We are a travelling group of guides
who will lead you into known and unknown pastures and expeditions of
revelation, sharing stories and insights into this
vintage/shabby/mixed-media style that we love.
We hope you will be able to find some time to join us on this voyage of discovery to see more and to do more in this amazing world of art and craft that we are part of. There is no map just lots of tours, excursions and adventures of exploration, stretching the mind and imagination.
We hope you will be able to find some time to join us on this voyage of discovery to see more and to do more in this amazing world of art and craft that we are part of. There is no map just lots of tours, excursions and adventures of exploration, stretching the mind and imagination.
We are -
Alison (butterfly)
My
creativity was never really on the visual side - I was more the words,
music, books, theatre type. When I became a freelancer in Spring 2012
after eight years at the Royal Shakespeare Company as a Text and Voice
Coach, it was supposed to give me more time for friends and family. I
had no idea that within weeks I would be in thrall to a whole new
creative passion - stamps/inks/paints/texture - you name it, I want to
play with it... there's so much to learn, discover and explore.
Now I have to balance the two worlds - hence Words and Pictures.
And it's pretty much all down to Tim Holtz and his stamps and Distress
mediums - my first crafting love. Yup - another addict here... so much
for friends and family!
Amanda Pink
Ink-A-Pink
From a very young age I have always had a very keen interest in anything Arty or Creative whether it be in the 'doing' or the 'viewing'. I have painted in watercolours, pencil sketched hand painted T-shirts, knitted, sewed and made cards over the years and though I occasionally still let my pencil take a walk along the page or let the paint flow freely from the brush I now spend most of my time crafting making either cards, tags, journal pages or mixed media projects. I began devoting a lot more of my time to crafting in 2011 when I was introduced to stamping and the ‘Creative world’ of Tim Holtz. Both just seemed to nurture my desire, motivation and love to create and since then I would say crafting has become my passion and indeed my therapy. To quote Picasso ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life' - and for me this is never truer!
Ink-A-Pink
From a very young age I have always had a very keen interest in anything Arty or Creative whether it be in the 'doing' or the 'viewing'. I have painted in watercolours, pencil sketched hand painted T-shirts, knitted, sewed and made cards over the years and though I occasionally still let my pencil take a walk along the page or let the paint flow freely from the brush I now spend most of my time crafting making either cards, tags, journal pages or mixed media projects. I began devoting a lot more of my time to crafting in 2011 when I was introduced to stamping and the ‘Creative world’ of Tim Holtz. Both just seemed to nurture my desire, motivation and love to create and since then I would say crafting has become my passion and indeed my therapy. To quote Picasso ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life' - and for me this is never truer!
Ann
I live in Taipei, Taiwan. It is only a small spot on the world map, but I love and thank this land. In this country, I can create freely, and my inspiration is endless. In my childhood, my father was my first art teacher. Once, he taught me to stamp with my fingers, and then he used a pen to draw a few strokes. Surprisingly, they became a bunch of chickens. This was my first experience of art. I felt amazed and since then I've been fascinated with art. In 2012, I accompanied my daughter to participate in paper art courses, and it was then that I started to make cards. At first, even making very simple cards would take me hours, but the look of pure joy that people showed me after receiving a handmade card was worth every second! I also fall in love with Mixed Media. For the past few years, I have been working with mixed media. Different media have their own individual effects, but when they are mixed together, there will be different results. I enjoy the surprises in the creation process. I especially like vintage, shabby, steampunk style. So when invited to join the Vintage Journey team, I was honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the other Creative Guides. I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this wonderful Team and I'm looking forward to sharing my creations with all of you along the way!
Anne
I
have been crafting for most of my life, including sewing and knitting, although working, marriage and a
family stopped my crafting for many years. I contracted a serious
illness about 7 years ago which caused me to retire early. My Step Daughter and I decided to make our own Christmas cards a few years ago and
I have been 'hooked' ever since. Once I discovered Tim Holtz and his
products there was no holding me back, I am now totally addicted! I
would say that crafting has been a life saver for me and I cannot
imagine my life without it now.
Annie
I
have been crafting for many years but once I started stamping/making
cards around mid 90's it became an addiction. Never in my wildest dreams
did I think that stamping would develop as it has over the last 10
years! Around 2004 I remember watching a well known shopping channel and
there was a young man who inspired me with his enthusiasm for stamping
and Ranger Products....yes....it was Tim Holtz!! I purchased the DVD
and Distress Embossing Powders and have been a huge fan since this time.
