Society of Stampaholics

Spotlight on Laura Fulcher, Part II

My first few Wednesday Wonders were chosen before I had created the infamous Interview, so in the interest of comprehensive investigative journalism, I thought it was only right to re-visit some of those earlier Wonders and subject them to the Interview. The content immediately below is from the original post with some additional material, followed by the newly added Interview.

So settle in and lift your Diet-Cokes to Laura Fulcher!

Laura Fulcher was on my short list, but she went straight to the top today [10-15-08] in honor of her most recent accomplishment. (I'm not the only one who thinks her work is top-notch!)

Late last night I finally got my hands on the November/December issue of Paper Crafts magazine and found the card I was looking for on page 79 (created by fellow Hero Arts Challenge Meeter Laura Fulcher).

What I didn't know is that Laura is now a member of Stamping Royalty! Since 2004, PC has "inducted the creme-de-la-creme of stampers into a posh society known as Stamping Royalty", and Laura is now HRH of Masking!

Other magazines in which Laura's work has appeared: Stampington Catch-Up Issue, Stampington Take Ten, Stamper’s Sampler, and Somerset Studio.

Laura regularly submits inspiring and beautifully executed cards at the Hero Arts Flickr Group, as leapfroglbna, and you can also visit her blog, Laura's Stamp Art Journal (see additional link on sidebar below). Just last week she was asked to start blogging for Memory Box - and she is really excited! (See her Memory Box Blog.) Other photo streams include 2Peas, and Split Coast Stampers.

And if that's not enough, Laura teaches and works at Angela's Happy Stamper and is on the DT for Impression Obsession (see her designs here).

So our girl's got some Street Cred!

And now she's got a crown, too!

So check her out.

All hail Princess Laura!!!

Laura's Wonder-ful Interview

1. Do you pre-sketch a design or do you just leap out of the gate? How long does it usually take you to make a page? A card?

I really don’t sketch cards beforehand. I often play around with elements until I stumble upon something I like. Occasionally I will design something in my head and then try to recreate it. When that method works, I get so excited. As far as how long I spend on a card, that varies a lot! Sometimes I can do it in ten minutes and sometimes it will take hours. I guess it all depends on how well the creative juices are flowing.

2. How many, on average, pages per week do you make? Cards?

I have never made a scrapbook page, but my card production changes from week to week. Some weeks I don’t make anything at all. Life does have a way of interfering with my stamping time. I would say though that I make about 3 cards per week on average. 

3. How has your process evolved to make you a leaner, meaner crafting machine? (In other words, what are some lessons you've learned or tips you can share that allow you to make better and faster design choices?

The best thing I have learned to speed up my production is to limit my choices. Instead of saying, “I need to make a birthday card,” I will say, “I need to make a birthday card with THIS stamp set and THIS pack of paper.” It stops me from trying endless combinations of stamps and paper to create just one card. If left unchecked, I have a tendency to go though all of my stuff and say, “I could use this…or this…or maybe this” instead of just sitting down and stamping something. I think that is why I enjoy the Hero Arts challenges so much. They keep me focused by giving me a starting point and by narrowing my choices to Hero Arts images.

Amen to that, sister!

Another lesson I have learned is to rely on stamping friends for help. I know I can stare at a card for hours without figuring out how to “make it work” (as Tim Gunn would say). It is much more expedient when I am having a mental block to ask a friend, “what the heck is wrong with this card?” Believe me, much time can be saved this way.

4. What's your stand-by, FAST dinner solution for those times when you really want to get to your scrap space ASAP (or stay ALAP)?

My favorite solution is takeout (especially Thai), but financially I often gravitate towards spaghetti and sauce for a quick meal instead.

5. If you were stranded on an island that had a billion supplies but NO tools, what ten TOOLS would you HAVE to have? (All the stamps in the world are available, so you don't need to list them as one of your tools. EX: we've got all the embroidery floss in the world, but you're going to have to bring your own needle if you want to use any of it!)

ATG gun, Japanese Screw Punch, Copic Markers, Twinkling H2O’s, Waterbrush, Colored Pencils, Paper Trimmer, Diamond Glaze, a computer with an amazing satellite Internet connection, and a personal craft assistant. I vote George Clooney.

As long as he gets along with Johnny Depp, we'll all be fine.

6. If you were still on that island, what kind of noise would you want (if any) in the background? List as many as five different favorite musical artists.

