Aileen Roberts

Name: Aileen Roberts

Age: 44

Location: Modesto, California

Profession: Small Arts & Crafts Business owner and Altered Artist

Craft(s) of Choice: Altering the ordinary and turning it into something unique extraordinary using paint, paper and found objects.

Blog: http://aileensmusings.blogspot.com

Having grown up with a mother who was a high school art teacher/artist it seemed perfectly normal to me to come home on any given day and find that my mother had made a hanging lamp out of paper mache or that she had painted big swirls and stripes of paint across her bedroom wall and continued it on into the bathroom and across the toilet seat! I grew up surrounded by creativity and remember feeling luckier then most kids because of it. As an adult I truly appreciate and am thankful for my creative upbringing. I’ve raised my own kids in a creative environment  as well and there’s rarely a day that goes by that we aren’t all creating, designing, inventing and/or building something. I feel strongly that every child’s creative door should be opened and kept open.

Alease Michelle McClenningham

Name: Alease Michelle McClenningham

Age: 37

Location: Rock Hill, SC

Profession: Fashion Marketing and Management Instructor at the Art Institute of Charlotte

Craft(s) of Choice: Collage

Blog: www.aleasemichelle.typepad.com

I had a Dad that was very crafty. He taught me how to sew on a button and to do simple stitches on my dolls; dresses. He allowed me to watch him when you was re-crafting a old chair or table into a new piece of art for our house. He painted a 80s disco mural on my bedroom room- which made me the envy of all the kids in the neighborhood. My crafting life comes from him. I enjoy the act of looking for old things and making them new again. Clearly an expression in my use of old vintage photos in my collage work.

Alicia Hanson

Name: Alicia Hanson

Age: 35

Location: Oceanside, CA

Profession: Jewelry Designer | Silversmith

Craft(s) of Choice: Jewelry Making, I also do sewing, cooking, paper creations, and shrines

Blog (if applicable): http://hioctanejewelry.blogspot.com/

Ever since the first time I remember watching my dad weld and use a cutting torch I was mesmerized by those flying blue sparks I wasn’t suppose to be looking at.  I even remember the smell.  Kinda of like after fireworks.  From that moment on I knew I want to play with metal in some form.  I started making beaded jewelry in high school and I would take weird small little toys and make them into earrings.  I always wanted to learn to solder.  Finally that day came when I was about 30,  and then I learned casting.  Now I am always trying to find more ways to spend as much time as I can in my studio creating.  I love learning new things.  I remember just two days ago my 3 year old daughter was watching me solder and she said “Mommy what’s that?”  I explained my soldering torch.  Hopefully she’ll be hooked too.

Alyice Edrich

Name: Alyice Edrich

Age: 40

Location: Beresford, SD

Profession: Freelance Writer and Artist

Craft(s) of Choice:
When I’m watching television or on long drives, I love to crochet blankets.

When I’m feeling nostalgic, I love to scrapbook and make mixed media canvases using photographs.

When I want to de-stress, I must put paint to brush and create vases out of old jars and bottles.

Blog: http://alyiceedrich.com

When I was a young child my honorary aunt used to whisk me away for a weekend of crafting. Those moments with her, painting statuary—and later t-shirts—helped me cope with the pains of my childhood in a productive, healthy way. Creating beautiful things took my mind off the ugly things in my life. But more importantly, it bonded us. Those weekends together were therapeutic on so many levels and my time with her showed me what a good, loving relationship was truly about.

When I became a mother myself, I knew I had to continue that tradition with my own children so we took up crafting. We made Christmas ornaments, painted walls, and did whatever their little hearts desires. The joy on their faces, after having accomplished something they could be proud of, along with the relationships we were building, were priceless—something money could never buy.

But then one day I lost all hope, due to a death in the family, and I quit crafting altogether. But that need to create kept lingering and tugging on my soul until a few years ago when I picked up a skeen of yarn and created my first blanket. The excitement in my children’s faces, having received a gift that took so much patience and time to create reminded me of a joy that can only come from creating and giving of that creation.

