Today we’re talking with Kimberly VerSteeg:

Kimberly is a professional actress who currently works as an Event Planner.  She and I have worked together on many plays over the years and become good friends over that time.

On the podcast we discuss the idea of “arts in worship.”  At Kimberly’s church (Fort Washington Collegiate Church) they pair art (visual arts, dance, singing, theatre, film, etc.) with every sermon.  Here’s a video that shares a portion of their recent Easter service:

In the podcast we also discuss how the notion of “theatre, therapy, theology” and how art and God and self-reflection and story telling are all intertwined.

What are your thoughts on the topic?

Find the show on iTunes here.

I wanted to share a resource guide in this post to some of the museums and artwork we discuss on the podcast.

Mass MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, MA

photo source

MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC

photo source

Also:

• an article about the Marina Abramovic “naked people” exhibit.
• MoMA “Garage Sale”

Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) in NYC

DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum in Lincoln, MA

photo source

Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway

photo source

Jew in the Box exhibit at the Berlin Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany

photo source

Berlin Wall East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany

You can read about my visit here.

Madeleine Albright “Read My Pins” exhibit at MAD Museum (Museum of Art and Design) in New York City

photo source

Also:

• Boston Museum of Science
• Denver Art Museum (read about my visit here)
• MIT Museum
• Boston Children’s Museum

I’d love to know what you think of this episode.  Did you enjoy the conversation?  Are there any particular guests you’d love to hear from?  Or topics you’d like to explore?  Let us know!

Find the show on iTunes here.

Today’s guest is May Flaum.

When it comes to crafting May Flaum has one rule: it’s gotta make her happy. She’s not afraid to get super grungy or work with bright colors, dabble in lace and doilies then make something more splattered and wild. If she’s not in her studio (aka ‘the bat cave’) then she’s probably out running around having fun with her family or cooking up a storm.  May has been working in the scrapbooking industry for a decade and currently blogs [www.mayflaum.com] her crafty adventures, teaches on-line classes, and works with amazing companies sharing her projects and ideas. If she has one piece of advice to share, it’s always to be true to your creative heart.

You can find May’s most recent e-book, “Fashionably Fast” here.

On today’s podcast we discuss May’s long and very interesting career in the scrapbook industry.  The theme of being true to yourself — both creatively and in your career path — is strong throughout this episode.  I found it to be a very inspiring conversation and I hope you will too! (And here is the link to May’s creative journey, as promised on the podcast.)

Find the show on iTunes here.

Her background with modern dance influenced the way she scrapbooks: she loves communicating her stories, not only through photos and journaling, but also through visual design…in other words, she’s all about using colors, patterns, lines, and other design elements to tell the story. Using design as a visual language to tell a story through scrapbooking is one of her favorite topics to study and share with others through Paperclipping.

In 2008 Izzy walked away from his full-time career in the corporate world to run two website businesses from home: he owns and hosts IzzyVideo.com where he teaches how to shoot and edit video through his online video tutorials. He also co-owns and produces Paperclipping.com – his wife’s scrapbooking website. Izzy works with local films in the Phoenix area. In March 2013 he will debut the first film he produced himself.

It has the visuals of photography, but when you add audio and physical movement, it takes the art form to a whole new level.

While video seems complex at first, it isn’t. I have devoted the last several years to showing others how easy video is. It’s not the ‘black art’ that people sometimes pretend it is. Developing skills with video is as easy as learning the principles and then practicing them.”

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a mixed media collage artist. She has been making art for as long as she can remember and loves the process of creating. “I believe that mistakes are creative opportunities and hold fast to the notion that enjoyment of the process is just as important as the finished product! I like to think outside of the box — experimenting with paper, paint, and fabric — always trying to find a way to push my supplies further and see all the possibilities.”

Julie has had artwork and articles published in many magazines including Cloth Paper Scissors, CPS Pages, CPS Studios, Quilting Arts Gifts, Quilt Scene, Creating Keepsakes, Better Homes & Gardens’ Scrapbooks Etc., Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, Somerset Memories, Somerset Digital, scrapbooking m.m. (Sweden), Scrap Art Zine (Germany), Scrapbooking & Beyond, Simple Scrapbooks, Histoires de Pages (France), books by Leisure Arts, F&W Publications, and Lark, as well as multiple e-zines. She writes the “Adventures in Arting” column for Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine.

