Around The World Blog Hop

Hi everyone... Toni here from California and I was honored to be asked to participate in this great blog hop. Provides you to visit creatives from all over the globe and get a glimpse into their artsy world. For this hop I was to answer 4 questions concerning my creative journey, so here goes:

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW????

Hummm.... it's Christmas time so I have many many holiday projects going on. I have a Christmas layout of my wonderful daughter sitting waiting to be finished. I am currently participating in "12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party" so I have tags, ornaments, and cards that are being worked on. I'm also on 2 design teams so I have projects that are awaiting me.  My craft table is filled with a beautiful mess of glitter, glue, paper and inks.... I ♥ it !

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS???

My style tends to be quirky, grungy, sometimes un-expected. I have a difficult time doing CAS (clean and simple). I love applying different techniques in a project, so even if I am doing a card or layout, it usually has a taste of mixed media involved. I love to alter items... it's not uncommon for me to see something tossed in the trash and I will take it apart to create something entirely different.  Ink, then bling, then ink some more, then add a bit of modeling paste, spray and of course more ink. Ripping & crumpling of paper I love in my projects.

WHY DO I CREATE???

I love the freedom of expression creativity allows me and I tend to be a perfectionist so art really encourages me to "Embrace My Imperfection" and some of my most favorite pieces my viewers probably wouldn't understand. and that's o.k. I think we all have a need to create somehow, whether it's music, gardening, cooking etc. For me it's necessity. It's calming, invigorating, liberating. Coming from a very creative family I have always been exposed to the arts. Music, theater, painting, crafting, dancing was a way of life in my family.

HOW DOES MY CREATIVE PROCESS WORK???

I gather inspiration from almost anything. Nature, music, people, a technique or tool, and then the wheels start turning. It's not uncommon for me to come up with an idea while laying in bed at night. My most creative time to work is in the evening, with music on, a cup of coffee and away I go. Being on a couple design teams and staying involved with blog challenges on the internet really help my creative flow. Sometimes you know you want to do something messy but not sure what and than a theme is suggested and that really kick starts the process. As I create, my process evolves. It constantly changes direction while working on my piece and that's what I love about art. It's definitely a journey. 

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about my creative side and now I get to introduce to you a wonderfully talented friend of mine Kelley Rooks of Addicted To Paper

She never seizes to amaze me with her work and is constantly inspiring me.  Please drop by her blog, show her some love and on December 15th she will invite you into her creative world also by answering the same questions as I.  Have a spectacular week, and I hope it is filled with glitter. xoxo