Since then, I’ve been a crafting maniac!

Andrea Currie

Name: Andrea Currie

Age: 29

Location: San Diego

Profession: Client Services Manager @ an online video startup

Craft(s) of Choice: paper, fabric, multimedia,…. Ok just about everything!

Blog: www.facebook.com/andreacurriecrafts

I once had a dream of swimming in a pool full of glitter and it was so fun that I decided to bust into the crafting world by creating my own internet craft show! Ever since I’ve been working a full time job and in every spare moment crafting new projects to demo on my weekly show! Yeah I said weekly! I’m 8 months in and I’m loving every stressful, liberating, creative, glittery, ridiculous moment of it. Now that I know what it feels like to truly inspire people I will continue down this path until I can make it a full time gig ohh and I will eventually swim in a pool full of glitter!

Angela Crook

Name: Angela

Age: 33

Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas

Profession: SAHM

Craft(s) of Choice:: I love all crafts! Painting, sewing and fabric arts, decoupauge, jewelry-making, mixed media

Blog: http://www.moxiemae.com

I HAVE to try it all. I had a candle and soapmaking business for 7 years and sold it shortly after having my first daughter. I also made jewelry for my store. Since then, I’ve learned to knit, sew and make all sorts of childrens clothing and bags, paint, decoupauge, etc… If it sits still long enough, I will do something to it! My head is swimming full of ideas. Crafting is my vice.

Anna Marasco

Name: Anna Marasco

Age: 37

Location: Omaha

Profession: QA Engineer

Craft(s) of Choice: Knitting, Crochet, Sewing, paperCraft(s)

Blog: http://dyedinthewoolbluestocking.blogspot.com

Whenever life feels out of control, making something with my hands and simple materials is tremendously comforting. I define the scope and the success of the endeavor and I have a tangible thing to show for my efforts.

I prefer things with a small scope and a portable nature. King sized quilts– right out. Knitted dishrags– totally, completely in.

BethAnne Hoffman

Name: BethAnne Hoffmann

Age: 25

Location: Baltimore, MD

Profession: Account Manager, Neustadt Creative Marketing (we make college viewbooks and admission materials that really rock)

Craft(s) of Choice: Book making, painting, drawing, and making more books!

Blog: www.PurpleSkirt.Etsy.com

I started making books about 6 years ago when I took a short course on letter press and book binding at the University of Delaware. This class was life changing for me: I learned the wonders and the beauty of the hand made book: each one unique, different, and beautiful. This discovery of creating something beautiful out of something as simple as paper, helped me to come out of a season of depression. My books inspired me, and they inspired others as I began giving them as gifts.

Every time I complete a book, it makes me smile to know that this little pile of papers will help someone else to keep memories close to their heart in some way.

Bonnie Rose Kempenich

Name: Bonnie Rose Kempenich

Age: 48

Location: Fargo ND USA

Profession: Professional and Passionate Card Designer

Craft(s) of Choice: Cardmaking, Papercrafting, Stamping, Scrapbooking, Writing, Journaling

Blog: alifeunrehearsed2.blogspot.com

My life is unrehearsed. It’s the name I gave my personal and creative blog, and it’s something I truly believe.

I am a passionate card designer and papercrafter. Love playing with paper and ink. I’m a writer at heart, and love journaling my life in countless journals.

My style is clean and simple and also, clean and graphic, love using bold punches of color in my creations! I believe a handmade greeting/card is so much better than an email anyday. Any day. Getting real mail in your mailbox is something I wish more people treasured. I believe in the handmade greeting.

Chica & Jo

Name: Chica & Jo

Age: 30′s

Location: USA

Profession: Web developer and Communications specialist

Craft(s) of Choice: paper, upcycling, kid, sewing

Blog: http://www.chicaandjo.com

We were crafting one day when Chica’s husband came into the room with another phone book in his hand. He tossed it on the table and told us we needed to figure out a way to recycle the old one creatively. We set to work brainstorming and came up with our pencil organizer! It’s amazing what will become inspirational.