A Different Kind Of Blog Hop

Hey all!  I'm back today with a not so quick post.  I was tagged by a friend to participate in a Progressive Blog Hop.  I know, it was new to me, too.  I had never heard of a hop like this one, but the more I read about it, the more I liked it.  In a nutshell, it helps celebrate creativity and encourages folks to visit blogs that might be new to them.

I was honored to be tagged in this hop by Alaine Medio of MissAlaineous' Mosiacs on her lovely blog last Monday.  Alaine is a top notch cardmaker and artist.  She possesses mad coloring skills and knows her way around the Copic color chart.  I met Alaine when I joined the Bombshell Stamps design team and fell in love with her work there.  As of late,  I've been admiring her fantastic steampunk projects.  You really must check out her blog, I insist.

First, I'm supposed to answer a few questions:

1.  What am I working on?

Over the years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the finest design teams in the stamping world.  Recently I stepped down from all of my teams and now I'm able to work on projects without boundaries and without a specified timeline.  I'm also able to play when I'm invited to participate in special hops or releases.  My other passion is cooking and now I can spend more time blogging on my husband's food blog.  You can visit me at AlbuKirky BBQ and Other Stuff when you don't find me here.

Here's a couple of my last design team cards that I haven't shared on my blog until now...

2.  How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I'm not sure how different it is, but I do love color, lots and lots of vibrant color.  I am drawn to intense color palettes and want my colors to almost glow.

3.  Why do I create what I do?

16 or so years ago, I discovered card making.  I've never been artistic, but card making made me feel like I was. I fell in love with the process.

4.  How does my creative process work?

My creative process is all over the place.  It might start with a Copic color combo I want to work with, a new patterned paper, or a stamp image that strikes my fancy.  I do have a tendency to color my image first and then find paper to match afterwards, which occasionally bites me in the butt, but I keep lots of black and white patterned paper on hand, which tends to go with just about everything.  I also have a layering cheat I follow...I only layer with black and/or kraft solids.  No need to get matchy matchy and they instantly give my projects a slightly vintage feel.      

Okay, enough about me...part of what keeps this hop moving forward is tagging new folks each week and the 2 ladies I tagged are near and dear to me.  First of all, they both immediately agreed to do this  hop on a moments notice and I greatly appreciate that.

Jenny Peterson of My Little Stamping Spot - What can I say about Jenny other than she is the absolute bomb!  She's funny and talented.  Her sense of humor keeps me in stitches and her coloring and card making abilities are off the charts. AND she has the most beautiful family!  She's ridiculously awesome, and I insist that you do yourself a favor and visit her blog.

Sharon Caudle of Gramma's House of Cards - Sharon is one of the sweetest folks you will ever encounter in blogland.  She's an absolute doll!  When perusing Sharon's beautiful projects, you immediately notice the vibrant coloring and lush layers, but you pick up on Sharon's sense of humor with her clever and quirky use of sentiments.  Plus, check out Sharon's perfect bows!  They make me green with envy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and be sure to stop by Jenny's and Sharon's blogs next Monday to keep this hop going.  I'll close with a few of my favorite past projects.