After a brief hiatus we’re getting back to our Rock Star Spotlight series! This week we’re shining the spotlight on Ayana Posadas. Back in June I had the great pleasure of meeting Ayana at the Stampfest show in Orlando. Not only is she a wonderfully talented stamper, she is a super sweet person too!

Ayana Posadas

1. Tell us a little about your family. I have two wonderful parents who have been married for over twenty-five years. My mother is from Colombia, and my father is from Guatemala. I also have two siblings. My brother is twenty-four, and my sister just turned seventeen. I am the oldest.

2. How did you get into stamping? I have only been stamping for about two years, maybe less. But I used to scrapbook a lot, for several years. I was first introduced to stamping from my friend’s mom. She exposed me to the company of Stampin’ Up, and I was hooked ever since!

3. What is your favorite technique? Well that always seems to be changing. But right now I am really into masking. I love how you can achieve the look of dimension on a single-layer card, simply by just making a mask and stamping over it.

4. What is your favorite tool? I would say that my favorite tools are my border punches. They come in so many different designs, and they are so fun to use. I think sometimes adding a simple border punch to a card can turn a “good” card into a “great card”. I absolutely love using them!

5. What are your favorite embellishments? Hmmm…. Well that is also something that is constantly changing in my mind. But if I had to pick one right now, then I would say that I really love “twine” lately! However, pearls and ribbon are not too far behind!

6. What is your favorite coloring method? It used to be colored pencils & gamsol. But lately it has changed to Copics! I recently took a class on these fabulous markers not too long ago, and let’s just say it’s definitely my “new addiction”!

7. What is your favorite color combo? Well I don’t have just one, but I always like to mix neutral colors with a bright, vibrant color. For instance: black & hot pink, brown & turquoise, or kraft & red. I think having a neutral base color can make colors pop and stand out in such a fabulous way!

8. If you had to describe your stamping style with 3 words, what would they be? Oh my! I’m still not really sure what my “style” is…. But I guess if I had to choose three words, they would probably be: “Colorful, Fun, & Girly”!

9. Do you always send the cards you create? This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I actually don’t send very many cards out at all. I need to start though! I have only been stamping for a little less than two years, so the only major holiday that I sent cards out for was for Christmas, last year.

10. For which occasion or holiday do you create the most cards? I just went and scrolled through my blog before answering this question. To be honest, many of the cards I make are simply “Just Because” cards or random cards. Many times my cards don’t even have a sentiment on them, so you can use them for almost anything. But if I had to choose which time of year I gravitate more towards, when it comes to card-making, then I would choose fall and winter holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc.

11. What is your favorite stamping magazine? This may sound weird, but I have actually never purchased a stamping magazine. I just recently became familiar with the popular ones, when I started blogging, because I would constantly read about them online. But I have yet to physically hold an actual issue in my hands. However, I have been meaning to go out and buy one, so by the time this interview goes live, my answer to this question will most likely have changed.

12. What are your favorite Repeat Impressions’ designs? I love many of the trees and flowers. Repeat Impressions has lots of great nature images! But just recently, my newest favorite just became the “Vase of Tulips”….. LOVE it! =)

13. What are your other interests besides stamping? When I have the “time”, I really enjoy reading, cooking, and watching movies. I also really love to shop! And I absolutely LOVE to travel!!!!

14. Name your favorite food and one food you can’t stand. I have way too many favorites! I Love to Eat! Seafood is one of my main types of food that I love most. But one thing that I just don’t care for at all is: “ham”. Yuck!

15. What is your guilty pleasure? Shopping!…. I love to shop! However often times, I shop way more than I need to. It can get pretty “dangerous” sometimes! lol

16. Do you have any pet peeves? I can be pretty picky about grammar sometimes. For some reason, it really bothers me when people mix up words like “your & you’re” or “there, their, & they’re”. I’m constantly correcting my friends whenever I hear or read mistakes. Haha… I’m sure I can get pretty annoying sometimes, but proper grammar is important to me. =)

17. Tell us one random thing people may not know about you. I hate feet! They gross me out! lol

18. Name 3 things on your “bucket list”.
1) Cut my hair short…. (I’m still too scared!) lol
2) Skydiving…. (This used to be very high on my list, but the older I get, the more nervous I get… So whoo knows if I’ll ever do it).
3) Travel to more places that I haven’t already been to yet!….. (I’ve been to China, Colombia, Mexico, Belize, Panama, Guatemala, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, & Amsterdam)…. My goal is to be able to visit each of the seven continents one day.

19. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books, movies, people and foods would you take along?

Books: I would bring all of the five books currently written by Emily Giffin. I am currently in the process of reading her collection right now. So far, I really love her stories.

Movies: I would bring: Life is Beautiful, Pursuit of Happiness, The Pianist, Forrest Gump, and Beauty & the Beast. =)

People: My boyfriend, my sister, my brother, and my parents.

Foods: Since I can only pick five, then I would say: Cheese, Shrimp, Steak, Oranges, and Ice Cream.

20. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what would that be? Well, despite that I’m Hispanic, my name is originally from Africa, and its meaning is “beautiful flower”. So I guess if I had to choose a movie title for my life, then I would call it “A Beautiful Flower”. =)

Thank you, Ayana, for sharing your responses here with us! It’s been a lot of fun getting to know you a little better. I know everyone will want to keep up with Ayana’s latest work so be sure to visit her blog, Ayana’s Creations and don’t forget to leave her some love too!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a happy Wednesday!!

Wendy

P.S. If you haven’t created a card for our latest Sketch Challenge yet, we hope you will soon. Submissions are being accepted until next Tuesday, 9/7.

Today I’m excited to bring you another Rock Star Spotlight! This week we’re shining the light on Robin Kirkpatrick. Those of you who have been a visitor to the Repeat Impressions’ website for a few years may remember Robin from our previous design team. And if you have visited with us at a stamp show you’ve seen her work first hand on our display boards too. She’s created some wonderful cards for us over the years! We feel so fortunate that she decided to stick around while I got this blog off the ground. Thanks, Robin!

And now, a little look at the woman behind the art…

Robin Kirkpatrick

1. Tell us a little about your family. There were four children in my family. My oldest brother died when he was 36, so now there are three and I’m the youngest. My father died almost 15 years ago and my mother, who re-married, will turn 90 this September and is still going strong and playing golf!

I’ve been married for 25 years and we have three fur kids (all indoor cats). Our oldest is 18 and in the final stages of renal failure, so she won’t be with us much longer The other two are sisters, named for sister islands in the Caribbean – Saba and Statia. They are six years old.

2. How did you get into stamping? I started out scrapbooking, which somehow led to card making, which led to stamping. My sister was very much into stamping, so I’m sure that was my first major influence.

3. What is your favorite technique? I’m not really a technique oriented stamper, but I always find heat embossing to be a nifty experience, I just don’t do it very often.

4. What is your favorite tool? Oh, I have quite a few, most notably, my Genesis Paper Trimmer, Wizard and Copic markers and airbrush system. I use them on almost all of my cards.

5. What are your favorite embellishments? Ribbon and buttons

6. What is your favorite coloring method? Copic markers

7. What is your favorite color combo? Kraft and rust

8. If you had to describe your stamping style with 3 words, what would they be? Absolutely no clue

9. Do you always send the cards you create? I would say that 95% of the time I either give my cards to someone or sell them. I have a few I can’t part with…

10. For which occasion or holiday do you create the most cards? Christmas

11. What is your favorite stamping magazine? Stamper’s Sampler since they just published one of my cards

12. What are your favorite Repeat Impressions’ designs? Cats and flowers

13. What are your other interests besides stamping? Good food and wine, SCUBA Diving, travel, good food and wine, reading, movies and did I mention, good food and wine?

14. Name your favorite food and one food you can’t stand. Favorite food – blue cheese. Food I can’t stand – oatmeal (unless it’s in cookies!)

