Artist #107: Nina

Hello!

Tasnim here, and today we have a very talented Paper crafter joining us here. She was one of the top 20 contestants of Paper Crafts magazine's Gallery Idol for two consecutive years! She has won numerous contests, published many of her works in various magazines and continue to be featured around the Arts&Crafts community. Let's hear it from Nina Yang!

 Name: Nina Yang

Blog: Waffle Flower Paper Crafts

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

I am a 30 something living in central Arizona, US with my loving and supportive husband. I work from home and usually spend half of my day with number and syntax, and the rest of it with paper and stamp.

2. How and when did you start crafting?

I have been collecting pretty patterned paper and stationery for as long as I can remember. About 3 years ago, I stumbled upon a card magazine and was so inspired that I started stamping and card making myself. Blogging and online challenges have made me many new friends. I joined a few design teams, started submitting to magazines and never looked back. 

3. From where do you draw your inspiration?

Not like some of my crafty friends who are real designers, I don't really know much about "design rules". But I always try to create something "clever". Craft products themselves inspire me. Let it be a piece of patterned paper, an embellishment, a cute stamp or a fun sentiment, ideas come to me when I try to use them in a unique way. I also like to find new techniques in magazines and blogs.

4. How would you describe your style?

I am open to try all different styles. Most of my cards falls in the Clean & Simple category but I've been having fun with Freestyle Collage lately.

5. Tell us briefly about your design process.

Get the products in front of me, think what I can do with them, get the project done… Let's try again: I usually start my card by picking up a sentiment. I like sentiments that tell stories. And usually, the rest of my card is designed to support the sentiment. When there is a specific theme, I usually google to see what has been done and will try to come up with something different.

6. What are the 5 top tools in your crafting space?

Scissors, scoring board, bone folder, paper trimmer and dies. May I add punches too? 

7. What’s your favorite technique?

I suppose we are talking about stamping techniques here? My favorite is masking. There are so many ways we can mask a stamp and give it a new life. 

8. Do you sell your projects?

No. I am a slow crafter who can easily spend 2 or 3 hours on a card that I don't know how to put a price tag on. I've been sharing quick and easy projects on my blog,  but they are "quick-n-easy" because I spend a lot of time "designing" them that way. The quickest way to achieve the most amazing result has always been my goal. Most of my projects went to magazines, trade shows or got donated. I give some of my favorites to my husband who keeps them in a shoe box.

9. How much time do you spend crafting every week?

About 20 hours. But I spend countless hours on craft blogs and shopping for supplies, haha!

10. What do you do when you are not crafting? Job? Other hobbies and interests?

Paper crafting combines two of my other favorite things to do: taking still life photos and playing with my computer (editing photos, tweaking my blog, drawing in Illustrator…). Lucky me also had the opportunity to put together stamp sets for Avery Elle (Simply Tags and Texture Tiles). I enjoy every steps of the whole process.

Wow! that was amazing. Thank you Nina for giving us a little insight into your creative mind! I particularly liked how you start a design with the sentiment, that is quite an interesting approach, and I must give it a try!

What do you think friends? Isn't she one super talented crafter? You can see more of her work at http://waffleflower.com/

Great Day Ahead!!