It's been amazing watching Tim and his
products/projects grow. I adore his stamps and the Distress range of
inks, paints, stains, glue mediums, tools etc and use them in all my
crafty makes. Like most, my creative style has certainly evolved and I
love vintage/grunge/mixed media. I joined blogland in 2012 and have
never looked back, its great to share makes/tips/techniques and to be
inspired by fellow crafters. I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this
wonderful Challenge Blog and Design Team and I look forward to sharing
projects/techniques with all of you along the way. x
Astrid
Art
and craft have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can
remember, painting, drawing, knitting and dyeing wool have all been part
of my creative repertoire. I have been paper crafting and stamping
probably for about 10 years or so, but did not get seriously into it
until about 2007.
Being a teacher by profession I
received my first stamp, a box of embossing powers and embossing ink, as
a Christmas present from a child in my class whose mum owned a rubber
stamp shop. That was the beginning of a hobby that no doubt will last
well into retirement! I have been a huge admirer of Tim Holtz and his
products since I first discovered Distress Inks, so being part of this
team is like a dream come true!
SewPaperPaint
I am married to an amazing man, and my biggest supporter. We have four children, yes four! I live in the US and work full time as a church secretary. I have been stamping for over 15 years. Creativity is my outlet, passion and purpose. I define my style as grunge meets elegance. Though I love to distress everything, I like to balance my work with a touch of pretty and neat. In addition to stamping, I love to draw and paint and have found that mixed media allows me to blend these skills and create rich artwork, filled with depth and texture.
Barbara
Hello everyone! First of all, I want to tell you that I'm really thrilled to be part of this wonderful and super talented team! As a second thing, I introduce myself! I'm Barbara (aka Barbarayaya), I'm Italian and I joined this wonderful craft world since 2005. I officially started with traditional scrapbooking (layout and mini-album) but I'm actually a crafter from birth! At about five years old, I cut out everything from my mother's magazines to make collages and divided my colored pencils (I owned into exaggerated quantities) into small packages held by an elastic band according to their color: all yellows, all reds, etc. etc. After my initial approach with traditional scrapbooking, I came across the magical Tim Holtz's world and I can say that this was the turning point of my creative journey. I have never abandoned this style in which I find my best way to express my personality and my art. I have approached Mixed media a couple of years ago, I love it very much because it allows me to mix styles and products. Last thing and I think it will make you smile: I don't have a scrap room but only a tiny corner inside my kitchen that has also become my "studio"! And who cares if every so often some microscopic grain of embossing powder or glitter flies towards my kitchen stove: in this way, I am so happy!!! I'm sure that this new adventure will be wonderful!
Brenda
I
have designed and created things all my life even as a child in primary
school I can remember designing patterns and images for my cross
stitching, and it was my Mum who taught me how to knit and to use a
sewing machine. As I got older I loved observational drawing and studied
oil painting at college. As a teacher I loved taking my children out
into the environment to draw and look for examples of art and
architecture and we always made our own books to keep our topic work in.
This kept me going through my teaching years as there wasn't much time
to explore my creative side, but since retiring I have been able to have
the luxury of designing, creating and making in my work room much more.
I love all things vintage, shabby and timeworn and mixed media has definitely become my style over the years.
Deb
I live in British Columbia, Canada on a small acreage with my hubby and our rescue dogs, who are much better known as our kids! I started on my creative journey as a decorative and water colour painter and then branched out into creating home decor and decorative items after discovering the world of folk and primitive art. From there it was a short hop to mixed media and my life long love of antiques and vintage treasures meant that Tim Holtz's style drew me like a moth to a flame. My favourite place to be is down in my studio, playing with all my new Tim Holtz toys and getting my fingers covered with ink, stain and glue. I am always eager to learn a new technique or try a new product, there is so much to explore in this wonderful world of creating and I am thrilled to be a part of the team here at A Vintage Journey as we explore it together!
Jennie
I
can't remember a time when I didn't craft - in particular cereal box
handbags, slippers and dolls houses from an early age! I have always
loved anything to do with paper and nine years ago was a founder member
of Shetland Scrapbookers after a friend got a book for Christmas about
scrapbooking and we were totally hooked. However, after discovering
Tim Holtz and Ranger products a couple of years later life was never
quite the same! I love all the wonderful techniques Tim shares with us
and I love to use these in scrapbook layouts and mini books of my two
lively grandchildren, as well as heritage photographs.
I
am somewhat obsessed with making flowers, mainly in a shabby rose style
and I am always trying to think of new ways to use Tim's dies to create
different looks. I love the vintage style as I love crafting with
lace, subtle colours and old style ribbons and buttons, and it is
amazing how well they fit with my favourite distressed and inky look
too. I am really excited to be part of this wonderful vintage journey
with you all.