15. What is your guilty pleasure? Truffle Macaroni and Cheese from Clusters and Hops restaurant in Tallahassee, FL.

16. Do you have any pet peeves? Oh, SO many….my top three are arrogance, incompetence and poor spelling/grammar (thanks, Mom!)

17. Tell us one random thing people may not know about you. I was attacked by a German shepherd when I was a kid – it bit across my face, with one if its teeth getting me just under one eye. I have been afraid of them ever since.

18. Name 3 things on your “bucket list”. Visiting Alaska, the Swiss Alps and Tahiti.

19. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books,
movies, people and foods would you take along?

Books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Catcher in the Rye and the latest from David Baldacci, Randy Wayne White and Lee Child.

Movies: The Abyss, When Harry Met Sally, Top Gun, The Sound of Music and Sabrina.

People: Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor and Eva Cassidy to provide great music, my husband for good company and Julia Child to cook for all of us!

Foods: Maine lobster, artichokes, blue cheese, carrot cake and a bottle of good red wine. The perfect meal!

20. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what
would that be? Bed of Roses

Thank you, Robin, for sharing your responses here with us! It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you better. You and I seem to have quite a bit in common. I know everyone will want to keep up with Robin’s latest creations too so be sure to visit her blog, Robin’s Rubber Room, and don’t forget to leave her some love!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit with us. I hope you’ll stop by again soon… we have some surprises in store for you!

Wendy

P.S. There’s still time to play along in our latest Sketch Challenge. Submissions are being accepted until next Tuesday, 8/10. Please check out my WHAT IF? Wednesday post from July 28th for all the details!

Meet the artist behind the creations! Today we’re shining the spotlight on Lynette Neus.

Lynette Neus

1. Tell us a little about your family. I have been married to my wonderful husband for going on 36 years. We have a daughter, son-in-law, grandson (born October 2008) and granddaughter (born March 2010) in Chicago. We have a son and daughter-in-law that live about twelve minutes from us. They are expecting their first child in December – so exciting!! And we have a cat named Lexi. We live in a suburb of Minneapolis.

2. How did you get into stamping? We went on a cruise for our 25th anniversary, and I wanted to scrapbook it, so I bought just a few things and got the scrapbook done. That was the end of it for a while. I have a friend that was really into stamping, but I had no interest in it, and she wasn’t “pushy” at all. However, I asked to be invited to the Stampin’ Up! Party that she held every summer. That was in July of 2002. And the rest, as they say, is history – I become totally addicted! (My friend no longer stamps!)

3. What is your favorite technique? Hmmm … tough question, as I love lots of techniques and keep moving from thing to thing. I guess I’d have to say embossing. I love embossing folders, stencils, texture plates, my Scor-pal – all sorts of embossing.

4. What is your favorite tool? Along those same lines, I guess my favorite tool would have to be my BIGkick. How could I emboss without it!

5. What are your favorite embellishments? I’m not much of an embellisher, but I guess maybe my favorite embellishment today would be pearls. Unless of course embossing counts as an embellishment!

6. What is your favorite coloring method? Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.

7. What is your favorite color combo? Depends on the season and my mood! Probably purple and green. Or most anything with green!

8. If you had to describe your stamping style with 3 words, what would they be? “Clean and Simple.” But maybe “and” doesn’t count! How about clean, simple, and flowery.

"Morning Glories Sympathy" card created by Lynette Neus.

9. Do you always send the cards you create? No. I make way more cards than I send, although I do send out a lot of them. I have some friends that buy them from me, and have started a blog to try to sell the rest. I also donate some to our church to sell.

10. For which occasion or holiday do you create the most cards? Well, that would have to be Christmas. We send out about 80 cards.

11. What is your favorite stamping magazine? The only one I read is PaperCraft – a gift from a great friend!

12. What are your favorite Repeat Impressions’ designs? Now, THAT’S a tough question! There are way too many to name! I love flowers, so most any of them. I love the Clover Bunny. The sentiments are great, too.

13. What are your other interests besides stamping? That is about all I do anymore! Well, I like bowling, walking, camping, computer and a few TV shows.

