Friendly Feature–October 2013–Pauline Pollington

Hello craft fans, We are so very pleased to share with you another Friendly Feature. Today we bring you super fan of Waltzingmouse Stamps, Pauline Pollington. Join us as she shares a bit about herself and some WMS inspiration.

I was thrilled to be asked to take part in this month's Friendly feature, my only problem was 'Which stamps should I use?”.  After much deliberation, I decided on creating for Christmas, especially as Claire is such a fan of the holiday season, and I have a few Christmas themed sets.

I started by stamping my background in red with the Cabin Plaid Backgrounder set, a great cover all if you are short on time and can't manage to stamp your own plaid. I then stamped twice in Versamark and white embossed the beautiful lacy border from French Country and trimmed around the leafy bits on one edge. I cut to size and attached them to the plaid background. I added some small red pearls to the stamped lace, they really pop!

I then silver embossed the Opera Tag image and cut using the matching die. The sentiment is from the Very Vintage Christmas set, stamped twice, once in red and once in Versamark and silver embossed. I then trimmed out the sentiments from the silver embossed label and attached to the red with some pop dots.

Finally I layered onto the card and added a white chiffon bow topped with some button twine and a pearly brad.

I then made a matching bottle gift tag using the Opera Tags stamp and die sets, with a sentiment from Nutcracker Sweet. I added some red grosgrain ribbon and some beautiful Guipure lace along the bottom, topped with some red dew drops.  Finally I added some clear Sparklets to the label.

Thanks for joining me today!

Wow, what a creative and beautiful gift set. In addition to seeing some of Pauline’s creative inspiration, we asked her to answer a few questions that will help us get to know her better.

When did you get into this hobby?  I first got into this hobby about 5 years ago when a friend gave me some craft bits for a birthday present. When I found how enjoyable making cards was I began to look about on the internet and came across Claire's blog. I was hooked! At first I started off just using patterned paper, and was very wary of stamping. But I took the plunge and Waltzingmouse Stamps were the first stamps I ever bought!

What is your favorite kind (manufacturer) of cardstock?  My favourite card for matting is Bazzill Basic, I love the variety of colours and textures it comes in. Core'dinations card is a close second. I love to emboss and then reveal the inner core! I love to colour too, I tend to use Promarkers or colour pencils when I have the time. The paper I use for this varies, but I never have a problem with Personal Impressions Smooth white cardstock.

What is your favorite WMS set or one that you reach for over and over? Hmmm... I honestly can't say I have a favourite set, but I have a soft spot for Earth Angel as it was the very first set I bought from Claire. I love the sweet little angel, and the versatility of the butterfly wings.

Do you have a favorite technique? My favourite technique is sponging - the dimension you can create with a little bit of ink and sponge is amazing!

Do you own a die cutter? What kind? I have a Cuttlebug and a Grand Calibur. I tend to use my Cuttlebug most as I prefer the see through plates, and I find it's easier to use. It was my first cutting machine, (must be at least 4 years old) and still going strong!

What is your favorite color combination? OOh! I have a few favourite colour combos! Purple and green are a big favourite, and I love the cooler tones of turquoise with silver, or green with blue. These are primarily the colours in my wardrobe too!

If money wasn't an issue, what crafty stuff would you buy? Phew! Well, I would probably invest in an electronic cutter, such as a Silhouette Cameo, so that I could make use of Claire's fabulous cut files and get the rest of the Waltzingmouse Stamp sets that I don't have yet.

Who is your most admired crafter - or the person that inspires you or challenges you? My inspiration has to be Claire! Her designs, and her card making style are flawless, and more often than not, has me reaching for the ink pads and stamps. I'm so happy to be able to support a homegrown U.K business - running a home, 3 kids and a business cannot be easy, but Claire makes it look so! Thanks for the inspiration Claire!

Please join us in thanking Pauline for guest blogging today and for being such a great cheerleader of Waltzingmouse Stamps!