At night, just the ocean. When I am crafting, I like to listen to Jason Mraz, Pink, or audio books on cd.

I just discovered Jason Mraz. What a fresh and exciting talent he has!

7. If you could have anything you wanted, (concerning scrapping or stamping) what would it be?

I dream of having crafting space. Ideally it would be a craft room with all kinds of light, work space, and storage. I’m not picky, though. I would settle for a small space of my own where I could craft and leave my stuff out during the middle of a project.

8. What about your style/artistry are you least satisfied with?

Lack of diversity. I tend to get into ruts where I will use stand-by layouts, stamps, or techniques. I would love to branch out more, try new things, and surprise myself by making something completely out of my comfort zone. I would also love to learn to cut a straight line. I swear I can’t cut a piece of paper into two equal halves to save my life.

We have a group that meets on Thursdays at noon for remedial cutting, if you're interested.

9. What cameras have you tried, which one is your favorite, and why? (You can shorten this to just the one you're using now if you like.)

I have only had one digital camera. It is a Canon PowerShot SD300. Unfortunately, it is starting to develop quirks such as switching from photo mode to movie mode on its own accord. It is either dying or possessed. 

AHA! More proof that technology is making its move to take over. I'm telling you, I caught my microwave trying to communicate with the dishwasher in secret code last night. Something is definitely up with these gadgets. Only a matter of time....

10. What's the word or phrase that comes to your lips when you mess up while creating? ("Unprintable" is definitely an option!)

”Oh, crap” tends to escape from my mouth more than it should.

POSTSCRIPT: I just realized that I forgot to put in Laura's awards and honors! (BAD Blogger, BAD!) Here they are: Penny Black 2nd Runner Up, Hero Arts honorable mention, 3rd, and 2nd place. (She also got a Hero Arts honorable mention back during the old days when you had to mail in your cards for their contests - which really thrilled her!)

A Sinking Ship

I have spent the better part of all my spare time this last week attempting to video the process of making one little old thank you card. Unlike the happy families on the commercials, I was not smiling and cooing at my effortless video-making experience. I was not leaning my head against Spouse's shoulder, suddenly looking up misty-eyed with joy. And I was certainly not silently exchanging That Look with him. (You know, the one that says, "Oh, honey, these are the best years of our lives - I'm so glad I married you, and aren't we lucky to be catching our incredible happiness on video forever?")

No, instead, I was fighting technology every step of the live-long way, grimacing like Lionel Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life and cursing whoever had the bright idea of bringing video cameras to the masses. 

In case you wish to try this sort of... experience at home, I suggest you send your family away because you may possibly say and do things that you would not want them to hear and see. Make sure they take the cat with them as you don't want Fluffy to find herself sailing through the air as a result of stepping onto the ink pad and sashaying across the table in the middle of Take Number 937. (Although Fluffy will land on her feet, she will return to spoil Take Number 938 because She's Not Going To Put Up With Any Of Your Nonsense! And she will proceed to ruin Takes Number 939, 940, and 941 to Prove Her Point.) So it's really best to get Fluffy out of the stinkin' picture.

Literally.

Hard to know where it all started going wrong....

Oh, wait - I know! Right from the get-go, that's where! Yes, this is a tragedy that's been months in the making. So very nice to see it all finally coming to it's horrible fruition at last!

I bought a Gorillapod last summer with the intention of using it to film some demonstration videos. It is unique in the world of tripods as it has bendable legs - it really ought to be named Gumby-Pod, but Gumby's people would sue the Gorilla's people for trademark infringement if they attempted to go with this moniker. And Pokey's people would be offended because they are sick of playing second fiddle to Gumby, dammit!

Goo doesn't have people, thank goodness.

Anywaaaay, you can position your camera by wrapping these flexible legs around whatever's available: tree branches, porch railings, the dog... you name it.

I was going to wrap my Gumby around the dining room ceiling lamp, thereby allowing my camera to hang upside down over my work space.

Wasn't that clever?

If you said, "yes", you clearly ate some Stupid Pills this morning. Don't feel bad - I swallowed a few myself... had me a double dose, actually.

For one thing, I am too short to reach the lamp without standing on tippy-toe. This, on it's own, doesn't make the idea stupid. What's stupid is Brainless Girl fighting to get Gumby wrapped around the lamp when she's too short to see what she can barely reach. (Of course, it doesn't help that the lamp's three 100,000-watt light bulbs were all shining at full-strength, thereby blinding her, anyway.)

