Tunnetko jo Birgitin?

Muistatteko viime vuoden Intohimona Skräppäyksestä Birgitin?

Osallistuin viime vuonna hänen kursseilleen sekä IS:ssä, että Scraptasticissä ja pidän hänen tyylistään todella. Hän on sekä oivallinen opettaja, että taitava mixed media taiteilija. Birgitin kurssit ovat siitä kivoja, että niillä oppii uutta sekä aivan vasta-alkaja, että jo pidempään harrastanut konkari.

Birgitin töissä käytetään mielestäni monipuolisesti erilaisia tekniikoita, joita on myöhemmin mahdollisuus muokata omaan tyyliinsä sopivaksi. Kannattaa ehdottomasti käydä kurkkaamassa Birgitin töitä hänen blogisaan. Birgit on tulossa myös tänä vuonna kurssittamaan meitä suomalaisia, joten kannattaakin varata ajoissa paikkansa tämän upean naisen oppiin! Katso tarkemmat kurssi tiedot täältä. Allekirjoittanut on tainnut ilmoittautua jo kaikkiin kolmeen.

Laitoin Birgitillekkin muutamia kysymyksiä, lue alta mitä hän vastatasi!

So, first of all, welcome to Finland!

Birgit, you have been in Finland last year as well, how does it feel to come back?

Yes, I had the honor to teach at Intohimona Skäppäys last year and I very much enjoyed it! I was overwhelmed by the kindness of Finnish people, their creativity and their enthousiasm to learn and try something new! I had so much fun and I made some sweet new friends there. I am thrilled to be coming to Finland again. I secretly hoped that Mira would invite me again… I was delighted to get her invitation and I am very much looking forward to be teaching in Helsinki! (looking forward to your delish food too J)

Could you tell as something about the workshops what you are teaching?

I will be teaching 3 different workshops, a canvas, a mini-album and a layout workshop. So whether you like off-the-page mixed media art, prefer to create layouts or love mini-albums, there is something there for everybody J

All workshops are suitable for both beginners as advanced crafters.

In the canvas workshop you will learn to create awesome texture, you’ll get to work with texture paste, gesso, stencils and spray paints. If you like bling you can add some sparkle using WOW! Fab Foils.

In the layout workshop you will create your own background papers using different mixed media techniques. You’ll be working with gesso, spray paints, inks, texture paste, chipboard shapes, stencils and more.

The third workshop is a mini-album. The double embossed cover is a real eyecatcher and the mini-album can be used however you like. You can use it as a travel journal, a diary, an art journal or a mini-album with a theme. You’ll be working with WOW! embossing powders, Sizzix embossing folders and more.

What does teaching scrapbooking means to you?

I love to teach! I love the interaction with people. Inspire them and watch them get all enthousiastic if they learn something new. I love to share creativity, I too always learn from my students. What I also love about teaching is the traveling and meeting people in different cultures. I have always been insterested in foreign countries and languages, I enjoy discovering the customs and food of different countries.

You use lot of colors in your work, where do you find your inspiration?

Most of the time I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. The ideas are just in my head and I don’t know where they came from.

But sometimes I feel stuck and the ideas just don’t come out. My favorite place to go then is Pinterest.com. The boards there are loaded with inspiration. Not even for all the beautiful projects you see there. I try not to look at complete projects to much becaue I don’t want to copy other peoples work. But there are so many beautiful photographs with awesome colors or textures, color schemes and inspirational quotes and much, much more!

You are part of quite many Design teams, what are they and what does it mean?

I’m on 2 manufacturer DT’s: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L^TM and WOW! Embossing Powder. I’m also designing for Sizzix.

Besides the manufacturer DT’s I’m on the DT of the UK magazine Craft Stamper and occasionally designing for Scrap 365.

Being on a manufacturer DT usually means that you create projects with their products and post a couple of times a month on the manufacturer blog and your own blog. Basically your job is to promote the products. In return you get to work with the newest products, regularly receive a box with fun supplies, and people can find your personal blog through the manufacturer blog, so it is good exposure for yourself.

Being on a magazine dt means that you create projects and write the articles.

Could you share your favorite project with us? And tell a bit about it?

Hmmm this is a difficult one. I make very different projects and I have more then one favorite but today I choose these at journal pages. I love the colors and the texture on it. The background was created for a challenge on Nat Kalbach and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer’s blog called “the second floor”. The challenge was to use something you had never used before. I used salt in ecoline and quite loved the texture it created.

Thank you so much Birgit and see you soon!

You are very welcome! Looking forward to seeing you!