Friday, January 3, 2014

New Exciting Design Team!!!


Ann Butler Designs
New Design Team

We are so excited to be announcing our first ever Design Team for Ann Butler Designs.....we had so many wonderful applications and it took a few days longer then we had expected to go through them all and make our final decision.....as we found there are so many talented people and our team was set for 12 spots, so it was difficult and we appreciate everyone who applied and hope that you will re-apply in the future!

First of all I want to introduce you to my Design Team Lead without whom I would not have been able to even think about putting a design team together and to whom I will be forever grateful for her friendship and trust in me and my products!

Lisa Rojas has been a rubber stamp artist and instructor since 1995. Lisa began designing for publications in 2000, with her work appearing on the web, national advertisements, tradeshow booths and in various craft and home decorating magazines including, Scrap and Stamp Arts, Crafts n’ Things, PaperWorks, CardMaker, The Rubber Stamper, Stamp It!, Craft Home & Style and Aleene’s Craft.
Her designs are published in seven multi-designer books. She has had hundreds of her designs published to date. Lisa works with many manufacturers, using their products in her work, product development, teaching classes and workshops at tradeshows. Lisa is  an active member of the Craft and Hobby Association and currently serves on the board of the Designer Section.

So without further ado here is our fabulous team:

Hello my name is Ava Gavloski, also know at Cottagerca. I reside in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.  I'm an artist of many interests: photography,  scrapbooking/cards and  mix’d media. As for my design style... well, that is a....TBA.  I create using products that feel good to me. I am inspired by talented designers and experiment with new techniques, so spikes of different styles will be noted above the radar!  I hope to inspire others to keep learning and enjoy the creative journey.
 
My designs have been published in the following magazines: Just Cards, Take Ten, Craftideas (formerly known as Crafts ‘N Things), Stampers Sampler, Scrapbookers News & Reviews and Scrap & Stamp. (YTBA Spring ’14 Somerset Memories).

Currently I design for Core'dinations Cardstock and Helmar Adhesive.  Previous opportunities have been guest designer for Really Reasonable Ribbon, Want2Scrap Fan, Gecko Galz and designer for a LSS.
 
Beth Watson is a creative design professional, specializing in mixed media design, three dimensional crafts and home décor.  Armed with a formal education in Marketing from Ringling School of Art& Design, Beth developed her professional skills in the restaurant industry before turning her focus to the craft world in 1998.  Beth is a member of the CHA Designer Council and her designs have been published in numerous craft magazines and books.  She enjoys bringing a unique twist to her designs by using traditional materials in unconventional ways.  Professional design and promotional services include:  product demonstration, advertising and marketing consultation, editorial and instructional writing, workshop teaching for adults and children, design team and contributing artist commitments; and project design for publication.


Carmen Flores Tanis is a mixed media artist, crafter and designer who specializes in combining diverse materials in unusual and unexpected ways. She loves to make things! She is a Designer Member of the Craft and Hobby Association and has two successful online craft supply stores. She teaches craft classes in Southern California and her secret to crafting happiness is “patience, practice and power tools.”
My name is Connie Hall I am 43 Years young. Wife to Robert. Mother to Jacey, Robert, Serena, Taylene, Karrah and Cherish.  I have a chosen son Aaron. We live in Akwesasne. I am a Child Care Supervisor by day and an avid scrapper and paper crafter by night. I have been scrapbooking over 10 years. In April 2011 my Mom lost her battle with Cancer. The way I Preserve my memories and moments has changed forever. I truly get lost in the process and depending what my goal is I may end up with a Project Life page, Clean and simple, Traditional, Shabby chic or Steampunk, or Mixed Media. I love flowers, lace, stamping, layering, gesso .texture paste and other mediums. I scrap everyday.
 I am currently on several Challenge blogs. Love to Scrap, Red Carpet Studio, Stuck on U sketches, Boy Meets Girl (Ends Jan 2014) Handmade Harbor, and Let's Get Sketchy. I have a couple Guest Design spots in 2014 also.
I am glad to be on the Ann Butler Design Team. Some of my favorite scrapbook pages are quilt inspired and I can't wait to share new projects here on the team. Thanks for having me.


My name is Irit and I am an Israeli designer and scrapbooker. In my real life I am a working dentist, a wife of retired  high  police officer , Mom of 4  grown- up kids and a grandma of one adorable baby boy and a new baby girl . I am an addicted crafter since I can remember, but  for the last 5 years I moved to paper crafting and found my real  crafty love.I am the most versatile in both styles and kind of projects and it moves from scrapbooking and cardmaking to  Mixed Media and altered art, OOP projects and  even jewelry making. Right now I design for 7-8 American, British,Polish, South African and Australian companies. In the past I designed for like 20 more  manufacturers and shops all over the world. I am a staff member for Scrapbooking.com web magazine for last 2 years .My work was print and web published in Israel, USA and UK magazines in the last 3 years.  I  hope to inspire my readers with my versatile crafty style and invite you to visit my blog. 