And what's uber-stupid is that it took her so long to figure out that climbing on one of the six - count 'em: six! - chairs and dimming the light would avoid both arm fatigue and permanent vision loss.    

I shoulda known right then and there to abandon ship.

So once I finally had Gumby positioned, I started fighting to get the correct camera angle. This went on - like, forever - as it's difficult to see what the camera's seeing when you're leaning waaaaaay over the table, craning your neck, breaking your back, AND looking right up into the light (that sucker's still bright even when it's dimmed).

Finally, I got another Moment of Clarity and realized it would be a lot easier to just sit down and manipulate the cutting mat on the table below rather than the camera above.

Yeaaaaah... those Stupid Pills were Extra-Strength, Prescription Only.

So after fiddling with the zoom feature, (had to home in a little to avoid capturing the piles of books, toys and papers lurking on the perimeters of my cutting mat) I laid out my materials and commenced to shoot my video!

Houston, we have a problem....

After setting up one's camera, the first step in successful filming is to actually press the RECORD button.

Which is way above me.

So I reach up ... groping ... and manage to mess up my camera angle and the zoom - all in one prolonged, agonizing, tippy-toe stretch. After righting everything AND hitting the RECORD button, I sit back down and look up to see if we are, in fact, recording. We are. But there's still a problem.

It's the lamp.

The lamp to which my camera is attached.

The lamp is swaying to and fro, and although it's subtle from my perspective, the camera monitor reveals a more dramatic picture. We must surely be filming on the choppy waters of the high seas, given the pitch and role of the filmed objects.

Well, this ain't the Good Ship Lollipop, that's for sure.

More like the S.S. Titanic.

Soooooooo...

I attempt to steady the lamp, but even the slightest touch makes it quiver, so we're just in it for the long haul. After an eternity, it stops moving.

Finally! I can now begin building my card. And I had better hurry because I am using the movie feature on my camera, and the whole High Seas Adventure sucked up seven of the fifteen minutes allowed by my memory card. The pressure is on, so, of course, I immediately begin to forget the order of the procedure. And I drop things. Which causes me to say things. Which means we will definitely be going with background music and subtitled narrative.

And then there was the whole incident with the cat.

More words to censor.

I think I made it about a third of the way through before the camera expired. It wasn't that I'd run out of memory (though I was close). No, I'd run out of juice: the battery needed to be recharged. And because this camera has its own battery, I can't just pop in a few Duracells and get on with the show.

Sigh.

Off to recharge....

Fast forward an hour or so.

I've decided that, since I have to go through the whole hang-and-focus-the-camera trauma again, I might as well download (upload?) my film onto the computer and start fresh. I don't bother to watch the fruit of my labors as I don't want to lose my momentum.

So it's back to the lamp and the table, fighting the good fight - better this time, though - quicker. I have twelve of my fifteen minutes left for this go 'round! Ha-HA!

I am strong!

I am invincible!

I am WO-MAAAAAN!!!

My fingers fly through the remaining steps. I'm a whiz with my craft knife. My application of adhesive is flawless. My panels are straight. My ribbon is knotted crisply! I finish with 37 seconds to spare and strut over to my computer where I complete the upload in record time. I am now bellowing Helen Reddy at the top of my lungs!

I am strong!

I am invincible!

I am ...

Horrified at what I'm seeing.

For there, before me, is the product of my camera's auto-focus.

Every time I move so much as a baby finger, that stinkin' camera is adjusting its focus. Rather loudly, too, I might add - the constant whir of it's labor destroys whatever chance I had of avoiding background music and subtitles.

Oh, the humanity!

Video Cameras

You know those ads where they show the people taking their new video camera out of the box and just pointing it at the kids and then just plugging it into the computer and then just pulling out the finished DVD, and THEN they cut to them all sitting around with their mugs of steaming hot chocolate, basking in one another's presence as they smile and coo over their beautiful memories captured on film for all eternity?

IT'S A STINKIN' LIE.

Tami's Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Recipe Revisited

That Tami - she cracks me up!

I received a rather frantic email from her because she realized that she had left out an important step and was worried people might buy a chicken, make the recipe, and then choke on their now dehydrated chicken. Being a responsible citizen with a heightened sense of civic duty in all things Crockpot-related, she came forward immediately to spare countless diners the agony of bone-dry chicken.

