Happy Wednesday, everyone! As I mentioned previously, I’m giving the Rock Stars a little break from some of their usual design team duties this month. So today we have another Rock Star Spotlight for you. It’s a fun way to get to know the artists behind the cards we’ve been sharing.
Today we’re shining the spotlight on Repeat Rock Star, Patti J. Gilliam…. or Patti J. as she is known in blogland.
Image may be NSFW.
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Patti J. Gilliam
1. Tell us a little about your family.
My best friend and I have been married for over 42 years. We live in a small Missouri town, 90 minutes south of St. Louis. We have two grown children, who live far from ‘home’. Our son, his wife, and their three furry ‘pound puppies’ live in a beautiful city in New Mexico. They will be having their first baby in January 2016, and we cannot wait to meet him! Our daughter, her husband, and their soon to be 2 year old daughter, live in Hoenfels, Germany. Two ‘pound puppies’ complete their little family until April 2016, when our little Bavarian born grandchild will will make his/her arrival! 2016 promises to hold many ‘GRAND’ adventures for our family! My husband and I love traveling together to see our kids and grandkids. We have a great time checking out fun places along our route, listening to books on CD, and singing along with Christian music.
2. How did you get into stamping?
In 2001, I needed to make some items for a family event – party favors, place cards, etc. I knew nothing about this art, so I signed up for a class or two at our local craft store. The classroom teacher was a lady named Shirley Hotop, who soon became my best friend! Fifteen years later, we are still ‘besties’, and my craft (crap?) room has grown from one plastic shoe box to WAY too many boxes, drawers, desks, and shelves!
3. What is your favorite technique?
Masking has always been my favorite technique. When I teach a class, it’s always so much fun to see a new papercrafter create a ‘magical’ image with the use of a post-it mask.
4. What is your favorite tool?
I have a few things that I keep front and center. I think the one thing that I use on nearly every card would be my Stamp-a-ma-jig. It always saddens me to see a gorgeous card that someone has taken a long time to create, with a crooked image or sentiment.
5. What are your favorite embellishments?
Ribbon, bling, sequins, pearls, buttons, twines, burlap, glitter…..the list just goes on and on!
6. What is your favorite coloring method?
I learned to color with colored pencils and mineral spirits. I felt we could not afford for me to take part in the alcohol marker craze. One day, a blogger that I followed posted that she was selling ALL of her Copic collection. The price was right, and my hubby loves me. A Lot!!! He made it happen, and now I use mostly Copics. I also like to watercolor, use Gelatos, and ink direct to stamp. with finger daubers. I’m currently learning to use Spectrum Aqua, Noir, and colored pencils, as well.
7. What is your favorite color combo?
I think this is the toughest question of all! It would probably have to be a combo of black, white, red, and turqouise. These make me uber-happy!!!
8. If you had to describe your stamping style with 3 words, what would they be?
Versatile – you might find me doing something very simple one day, and an intricate fold or design the next
Clean – while I love looking with much awe, at the grunge sort of projects, I prefer nice clean lines for my own creations. I always try to remember who I create cards for…the folks at church, my chemo buddies, my senior buddies, etc. I think some of them would think I’d run out of good cardstock if my paper was wrinkled or torn!!!
Fun – I love this art of creating with paper, and I try to incorporate a bit of fun into every item I create.
9. Do you always send the cards you create?
I am a Chemo/Senior Angel, and send many of the cards that I make to these folks. I also send to our congregation at church when there is a need. I don’t send every card I make, but I send oodles of them! I sell a few now and then to help support my ‘habit’.
10. For which occasion or holiday do you create the most cards?
Christmas and Valentine’s Day! We always have a collection box at church during these holidays, allowing us to send to every church member, without incurring postage. Every single member of the congregation gets a handmade card in December and February!
