Michelle thinks that the best thing about papercrafting is the community. She loves the papercrafting community groups on Facebook and all the online challenges. She has a lot of papercrafting friends who she has never met in person, but hopefully she will meet them in the future and they better be ready for many hugs!
Who are you? Can you tell us about yourself?
My name is Michelle Lupton, and I love to make cards. I describe myself on my Instagram account as a card-making, choir-singing, cupcake-baking science nerd.
When did you start with paper crafting? Why did you start with papercrafting?
I’ve made cards for decades, but I used to make cards using calligraphy, dry embossing with brass plates, or painting illuminated letters. I played with stamps and inks when I was a child, but in adulthood, I bought my first stamp for cardmaking in 1998 – a Hero Arts happy birthday stamp that I still own! I enjoy the creative outlet of cardmaking, and I like the small canvas that I can finish relatively quickly – I don’t have the patience for crafts that take a lot longer!
READ ALSO: PAPER TALK WITH KELLY FROM TEXAS, US
What is the best thing about papercrafting?
The community. I really enjoy the papercrafting community groups on Facebook, such as “Share Handmade Kindness”. I also love all the online challenges that help build up the community. I coordinate the “Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero” challenge for Hero Arts.
Have you made any mistakes when papercrafting and would you like to tell about it?
Oh, I make mistakes every time I make a card! LOL! I have ruined so many cards by dropping a stamp over an almost complete card, and I am notorious for putting my hand in wet Glossy Accents or liquid pearls! I’ve also spilled entire jars of embossing powder in my lap, once during a live video on Facebook!
What kind of paper projects do you make?
I mainly make cards, but I’ve also made tags, bookmarks, decorations, and one scrapbooking album.
How often do you craft?
As often as I can! Most weekends, and some days after work (and sometimes during my lunchbreak, too – a distinct advantage of working from home!)
Can you describe your style? Has your style changed since you started?
I am a clean and simple card maker at heart, with occasional diversions into messy and complicated!
Show us 3-5 of your favorite projects. Why are these your favorites?
My favourites are often rainbows. Or florals. Or rainbow florals.
What inspires you?
I love to follow fellow crafters on Instagram for inspiration. Sometimes, a stamp, die, stencil or embossing folder design provides inspiration.
Is there anything in paper crafting you would like to learn?
I am writing this just before Christmas, and Santa is bringing me a Glimmer machine, so I’m looking forward to learning all about hot foiling.
Can you mention five products/tools you cannot live without?
- The MISTI – an absolute game changer. I went for many years thinking I didn’t really need one for stamping. I was wrong!
- Ink blending brushes and The Ink Stand– I am heavy handed, but the brushes allow me to get a soft blend. The Ink Stand means I’m not chasing my ink pads all over my desk!
- My die-cutting machines – Spellbinders Platinum 6 and Hero Arts compact cutter – I love and use both a lot!
- Distress Oxide inks – I resisted getting them for so long, and now I don’t know what I would do without them!
- Alcohol inks and Alcohol pearls from Tim Holtz/Ranger.
What is on top of your wish list right now?
Oh, too many things to list! But I try to narrow down my wish list so that I don’t go broke!
Who in the paper crafting community would you like to meet «in real life»? Why?
I am in Australia, and a lot of my cardmaking friends are in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, New Zealand – all over the world – so I have a LOT of papercrafting friends who I’ve never met in person. I hope that I will meet at least some of them sometime in the future, and I hope they’re ready for many hugs!
Can you describe your craftroom?
A lot more organised than it used to be, but it’s not ideal! It doubles as my work office, and used to be a bedroom, so still has a bed that I’d love to replace with a proper desk.
Where can we find you? (Blog, website, social media etc.)
Blog: Handmade by Michelle
Instagram: michelle_lupton
YouTube: Michelle Lupton
Facebook: Handmade by Michelle
This post is published by TPC Magazine.