I have been doing some sort of craft for as long as I can remember. It started with dressing paper dolls and making real doll clothes very badly. In my teen years I did very little of anything artistic, having had to choose a “professional” course at school, and believing I had no creative talent.

In my early days as a school teacher I was required to teach a subject called “Leisure Pursuits” (those were the days when we believed increasing use of technology would give us more leisure time and we needed to educate people to use it properly!!!!), and so the love of craft was revived. I spun, wove, made candles, did patchwork, dabbled in marbelling etc (all the hippy trippy stuff!!!) Then about 12 years ago I discovered stamping and this was my epiphany. A passion for paper crafts was lit and continues to grow.

I have found paper crafts to be the perfect medium for someone who thinks she can’t draw. It has allowed me such a diverse range of artistic expression and I love the fact that there is always something new to learn. I am fascinated by trying new techniques and so, probably haven’t developed an identifiable style. I try to do every new project in a different way and using different colours. Trying new ideas led me to developing new skills in clay, metal shim and shrink plastic.

As a result, mixed media is probably where I concentrate most of my artistic energy. Altered book swaps and canvasses are the perfect vehicles for me, as they allow for some creative sharing without the endless repetition of large swaps which bore me to tears though I still participate because I love getting others’ art in return.