Around the World Blog Hop

Good Morning everyone and especially welcome if you are visiting my blog for the first time.

I have been nominated to take part in the 'Around the World Blog Hop' by my sister, Christine Barnsley.
Christine is  very talented at needlework, she does sewing, quilting and crocheting and makes lovely things.  Her blog is Patchwork Allsorts and is well worth a visit.

I have to answer a few questions about me, so here we go:

What crafty thing am I working on? 

My only craft  is card making, I was introduced to this about 15 years ago - I saw it on the TV and wanted to give it a go straight away.  I enjoy stamping and anything inky and currently teach workshops for Claritystampers East,. I also run monthly workshops with my friend Moira 

My actual current project is preparing cards to make at the next workshop, so I won't show you those as it will spoil the surprise but here are some examples of previous ones

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

My work is similar to others in that we all use similar techniques, but all have our own style - mine is clean and simple.  I don't normally do fussy cards, but every now and then I do go bright and glittery, just to keep people on their toes!!

3. Why do I write/create what I do? 

My day job is based in science and I enjoy using my creative side as a contrast.  There is something very satisfying taking a blank piece of card and creating a small piece of art.  I also enjoy the teaching I do, it is wonderful to see ladies at the class start by being very unsure and gradually gaining in confidence and being surprised and delighted with the work they do. 

4. How does my writing/creating process work?

I usually try and have an idea of what I want to do before I start, although it very rarely turns out the way I planned it!  I am happy to go with the flow and let the card develop.
I am delighted to be part of the Claritystamp Design Team and am so fortunate to get sent stamps and stencils every month to work with.  I often stamp these out first, just to see what they look like in different inks and then go from there...

I now have to nominate three other blogs:

My first one is the blog of Lynne Hammond, a fellow member of the Clarity Design Team and a very talented card-maker, her cards often have a quirky touch of humour! Lynne's blog is  Lynne's Crafty Little Blog

My second nomination is Nikki Acton, her blog is called Addicted to Art and it is full of wonderful grungy projects, mostly not cards, but lovely works of art.  I met Nikki when she came to one of the Claritystampers workshops. 

I would also like to mention two other blogs, although I am not actually nominating them to take part in the blog hop:

The first is Moira's blog Craft Ecletia Moira is my crafty friend and we spend many hours together chatting about crafty things.  Moira has just been nominated by another friend, so I am not nominating her again.

Finally, no blog post of mine is complete without a mention of Barbara Gray. Her blog is Barbara Gray's Blog One Day at a Time Barbara owns Claritystamp Ltd and is a remarkable lady who has inspired many, many people with her amazing talents as a card maker and so much more besides.  I owe her a huge thank you for inviting me to join the Clarity Team - it is a wonderful place to be!!  Barbara is a very busy lady and she blogs every day, so there is always something new to see there.

Well done if you made it through to the end of this post!  I have enjoyed it - I wish you many happy hours of crafting, wherever you are in the world, and thank you to Christine for nominating me

Janet xxx