Something Special Saturday: Guest Blogger

WOW! Four Special Saturday posts in a row!! We never planned to have this feature be this regular, and in the future it is unlikely to continue at this pace, but we do have another special treat for you today! We have a guest blogger who has prepared some wonderful art for you using a Bo Bunny collection. Please welcome Cheryl Johnson.



K: Hi Cheryl. Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

C: I was born an Army Brat just before the end of WWII and we settled in Milwaukee, WI after Dad was discharged in 1946. By that time, there were 3 of us kids, and 3 more after that. When we were kids, we used to play at a community playground in the summer that was supervised, and it was close to our house. There was a terrible red headed kid my age on a bike that used to ride around the playground, trying to pull pigtails and ponytails as he rode by. I ran all the way home to get away from him. It wasn't until I dated a particular young man I met through a friend, that we discovered he was the terrible redhead and I was the pigtailed girl. I married that wonderful Submarine Sailor in 1965...that's 28 years of Navy life, moving from coast to coast and back, plus a stint in Hawaii where I took up counted cross stitch. We ended his career in Bremerton, WA where we stayed 24 years and decided to join our only daughter and her husband in San Antonio, TX. We've been here 3 years, but sadly, our Grandson moved back to Washington shortly before we got here. By the way, the photo is my most recent picture...taken in April with my Hubby, Larry at my Mom's place in Wisconsin. You'd never know he was that "terrible redhead", would you? He's taking good care of me so I can continue my hobby. Thank goodness!

I worked in many of the places we lived, and had to retire on disability in 1994 after a long illness that has progressed. It was then that I was introduced to stamping by attending a home party and got the fever...I can never get enough paper, stamps, or embellishments, but I force myself to stay on a budget. That's hard to do, and I rarely even go to craft stores...I shop on line because I can no longer drive, and the online items are endless. I love those sales! My husband finally had a studio built onto the house that I could work in without climbing stairs, but I had to leave it behind when we moved to Texas. My daughter and son-in-law graciously gave up their finished garage for my studio in Texas. I am a rather messy but organized "creator"...I like to have everything around me that I could even hope would work for the project I'm doing. Putting it all away is another story. I love having a friend in for a day of stamping and scrapping, and fortunately my best friend is very accommodating to make sure it's a good day for me, too.



K: What inspires you?

C: Just about everything I see, an old photo, a vintage pin, feathers, dried ferns, tags from product lines...(I have one that is lime green that says, "Blah Blah, Blah!" that I'm dying to work into something fun.) I've been known to decorate bottles, boxes, bags, clothing, picture frames, furniture, and was even tempted to decorate the Welsh Pembroke Corgi that belongs to my daughter. Instead, I made him about a dozen neckerchiefs that he loves to wear--he gets to pick which ones he likes. I am doing a scrapbook for him, since my daughter got him when he was about 2 years old and we love him to pieces. I was amazed at how many pet things there are to use for ideas.

K: Why did you chose Bo Bunny for these projects?

C: Bo Bunny is one of my favorite lines of papers and embellishments...I have nine of their lines...complete with everything! However, when I saw the Gabrielle line by Bo Bunny being pre-ordered at Frantic Stamper, I fell in love with it and had some ideas for that subtly beautiful paper...one was the two-page 12x12 layout of my father's family tree, using everything I could of the product line. I had some leaves of different textures that I'd kept in a glass jar for ages, knowing someday I'd use them, and they came in handy for the family trees. I also used a mask for the tree and the Tattered Angels Spanish Moss mist because it blended so well with the paper I chose. I was going for a fun, eclectic look with some vintage pictures and flowers. The anniversary card was a no-brainer...I needed to make my daughter and son-in-law a card to celebrate their April 9th anniversary and of course, the paper was perfect for the card. They loved it and it is sitting on their desk. Their entire china cabinet is full of birthday, wedding, anniversary, valentine and St. Paddy's day cards that I've made for them over the years. No room for china.

Every project I start is a product of love...for the person it is meant for, for the reason it is sent, and for the love of creating something that people actually keep. All I have to do is look at the paper and it "speaks" to me. When one of my best friends passed away two years ago, her brother sent me the entire box of cards I made for her over the years...we had been friends since Kindergarten and our birthdays were in the same month. Her nickname was Mouse, so a good many of her cards had mouse motifs. I keep them in a special box because I can't bear to look at them just yet. My Mother has kept all the cards I've made for her and said she is running out of room to keep them. My friends and family all say the same thing...my cards are the ones they keep. Now I am busy sending paper and embellishments to my sisters and nieces for their scrapbooking and stamping...getting them hooked, too! They're so far away, but this makes the distance shorter when I see what they've made. My mother even got into the scrapbooking and stamping fever, but decided she had so many pictures she'd rather scrapbook with my sisters and nieces these days. I'm glad I could start a family tradition, being the oldest of six. When I leave this earth, there will probably be a lot of paper, ink, stamps, embellishments, etc. enough to start a store, but I will have made my mark...and made a lot of stamp and paper companies happy, too! Not to mention those who inherit this mess of perfectly wonderful stuff! I plan to live to 100, despite all, so they'll just have to wait while I stamp my "art" out!

K: Thanks for being a part of our team today, and thank you for being willing fun to share with our readers! Without further ado, let's show them some of your lovely work.

C: First I have a 2-page 12x12 spread for our Family History Wall.

K: I love the idea of a history wall...I think I will have to see about adding one to our home!


C: And next are photos of an anniversary card made for my daughter and son-in-law, front and inside.



K: Thanks again for coming by! Hope you enjoyed our little visit with our special guest!

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