Julie is the co-host of Scrapbook Soup TV (PBS) and has appeared several times on Quilting Arts TV (PBS) and hosted the “Artist to Artist” segment on Scrapbook Memories TV (PBS).  She has also appeared on Crafting at The Spotted Canary (PBS).  Julie’s hour-long instructional DVD “Collage Fast & Furious” was released in July 2010 by Interweave.  She released two new hour-long instructional DVDs in 2012: All About Faces and Stamp-Making Adventures.

Julie’s yet-to-be-titled book on stamp carving will be released by Interweave Press in Fall 2013.

Julie designs stencils for The Crafter’s Workshop, stamps for Impression Obsession, and has several other products in the works with other companies.

Julie lives in a tiny apartment with a big art studio in the middle of New York City.  She is a graduate of Brown University.

On today’s podcast we talk about my career trajectory, where I hope the craft industry will go, and my teaching philosophy.  I hope you’ll give the podcast a listen!  And be sure to leave any comments or questions in the comments section.  I know that Mom and I love hearing from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Find the show on iTunes here.

Roben-Marie Smith

Roben-Marie is interested in a lot of craft and art forms, including mixed media, art journaling, sewing and more. She likes to laugh but sometimes take things too seriously. She doesn’t like wearing shoes, would rather give than receive, is afraid of heights, is an introvert who works hard to be an extrovert and one day would like to say “making things for others” is her job!

Roben-Marie shares her love of mixed-media art, handmade journals and more through her inspiring blog, Every Life Has a Story, offering video tutorials, step by step how-to’s and workshops.  She has been published in a number of magazines and books and most recently her art appears in Journal It! by Jenny Doh and published by Lark Crafts. She is also very involved with her church and has also traveled to Panama, El Salvador and Romania for mission work and is the owner of Paperbag Studios, LLC which offers a full line of rubber art stamps.  

Nathalie Kalbach

Nathalie Kalbach is an European Mixed Media Scrapbooker. Her layered work is an explosion of texture, dimension and jewel tone colors.

In Nathalie’s workshops she shares her secrets for using paint and ink products to reveal texture, tips and tricks for embedding found objects and embellishments and how to unlock your personal creativity.  She has taught workshops in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Israel, Germany, France, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, The Netherlands and Norway. Also her Online Workshops are very well visited and a big hit.

Nathalie has been published in many Stampington Publications including her own column “Nathalie’s Studio” with Somerset Memories as well as in numerous magazines from around the world and several idea books.

You can read more about Nathalie and find her work on the n*Studio blog.

Louise Nelson

Louise currently lives in an inner city suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. She has a day job working full time as a Perioperative Nurse [RN] for an agency; working mostly evening and night shifts in public hospital emergency/trauma operating theatres in and around Adelaide.

Louise has always had creative hobbies, before taking up scrapbooking 6 years ago she loved to restore furniture. Since she started scrapbooking she has also devloped a love for portrait photography, and recently she has begun to dabble in painting.

During the last 6 years Louise has been fortunate to have been a Creative Design Team member for Scrapbooking Memories Magazine [AUS] in 2009 and currently a Scrapbooking Memories Master for 2011-12. Also fortunate to be invited to be on the Creative Design Team for UK based scrapbooking magazine; Scrap365. Currently she creates for Aussie Scrap Source, Jenni Bowlin Studio, Imaginarium Designs, Tattered Angels and 7 Dots Studio. She has been blessed to be published in Scrapbooking Memories [AUS], and have also been featured in the last 4 editions of Somerset Memories, with technique articles and layouts in the reader gallery.

You can read more about Louise and find her work on An Uninterrupted View.

Birgit Koopsen

Birgit is married to Erik and mom of 3 beautiful kids. She lives in a little village called Winsum in the north of the Netherlands.

Birgit started scrapbooking officially when her youngest child was one year old, in 2003, but actually she has been doing it since she was a teenager. Birgit always enjoyed photography and ”pimped” her photo albums, just didn’t know there was a name for it and special products. She loves how scrapbooking keeps all the beautiful memories of special events and everyday life alive. Especially for her children! But she also loves the creative outlet it gives her! She just loves to get her hands dirty! Be creative, play, experiment!

Birgit loves color! Bright, happy and bold colors are her favorites to work with. Lime Green, turquoise, pink, orange, yellow and red. Her style goes from clean and geometric to “busy” layouts with lots of details and colors.  Birgit loves to play with paints and inks and use non-scrapbooking products! In the last few years she fell in love with mixed media and very much enjoys creating “off-the-page” projects like canvases and Art Journal style mini albums.

