I didn’t know much about Cindy when I first started following her on Instagram. But it’s always exciting discovering similarities that you have with friends you make on Instagram. I’ve since learned that Cindy and I share the same faith and profession! (I’m also majoring in education.) I always enjoy being inspired by Cindy’s creative pursuits and I hope you will be too. Welcome to the blog, Cindy!

Tell me about yourself.  My name is Cindy (cinback on social media). I have two beautiful daughters (18 & 19 yrs old) and my husband and I recently celebrated 20 years of marriage. I am an educator, having taught in the classroom for 15 years and now providing professional development to the staff at my school (and taking the first steps to sharing our learning model around the world). I love the outdoors and being only an hour away from the mountains, we zip out there as often as possible to hike and bike and breathe fresh air. I love all kinds of crafting, as I love the challenge of learning something new, but scrapbooking is my ultimate pleasure. A few years ago, I started my blog Serious Play to share my creations with others.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you?  I have been skydiving and scuba diving and hot air balloon riding.

What do you do to express your creativity?  I am a crafter at heart. Creativity is my outlet after sitting in front of a computer for most of my day at work. I scrapbook, make cards, make mini albums, paint, knit, make paper garlands and have recently taken up modern calligraphy. I used to do a lot of scrapbook layouts, but now I have embraced Project Life as my main source of documenting life. To appease my love of embellishments, I make mini albums featuring a specific event or time. I also love photography and continually to try to grow that skill too.

How did you get started?  I started scrapbooking after the birth of my first daughter, way back in 1994. I was invited to a Creative Memories party where I was first introduced to the concept of personalizing a photo album. Purchasing an album, some pens, stickers and a tape roller, I set off to document my new baby’s first year of life. However, there was not the wide range of beautiful products available today. In fact, this may have been the only scrapbooking company around at the time. Loving the concept of this type of documenting life, but not loving the choice of products out there, I lost interest. The next few years of my life I juggled two babies, plunging into my career, buying a house and car and life was just too busy for much crafting. Then scrapbooking magazines started popping up and I discovered Ali Edwards and Cathy Zielske. I bought all the magazines and spent hours examining the different styles and techniques and I followed so many blogs but my life was still too full for me to jump in, so I just admired from afar. As my girls grew older and needed me less, and my job required less hours of evening work, I began to dabble in scrapbooking again. And now, I spend almost every evening in my craft room after work making something!

What do you love most about what you do to be creative?  I love being challenged. So, if I see something that I like, I always try to find a way to re-create it for myself, especially if that means learning and developing a new skill. I don’t think I have ever said to myself, “You can’t do that!” In fact, I tell my girls all the time, “You can do anything. You just have to decide to!”

Who or what inspires you?  Everything! Being a very visual person I am attracted to magazines, Pinterest, and blogs. But I also draw inspiration from the patterns in nature.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired?  I can’t honestly remember a time when I was stuck or uninspired. My issue is more that I have too many ideas than I have time to execute! I always keep a notebook handy and jot down things that I see that I want to try. And then I always have a few ideas of variations or improvements or substitutions that I could make to expand on that idea. Then, when I am working on something, I consult my notebook and all of those ideas come flooding back and I’m ready to go! I also keep a monthly Inspiration Board above my workspace, which is a catalogue of images and words that inspire me.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative?  I believe in Christ as the Creator and I believe that He has made me (and all of us) in his image, which means that we are innately creative. The question is whether or not we choose to exercise that creativity. I love the quote that says, “You cannot use up creativity. The more use, the more you have.” I believe that of Christ as well. The more I have of Him in my life, the more I am like Him and therefore, the more I am able to be creative.

Describe your creative style.  This is tricky to answer, since I would say my ‘style’ is always changing. I don’t tend to follow the current trends and I don’t buy a ton of product. Instead, I try to make my own DIY version of something that I have seen and liked. I really just create things that I think are pretty.

I tend to stick to neutrals. I like colour, but in very small doses. Perhaps it comes from my love of nature and the calm that I feel from browns and greys and creams. I also try to avoid clutter. I like a lot of white space and breathing room and tend to cluster my embellishments while using them sparingly.

