Interview with a scrapbooker and cardmaker- Anna from Koko Vanilla Designs.

Made with the Follow Your Dream Kit

What do you mostly create using your papercraft skills?
I love to create an array of items ranging from Cards, to Scrapbooking Pages, Decorated Canvases, Decorated Banners to hang in the home, little gift boxes, bookmarks, mini albums. The list is endless, your imagination and a few supplies can lead to creating anything.

How and when did you become interested in working with paper and card?
I have always had a love of all things craft, but when I started having children is when I started to have more time to pursue crafts so say I have been Scrapbooking and Cardmaking for about 7 yrs now. I was attracted to papercrafts, with both scrapbooking because it gave me an opporunity to journal my childrens lives, something they can look back on and I love making cards that are special and personalised for people and its also a good way of using up all the scraps of papers that accumulate. Each time my child has a birthday the invitations are always handmade and beautiful and I usually make matching lolly bags or boxes. It makes them feel special and I often get them to participate so we create together.

And what attracted you to it?
I was attracted to all things papercraft because I just love the beautiful designs on patterned paper and all the lovely textures and different creations that you can come up with using an array of items. I guess I love all things beautiful and bright and craft allows for me to be creative with those things.

How did you go about learning how to do your craft?
With cardmaking I more or less taught myself , as I was making cards before I started Scrapbooking. However I did do a few classes to learn all about scrapbooking, I wasn’t sure where to start so I began with a class to learn the basics and then pursued it on my own from there. I have attended a few classes since just to get new ideas and learn new skills.

Fairies In the Garden - Card Kit

How would you describe the style and theme of most of your creations?
I’m not sure if I have a style but I do love to use flowers and ribbons so I definitely like to layer my projects and create balance on my pages and cards. I just use whatever is around me and if it looks right then I go with it. My theme for most projects is bright, colourful and layered and sometimes shabby chic as well. Sometimes its good to get out of your comfort zone and try new styles.

What have you been working on this week?
This week I have been working on some of the gallery images for the June Kits that have been for sale. So that is a combination of cards and scrapbooking pages using what is supplied in the kits. This gives customers the opportunity to get ideas on how to use their supplies. Simultaneously I have been putting together the July kits as well as starting to form ideas for an off the page project, which is a project kit. I will usually put together a finished project with step by step instructions and take photos for customers to make in their own home. I guess you could say it’s a take away class.

What are some of the materials you use in your crafts?
I mostly create with Patterned Paper and Cardstock often as a base and then Stamp images and embellish with ribbons, flowers, glitter, buttons, fabrics, chipboard shapes and letters, rub ons. Anything really that is in my craft stash.

Where do you look for inspiration when designing a new kit to sell on your website?
Inspiration can come from anywhere for my kits, often it will begin with a patterned paper design and then I work from there. So I will try and co-ordinate the colours and designs in the papers with matching embellishments. Sometimes it can work the other way around I may began with an embellishment that I really want in my kit say for example a vintage looking piece and then I work from there to find items to suit that piece which may lead to a vintage collection for a kit. This is just one example. Sometimes I am inspired by things around me a beautiful plate design or something in a magazine, etc.

If you had to choose a favourite piece you have made what would it be?
My most favourite piece at the moment would have to be the Dream Banner I currently have for sale on my site. I just love the soft shabby chic colours and style of it, it looks great on my wall.

Papercraft interview continued on next page
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