In the last 8 years scrapbooking slowly turned into a job for Birgit. She teaches and demonstrate in her own studio at home as well as in scrapbook stores and at (international) scrapbook events, shows and conventions. She also does freelance work for magazines. She was given the privilege to work on a couple of wonderful DT’s like in the past for Infocrea, MyStampBOX and until last year Prima. Currently she’s a DT-member for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, a certified Tattered Angels Designer, an endorsed educator for WOW! Embossing Powders and designing for Sizzix and Craft Stampers Magazine.

You can read more about Birgit and find her work on her blog.

As you might have guessed, today’s episode includes our first ever (and certainly not our last) roundtable.  On the episode there’s a lot of laughter (a lot) as we discuss working in the very U.S.A.-based craft industry when you don’t live in the U.S.A.  We discuss economics, cultural differences, personal journeys, shipping costs, and so much more!  You won’t want to miss this one!

…she recently launched a new boutique company under her name.  Kelly Purkey stamps are now available in her shop and at Simon Says Stamp.

On the podcast we discuss Kelly’s career story, her new adventures — including an upcoming book — and food, of course!

Find Kelly online:

Thanks for stopping by!

Find the show on iTunes here.

Peter Del Tredici is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, where he teaches courses on plants, soils and ecology. He has also worked at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University since 1979, as Plant Propagator, Editor of Arnoldia, Director of Living Collections, and currently as Senior Research Scientist. Peter’s education includes a BA in Zoology from UC, Berkeley in 1968, an MA in Biology from the University of Oregon, and a PhD in Plant Ecology from Boston University in 1991. His most recent book, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide (2010, Cornell University Press), focuses on urban ecology and the identification of plants that grow spontaneously in cities.

The photo above was sent to me by Peter with the caption “Monet with Weeds.”

For reference, here is a quick video from MoMA.org on Monet’s painting, Agapanthus, which discusses Monet’s obsessive gardening:

On this episode we discuss aesthetics vs. sustainability and design vs. practicality — all through the lens of landscape design, where choosing aesthetics over practicality is a (plant) life and death issue.

Find Peter online at http://www.peterdeltredici.com/.

Find the podcast on iTunes here.

About Bethany:

Bethany Larsen works by day as the Business Manager for a Broadway press office in NYC, and by night works on fixing up the 1887 Victorian home she and her husband bought and moved into in early 2012.  She recently started blogging about her home improvement adventures at The Larsens Live Here.  Bethany also proudly serves on the board of the Fordham Alumni Theatre Company and the junior board of Solving Kids’ Cancer.

Here’s a photo of what the house looked like when Bethany and her husband bought it:

Their new stairs (and super cool wooden shingles revealed):

You can see lots more before & after pics on Bethany’s blog.

On the podcast we discuss home renovation, collaboration, creative mistakes, and Hugh Jackman!  Bethany is super funny and so I definitely giggled my way through this episode.  I hope you will too!

If you have comments or questions, I know that we’d love to hear them!

Find the show on iTunes here.

Here’s a little bit about her:

Jenn Mason lives a double life. Part artist, part editor. Day-to-day she wears her press hat at Cloth Paper Scissors magazine headquarters, by night and weekend she is trudging through flea markets, painting, assembling, creating, looking for inspiration, or just dreaming. You’re most likely to bump into her in Brookline, MA.

Here is some of her recent artwork:

Find Jenn online:

blog: JennMason.blogspot.com and clothpaperscissors.com
Facebook: Cloth Paper Scissors and Jenn Mason
Twitter: @CPSmagazine and @everydayartist

On the podcast we talk about Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, Jenn’s career path, art vs. craft, and how to balance working and being an artist with being a Mom.

If you have comments or questions, I know that we’d love to hear them!

Find the show on iTunes here.

Our guest Ronda Palazzari sent me the text above after we recorded the podcast.  I’m sure that after listening to her thoughts you will agree with me that she is an amazing woman.  Here’s a little bit about her:

Ronda is an Author, Mixed Media Artist, Scrapbook Designer, and an Instructor living in the burbs of Denver.  Her first book of Art of Layers with North Light Publishing/F&W Media was released in March 2012.  She designs with Maya Road, Sizzix, Antiquated Collection, and Purple Onion Stamps.  She has published in several magazines and idea books including Artful Blogging, Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, and Somerset Magazines.  She’s best known for combining her mixed-media techniques with scrapbooking, but Ronda is one to follow because you never know if she will be sewing or getting messy with paints…

…her craft changes day-to-day.  She continues to teach worldwide as well as providing inspiration and telling her dorky stories on her blog HelpMeRonda.

If you have comments or questions, please leave them in the comments section of this post.  I know that we’d love to hear from you!

Find the show on iTunes here.