I told you that girl was special!

The recipe has been corrected in her Wonder-ful Interview, and I'm putting the corrected version here, as well (the missing step is in red print).

Bon Appetit!

Tami's Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Delight

In the morning throw into the crockpot 3 things:

1) some chicken breasts
2) a can of Ro-tel (diced tomatoes with green chiles...I like the kind with lime juice and cilantro added)
3) taco spices  (taco seasoning packet OR your own blend of cumin, garlic salt, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, etc.)

Don't bother stirring.  (Waste of time...you could be stamping!) Cook all day on low. Shred the chicken. After shredding the chicken, return it to the juices in the crockpot. Serve it in warm tortillas with whatever you like..I set out black beans, avocado slices, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, cilantro.

Spotlight on Tami Hartley

Today's Wednesday Wonder is a rising star. She won a couple of 1st place prizes in the weekly Hero Arts challenges, and they were so impressed they invited her on board as a Web Artist. How lucky are we?! She's been published in CARDS magazine and Stamp It! Cards, (a Paper Crafts publication) so she's clearly able to please a wide audience. 

I am speaking, of course, about Tami Hartley, mother of two, wife of one, and second to none when it comes to making cards that make you coo and smile like they're the cutest baby you've ever seen.

I would describe Tami's overall style as very feminine and dainty with clean, sleek lines. She regularly works actual fabric into her designs, and she makes her sewing machine earn its keep! I look at her cards and think, "Well, dang! How come I can't ever do something like that?"

Our paths haven't crossed very much, but I wish they would because she's a real sweetie. And she has a cute sense of humor (always a plus in my book).

So raise your Diet-Cokes to Tami Hartley, Hero Arts' rising protege!

Tami's Wonder-ful Interview

1. Do you pre-sketch a design or do you just leap out of the gate? How long does it usually take you to make a page? A card?

More and more, I've been starting with a sketched out design. I'm very indecisive so a sketch eliminates a smidge of my typical hemming and hawing.  A card usually takes me an hour or two...or three. (See also: indecisive.)

Ah - a sister in indecision! 

2. How many, on average, pages per week do you make? Cards?

This varies a ton...but I would say 3 cards per week on average.  I think I need to bump that up in 2009!

3. How has your process evolved to make you a leaner, meaner crafting machine? (In other words, what are some lessons you've learned or tips you can share that allow you to make better and faster design choices?

I've learned that if I sit down at my desk to create but have no concept of what I want to do, I'm in trouble.  I'll sit there, admire my supplies, fiddle with this or that, put my colored pencils in rainbow order.  In order to create and find my groove, I need to arrive at my desk with lots of ideas already floating around in my head.  So...even when I'm not stamping (which unfortunately is most of the time), I'm constantly making notes about colors and concepts and sketching out designs. I wish I could say I have a cute little spiral-bound book full of these ideas, but the truth is I have a bunch of loose papers shoved in a manila folder.  Anyway, I guess my lesson is to take advantage of the inspiration that's around you every day -- gather it and use it to your advantage so that when it's time to create you'll have inspiration galore.

4. What's your stand-by, FAST dinner solution for those times when you really want to get to your scrap space ASAP (or stay ALAP)?

In the morning throw into the crockpot 3 things:
1) some chicken breasts
2) a can of Ro-tel (diced tomatoes with green chiles...I like the kind with lime juice and cilantro added)
3) taco spices  (taco seasoning packet OR your own blend of cumin, garlic salt, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, etc.)

Don't bother stirring.  (Waste of time...you could be stamping!) Cook all day on low. Shred the chicken. After shredding the chicken, return it to the juices in the crockpot. Serve it in warm tortillas with whatever you like..I set out black beans, avocado slices, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, cilantro.

5. If you were stranded on an island that had a billion supplies but NO tools, what ten TOOLS would you HAVE to have? (All the stamps in the world are available, so you don't need to list them as one of your tools. EX: we've got all the embroidery floss in the world, but you're going to have to bring your own needle if you want to use any of it!)
 
