Leigh O'Brien
Hello Crafty Peeps! I'm so excited to be rejoining Alma and the team at The Cat's Pajamas.
I dipped my toe into stamping over 20 years ago but it wasn't until we moved to Chicago and I discovered Stampin' Up! that I jumped in with both feet. That was back when I thought I'd actually make money stamping. Alas, I was my own best customer. But I did branch away from at home sales and discover a whole world of independent stamp companies. My eyes were popping out of my head! I fell in love with the images, the wood blocks, the ink and cardstock colors, patterned papers, embellishments, ribbon, etc. And then there were the Copic markers! OMG. All of this amazingness was in the early 2000s. And what I came to realize most was that this creative world was populated by beautiful, friendly, creative, and supportive people.
Unfortunately, a major life change happened in 2011 and I could no longer bring myself to craft. I stepped away from stamping and blogging and most of my crafty endeavors. But you know what, my stamping friends remained my friends! They remained supportive and available, maybe not as frequently, but STILL THERE!
Fast forward to 2020. Here we are in this insane place that no one could have ever imagined in America or anywhere in the world. But I have a good job and I finally feel comfortable in that place. I have my own house. I raised an amazing kid who will head back to college again this fall. We have three cats - one that I'm pretty sure is completely insane but I love him! - and a little dog too. AND, I have more ME time to create again! Ideas, images, and layouts pop into my head randomly and I know that they must be made with my hoard of craft supplies and tools. (If I only knew where everything was in my space.) I'm excited for what's ahead at TCP. I'm thrilled to be back with the "litter" and around people who "get" what it all means. Crafting feeds the soul and so do other crafters!
If you ever have time to burn, I have so many TCP samples in my blog gallery and I also have a gallery of TCP Tuesday Sketches. Take a peek if you're looking for inspiration.