Meet the Design team: Deanne

Today I'm interviewing another of the design team - today it's Deanne.  Come and find out more...

Who are you? Whereabouts in the world are you based? 
My name is Deanne Stewart-Mills. I live in Sydney, Australia. I love where I live in Western Sydney – it is near where I grew up so it is familiar to me. I haven’t always lived here – I moved back and forth between Canberra and Sydney for many years, finally settling here about 12 years ago.

Deanne

When and why did you start cardmaking?  

I started cardmaking when my son, who is nearly 21 now, was only little. I had left work to be with him when he was 4 and started cardmaking as a way to fill in some time. I was really into 3D decoupage at the time, but moved on to rubber stamping from there. I really got into cardmaking when I moved back to Sydney for the last time (that 12 years ago). I joined a cardmaking class, and eventually took over the class. I have been teaching there now for over 8 years.

What do you enjoy most about designing and making a card?

Hmm, that’s a tricky question... I think I enjoy the whole creation process. I sometimes start with a particular colour scheme, but more often than not, I begin with the image and go from there. It all depends what mood I am in or what requirements the card has to fulfil – whether it is for a class, creating for a specific blog or Design team etc.

Deanne's card: cat on the armchair (with patchwork cushions) - find the digi here

What do you love about digital stamps?

Digi stamps are great! I love that there are so many varieties of images available in the digital format. I love that you can print them in any size, you can alter the colour of the outline and, if you have the skills (which I don’t) you can colour them with programs like photoshop and print them in colour. Also, they take up much less storage space in my craft room.

Deanne made this gorgeous card using the cat on cushions digi - 

there's a definite feline theme going on here!

How many cards do you make in an average week?

I used to make 3-4 cards a week. I used to be on a design team for an online scrapbooking shop, so there were lots of things I had to make and lots of deadlines. I was also teaching 3-4 times a week, so I had to have lots of cards ready to go. Since I resigned from the design team nearly 2 years ago, and dropped all but one class, I have been much more relaxed with my cardmaking. At the moment, I am only making 1-2 cards a week. This also has a lot to do with my craft space being totally overwhelmed by ‘stuff’. Which leads me to your next question...

Where do you do your crafting?  Do you have a dedicated craft room or do you take over the kitchen table?

I have a dedicated craft room, but I do tend to take over the dining area too. I have lots of hobbies, but cardmaking/stamping and crocheting are my babies at the moment. I also own 4 sewing machines (1 of which is nearly 50 years old) and more yarn than I have space to keep it. I like to spread out, so my cardmaking supplies tend to cover both desks I have set up in my craft room. I love it, because it is a very creative space.

Birthdays are good for you - statistics prove the people who have the most live the longest

Do you ever sell the cards you make? If so, where?

I used to sell lots of cards, but haven’t really been trying. My parents tend to buy lots of cards. I gave them a decorated tin full of cards for lots of occasions several years ago and they often purchase more (or ask me to make more) to fill in the various occasions that have been used up.

Do you do other forms of craft too?  If so, what?

As I mentioned above, I also do other crafts. I have dabbled in almost anything, including: cross stitch, long stitch, quilting, sewing, folk art painting, silk flower making, knitting, crochet, scrapbooking. My favourites though are cardmaking and crochet (which I teach one day a week at a community group). I also collect tea pots and tea cups. I have several lovely Royal Albert sets from my parents. Although I guess that’s more of a hobby than a craft.

Who are your favourite craft bloggers? 

Handmade Harbour (of course), The Graphics Fairy (lots of beautiful free vintage images), Lucy at Attic24 (fabbo crochet blog) and Sarah London (another great crochet blog). I follow quite a few blogs; too many to name them all here. I tend to follow blogs with inspiring images and crafts. Bloggers who use bright, cheerful colours and images are usually the ones that catch my eye, and is one of the reasons I love Handmade Harbour and Lucy’s blog so much. They are also fun and interesting to read.

Finally, have you got a favourite Handmade Harbour image?
Another tough question. I don’t have one particular favourite, but I do really like bird images, the sewing machines and the humorous images.

the humorous birthday digital stamp Deanne used in her card (above).

Thanks so much Deanne for a great interview!  I always love reading about where people find their inspiration, which blogs they like reading and how they like working creatively - thanks for sharing with us!