Today I am sharing a little more about someone you probably know a bit already from StampTV, Mary Anne Kelemen (ma54k.) She posts such lovely samples, is very active in challenges, and always encourages others!! She will be sharing several of her designs with us this month using my new "Wild at Heart" set, the first few you can see here. Above is my favorite sample she created for the release party. Please take a few moments to read more about this beautiful lady:
Tell us about yourself! Family, pets, where you live, work, etc
My husband, Jim and I have been married since 1977, we have 2 grown children and a black lab named Jessie. I have lived in the same area of Pennsylvania for my whole life. I am currently an on-call supervisor for Goodwill Industries after doing the same for 14 years at 30+ hrs. a week. This allows more time for stamping!
Describe your style/what you think you do best:
Wow, this one is hard. I do like to create scenes, or combine stamp sets to get the most out of them. I am not a clean and simple stamper.
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE:
I enjoy sponging and distressing to give a vintage feel to my work.
COLORS/COLOR COMBO:
I tend to gravitate towards earth tones, but many of the new papers are using reds, oranges, blues, and I am trying to go with the trends.
FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS:
Some of my favorite yummies are flowers, dewdrops, paper & cotton lace, and ribbon.
FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELANIE:
It has to be A Year of Flowers, by the look of my poor tattered package. That would be followed by A Year of Leaves.
FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR)
There are so many! Yipes! If you look at my STV gallery right now, it would be Friends Are Forever, by Gina. It fits my lifestyle right now.
CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
Supplies I can't live without are, Stickles, Glue Dots, Pop Dots, and Pure Luxury card stock.
I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG):
I went to my first stamp convention in 1995 and I was hooked.
I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM:
I live on a lake and much of my love of outdoors and nature, show up in my work.
Tell us about your FIRST stamping experience!!
It was a disaster, I did not know what heck I was doing. Things were just images on paper. There was no dimension, no texture, no life in what I did!
Tell us about your most MEMORABLE stamping experience!!
It was the day I joined Stamp TV and someone commented on my work. It felt sooooo good!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE:
Don't be afraid to try new techniques. You are not going to like all of them. As a matter of fact, there are some I truly detest. However, The ones you enjoy, will stay with you and you will be able to pull them out of your learning library as needed.
SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE:
My goals are to use some of the many stamps I have acquired, that have not seen ink yet. I am rather shy about trying to get published but I am truly blessed by being chosen as guest designer.
ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS:
Try to avoid impulse buys. Pick stamps/sets that will have many uses. Don't be afraid to experiment with techniques, and just have fun.
FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS:
I love making paper flowers, mini albums, tags, and decorating flea market finds.
SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I have learned how to properly use colored pencil for coloring and blending, and have recently been trying my hand at Copic Markers. Also, I am coming up on my 1 yr. anniversary of keeping a blog. It is uplifting to have people who care enough to follow you on a daily basis.
CHALLENGES I LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN:
Of course, I do most of the daily STV challenges! I also like Joan's Gardens, Speedy The Cat's Friends Challenge, Moxie Fab World, Card Positioning Systems, etc... I will give them all a try!
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US!
On July 4th, I celebrated 10 years of being the mother of a child who beat the odds of a spinal cord injury. Sharing this process, has made me a better person.
WHAT I DO WHEN I’M NOT STAMPING:
Well, right now I am up to my eyeballs in planning a wedding! My daughter will marry in October of 2011. I never had a large wedding, so I had no idea how complicated this was! I also love to cook and bake.
A FAVORITE QUOTE:
Good Or Bad, Everything Happens For A Reason.
Thank you Mary Anne, for sharing with us, I know you will be a brilliant guest designer! You can see her first cards she made with the set here, and watch for more projects from Mary Anne later this week!
Tell us about yourself! Family, pets, where you live, work, etc
My husband, Jim and I have been married since 1977, we have 2 grown children and a black lab named Jessie. I have lived in the same area of Pennsylvania for my whole life. I am currently an on-call supervisor for Goodwill Industries after doing the same for 14 years at 30+ hrs. a week. This allows more time for stamping!
Describe your style/what you think you do best:
Wow, this one is hard. I do like to create scenes, or combine stamp sets to get the most out of them. I am not a clean and simple stamper.
FAVORITE TECHNIQUE:
I enjoy sponging and distressing to give a vintage feel to my work.
COLORS/COLOR COMBO:
I tend to gravitate towards earth tones, but many of the new papers are using reds, oranges, blues, and I am trying to go with the trends.
FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS:
Some of my favorite yummies are flowers, dewdrops, paper & cotton lace, and ribbon.
FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELANIE:
It has to be A Year of Flowers, by the look of my poor tattered package. That would be followed by A Year of Leaves.
FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR)
There are so many! Yipes! If you look at my STV gallery right now, it would be Friends Are Forever, by Gina. It fits my lifestyle right now.
CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
Supplies I can't live without are, Stickles, Glue Dots, Pop Dots, and Pure Luxury card stock.
I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG):
I went to my first stamp convention in 1995 and I was hooked.
I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM:
I live on a lake and much of my love of outdoors and nature, show up in my work.
Tell us about your FIRST stamping experience!!
It was a disaster, I did not know what heck I was doing. Things were just images on paper. There was no dimension, no texture, no life in what I did!
Tell us about your most MEMORABLE stamping experience!!
It was the day I joined Stamp TV and someone commented on my work. It felt sooooo good!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE:
Don't be afraid to try new techniques. You are not going to like all of them. As a matter of fact, there are some I truly detest. However, The ones you enjoy, will stay with you and you will be able to pull them out of your learning library as needed.
SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE:
My goals are to use some of the many stamps I have acquired, that have not seen ink yet. I am rather shy about trying to get published but I am truly blessed by being chosen as guest designer.
ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS:
Try to avoid impulse buys. Pick stamps/sets that will have many uses. Don't be afraid to experiment with techniques, and just have fun.
FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS:
I love making paper flowers, mini albums, tags, and decorating flea market finds.
SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I have learned how to properly use colored pencil for coloring and blending, and have recently been trying my hand at Copic Markers. Also, I am coming up on my 1 yr. anniversary of keeping a blog. It is uplifting to have people who care enough to follow you on a daily basis.
CHALLENGES I LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN:
Of course, I do most of the daily STV challenges! I also like Joan's Gardens, Speedy The Cat's Friends Challenge, Moxie Fab World, Card Positioning Systems, etc... I will give them all a try!
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US!
On July 4th, I celebrated 10 years of being the mother of a child who beat the odds of a spinal cord injury. Sharing this process, has made me a better person.
WHAT I DO WHEN I’M NOT STAMPING:
Well, right now I am up to my eyeballs in planning a wedding! My daughter will marry in October of 2011. I never had a large wedding, so I had no idea how complicated this was! I also love to cook and bake.
A FAVORITE QUOTE:
Good Or Bad, Everything Happens For A Reason.
Thank you Mary Anne, for sharing with us, I know you will be a brilliant guest designer! You can see her first cards she made with the set here, and watch for more projects from Mary Anne later this week!
This is a beautiful card and one of my favorites with your set. I love the way she cut out the flower and the colors scheme is so appealing.
ReplyDeleteGreat pick for GD Melanie, she is a sweetie and so encouraging to others. It has been a delight meeting her on STV! Looking forward to her next project :O)
Beautiful card. The flowers look amazing.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne was an awesome choice for guest designer! I love her creations; they are all inspired! She can do cute, elegant, vintage, and quirky -- one right after the other. I'm always amazed by her cards!
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my fav's that Mary Anne has made thus far with your set also. I look forward to seeing many more.
wow!
ReplyDeleteSandra