A Blog Hop with a Difference!

Hello fellow craft-bloggers! Today is my turn to play at A Blog Hop with a difference! I was invited to this amazingly interesting "game" by my dear friend Eleni Gratsia who is one of the most talented and productive Greek scrapbookers I know. We use to call Eleni our Guru because she's always there to inspire you or help you solve a little or bigger "problem" during the creative process whether we are at a crop or we chat on a creative group. She's always very helpful and inspirational as well as very modest. I admired her from the very first time we spent together creating because she's always very well organized and she manages to create amazing layouts in a certain time. She always creates more layouts that anyone else during a crop. Moreover she's well in something that I'm not: she can hear every single conversation when we work together at a crop without raising his head off her project!!! I will never understand how she achieves that!

Today I have to answer some questions regarding my creative process. So let's start!

1. What am I working on right now ?

Well, at this time I'm working on 2 mini albums. The one will have many photos of my family from last summer's vacation and the other one is meant to be a present for my beloved aunt (Potitsa), my mother's sister whom I love very much. I plan to reproduce some old family photos and create a family keepsake.

2. How long does it take to create a project?

Unfortunately I'm not very good on creative decisions and use to spent a lot of time thinking on how to embellish something or on which challenge do I like to take part. However working with friends at crops has learned me many things on this field and I keep getting better all the time.

3. What are my favourite things I love to create with at the moment?

I like all things vintage (laces, pearls, flowers, etc.) I love using masks and stamps on my projects and I always use die-cuts and punches.

4. How does my creative process work?

When I create a layout I always start with my photo and most of the times with a sketch. Creating for a challenge is very inspiring for me. When I create a card (I so love my Magnolia stamps!) I start with a stamp and a challenge (most of the times) and think of it as a small layout. When I create a mini album (one of my big loves!) I usually decide on a paper collection I will use and then move on designing each one of my pages. Many times I interrupt the creative process to take decisions.

5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?

Other scrapbookers' creations are always the biggest inspiration for me. I like so much starring at some creations and trying to imagine the step-by-step process. Greek scrapbookers are a large and always growing community and there are some really talented ladies to inspire you there. Youtube and pinterest are also places where I get inspiration along with the scrapbookers' and challenge blogs. Of course the stories of my family and the need to save them are my first and basic reason for creation.

6. What is my signature style?

Well, I believe my signature style is romantic, vintage, shabby-chic but not very "loaded". I don't tend to create using a certain style but because of the fact that I'm very romantic and vintage-feeling as a person that's what comes out in my creations. I certainly not CAS but I get inspired from CAS scrapbookers and put that element in my way on my creations.

And now I would like to introduce you only 3 scrapbookers from the many ones that I admire and get inspiration from.

The first one is Kiki, a friend from Thessaloniki whom I have not met physically (I have just talked to her on the phone and contact with her via our blogs) but I admire her sweet vintage creations and understand that she is a very sweet and compassionate person who loves creation and helping other people. Her family and her pupils (she's a teacher) are very lucky to live with her. Visiting her blog is always an inspiration for me.

The second one is Elina. We have only met twice but I love her work and her optimistic point of view. She comes from my beloved Corfu and lives with her beautiful family at Ioannina. She's always very happy and beautiful and that's what comes out in her creations. She creates stunning layouts and very beautiful altered items. She's also an inspiration for me.

Last but not least I would like to mention a French scrapbooker and one of the reasons for that - apart from truly admire her creations - is to pass this wonderful blog hop abroad. I have found Maline's blog while "surfing" on the internet and was amazed by her style and the fact that she gives attention to the slightest detail. She creates amazing altered items, mini albums and many more and she also likes Magnolia stamps as I do.

Finally, I would like to mention two very dear friends whom I could not choose for different reasons for this blog hop. The one is Zeffy, a real friend, mentor, an amazing personality whom I deeply admire. I am always very inspired by her and she's always there when I need her. I really love you Zeffy very much! The other one is Efi Stamatelli who is one of the first scrapbookers that I met via their blogs, a very talented lady, a true friend, a caring mother to her two beautiful kids who does not create very much lately because her family needs her most of the time but I hope that soon she will make a great come back because we really miss her amazing style. She creates beautiful vintage layouts, amazing mini albums and reaches perfection.

So, I hope you liked our blog hop and you get inspired by my amazing friends and me. I'm looking forward to Kiki's, Elina's & Maline's blog hop! Have a nice day!