Hi Everyone!

Well this is exciting!

Hi everyone, it’s Claire here and I’m thrilled to be joining the Papermaze Design Team.  I’m really looking forward to sharing this fabulous crafty hobby with you all and thought I’d hop on and introduce myself.  

I live in Dorset with my partner of 10 years and our gorgeous fur baby called Balli who is nearly 9.  You’ll get to know them both very well as they often take centre stage in my layouts.

My creative journey started in 2006 when my Mum introduced me to card making. I quickly became hooked and used to make cards for my friends, family and colleagues.  I would regularly go to craft shows and exhibitions, and that’s where I got my first glimpse of scrapbooking. I loved the idea of doing something creative just for me and to have an outlet to capture those precious moments.  10 years later and I love it more now than ever.

I’m not sure I have a style as such when it comes to scrapbooking. I like to have a go at everything: lots of paper layers and ephemera, cut files, stamping, mixed media and more.

My most infamous layout is the ‘Lets Stay Home’ page I made in May. Ironically, I’d bought this Maggie Holmes Flourish paper for the stripe on the reverse side, but the houses caught my eye when I sat down to create, and the fussy cutting began!

As well as scrapping day to day moments, I also love to travel, and take a million photos so I’ve plenty to choose from when I get home. I find it hard to resist travel themed collections – so bright and colourful. They always help me relive the adventure.

I also like to dabble in cleaner layouts with lots of white space, although sometimes I find it tricky to balance a minimal page.  They often take me twice as long to create but I enjoy the process all the same.  This is one of my favourites with layers of mixed media against some smaller black and white paper patterns.

Finally, and in complete contrast, I'll sometimes go all out with mixed media...if I’m feeling particularly brave!  This is a photo I scrapped very recently and was so eager to get it right. The image is of some street art I saw on holiday and was blown away at how beautiful it was. I could have stood and looked at it for hours. I used Distress Oxides, paint and art crayons to create the background with lots of stencils to add depth.

Hope that gives you a bit of insight into what you can expect from me in the coming weeks.  

Now to start creating!

Claire xx