11. What is your favorite stamping magazine?
I read them all, but I think CardMaker is, and always has been my favorite magazine. Nearly everything they publish is easy to recreate, and the supplies used are easily accessible. The editors, Brooke and Tanya, are amazing ladies with wonderful ideas and warm hearts, and their photographers always make my projects look better!
12. What are your favorite Repeat Impressions’ designs?
I just changed my mind – THIS is the toughest question! Goodness, I love all of the RI designs! I reach most often for my Quartet Compliments. They are darling little sentiments that work so well on my cards. I hope to own them all, someday! My favorite RI images would have to be any of their Christmas collection. To. Die. For. Cute.!!!
13. What are your other interests besides stamping?
I love to sew, read, walk, garden, bike, and draw! I doodle in the evenings, and draw flowers, critters, and snow people! I also do Zumba twice a week, and enjoy the music, and the ladies in my class. My instructor, Julie Ross Powers is a teensy little bundle of happy energy – if I’m not smiling when I leave home, I’m smiling when I leave Zumba! However, I do not enjoy the ‘sweating’.. ha ha! Some days, I twist, tug, pull, grunt, and groan, and by the time I get my leotard on, class is over!
14. Name your favorite food and one food you can’t stand.
Favorite: Really good lobster Can’t stand: Guacamole
15. What is your guilty pleasure?
A scrumptious Turtle Sundae, and/or a great day of shopping for new crafty things (with my bestie, Shirley, of course!).
16. Do you have any pet peeves?
Yes! People that walk miles and miles while in a store shopping, but get to the parking lot and cannot put their cart in a cart return. Arghhh…..!
17. Tell us one random thing people may not know about you.
I used to make and sell chocolate creations! I owned about 200 candy molds, and stayed very busy ‘painting’ scenes with colored candies, prior to filling molds with chocolate.
18. Name 3 things on your “bucket list”.
Being the best grandma ever!
Zip Lining
Sky Diving
19. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books, 5 movies, 5 people and 5 foods would you take along?
5 Books:
So, here’s the deal with books – I totally love to read, but I also dislike reading the same book twice. So, I would say just throw 5 new release books in my island bag, and I’ll be a happy reader! Although….I read very fast, so my knight in shining armor needs to rescue me quickly!
5 Movies:
Hmmm…..this is a tough one, as while I watch TV if my handsome man turns it on, I don’t normally choose to watch it. I’d probably take 5 episodes of ‘Bones’ – all of that forensic stuff is a secret passion of mine!
5 People:
Yikes! 5 isn’t enough, now that our family is growing so quickly! Okay, since I can’t take our kids, and grandkids, here goes:
1. My wonderful hubby – can’t imagine us not being together for an adventure this huge!
2. A chef that specializes in island picked foods, as I wouldn’t know one berry or bush from another.
3. A carpenter to build my hubby and I a great boat to get us off the island (while we were off reading our books and watching our movies Image may be NSFW.
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4. Our lawyer – if I were really stuck on an island away from my crafty stash, I’m sure I’d suffer from some pretty major withdrawal issues, and need to sue whoever stranded me there!
5. Vin Diesel – if my hubby (who can build anything!) and my carpenter can’t get us off that island, I’m pretty certain that Vin would find a helicopter just sitting around someplace, and fly us out of there!
5 Foods:
This is simple, as I need LOADS of protein these days! Peanut Butter, Yogurt, Meat, Cheese, and Eggs. My personal island chef would figure out a way to make healthy meals with these items, of course!
20. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what would that be?
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Thank you, Patti J., for sharing your responses here with us. It was great fun learning a little more about you! And I know you’ll all want to keep up with Patti’s latest creations too so be sure to visit her blog, Cherish Each Precious Day. While you’re there, don’t forget to leave her some love in the comments too!
Thank you all so much for visiting here with us today. We hope we’ve helped to start your day on a cheery note! Please be sure to drop by again on Monday when RI Rock Star, Cheri Weston will be hosting and sharing her Project of the Week with us.
Until the next time… happy stamping!
Wendy
Repeat Impressions