Two Winners....and July's Kool Krafter!!!

There were some wonderful cards made using the sketch I challenged you with! Thanks to everyone for joining in the fun!! And...........the two randomly chosen winners of the newly released High Hopes Rubber Stamps are.........Alison and Jane!!! Yaaaaay!! Please email me with your address and I will send them out to you this week!!!

NOW...on to this month's Kool Krafter!! You may already know this talented lady but in case you don't, I'd love to introduce you to her. She is not only a wonderful paper crafter but a totally lovely person!! I'm also extremely jealous of her wonderful organizational skills!!! If you want to be inspired, see THIS posting on her blog, Distinctive Touches!!! Please help me welcome, Colleen Schaan!!!! *cheers and applause*

Wow…when Kimmie asked me to be her next “Kool Krafter” I was shocked…
and then VERY excited! I mean, Kimmie is one of my all-time favorite
stampers…and she has one of the “Koolest” blogs on the block.

My name is Colleen Schaan and I am an avid papercrafter. I LOVE
paper…cardstock, shimmery, patterned, glossy...it doesn’t matter; I
love it all. I am also a big fan of stamping. I started
scrapbooking about 10 years ago but quickly realized I didn’t have
the patience for it. Then I got sucked into the stamping craze and
have been inkin’ it up like a crazy gal ever since.



My style is constantly changing. When I first started stamping, I
was CASING everything I could get my hands on. Eventually I started
feeling comfortable creating my own layouts and designing my own
cards. Now, I may use a sketch to get me started, but I rarely CASE
anymore…with the exception of this card! I was so inspired recently
by a layout I saw on Amy’s blog that I just HAD to use it to create
this card. I love the way the patterned paper is so bold while the
sentiment and leaves are a bit more delicate.



If I had to pick one word to describe the style I am into right now,
it would be cutesy-humor. (Okay, I know that is two words, but I
hyphenated it to make it a one word adjective! – oh yeah…I was an
English teacher for 12 years too!) I am on the design teams for
Hambo Stamps and Eat Cake Graphics, and both of these companies have
adorable images and hysterical sentiments. Gramma Gertz is one of my
favorite stamps at the moment. She is crabby, mean, and cranky…and
sooooo funny! On this card, she offers a bit of advice to us all…and
isn’t she right?



When I am not stamping or papercrafting, I am usually writing about
it. I am the managing editor and lead reporter at Craft Critique, a
collective blog where we share product reviews and our experiences
with anything crafty. I also publish a blog each morning where I can
babble on about myself and my creations. I try to share my love of
papercrafting by posting tutorials for different techniques and
projects like this altered journal. While there is very little
stamping involved in this, it is still a way to express my creativity…
and a great way to make some wonderful gifts for the special people
in my life.

Thanks Kimmie for giving me this opportunity to share a little about
myself. YOU are one of those special people in my life and I am
thankful our paths have crossed. Stamp On Girls!!!

Thanks Colleen for sharing about yourself with us!! You're an amazing artist and inspire me whenever I visit your blog! So everyone, be sure to hop on over to Distinctive Touches and prepare to be inspired!!!!