Makeup Artist Spotlight

Today we are shining our spotlight on Makeup Artist Andrea (Crafty Engineering).

When I asked Andrea to pick her favorite PMS creation, this is what she had  to say... "My favorite recent card was one I did as a submission to Paper Crafts Magazine as part of a sketch challenge.  This was the first time I paper-pieced a fairy and I absolutely love it...it took awhile, but it turned out so cool!".

I just LOVE paper piecing!  Here is one of my faves from Andrea's blog...

Such a fun card with fabulous elements!  I just love Andrea's style!!  Well, you know the drill... it's Q&A time, here's what Andrea had to say...

1. When did you get started stamping?  I took a stamping class at a local craft store when I lived in Peoria, IL back in 1997 (I think!).  From that class I started making my Christmas cards, but didn't do much beyond that.  Then we moved back up to Michigan in 2002, I decided to become and Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.  After that, I was completely hooked!  
2. Tell me 5 songs or artists on your iPod right now.  Up until Mother's Day, I wouldn't have been able to answer this question...that is when I finally got an iPod Shuffle.  Anyway, 5 artists on my iPod are (please don't judge!) 1) Kid Rock (kind of my guilty pleasure...but supporting a Detroit area artist), 2) Glee Cast (totally love it...need to get the other volumes), 3) Black Eyed Peas, 4) Fergie, 5) ABBA (hard to get better than Dancing Queen)
3. All Stylists have a go to accessory or tool... what's yours? Wow that is a tough one! Obviously a paper cutter is key to everything, but that is a given right?!  So my go to tool is probably my paper piercer...it is just so useful!  It can be used to obviously pierce holes, but the holes can be decoration in among themselves or to place other embellishments.  Then I also use it to help get paper out of detailed dies, spreading glue in small areas, etc.  Just have to be careful not to poke my finger...it hurts, that thing is sharp!  My go to accessory would probably be ribbon...sometimes it just adds the perfect touch and I have a hard time thinking a card looks complete without some sort of ribbon! 
4. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough...when I was in High School, my friends and I would eat a tube a cookie dough in an evening!
5. Where do you find inspiration?  I totally find inspiration from all of the amazing bloggers and crafters out there.  My blog reader is full every morning of tons of inspiration!  
6. Do you have a favorite technique or style?  I don't feel I have a set style (maybe I do, but I need someone else to tell me what it is, cuz' I have no idea what it is!), but a favorite technique would probably be paper piecing.  I am not totally confident in my coloring abilities (definitely not up in Katie's League!), so I love to paper piece my images sometimes!  It is fun to color the images with patterns as well as color!  
7. What is your favorite color palette?  Not sure I have a favorite color palette...just depends on my mood.  There usually is either Chocolate Chip or black in there though...they just help to ground the other colors!
8. When your 'mojo' takes a spa day without you, what gets your creative juices flowing again?  Challenges, challenges, and more challenges!  Maybe some new paper or stamps too!  
9. When you aren't stamping, what do you like to do?  I get the joy (and trials) of being a stay-at-home mom, so I am usually playing or caring for my two kids.  I love to walk (actually training to walk a half-marathon in September) and hike (when I am on vacation...not much hiking to be done around where I live!).  My husband of 11 years and I love to travel...we have been all around Europe, the Caribbean, and last year we added a little of Egypt with a little Central America and of course the US for good measure.  I also sing in the Praise Band at my church to fulfill my musical side.
10. Tell us something, not stamping related, about you...  Most people know just based from my blog, but I am a Mechanical Engineer by trade.  I graduated from the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) with my BS in Mechanical Engineering.  I worked in the engineering field for 10 years before deciding to stay at home once my second child was born.  I never felt like a was a "true" engineer, though, so I am still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up!

Well I hope you've enjoyed getting to Andrea as much as I have (GO BLUE!!!).  Be sure to stop by her blog, you are sure to be inspired by her fabulousness (that absolutely is a word!)... don't forget to leave her some love.