ABOUT

By day I'm a professional graphic designer and work in a small print shop. Though I have formal training in design from Parson's School of Design in New York City, the majority of the work I do at the shop is 'technical' in nature. I prepare files for press production and spend a lot of time fixing files created by others that are not quite ready or right for final output. In addition to my job at the print shop I am self-employed and do freelance design work for a select group of clients that does involve design and creativity, so I get a blend of both sides of the print design world. I love design in all forms but particularly enjoy the topics of color and typography.

I delved into the world of stamping about 10 years ago when I was invited to a Stampin' Up party but I have had an obsession with paper and packaging for decades. I confess to having made many a purchase over the years specifically because I wanted the package the item was in. Like most with creative leanings who attend a Stampin Up workshop I bought a stamp set or two and a few supplies and then... a few more. Though I loved stamping and creating, I soon found I had more cards than I could possibly ever use and I couldn't justify collecting supplies without using them so my card making days came to an end.

Then in 2008 I stumbled on a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) posted at the PaperCrafts Magazine site where a lady was collecting thank you cards for our military. I was so excited to be able to enjoy card making and be able to share the cards in such a rewarding way. One thing led to another and I started searching online and found an organization called Card for Heroes (which later became Operation Write Home) to which I could send all the cards I wanted and they'd get them to service members who would use them to keep in touch with home. The rest, as they say, is history. I've been making cards since 2008 and can proudly say that I've contributed over 12,000 cards since. I've become more involved with the the organization over the years and currently serve on the OWH Blog Team as the OWH Design Bootcamp instructor. I feel blessed to be a small part of this organization and have met many online crafting friends as a result.

Paper crafting, and card making specifically, has come to be one of my very favorite things and I am giving serious thought as to how I might be able to combine my design background and this hobby that I love so much to do some fun and exciting things in the future.