An Interview With...

...Elsie Flannigan. Elsie is the author of 52 Scrapbooking Challenges and the designer of Love, Elsie, which is a trademark of KI Memories. Elsie is an alumni garden girl for twopeasinabucket.com, a contributing writer for Creating Keepsakes magazine, a columnist for Scrap! Magazine and an international scrapbooking teacher. Her signature style and out of the box ideas keep things fresh every day. In her free time she likes to eat sushi with friends and play with her pug, Cocoa. She resides in Springfield, MO and spends most of her days in her very messy home studio. Elsie has very kindly agreed to be our second interviewee for our ‘Interview With…’ feature. Here’s what we discovered! IACW: Elsie, did you have a particularly ‘crafty’ childhood, and what is your earliest crafty memory? * Yes, my mother always encouraged me to be artistic. She is a painter herself so I can remember be very young and she would get me and my little sister our own paint sets and let us just make a little mess in the kitchen and have fun! IACW: How did you discover scrapbooking, and how long have you been scrapping? * I was really into art journaling at the time and just happened into a local scrapbooking store to see if I could find any fresh supplies-and I was blown away by all the cool stuff that the scrapbooking world had to offer. And I’ve never looked back:) IACW: What crafts do you currently enjoy besides scrapbooking? * I love to paint and take photos!!!! IACW: You have a beautifully quirky and free style, and, looking at your layouts, enjoy mixing paper and fabric – how would you define your style, and how did it evolve? * I have a hard time defining myself really. I just do whatever I think looks beautiful and makes me happy. And no matter what that draws me to use I just go with it!! IACW: From where do you draw your inspiration, and do you have any unusual sources of inspiration? * I get inspiration from all around me-books, movies, music, magazines, the internet. Nothing inspires me more than getting fresh photos of my friends and family! And I also get inspired by other scrappers and the amazing stuff that they share with each other and online :) IACW: Have you had any scrapbook/craft disasters, and, if so, are you prepared to share the details with us?!! * There have been plenty of layouts that I would say where disasters, some I was able to fix up a bit and others have been abandoned :) But I don’t let that discourage me, I think everyone should be allowed to make some mistakes and a mess now and again-no harm in that really :) IACW: Your new line of papers and embellishments for Ki Memories has recently been released, amidst great excitement in the scrapbook world. What tools/products/embellishments are you using most at the moment? Is there a line of papers you’re particularly fond of? What’s currently at the top of your ‘wanted’ list? * My favorite stuff to use includes buttons, fabric, craft paint, and ribbons!!!! IACW: You have a fantastic blog, oozing with inspiration, and beautiful photography; how regularly do you blog, and how do you decide what you’re going to write about? * I blog probably more than I should:) I just write about what I am up to and what is inspiring me or holding my interest at the moment. My blog really started out more for me and my family but I do not at all mind what it has grown into because I am extremely grateful for all the support I have had! IACW: Tell us about the book you’ve written – do you enjoy writing and creating for publication? * I love writing books! I adore reading stuff that other people are putting out there and I am so in debt to other artistically that I feel in some small way this is part of my way of giving back to the scrapbook and art community. And it is an honor to contribute to that! IACW: Who are YOUR craft/scrapbook heroes/heroines? * Everyone on my design team!!! IACW: On average, how much time do you spend scrapping/crafting in a typical week? * If I answered this honestly I think people would either laugh, or think I was crazy. Suffice it to say- a lot! :) But I always find time for myself and my family too. IACW: Are you working on a particular project right now? Can you share any details with us?! * Just my second book-I am very excited about it and I hope that everyone will enjoy it and draw inspiration from it :) IACW: Who is your favourite artist? Have you ever worked a particular artist’s style into YOUR work? * I have a number of working painters who I adore and would love to purchase some of their work!!! IACW: What music do you enjoy listening to? What was the last concert you went to? * The last concert I went to was a Gwen Stefani concert with my little sister! IACW: What was the last book you read? * I am currently reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau IACW: What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Who’s your big screen heart-throb?! * My big screen heart throb would have to be Ewan McGregor:) IACW: You’re out to dinner at a restaurant where nothing is off the menu; what would be your dish of choice? *I love sushi!!! I eat it way too much!!! IACW: Tell us a joke!! *I’m afraid I’m not that funny really!!! :) Huge thanks to Elsie for taking the time and trouble to answer our questions, and for providing such an entertaining read! Hope you're all having a great week :)