Name your top five favorite tools or products:

1. Silhouette cameo
2. Vintage typewriter
3. Vellum
4. Gold sequins
5. Anything woodgrain

Are you an early bird or night owl? When are you most productive?  I am definitely a night owl. Waking up in the morning is the hardest thing I have to do in my day. Perhaps if I didn’t have to leave for work at the crack of dawn every day I would enjoy mornings more. For me, it is the evenings that I look forward to. As my workday is ending, I am already anticipating the projects waiting for me at home. Often, I don’t get into my craft room until after supper but then time just disappears and I get lost in my own little world of productivity. I literally could stay up all night crafting, but I have to tear myself away at a reasonable hour because I know that it will be hard to wake up again the next morning!

What projects are you currently working on?

• Project Life
• Modern Calligraphy, through which I have gained some new penpals
• Maggie Holmes Mini Book workshop at Studio Calico

If you had to be a colour in a crayon box, which colour would you be?  Probably, I would be a deep indigo colour, since it can fall into the neutral category, but can also be called on to be the star of the show. It has an element of uniqueness and mystery (not black, but not blue) as well as a quiet elegance (which I strive for, but have not yet reached).

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose?  Ha! I have never even thought about this before and actually had to look up a list of possible super powers. After reading them over, I guess I would choose telepathy, like in the movie What Women Want when Mel Gibson is able to hear women’s voices and gets a lot of insight! There are far too many people who suffer from negative self-talk. They think they are not worthy, not smart, not pretty, not capable, not creative…and I want to get in their heads and kibosh all those thoughts, replacing them with positivity, encouragement and love.

What is your favourite quote? I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Follow Cindy on her blog, Instagram and Pinterest to keep being inspired by her! Thank you for joining us today, Cindy (:

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Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.

I discovered Andrea on Instagram and was first inspired by her Project Life spreads (still am!). Since then, I’ve enjoyed her creativity that goes beyond paper, and continues into crafts and sewing. I love seeing her incredible creativity in her projects and following along her creative journey. Welcome to the blog, Andrea!

Tell me about yourself. Hello, hello. My name is Andrea. I‘m 27 and live with my boyfriend in Switzerland. During the days, I work in an office and ;ive my creative side on the evenings and weekends. I love reading a good book (my current favorite is: The Time Traveller‘s wife by Audrey Niffenegger), watching some TV-series (Criminal Minds, NCIS, Homeland) and taking naps whenever I can.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? I love when everything is organized by color. My clothes are organized this way, my books, my project life cards, my cardstock, just everything that could be color coordinated.

What do you do to express your creativity? There is not only one thing that I‘m doing. I always have a lot of things going on and I can‘t stop trying new things. Currently I‘m working on an art journal, knitting my second clothing (a cardigan), making mini-books about special events and ordinary days, painting some abstract art with acrylics and sewing a lot. The one thing that stays the same every week is my Project LIfe album. I work on this constantly and document our everyday life on a weekly basis.

How did you get started doing this? When I was in school, I was very creative. I took some painting classes. My favorite subject was art. I loved to sew. I had an art journal… But with the first job, my free time was very limited. When I was 20, I decided to start further education. I was working 90%of the time and went to school for 10%. It was tough and I was so glad when I had my diploma in my hands. After these 3 years, I felt the urge to start creating again. Painting was the first thing I tried, then I bought a sewing machine. In 2012, I made my first mini-book and fell in love working with paper.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I love that I totally forget the time and everything around me when I‘m creating something.

Who or what inspires you? Nature is my biggest inspiration. When I take a walk and see all the beauty around me, I‘m always amazed.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I have  several notebooks where I jot down all my creative ideas. One notebook lies on my bedside table, one on my desk and one I take with me wherever I go. When I feel stuck I can always use my notebooks as a reference.

But sometimes it‘s totally okay to be uninspired. I accept these moments and don‘t force it to have to create something always and everyday. And when everything doesn’t work, a nap always a good idea.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? Because I love the fact that I can make something with my own hands.

Describe your creative style. I‘m someone who always tries new things and with a new thing comes a new style. So my style is constantly changing.

