The Purple Place, Right Here on Die Cut Divas!

Have you been seeing Lisa's work at The Purple Place?  You NEED to!

Now I would like to welcome Lisa Haines to Die Cut Divas. Lisa was kind enough to answer some questions for us and wait til you see her craft room.   Lisa did a card for us too.  Whoohoo!

Tell us a little about yourself--

    

    I live in Northeastern Massachusetts with my Hubby and our three rescued "Furbabies" - Scout, Skye and Zeva.  I'm also a very proud Mom to two amazing adult sons, Brian and Alex who have always been the greatest Joys of my life.  I love living on the coast and also LOVE the beach and nice warm sunshine.  I'm not a big fan of Winter and hope to eventually retire somewhere that is warm all year long~!

      

Wish I were on the coast.  Just don't bring the cold.

How long have you been a card maker/scrapper & when did you start?

   I started paper-crafting in February of 2007, shortly after finding my life turned upside down after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Degeneratie Disc Disease.  I was suddenly living in a whole new world -- no longer able to work and a bit lost --- My life changed in many ways and I found I truly needed a NEW hobby, that's when a gal I met in a Fibro Support Group -- suggested I try Paper-Crafting!   I feel in love with the hobby and it's now my passion and a wonderful form of therapy and relaxation for me.   I can't image my life now without it and LOVE every minute I spend being creative.

Do you follow sketches or dive right in?

   I'm a dive right in kind of gal!   The only time I start with something in mind, is when I'm playing in a challenge that is based on a certain theme or sketch!  Challenges are another part of the hobby that I truly enjoy!  I love that they inspire me to try new things and design cards I might otherwise never think of on my own.

A woman after my own heart, DIVE RIGHT IN!

How many projects do you make a week?

     I would guess that I average about ten cards a week, if not more!   Being home daily, I do have a lot of time and as long as I'm feeling well, I love spending time in my craft room! 

What is your favourite tool (what can't you create without) & why?

     Boy, that's a tough one?  --- I love so many of my tools, but I guess I would say my "Copic Markers" which have been one of the most expensive and valued investments .   I love to color and find that the most relaxing part of creating.   I love all the products related to card-making from inks and stamps, to dies , bling, and of course "Paper" ! 

What at the moment is your most favourite thing to do on your project? 

       I love to add Sparkle to my cards!   Gems, Pearls, Glitter or the amazing sparkle you get from a Wink of Stella marker -- there is almost always some time of sparkle or shine on each of my cards!   

How would you describe your style?

       I don't have one style that I feel I have truly mastered, but I do love "Clean and Simple" designs and also love cards that have lots of vibrant colors -- especially Purple...

What about your style would you change (or not) & why?

       I don't necessarily want to change anything, but I love to continue to enhance my creativity and try new ideas and techniques.  That's a reason I also love to take lots of classes, both online and at my LSS.

So right, Lisa,  art is learning and incorporating new ideas into our current techniques.

Have you been published or on a Design team - when & where?

      I have been on a nice variety of Design Teams  and I currently design for a wonderful Hero Arts retailer --  the  a2z Scrapbooking Supply Store, which is an Etsy based store.  We also have a fabulous blog and host monthly challenges and daily posts!  

       And I was also published twice in a craft publication called "Through the Craftroom Door".    And even though TTCRD is a small publication, to have my cards featured, was a huge honor, especially since it was in the early days of my crafting .   You can see more on that on my blog HERE !!   I have never been published in any of the larger or more well-known publications, but have also submitted to many of their calls!   That's still a goal I am working toward and one day I hope to achieve!

 
Describe (pictures are even better) your crafting area

       Currently, I'm in the process of moving into a new space in my home, which I am loving.   My new craft room is much sunnier, but is also a smaller space, so it's been a blessing in that I'm being very picky about what I can keep and have been taking it very slow so that I can totally re-organize all of my stash during this move.   I've already done one major purge, and happily donated all those goodies to a local "Dachshund Rescue" who sold them as part of  a large fundraising event.  I love that I was able to help them out and plan to continue to donate to them in the future. 

  

Look at this organizational space!!!!!!!

        I additionally love to create cards that I can donate to organizations.  I have been an Operation Write Home card-maker for the past five years and also create and donate cards to two local Dachshund groups (Furever Dachshund Rescue and Little Paws Rescue), the two groups who helped bring Skye and Zeva into my life.   I also enjoy taking part in card-drives for special people and events, and love helping make others smile!  

I can see Lisa sitting here creating away.

Do you have a blog? If not where can we see more of your fabulous creations?

        I do have a blog, it's called "ThePurplePlace" and is named after my passion for the color purple, which you'll often see in my card creations.   Purple is also the Awareness Ribbon color for Fibromyalgia, which also makes it very dear to me!  I also have a Gallery on Flickr and a board of all my recent cards in a Gallery over at Pinterest!

Here's what Lisa did for us today!

Just love the colors, don't you?  Lisa used a Bugaboo Stamps image here, in honor of our sponsor, 

Thank you LISA!

Arlene and the Die Cut Divas