This is the start of an inspiration patch, where I hope that fellow scrappers and creators will come and find some inspiration, or even leave some inspiration for me.

Monday 30 June 2014

Strawberry Pickings - Blog Hop

Hello Everyone

I was tagged by a really lovely lady, Helen Wallace, to play along with this Blog Hop (with a difference).
If you know Helen, then she is certainly a lady for words and journalling, so please excuse me, if I am not as "fluent" or poetic as Helen!! ;-)

Helen tagged me in her post here and if you would like to go and take a peep at her blog, I am sure she would appreciate it! You will also see what I mean about her journalling and story telling, which is certainly so wonderful and fabulous! Helen has a way with words and also creates beautiful cards and pages alike!
Helen has certainly inspired me to journal more and also think about the journalling, before I even start my pages! It certainly has helped me to create "well rounded" pages, if I can say it like that! ;-) So thanks Helen for tagging me, it certainly was an honour for me! ;-)

To start off, many people probably wonder why my blog is called Strawbs Patch.  Well I have had a nickname for many years and that is Strawbs. So when I decided to create a blog for my creative hobbies etc, I thought "Strawbs little creative patch", could be quite nice.  It has stuck and is still my little creative patch!

What am I working on right now?

I am busy with 3 projects simultaneously.  I am busy with a BoBunny off the page project, using the sunny and bright Lemonade Stand collection.  I am also starting my BerryBleu71 July project, and I am just about to post our new Scrap Africa challenge for tomorrow.  Here is a little sneak peak of my page tomorrow.


How does my work differ from others of it's genre?

I really don't actually know what to say here! I think I have a shabby chic style, but I am evolving to use lots of mixed media and so how that is different from others, I'm not sure! I think everyone has their own little creative stamp, so that when someone looks at your work, they have a pretty good idea of who created the page! To define that "stamp" is the difficult part. I just know that I love scrapbooking and I would hope that anyone looking at my projects would know that I created them with love and with a passion for creating! ;-)


Why do I write/create what I do?

I think I have partly answered that above, but I also want to document and leave something for my son, who will one day grow up and have a family of his own.  He loves my scrapbooking and often will sit with me, while I am scrapping and create little cards and projects of his own.  I always show him my pages and tell him what they are about. There has not been a disapproval yet! ;-) 


How does your writing/creative process work?

Sometimes it starts with a photo and I think to myself, that must definitely be scrapped.
Sometimes it starts with a thought about a moment that I don't want to forget and really want to document.
Sometimes it starts with a little inspiration seed from a project that I have seen in a magazine, and think about how I could incorporate that into a project.
Sometimes it's a colour or a picture I have seen in my day.
So yes, something always triggers my creative juices and then I just follow where it leads me.


How do I become inspired and stay inspired?

Again, this is partly answered above! Many things inspire me and when I have a little flavour to run with, then I must see how it turns out. I often lay in bed at night and think about current projects and one's coming up. This is normally right before I close my eyes and go to sleep and it's such a good energy to go to sleep with! I can assure you that I wake up with the very same energy! ;-) This always leads me to creating later on in the day. Sometimes it's frustrating that I have to get the work day over with, before that process can begin!
I also love beautiful papers and accents, there is nothing better than creating with papers you really love and knowing that whatever you create must turn out "good" because the materials are so good.
Being on DT's and seeing wonderful materials and getting to use them, is certainly inspiration too. I can't begin to tell you how the creative juices flow when you get to see new collections behind the scenes and then wait for the parcel to arrive in the post.  It is like Christmas, on any given day!!! It is just awesome! ;-)


What is my signature style?

I think that was answered in various questions above! It's a combination of things.
To name the "stamp", it's not a black and white answer! ;-)


I have tagged 3 creative friends, who will be sharing their creative journey's with you next week Monday.

They are


Wilna I recently met, when we did the Scrapping4Charity weekend.  Wilna and I had a  good laugh and she was such a great help on the weekend! Wilna also is also a fabulous creator and she has a wonderful shabby chic style. She is a super teacher too and anyone who attends her classes, would really learn a few things! 

Desire is an inspiring card maker and she really does make wonderful cards! I admire how she creates a lot of her own embelishments and flowers, that certainly is amazing and certainly helps the budget a lot!
Her colouring techniques are fabulous!

Jaya's projects caught my eye, because she has a fabulous style. I love the design of her pages and her textures and layering.  She has such a natural artsy style, that I would certainly give my eye teeth for! ;-)

As Helen mentioned in her post, through cyberspace, I have also made some wonderful friendships.
There are many of these creators, ladies and men, that I truly admire and are so inspired by.
I have had the privilege of meeting some of them and it has added so much to my creative journey!
So to all my scrappy friends, I thank you all for the wonderful words of encouragement and the wonderful inspiration that I always find on your blogs! Every single one of you! ;-)

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little bit more.
Denise x


12 comments:

  1. Thank you Denise. I love to be a part of this blog hop. Thanks a ton for the kind introduction :) It was awesome to know so much about you!

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  2. Denise you are just seriously talented and so creative. You creations always have so many beautiful details to feast on and one has to look and look again to appreciate everything. Thank you for inviting me on this wonderful fun crafty hop xxx
    Hugs
    Desíre
    {Doing Life – my personal blog}

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  3. Thanks for sharing a little about yourself Denise. I love all your work (& I'm very jealous that you get to play with all the yummy Bo Bunny product) and your new layout for Scrap Africa is devine I must say - I'm in love with the hot air balloons :)

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  4. I have such FUN reading lotsa scrappy posts & learning more about what makes scrappers 'tick'....I really enjoyed learning some more about how you feel & 'tackle' a scrap page.....LOVED seeing your wide range of scrappy work, too:):):)

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  5. What a wonderful insight into your world. Love the layouts too. The blue one's a fave!

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  6. Thanks for accepting the invitation Denise and for sharing your creative process. It was fun hearing about how your blog got it's name. (something I have wondered about). I love the work you do with the Bo Bunny papers and you seem to be able to turn your hand to many different styles. I was lovely to scroll through some of your pages again and I adore the look on Jo's face with his little dog. That whole page is a knockout. It's been fun to get to know a bit more about you and our shared passion of scrapbooking. :D :D

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  7. Ah this is so cool and I love to read more about the scrappers that I love. I have been so slack getting mine done but have been hit with bronchitis and the blues. I better get to it. Stunning layouts and so nice to to see your processes. :D

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  8. These posts are awesomely fun to read. I'm so enjoying them all!!

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  9. Awesome post. I love to learn more about the person behind the blog and the art.

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  10. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I definitely appreciate it! :^)
    Love your scrapbook style! You put pages together beautifully, with such an eye for design and detail! Love the way you combine the photos and papers with all the colors, patterns, and "bits"! Really, really lovely!
    Hope you have a great week!
    Hugs, Penny

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  11. A fabulous read Denise and so lovely to learn more about your creative side. I love your work and it's great to learn more about what it means to you. Totally loved this!! ox

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  12. Denise dropped by from Jaya's blog and I was fascinated seeing your layouts. I agree about the " stamp" yes after sometime many in our crafty niche can identify who made a particular project. I Especially love your Marylyn page
    Cheers
    Dr Sonia

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