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

1. Journaling cards – they are perfect for Project Life spreads but also to jot down a quote or used as a gift tag.
2. Date stamp – I’ve used this one for years and it works very well.
3. Glue runner.
4. StazOn ink pad (and stamps) – StazOn works best for stamping on everything whether it‘s paper, wood, fabric or your hands.
5. Zig Millennium Pens – they come in various sizes and I can write with them  directly onto photos without smearing.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? Night owl. I just get more awake in the evenings. If I didn‘t have to work I would mostly stay up until the wee hours.

What project(s) are you currently working on? At the beginning of May I shared my newest project. It’s called “create.share.love – 27 handmade items“. I turned 27 on May 2nd and decided to create 27 items while I’m 27. My goal is to only make things I’ve never done before. The first project was an abstract acrylic painting which I shared on Instagram.

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Yellow like the sun.

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? I would love to have that time-turner which Hermione had in The Prisoner of Azkaban. This way I would have a lot more time to be creative.

What is your favorite quote? In the end only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully yout let go of things not meant for you. – Buddha

I share snippets of my life on Instagram (@andreacollects) and collect inspiration on Pinterest.

Be sure to follow Andrea on her links and continue being inspired by her!

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Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.

Like others I’ve interviewed for this series, I “met” Olya on Instagram and totally enjoy all that she does. Olya is an amazing artist and I love seeing all the creativity that she exudes in her work. I’m so grateful for her friendship and support as I’ve gotten to know her through Instagram, and today’s post. Welcome to the blog, Olya!

Tell me about yourself. I’m Olya, (pronounced O-li-a, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard every possible attempt at pronouncing it 🙂 ) I’m 28 and I live in Vancouver, BC with my husband Karl and our bunny Daisy. I’m a watercolor artist by day, project life scrapbooker by night.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? When I first signed up on Instagram three years ago, I refused to use its social features and only used it for the photo filters. I re-signed up this past July and I’m so ever grateful for all the social connections I’ve made through it.

What do you do to express your creativity? l paint, I go around Vancouver and sketch on the go (@vancouversketcher), I do art journaling and, of course, project life albums.

How did you get started doing this? Back in Europe (where I’m from) I went to a school that specialized in art. We had 2-4 hours of art lessons per day, 6 days a week. Grade 5 onwards art history was added, they didn’t mess around 🙂 After my mom and I moved to Canada in 2001, I learned English and after high school, went to college. I thought it was too unrealistic to pursue art career, so I went into business instead. After I graduated I was longing for creativity and I started doing scrapbooks for friends and family, even some clients, and I loved it. On our first year anniversary my husband surprised me with easel, paints and brushes and I started getting back into art again. In 2012 I took a leap of faith and signed up for my first art show and I haven’t put a brush down since. Now it’s my day job and I’m forever thankful that I took a chance when I did.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I love seeing my ideas turn into reality in sketches, Project Life layouts, art journal pages. To envision something I want to paint or make and then be able to do it, that’s my favorite part I think.

Who or what inspires you? Colors, music, ocean, pretty stationery, people’s kindness, my little Daisy bun, return of Spring with its blooms and sunshine, seeing what others create,  Disney & Pixar movies

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I listen to the music, go through my project life embellishments stash and just keep on creating. When I feel stuck I turn to Instagram and Pinterest, go for a run, read art books, take a break, even look at my own layouts/art journals from last years. I find that cleaning and organizing my supplies and creative space helps a lot too.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? If I don’t create for awhile, my soul aches. Sounds a bit epic, I know but it’s true. When we were in the middle of moving to a new apartment last fall, I couldn’t paint or do project life for nearly a month and I literally cried (several times perhaps). Being creative is such a big part of my life that if I don’t honor it, I go into deep sadness and depression.

Describe your creative style. Happy, colorful & bright.

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

1. Dear Lizzy Project Life kits (all of them)
2. Vellum
3. Wood veneers
4. Washi tape
5. Tiny attacher

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? Night owl and at times early bird too.  I’m most productive at any time but the middle of the day, that’s where afternoon naps come in.

