CJ

I'm a fiber & mixed-media artist living in Columbus, Ohio. My husband & I have been happily married for 7 years and have two miniature dachshund "children" who bring much creative inspiration & humor to our lives. I enjoy working in a variety of mediums & I'm always excited to try new techniques. Right now, I'm using a lot of fabric, paper & wood in my work. I love vintage anything - images, ribbons, fabric, buttons, etc. I also love shiny, sparkly things. I love all things having to do with animals and have a special place in my heart for dogs, giraffes, donkeys and birds. I find a lot of inspiration from nature. I love swaps & find so much inspiration from other creative people!

Thoughts on Flaking

I will never flake on a swap! I am serious about my art & I feel very strongly about the commitment I make when I sign up to participate in a swap. If you ever do not receive something from me, please let me know & we will make it right.

I love all kinds of music & my iPod has a very eclectic collection. Right now I'm really enjoying John Mayer's body of work as well as Eminem's new album. I listen to classical when I'm stressed & need to calm down. I love Lifehouse, 3 Doors Down, Nickleback, Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox 20, Barenaked Ladies, Parachute, Matt Nathanson and similar bands. I also love Michael Bubble. Really, I listen to just about anything but really twangy country music.

Like music, I read all kinds of books. Some of my favorite authors include; Stieg Larsson, Jane Austen, David McCullough, & Jasper Fforde. Some of my favorite books include; To Kill A Mockingbird, Life of Pi, Water for Elephants, Secret Life of Bees, Anne of Green Gables Series, My Side of the Mountain, Little House Series, Lord of the Rings Series, Harry Potter Series, & Where the Red Fern Grows. I also love Winnie the Pooh & Peter Rabbit - AA Milne & Beatrix Potter are both amazing! I listen to audiobooks while I work in my studio & I'm always on the lookout for new titles to listen to.

I love working with fibers/materials of all kinds - fabric, paper, wood, wool, foil, metal, clay, etc. I create in both 2D & 3D and am always open to new techniques. In art I believe there are no mistakes, just happy accidents. As I mentioned above, most of my work includes fabric, wood and paper.

• I make art quilts

• I dye fabric

• I cross stitch

• I embroider

• I make cloth dolls

• I create w/polymer clay

• I work w/metals

• I love stamping

• I love altering & re-purposing items to use in my art

• I make dotees - I love both giving & receiving dotees!

• I make softies

• I do block carving

• I paint on wood/fabric/canvas/pretty much every surface available

• I do wood burning

• I do papercraft

• I needle felt

• I make art jewelry & charms

• I'm always looking to try something new!!!

• I love embellishing and have a collection of ribbons, buttons, beads, etc that I'm always looking to add to.

• I love anything to do with nature (especially birds, I love birds!)

• I love vintage finds - anything vintage is always welcome.

• I love faries too - I seem to be drawn to things with wings :0)

My style is a combination of vintage/antique & contemporary/modern. I'm always combining old with new in my art as well as my life. My husband and I live in an old house in a historic neighborhood, but our decor is very colorful & contemporary. I just love the contrast of old & new.

I LOVE color!!! I especially love warm reds, oranges & yellows, but every color has its place. I don't use day-glo or neon colors in my work, but pretty much every other shade or hue is welcome.

What do I like?...I could go on for hours :0)

• I LOVE dachshunds & anything having anything to do with them
• I LOVE birds & find a ton of inspiration fror my art from watching & learning about them.
• I LOVE fabric - textures, colors, patterns excite me
• I like seed beads in all colors
• I like anything vintage - scrabble tiles, papers, sheet music, wall paper, fabric, images, dominoes, etc. - I use is all in my art
• I love anything from the shoppe at Stampington.com

• Wool or wool/felt fabric - (old wool sweaters are always welcome)
• Fabric Paints by Jacquard - any colors
• Vintage or reproduction fabric
• Any kind of vintage craft items - i.e. wall paper, news paper, clothing patterns, images, etc.
• Colorful ribbons or trimmings
• Colorful beads - any size
• Any kind of bird softie or stuffie - I especially love owls
• Anything with dachshunds on it - I LOVE MY PUPPY DOGS!
• A flower press
• Loose/unmounted naked canvas
• Copic Markers
• Speedball Speedy Carve Blocks
• Habotai Silk Fabric
• Leather Fabric or Fabric Remnants
• Plaid Mod Podge
• Jane Austin unabridged audio books
• Fruit Crate Labels Clip Art CD
• Old Time Label Art Clip Art CD
• 120 Classic Posters Clip Art CD

Please don't send me any food items. For health reasons I have a strict diet I have to adhere to. I'm also not a big fan of scented lotions, perfumes, lip balms, etc.

I'm not a big fan of "cutsie" print fabrics