14. Name your favorite food and one food you can’t stand. Kung Pao chicken with rice might be my favorite, if I HAD to choose just one! I’m a very picky eater, so there are lots of foods I can’t stand! Maybe I’ll choose tomato – which includes anything made from or containing tomatoes. Or maybe onion would be worse!

15. What is your guilty pleasure? Sneaking time for more stamping!

16. Do you have any pet peeves? Oh, I’m sure I do! Grammar mistakes – like writing “your” instead of “you’re,” using “myself” instead of “me.” Wastefulness is another. I’m sure I must have more!

17. Tell us one random thing people may not know about you. I am a blood donor. Actually, I donate platelets every other week, if I’m free. I’m working on my 16-gallon pin.

18. Name 3 things on your “bucket list.” I don’t really have a “bucket list,” but I’d love to take an extended train trip though the southwest and up the California coast to Washington. I’d like to take an Alaskan cruise. Maybe hike the Grand Canyon again. OK, so maybe I DO have a bucket list!

Thank you, Lynette, for sharing your responses here with us! It’s been great fun getting to know you a little better. I know you’ll all want to keep up with Lynette’s latest creations too so be sure to visit her blog, My Stamping Addiction, and don’t forget to leave her some love!

Thank you for stopping by today! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!!

Wendy

P.S. If you haven’t created a card for our J1410 Sketch Challenge yet, we hope you will soon. Submissions are being accepted until next Tuesday, 7/27.

It’s Rock Star Spotlight day… the day we get a glimpse into the woman behind the art! This week we’re shining the spotlight on Julie Smith.

Julie Smith

1. Tell us a little about your family. I am married to a great guy and we have 2 teenage boys and 1 big yellow lab that thinks he is a person. I grew up in western PA, and we now live in a small town near Gettysburg, PA. My husband is a policeman and I work full time for a State Farm Agent selling insurance.

2. How did you get into stamping? A Stampin Up party! It was all history after that!

3. What is your favorite technique? I love piercing and coloring with my copics.

4. What is your favorite tool? My paper piercer!

5. What are your favorite embellishments? Definitely buttons!

6. What is your favorite coloring method? I enjoy my copics, but also love my prisma pencils.

7. What is your favorite color combo? Right now, I’d have to say I’m in an “aqua zone”…I’m liking it with everything, especially brown.

8. If you had to describe your stamping style with 3 words, what would they be? CLEAN AND SIMPLE!

9. Do you always send the cards you create? Oh my word no…I have a really hard time letting go of my cards.

10. For which occasion or holiday do you create the most cards? Birthdays and Christmas, without a doubt.

11. What is your favorite stamping magazine? I enjoy Paper Crafts.

12. What are your favorite Repeat Impressions’ designs? I like anything I can paper piece, and the funny sentiments.

13. What are your other interests besides stamping? Well, does blogging count??

14. Name your favorite food and one food you can’t stand. I love seafood….and I’m not a picky eater so really the only things I can’t stand are cabbage, turnips and rutabagas.

15. What is your guilty pleasure? I love massages….but I always feel guilty getting one because I have nothing to show for it, and face it, with the cost of a massage, thats a lot of stamping supplies.

16. Do you have any pet peeves? Laziness and incompetence….

17. Tell us one random thing people may not know about you. I’m a diabetic, and I have a hot pink insulin pump!

18. Name 3 things on your “bucket list”. I don’t really have a bucket list, I try to live each day to the fullest.

Thanks for sharing your responses here with us, Julie! I think I can speak for everyone when I say it’s been a lot of fun getting to know you better. I know you’ll all want to keep up with Julie’s latest creations so be sure to visit her blog, Paper and Such and don’t forget to leave her some love too!

Happy Wednesday everyone and thank you for stopping by today!

Wendy

P.S. If you haven’t created a card for our J3010 Sketch Challenge yet, we hope you will soon. Submissions are being accepted until next Tuesday, 7/13. Please revisit my WHAT IF? Wednesday post from June 30 for details!