What project(s) are you currently working on? Project Life album, sketch-a-day challenge, art journals

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Yellow 🙂

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? Being able to talk to animals

What is your favorite quote? “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

Thank you for sharing with us today, Olya! Be sure to follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more of Olya’s amazingly inspiring work!

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Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.

I loved seeing all the responses to the very first Creative Conversation. Thank you for sharing my excitement about this series! Today, I am excited to welcome Sarah for our conversation. I stumbled upon Sarah’s Instagram account a couple of months back and I love how her personality just shines through all that she does – she is so down-to-earth and sweet. I always love seeing the innovative and creative ideas she comes up with for all her projects. Welcome to the blog, Sarah!

Tell me about yourself. I’m a stay-at-home mum of 2 who loves geeky stuff and all things crafty. I also have a cat named Streaky. Things that make me happy are shopping, sleeping in, sweets and stationery. I am a big fan of The Walking Dead, Batman and Doctor Who.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? Something interesting would be that before my kids were born, I used to work in day care. I teach and take care of Pre-schoolers. There’s a story behind that! I have studied 4 different degrees because I had trouble finding what I really wanted in life. And the last course that I took was to be able to work in a child care centre. I have always wanted to work with children because I wanted to share my ideas and express my creative side. I guess all those years of studying paid off. One day, I want to illustrate and write my own children’s book.

What do you do to express your creativity? I like to make pretty things such as card making, collages and I also love to draw.

How did you get started doing this? I like doing DIY projects but after having baby number 2 I got a little lazy. I got back into doing arts and crafts when I stumbled upon Washi tapes. I saw it on Pinterest one day and then started collecting. Then I joined the Filofax and Project Life community on Instagram and from there I got even more inspired.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I love sharing my ideas and my work with people who appreciate it.

Who or what inspires you? My biggest inspiration are my kids I get some of my ideas based on my experiences with them. I also adore my Instagram friends in the Filofax, Project Life and Snail mail community – who I consider the most talented people in the world.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I stay inspired by trying out different things. I usually get ideas in the strangest places like when I’m in the shower or when I am folding clothes. When I’m stuck the first thing I do is check Pinterest for ideas. You can never go wrong with Pinterest! I don’t force myself to work on something if I don’t feel like it. Sometimes, it will take me months to start again but once I get started I don’t stop for a week or two.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? I do this because I love it. I am attracted to paper and making things. I have always enjoyed arts and crafts. I was never an ‘academic’ or a sporty kind of person. When people say I inspire them, it motivates me and encourages me to do better.

Describe your creative style. I am spontaneous (but I always like to keep it simple). When I have the spur-of-the-moment ideas, I am itching to do it right away. I usually just throw in different designs and mediums and mix them all together. Sometimes it also depends on my mood. Making crafty things is my way of escaping the real world. It’s my little happy place.

Name your top five favourite tools or products.

1. Washi Tape – I include washi tape in everything I do! It’s such a versatile item.
2. Journaling cards – Project Life and Me and my BIG ideas are my favourite.
3. Paper trimmer – Because I can’t cut straight! Lol
4. Stamps
5. A black pen – For me it is the equivalent of a Little Black Dress! 😀

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? I am both. I usually try to do my work when I have free time (like when my kids are asleep). But I do find myself most productive in the morning because my mind is awake.

What project(s) are you currently working on? I am currently into making Pen pal Booklets and I am trying to finish my Project Life album about my son.

If you had to be a colour in a crayon box, which colour would you be? I would say Yellow because yellow is a happy colour and I am a cheerful and easy going person. 🙂  I also asked my husband what colour he thinks I am and he said, Sky Blue. It’s because I am a very patient person.

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? Before I would always say the ability to fly so I can see places. But now that I am a mum, I would want to be able to multiply myself so I can do several things at the same time.

What is your favourite quote? “Look for something positive in each day. Even if some days you have to look a little harder. Let the challenged make you stronger.”

Follow Sarah on her blog, Instagram and Pinterest to continue seeing her creative ideas – you will love them!

Thank you for joining us today and for being a part of this series, Sarah! So glad to have you!

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Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.