Good Morning!Â
A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend and fabulously talented paper crafting artist, Kittie Caracciolo honored me on her blog as an artist she is inspired by!  I was so thrilled and honored by her post!
Kittie is well known in crafting circles and on Splitcoast Stampers. She joined Splitcoast in 2004 and was inducted into the Dirty Dozen in 2007. We first became friends through the challenges on Splitcoast shortly after I joined in 2007 and I’ve always been inspired by her fabulous style and genuinely sweet personality. Kittie is a wonderful water colorist and ultra talented dimensional paper artist. She serves on the Impression Obsession design team and is a new member of the Splitcoast Featured Stamper Challenge hostesses. If you’ve never visited her blog, KittieKraft, pull up a chair and prepare to be amazed.
Along with this honor, Kittie asked that I answer a few questions and share a couple other artists who inspire me.
Here are the questions!
1. What am I working on?
Even when I’m not working on a release or a challenge (I love the challenges!), I’m always working things out in my head. Right now, I’m preparing for the Our Daily Bread designs release tomorrow and also a new release for DRS Designs. That means new Thanksgiving & Christmas images/dies! I also serve on the design teams for Serendipity Stamps, North Coast Creations and as one of the Hostesses for the Splitcoast Featured Stamper Challenge on Sundays.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
That’s a really tough question…I’m not sure it does. Friends tell me they recognize my cards before they even see the closeup but at the same time, they’re never sure what to expect… that’s it’s different every time. I love working with a lot of styles of images & I love to make my own backgrounds. My three biggies when designing are color, composition and construction. The main one being color. I adore color and especially contrasts. Most of the time I rely on my coloring skills to carry the card. And I love to try different techniques.
Here are some of my favorites from over the years (click on any picture to make it larger or go to original post info):
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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3. Why do I create what I do?
I feel driven to create and since I’m just a bit impatient, I love the almost instant gratification of creating cards..my mini artworks. I started out in water color but that grew to include a lot of other mediums. As long as I’m able to color, the method or medium doesn’t really matter. Creating for me is fulfilling, frustrating (when it doesn’t work as planned), and always gives me a sense of accomplishment when the project is finished.
4. How does your creative process work?
Usually with something I see. It could be a magazine picture or one on the internet..or a card that has a technique that I want to try. A lot of times I look at an image I want to work with and an idea or finished design will appear in my head. Sometimes it works out just as I envisioned, but most of the time it morphs and evolves as I work on it. If I get stuck, I work on backgrounds. I find they usually get me going and sooner or later, I’ll pull one out and it will be perfect for what I need at that time. I never throw things out, lol. Even if I’m not crazy about it as a whole, parts or pieces of it will usually end up in another project.
And now I get to nominate a couple of lovely ladies who are not only friends, but always so inspiring to me!
Karen Dunbrook – Snippets
I first met Karen when we were on the Innovative Stamp Creations design team in 2009 and our friendship continues through Splitcoast. Karen is always a favorite in the Splitcoast Challenges…her remarkable CAS (clean & simple) style is easily recognized. Karen currently does design work for Penny Black and is a regular in the SCS Challenges. From conversations/emails I know Karen has a super busy life as a caregiver for a group of little ones which doesn’t leave her a lot of extra time. If you haven’t, check out her blog Snippets and her SCS Gallery. You’ll be floored by her beautiful creations!
