How it all began

If you know me in real life, you can tell that I like to talk…like, A LOT! I’m one of those people who start with telling a small episode and then they add a thousand side stories and go on and on for hours.

However, I really want this space to be (almost) only about my crafting projects, so I will make this single post about me, to get it out of the way, and then dedicate all the blog to my cards…maybe with a little backstory and a short description (I can't help myself…but I promise to (try to) be brief!).

I have always enjoyed being crafty. When I was a child, I would make handmade gifts for my family or furniture and clothes for my dolls out of cardboard and scraps of fabric. Over the years I then tried making nylon flowers from pantyhose, decoupage with old paper, painting, cross stitch and more.

In 2012 I moved from Italy to Ohio and the first months were pretty tough, as I was feeling very lonely without my family and old friends. I was looking for something to do to unwind and relax after the long hours in the lab, and I remembered that, as a child, my grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet. So, I did some “refresh courses” on Youtube, bought tons of yarn and all kind of needles, and started crocheting. My grandmother, who passed away a couple of years ago, would explain me how to do a specific stitch or to fasten of a project via Skype and, thanks to her long-distance help, I made several blankets, some pillow covers, and a few ornaments for my Christmas tree.

After a year or so, I got bored of crochet and started painting! Again, I did several courses, I bought every kind of canvas and brushes and acrylic colors and I also participated in some local exhibitions and competitions. Hey, I even sold one of my paintings…to a friend, so I'm not sure it counts, but still!

In 2016 I had my daughter and for months I didn’t have the time to do anything beside working and taking care of her, but I was still going regularly to JoAnn stores (I’m addicted, I know!) to buy yarn, fancy pattern papers, stamps, colored cardstock and other crafting material. I used to store everything under our Ikea Friheten couch and call it my Fort Knox!! Then last year I decided to use some of the material I had accumulated to do homemade Christmas cards for my friends, so I started browsing YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram for ideas…somehow I stumbled into Gina K designs YouTube channel and I got hooked on her tutorials!!

I started following her and I got to know some of the other card makers, like Jennifer McGuire, Kristina Werner, Debby Hughes, Laura Bassen and Cathy Zielske, just to name a few of my favorites. I spent a few months just watching their videos, reading blog posts, and practicing on scraps, before starting to make my own cards.

And now, after almost a year, here I am: a (wannabe) card maker, sharing my projects on this blog!

My first cards!