Focus on... SimplyInvitingCards

• Tell us who you are… what makes your crafty passion tick…

My name is Jen, I'm 33 (almost 34) years old, married to my very awesome husband, Rusty, and dog-mom to our Bluetick Coonhound, Blaster, and our newest addition, a Basset Hound/Brittany mix named Ally. We call Manhattan, Kansas our home, but we like to hit the road pretty often. After all, it is Kansas! Not much happenin' here.

Paper crafting aside, I'm into music, movies, concerts, aquariums, foreign languages, travel, shopping, painting, mixed media and collage. I also enjoy watching college sports and pro football with Rusty. My convoluted creative journey goes pretty far back in life, beginning with a French Horn at age 9 and ending up with a paper penchant in my 30's. My creative spirit has taken on different forms at different points in my life, but I've always had to be creating something.

What makes my crafty passion tick? Hmm. I guess my craft does double-duty. I make things I enjoy and they are often given to people who will appreciate them. I also have something of a need to create things that make you go "ahhhhh". At the end of the day, if I have inky fingers and a messy table, then it's a good day.

• Who, or what inspires your creations?

Lots of random things, really. I most often let inspiration come to me, but there are things that I most often find inspiring. Imperfection inspires me. Any surfaces or objects that are somehow distressed, worn, tarnished, antiqued, torn, rough and tattered. Conversely, I find clean lines and streamlined silhouettes inspiring as well. I am also inspired by color combinations inspired by natural elements and undertones - dramatic skies, sprawling landscapes, animal markings - as well as trendy and progressive color combinations.

• What item do you like to work on the most and why?

My word-shape albums. They've always found a perfect home!

• What do you do besides working on your passion and shop?

I freelance for a small, niche arts and entertainment newspaper based out of Pasadena, CA called Irish News & Entertainment. I basically handle the pagination and design of many of the advertisements.

• What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?

Draw. It is an essential skill that all artists can continually improve and benefit from. Keeping my studio organized is pretty essential to me. All that, and I could stand to drink more water, too.

• Do you have favorite Etsy peeps?

I do, but there are too many to name, and their creative styles pretty much run the entire spectrum! My favorite Etsy peeps - too many to name, in fact - are those who put joy, heart and soul into their creations.

• What’s your fav thing about Etsy?

Just one fave thing? That's tough. But to sum it up I'd have to say: "All the wonderfully nice, knowledgeable, and talented people that have helped transcend my Etsy experience beyond just selling".

• One tip you could give, about life, about Etsy, about the weather…

Life is too short to not do something you enjoy. After all, what would you want to look back and remember?