Hello, my name is Kristi Parker Van Doren and I live in Missouri, the Show Me State! I have been involved with paper crafting for over thirty five years. I was introduced to stamping at the age of 12 and over the years, I have taught many classes at the local stamping and scrapbooking stores as well as special events. I have also worked the retail side and am a previous store owner. I love to create a large spectrum of projects with a broad range of styles. I have been blessed to attend CHA and demonstrate for several companies. My style varies depending on the materials I have on hand and what is called for on any given project. In 2013 I have worked with Connie Crystal, Tombow 100 days of Tombow, Art Glitter, Holly Berry House Originals, Craft Attitude, Envirotex, ICE Resin, The Robin's Nest, Smoothfoam and MORE!  I have worked with some wonderful companies and have been published in a variety of magazines. I love creating cards, altered arts, home décor, mixed media, jewelry and scrapbooking. In my spare time I also enjoy spending time with family and friends!  My two sons are my pride and joy and are one of the reasons I create. My motto in life is: Be with those who help your being!


 My name is Larissa. I live in the Texas Hill Country with my husband and 2 fabulous furbabies. I am a mother to a wonderful 23 year old daughter. Like most people I was introduced to scrapbooking. After a couple short years trying to turn pictures into fancy pages I stumbled onto rubber stamps. My addiction began. I have been rubber stamping for over 10 years. Since I am a stay at home housewife I spend more time than I probably should in my craft studio each day. I not only have a rubber stamp addiction but a paper addiction as well. Aside from rubber stamping on my free time I love to cook and bake, decorate and of course spend time with my family. 
 "Hi! I'm Nicole from Sacramento, California. I am a wife to a wonderful husband and a mother to Kirby and Honeydew, my fur babies. I currently am working as a regional manager for a English education company based in South Korea. Stamping and cardmaking bring such wonderful feelings to my hectic daily life, and I love sharing projects with others by posting on my blog and YouTube. My motto is Simple & Clean - I believe that we can all create awesome projects without spending hours for the loved ones. I can't wait to share new creations with you all!"


Paula is originally from the south, but currently lives in northwest Minnesota, with her husband and two children. 
She started scrapbooking over 16 years ago. Little known at that time, as to the creative process that started, going from cards to altered arts. She still teaches various classes locally, but has been on a bit of a hiatus for a few years. Being creative and working with various mediums is truly a passion.
Paula holds a degree in graphic arts and has worked in the printing/publishing industry for many years. She currently works for a software company providing services to various printers. Although this is her day job, she wishes could spend as many hours playing in her studio!


Hello, my name is Roberta and I live near Toronto, Ontario in Canada.  I have a fearless approach to life and art and there is no medium I will not try. My favourite crafts are: card making, mixed media, watercolour, and glass painting. 
I love crafting spontaneously; just grabbing miscellaneous objects and dreaming up all different ways to use them.  I try to focus on upcycling and recycling in all my projects. This was a very popular feature on my webshow, ‘Robi at Night’, called ‘So, what would you do with this?’
I teach art, mixed media, jewelry, and card making from my home studio as well as Classes to Go where I bring the craft class to you!  I am also an instructor for Michaels Craft Stores.

My name is Steph Ackerman and I live on Long Island with my husband, our son, and our very photogenic pup.    I have been creating in some form for as long as I can remember.
  
I love the creative process, am very versatile and love to create an assortment of different projects - from canvas wall hangings with inks and dyes, to miniature pieces of artwork such as tags and  cards - I love to see what I can create in the confines of small spaces.  My day is not complete if I haven't spent some time in my craft room.  I have a dedicated studio where I play and create.  I  also teach a wide variety  of paper crafting and tool related classes in my studio and my local craft stores and I encourage my students to play with their products and tools.   I believe that only by playing can you unlock your potential and the potential of the products you are working with.   You have no idea what you can create if you don't take time to play and explore.
I am a CHA designer member, have the pleasure of being on a number of design teams and have had my work published in a number of magazines.  I am thrilled to be a part of the Ann Butler Design Team.

I am an Engineer by profession and crafter by passion, a mother of 2 amazing kids who fill my life with laughter everyday. I started seriously crafting 2 years ago and love making cards, there is something divine about giving a handmade card to somebody. I always find giving a handmade card or gift more satisfying. Challenging myself to use dies and stamps in a different ways is always fun. I hope to inspire everybody to flex their creative muscles and think out of the box..

 We are also fortunate enough to have chosen two Guest Designers who will  provide a couple projects each over the term:

I have been a crafter since I was a little girl – starting with embroidery.  In my 20s, I discovered the store Inkadinkadoo while on vacation with my family.  I purchased a couple of stamps and an ink pad and I have been hooked ever since!  I started creating cards for family and friends and I find it gives me such an incredible feeling of letting go and trusting my instincts. 
I have been so fortunate to have had my work published several times – In Patricia Bolton’s book “1000 Artist Trading Cards”; three times in Stamper’s Sampler Catch Up Issue; Somerset Studio; RubberStampMadness (for both a card project and a story about my little studio), Newsday DIYer of the week (a newspaper in NYC and Long Island) and Somerset Studio Gallery.  In addition, I have participated in The Sketchbook Project and The Fiction Project in conjunction with The Brooklyn Art Library and my work is in a permanent installation there.  Every other year I am a contributing artist  in The Adelphi University Fundraiser for the New York State Breast Cancer Hotline “Creative Cups”.  Artists are asked to participate and create a custom designed bra, along with a story behind your inspiration.  
I am a member of CHA in the Designer category.  I am the proud Mama of a Lance Corporal in the US Marine Corps and met my husband while I was living in London and we are just about to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary.
Shannon Bielke, a designer with CHA, has been involved in art and crafts all her life in a joyful attempt to try everything crafty!!