Guest Designer Amanda Sherman

Welcome Guest Designer and Craft Warehouse Scrapbook Design Team Alumni, Amanda Sherman! Amanda has always had a knack of explaining her crafting process well, that we have had her share her tutorials on our blog often! We are thankful to have her as this week's Spotlight!

How long have you been crafting?

As long as I can remember, I have always tinkered in some craft or another.  I dreamed of the day I could start scrapbooking, but I was never willing to make the investment in tools because I didn’t know if it would stick, just as none of the other hobbies had.  Well, after my son was born, I decided it was time to make the plunge.  I had to do something with all the photos I had been taking, and since I’d wanted to scrapbook for a long time I did it.  Finally, one March, when I had a 5 month old baby, and had finished preparing our taxes for the year, I treated myself.  No one knew just how much scrapbooking would “stick”, but I had finally found a craft that I was good at, that challenged me in a fulfilling way, and best yet, allowed me to combine my hobby of photography with pretty elements and memory keeping.  It’s the best hobby ever!

What inspires you to be creative?

My biggest inspiration comes from my family.  I often use scrapbooking as a way to communicate with words how much I love my family.  So usually, a good story to tell is the most inspiring thing for me.  And a pretty close second is new goodies!  Nothing beats playing with a bag of new eye candy.

What Craft Warehouse products do you love to use?

Oh, Craft Warehouse is my favorite store ever.  If I could set up a cot and just sleep in the paper aisle, I’d be pretty content to go to sleep smelling all the good papers!  It seems the go to products I always use from Craft Warehouse are the tiny type letters from Cosmo Cricket.  With all the inspiring products being released continually, rarely do I buy repeat items.  However, those letters, I have bought at least three packs of each color.  I love them!!  American Crafts Thickers are another none of my favorite items, as well as my newest love, Tim Holtz ink.

How can you encourage others reading this column?

When I was a kid I always wanted to be a teacher.  I started down that path in college (before I dropped out), but I now play teacher every day as we homeschool our kids.  The teacher part of me has never left.  I like to include information about how and why things work besides just showing pretty pictures.  I also try to be either funny or tell a good story.  Sometimes I hit it out of the park.  Sometimes I fall on my face.  But you’ll have to read to figure out which one I will do today!

Make sure to visit our blog tomorrow with Amanda's outstanding fall mini book that you will not want to miss!