked about raccoons and vegetables...and then shared a gorgeous simple card. And, she commented on my post the other day, and had me all unable to post anything for a few days...so she's gracious too :)

Susan Liles of Susiestampalot. She's a designer for two of my favourite companies to drool over (My Favourite Things and The Cat's Pajamas), she loves bright colours, and she has such funny tips, called Susie Q-tips. They range from the truly useful hint to the totally hilarious mishaps that, as she puts it, "Don't ask me. I don't want to talk about it."

Allison of Stampin' When I Can and the newly created Share the Mojo. I don't think I've seen a crafter who does more to share what's out there. Allison has two regular features on her blog - Sketch Links sorted by day, and Newly Discovered, which shares blogs as she comes across them. Allison also blogs regularly about her crazy funny kids, and includes a "positive note of the day," something that all of us might do well to think about as it applies to our own lives.

Susan from Simplicity by Lateblossom...now, I will never be a "clean and simple" stamper. I love it, I love to drool over it, but it's not my own style. The grand thing about Susan's blog is that she discusses design principles - not just as they apply to her beautiful CAS cards, but ones even messy cardmakers like me can use. And, not particularly related to crafting, but she also has a son with autism, and a blog called  Questioning Autism that I find very thought-provoking.

Mel from Mel Stampz...she doesn't post as frequently as she once did, but her blog is unbelievably full of ideas, links, more ideas...and loads of how-tos. Mel shares TONS of free things - templates, digital images, etc - and has an incredible ability to breathe new life into paper projects. Mel is also thrifty - and I must say, finding cheap ideas is always fun. I may love spending money, but getting more for less is always better :)

Carole from Mother's Little Helper...cracks me up. We share the same quirky sense of humour, and there's many a card of hers that I've sneaked a sentiment from. She loves bright colours, as I do, she works with some really fun stamp companies, and she just comes across as a truly fun & generous person. I love reading every new post.

Beate from Fresh & Fun...her creations are amazing! She puts so much effort into providing step-by-step instructions for what she's made, and the list of tutorials she's done for Splitcoaststampers is unparalleled, and as long as my arm. At least.

There you have it!
xoxo,
Jessi

1 comment:

Allison Rankin said...

Thanks for the shout-out...you're sweet!