Hi friends, This morning I'd like to introduce you to Tanis Giesbrecht, a Canadian paper crafter whose interest in paper crafting has led to a career as a creator: she makes cards, scrapbooks, and designs stamps. I was introduced to Tanis by her mom, Marge, a regular Make+Do reader and commenter, who mentioned her daughter in the comments one day. I'm glad she did! Tanis and I chatted over email, and she sent along some pictures of her work, too. Read on... Hi Tanis! Welcome to Make+Do. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I've been married to my best friend for 18 years and we have four kids aged 13, 11, 9 and 5. We live in a small town in south eastern Manitoba. I'm a teacher who has been at home with my kids for the past 13 years but am planning on returning to the classroom next year. I've developed a few pasttimes over those 13 years at home and have kept busy by teaching piano lessons, creating paper crafts for publications and drawing stamp designs for a rubber stamp company. How long have you been crafting with paper? Since 2004. How did you become interested in paper crafting? Do you have a favourite kind of paper craft? I've always been interested in crafting. It took a while to figure out that paper crafting was the right craft for me though. I was introduced to it at a home stamping party several years ago and haven't looked back. I mostly make cards, but have recently made the decision to start scrapbooking some of my many photos. Do you have formal training, or are you self-taught? I have no formal training at all, but I've always had a passion for art, pattern and design. When did you start paper crafting professionally? My first card was published in the March 2007 issue of Paper Crafts Magazine as a winner of a card making contest. The instant that I was informed of my win, I was inspired to submit some more of my designs. I love creating for publication. It's challenging, it stretches my creativity and it's very rewarding when my projects get picked up. Have you ever had an "Aha!" moment in connection with your craft? What was it, and how did it affect your process? I think that "aha" moment came when I realized what my paper crafting style is and what types of product fit that style. And that affects everything I create. I now choose product based on what I know I can be successful with, instead of buying something because I like it or have seen someone else use it to create something amazing. What role does craft play in your everyday life? Does your life inform your crafting, and vice versa? Does it help you relax, connect with friends? I am always looking for inspiration everywhere I go. My eye is drawn to trends, to design, to style. It's always in the back of my mind as I walk through the store, through the park or drive down the highway. I'm a pretty "lonely" crafter in that I do my best work in solitude. So my card making is always done in my quiet, at home time. On the other hand, I just decided to branch out into scrapbooking and after attending my first crop a couple of weeks ago, I completely enjoyed sitting with my friends and pulling a few layouts together. Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have a favourite book/magazine/website or other resource that you like to refer to when you need to "refill the well"? I always marvel at how much inspiration is available at the click of a mouse. The online crafting world is huge and I can easily go check out my favourite designers to get my crafty juices flowing. I also really enjoy looking at magazines (both craft and home) and catalogues for new ideas. What advice would you give to a beginning paper crafter? Start by choosing products and projects that YOU love. And start simple! Find a project in a magazine or online that you would like to complete and boost your creative confidence by finishing it. If you want more hands on help getting started, there are loads of classes available online or in your community where you can get some expert advice to get you started. Where can we see more of your work? I have a blog, Paper Canvas. I am currently on the design team for Caardvarks Challenge Blog and SRM Stickers. And my rubber stamp designs can be found online at Unity Stamp Co. Thank you so much, Tanis! It was great to meet you, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work. (Do you know someone who you'd like to see profiled here? Why not send me your suggestion?)