1. Tonic Guillotine 12" paper trimmer
2. Cuttlebug machine with all dies/embossing folders -- this counts all as one, right? :)
3. Hero Arts acrylic blocks
4. Sewing machine
5. Microtip scissors
6. Scalloped edge scissors
7. Paper piercer
8. Stamp-a-ma-jig
9. 1/8" handheld circle punch
10. Metal ruler

Tami emailed me later that she had forgotten her heat gun in all the rush to pack for Stamper Island. She didn't tell me which item it would be replacing, so I'm just going to bend the rules and let her have 11 things 'cuz she's so cute!

6. If you were still on that island, what kind of noise would you want (if any) in the background? List as many as five different favorite musical artists.

Something mellow like Jack Johnson...that would fit with the whole island vibe too.  Mostly I'd just like to listen to the waves.

7. If you could have anything you wanted, (concerning scrapping or stamping) what would it be?

A stamp room maid? :)  The maid would specialize in scrap paper management...my scraps need some serious help!

8. What about your style/artistry are you least satisfied with?
 
My coloring skills...lots of room for improvement there!  I've never even laid my hands on a Copic marker...they scare me.

I think they cultivate that on purpose. They think they're so big and bad, but I'll betcha the Sharpies could take 'em!

9. What cameras have you tried, which one is your favorite, and why? (You can shorten this to just the one you're using now if you like.)
 
My Canon Rebel XTi is my favorite and is the camera I use 99% of the time.  I also keep our first digital camera (an Olympus point & shoot) handy and it performs great for those times when I don't want to lug around a big-bodied camera.  Oh, and my oldest daughter (9) entered the digi photo world this past Christmas, so I also have a sleek little Pentax to play with...when she's at school. (Shhh!)

10. What's the word or phrase that comes to your lips when you mess up while creating? ("Unprintable" is definitely an option!)

Frequently unprintable! But not always...I caught myself saying "Jiminy Crickets!!!" the other day.  I have no idea where that came from.

You've been watching Pinocchio? Either that or you're subconsciously smitten with insects wearing formal attire.

You can check out more of Tami's scrumptious creations on her Flickr photostream, the cardmaking gallery at heroarts.com and occasionally on the Hero Club Blog. I know she's got some massive gallery action over at 2Peas as well, but I don't know her member name. I'm sure she'll tell you, though, if you ask her!

At Last

I am so proud and so happy to have lived to see this day.

When I was born, segregation still existed - a fact that blows my mind because I’m not that old. When I started to learn to read, I would come home from Dick and Jane and see the horrors of the Vietnam War on television. When I was ten years old, I learned the highest office in the land was seething with corruption.

After all that, I was a cynic before I even knew what the word meant.

But today….

Today, I experienced what I’ve been seeking for over thirty years: hope and pride and joy and a complete casting off of my cynicism as I watched a man sworn into the presidency. I’ve supported candidates before, but I’ve never believed in one like I believe in this man. For once, I did not vote for the lesser of two evils – this was The Guy, as far as I was concerned.

Today, I wept many times when the camera captured some of the faces of African-Americans in the crowd – faces so filled with pride and wonder they glowed in a way that is usually found only in brides walking down the aisle. I am so happy they lived to see this day.

I’m so happy I lived to see this day.

I’ve had at least one staunch Republican ask me why I like Barack Obama so much. What had he done? Why was he so special? There are lots of things I could say, but the most important, in many ways is how he affects me. Remember the movie As Good as it Gets? Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt: “You make me want to be a better man.”

That’s what President Obama does for me. He makes me want to be a better citizen. Be more committed to changing things. Be more involved in making that change come about. And I think that’s what he does with a lot of other people, too. Here’s the thing: we all want a leader who is smart and strong and wise, but we always seem to forget that the greatest leaders are the ones who bring out the best in their followers. A leader can only get you so far – ultimately it’s the followers who make or break the community.   

So here’s to you, President Barack Obama. May you lead us through a wondrous journey in which we all discover the best in ourselves and use it to make our country and the world a better, safer place.

May God bless you, your family, and our nation.

My Latest Creation

You can go to the  Hero Arts Flickr Group and visit my photostream to see the card I made for this week's "pocket" challenge....

Or you can just look at it here!

To see this past week's Pocket Challenge, pop over to the Hero Arts Blog!

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Hero Arts (CL291, CL150); October Afternoon (Night Owl)
INK: ColorBox Pigment
GEMS: Hero Arts
RIBBON: Unknown
Stickles
Pop-Dots

Thanks for looking!