Guest Designer: Debbie Olson

Today's special guest designer is the oh-so-talented Debbie Olson of Thinking and Inking. Debbie has definitely been one of my personal stamping heroes since I stumbled across her work. She creates timeless, perfectly crafted designs, not to mention the girl has mad coloring skillz! :) I really enjoyed reading her answers to my virtual interview questions. It's so fascinating to see a little peek inside her world. Debbie's amazing projects with Thankful Blossoms are below. Just click on the pictures to see them in all their splendor. :)

How did you get hooked on stamping? I was invited to a home stamp party in November of 2000 and went. If my husband had only known how much that little encounter would cost us, I'm sure that he would have arranged a conflict!

How often do you stamp? I rarely miss a day. Sometimes if I can get a couple of days of blog-fodder done ahead of time, I'll take a break for an evening.

Do you have your own stamping space or do you share it with the cat, dining room, coat closet, etc . ? I have my own stamping space, currently an unfinished basement room. I love the space! Drywall and shelving would be nice though. :-)

Do you stay true to a stamping budget, or are you swayed by all the enabling out in stampland? What's a budget? Seriously, though, my husband and I believe strongly in living within our means. That means that I make choices like everyone else. One of my guiding budget principles has been not to spend more on stamping than I can make through stamping. That's why I became a home party demonstrator in 2003--my wants were exceeding my means. Today I am blessed to be able to do some work for several companies and be "enabled" by them!

What is the latest stamping toy you've picked up that just made your heart go pitter patter? I have to admit that I get so many stamping toys that this is a hard question! I did recently get a few new Copic colors and some new Spellbinders dies--always fun!

Name one stamp or stamp set that you don't think you'll ever part with. I tend to play and play with a stamp set, then decide that I am finished exploring it. For that reason, I'm not sure that I have a stamp set that I would never get rid of. Stamps that I will use for a long time would include small words that will fit on tags--like Verve Visual's Heartfelt Phrases, or PaperTrey's Mixed Messages.

What do you love most about papercrafting? I enjoy being able to make something pretty in a fairly short time frame. I enjoy other artistic pursuits--stained glass, for example--but I can't possibly finish a window in an evening! Thankfully, I can usually finish at least one card.

What do you consider to be your stamping strengths? I think that my background in graphic design--layout and color theory in particular--has helped me to have strong basics, even though styles change.

Who is your stamping hero (someone whose work inspires you to challenge yourself creatively)? There are so many amazing stampers out there! If I had to pick just one, I think I'd pick Nichole Heady. Before I knew anything about her, I used to flip through my PaperCrafts magazines and see so many pieces that I was drawn to that were made by Nichole. I consistently get those "Why-didn't-I think-of-that?" moments when I see her work.

A great big thanks to Debbie for her awesome work! Aren't these projects gorgeous?