Jo
I started Art Journaling in 2015 as a way of expressing my life through words and pictures, and I'm captivated by the variety of techniques and materials that can be used to create so many different styles of art. As my career focused on adult learning I've always been a creative person, and have found art journaling very therapeutic and rewarding, it helps me breathe; a bit of a cliché - but so true. Each page is inspired by what I see, do, feel and hear so it's personal to me and allows me to express myself. It's a fun way to record life events and memories too. Over the years my passion for art has expanded to creating cards and tags, especially for my family and friends, as well as decorations and items for around the house. I love nothing better than to experiment with different techniques and products, get creative, put my ideas into practice and have lots of fun doing so. This has become a passion of mine and I'm delighted to be able to share it with you here at A Vintage Journey!
Julia
Hi everyone! I'm Julia Aston and I live in Massachusetts, just north of Boston, in the USA. I've been doing some kind of crafting since I was about 5 years old when my mother would set my sister and I up on the dining room table with papers, stickers and crayons! I've jumped from sewing, to quilling, to papier mache and calligraphy and scrapbooking - finally settling on stamping where I've stuck for the past 9 or so years! I just love how I can create a beautiful card or craft with all the stamps, dies, and inks. About a year ago I decided I needed to stretch myself and I started working with mixed media as well. I was a school teacher in the past - but I presently work full time as the administrative assistant in the Trauma Division at a Boston hospital. I have a grown son out living on his own with his lady and a wonderful husband who tolerates my stamping addiction with very good humor and support! We also share our home with two sweet sister cats, Scout and Boo. I am Grand Aunt to two cute little boys and two sweet little girls. I make a lot of my cards/crafts around photos of them! Since I have to be at work all day - I'm usually up late at night stamping away in my craft room. When I'm not stamping you will find me walking, reading, or gardening. I'm also active at my church. I'm thrilled to be here at A Vintage Journey and having the chance to work with the talented ladies that make up the Creative Guides!
Nikki
As
a child I loved anything to do with arts and crafts – colouring in
those geometric colouring books for hours on end and drawing my
childhood heroes from pictures out of my beloved scrapbooks. As I got
older academia, sport and then work took over until about 7 years ago
when I was made redundant and decided to go back to university to study
Fine Art for 3 years. A friend introduced me to the world of card
making, altered art and scrap booking last October (2013).
Since
then I have become obsessed with all things crafty. Distress inks were
one of my first purchases and since then my Tim Holtz range seems to
grow weekly. I adore his techniques, products and passion. When I was
invited to join the Vintage Journey team for a time I was honoured to
have the opportunity to work alongside the other Creative Guides whose
styles I adore and admire, focussing on the inspiration of Tim Holtz.
S@ndy
I
love art and crafting - always have. As a child I could sit and color
for hours (I still enjoy it). When my grandmother first taught me how to
sew I became interested in how things went together, I've been making
things ever since. I like to see if I can figure out how things are made
before I read the instructions or, in today’s world, see the video.
These
days I am obsessed with all things paper, ink, stamped, distressed and
vintage (thanks Tim). We spend our summers RVing, wandering aimlessly
around our great country, where I get a chance to go to every flea
market, antique and thrift shop in the area to find treasures. I have
some pretty wonderful, silly and funny things in my stash that I bring
out to use on my projects. I am happiest when I am creating something
unique.
Sara Emily
I am delighted to be joining this talented group of Creative Guides! I have been crafting on and off most of my life starting with the dried macaroni, paper and homemade glue my Mom would entertain us with as toddlers. As a small child I remember spending countless hours drawing "rooms" with grand architecture full of fancy furniture. My love of art grew in high school where I took every art class I could fit in my schedule and spent hours before and after school in the art room. It's there where I befriended identical twins Mike and Doug Starn. While they went the path of becoming world renown photographers and artists (always doing their works jointly), I pursued a career in Physical Therapy, which I have taken an early retirement from. My love for all things vintage and discovering Distress products leads me to where I am now...happily creating in my little Closet! Occasionally, I venture out to the garage to refurbish furniture and other finds or to the garden to pull weeds.
Toni
Hi everybody! I'm Toni and I'm delighted to be here, as a Creative Guide, at A Vintage Journey. My personal journey into the realms of mixed media and paper crafts, began like many people, as a child. My mum encouraged my brothers and I to draw and paint and there was always a ready supply of paper and pencils in our house. I studied art at Moseley School of Art, and went on to train as a teacher. I've enjoyed a long career, teaching children with Special Educational Needs. I am now retired and love having more time to devote to my arty crafty adventures. I started my blog, Artistic Craft Dabbler, in 2010 and it is a never ending joy, to discover that all over the world, there are so many like minded people! My style is eclectic, embracing anything from the occasional clean and simple to full on industrial grunge. I love experimenting with new products but also like to incorporate recycled materials and found objects, hence, I am a compulsive hoarder of anything that 'might come in handy'. I'm very excited to be joining this terrifically talented team and hope that you too, will enjoy the journey as much as I do.