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2020/2021 team


Afia Choudhury

Social Media:

Blog: https://craftyme2017blog.wordpress.com/about/

Instagram: @craftyme2017

YouTube: Afia Choudhury Crafty Me 2017 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYc_wfe87_6QErY0vXNwowQ/videos

Hello, I'm Afia, a busy housewife and mum of four. I was always passionate about being crafty but it grew heavily into mixed media in August of 2016. The fascination of how an art piece forms captivated me and I found therapy doing art during some difficult times. Now, I craft everyday in various ways. I try to share my story and encourage others to let their creativeness find their mojo in their thoughts and in their works. Nothing beats a goo quote and I love sharing my thoughts on them and including them in my art. They bring my work to life and this has helped me to learn to appreciate colors of all shades. They help me feel my work and enable me to bring out my thoughts with a stroke of a brush. .. I hope you will find love and inspiration from my journey.

My favorite quote: (I have so many) but this has an impact on me immensely....“Some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them.” – Judy Blume

Fun fact about me: I have a crazy amount of sequins, napkins and stamps! I love anything floral. I am a very bubbly and jolly person always finding a way to be positive in any situation. I recently concocted a recipe and called it the ‘Everything Cake!’ My favourite season is Autumn.


Ali Imperiale

My journey began as a designer working in both London and Italy. It was a very exciting time but unfortunately due to stress, I ended up with a post-viral illness. During this time I realized that my work no longer felt right, I wanted to design from my heart, to tell my story and to reach out to others on a similar journey to my own........My husband is Italian and after spending time living and working in Italy I fell in love with the stucco buildings, fading frescoes, the sun-kissed peeling paint and the beautiful earthy colors. I searched for a way to express what I was seeing through art and I discovered mixed media! Here I could build layer upon layer of intricate details, papers, words, anything that felt right and that would help to tell my story. A sort of art journal through paintings. ♥

Fun Fact: My happiest place is with my boys, playing football, swinging on rope swings or lying on the trampoline making shapes out of clouds.. we have a lot of clouds in England!

My Favourite Quote: Hold the vision, trust the process.


Barbara Vaccari

Hi, my name is Barbara and I live with my husband and two adult boys in Albisola, Italy, which is in sunny Liguria Riviera in northern Italy. I’ve always done crafting but didn’t really have the courage to use brushes because I didn’t trust my painting abilities. But then, I discovered Mixed Media five years ago. So, what I immediately loved about this technique is that it gave me all the freedom that I needed! It allowed me to express myself in so many ways that I hadn’t found using brushes, as well as giving me the ability to work on wood, paper, canvas, etc. The possibilities are endless! All the tools, media, and colors are my choice to use, and it fits perfectly with my personality and my natural way of being. It was not easy at first, because letting go and learning to trust my intuition and follow its guidance has been a difficult challenge (and it still is!). But, I am naturally curious and consider myself to be someone who always looks to the future and open to new adventures, so I dedicated myself to the challenge and am very happy with how I am developing my Mixed Media.

My favorite quote is from Walt Disney. “First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe, And finally, dare.”

Fun fact: I am a Disney fan, and ever since our honeymoon, my husband and I enjoy going to “the happiest place on earth” whenever we can. 


Jannette Simmons

I am a self-taught Mixed-Media Artist who’s passionate about exploring color, textures, and all the vibrant possibilities within the world of Mixed Media. Creating work that inspires, encourages, and brings hope to people as they journey through life is one of my greatest joys.  My desire is to provide a space for individuals to explore, engage, and nurture their creative hearts through the different platforms and services that I offer. In the past 3 years, I have had the honor to be published in three different issues of Stampington Magazines (Art Journaling and Stamper’s Sampler), in addition to being featured in the cover of Art Journaling- Summer 2018. I am a wife and a mother of two precious children (11 and 15) and along with work, they keep my life full and surprising. To learn more please visit: www.jannettesimmons.com

Favorite quote: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.-Theodore Roosevelt-

Fun Fact: I am an Islander. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic. That said, I love dancing Caribbean music as if no one is looking, I laugh out loud-literally and…I love hospitality, feeding people as we tell stories and have some meaningful and heartfelt conversations.


Jenni Zmuda

I live in rural Michigan along the lakeshore with my husband and two sons as well as various pets. I live out in the country away from town and this fits my life well. I can retreat into my art space and do what I love - create. I enjoy art journaling but also creating art journals out of just about anything. Cardboard, chipboard, mailing envelopes. I'm a big proponent of using what I have on hand. I love using old items - old letters, old photos, ephemera and if it doesn't look old enough I love to grunge it up. On the flip side, I love using bright paints and inks and paper. Anything goes when it comes to what I create.

Favorite quote: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Fun Fact: I love old rusty things. The more decrepit the better.


Lisa Holzl

My name is Lisa Holzl and I am a mixed media artist. I have 3 kiddos, I homeschooled. Married 22 years. I also teach art at 2 schools and at a local gallery where my studio is located. I began as an abstract painter and grew my skills to portraits and everything in between. My favorite part of being an artist is teaching. I enjoy creating and sharing my skills and also learning from you too. I can inspire you in such a way that it brings a smile to my face. I have a heart for all ages to find a way to heal through the arts. My way isn't always the right way for you, but a beginning to your journey. I mainly teach children and have had private lessons with adults. Creating has helped me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I found 'healing arts for the soul' very revealing, forgiving, and freeing.

Favorite quote: I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint. ~ Frida Kahlo

Fun Fact: I love to read. I can read 15 books during the summer.


Melisa Waldorf

Hello art friends.  I’m Melisa and I am a wife, mom, and grandmother from Humble, TX.  I work full-time as a nurse and enjoy cycling and crafting as much as I can!  I had been scrapbooking, card making and creating altered art projects for many years over on my blog.  I took a break from blogging to help care for my elderly mom for a couple of years.  I fell in love with mixed media during that time and when I was home bound for about 8 weeks this year I decided to follow through on something I had always wanted to try, and started a You Tube channel.  I love the freedom of mixed media/ art journaling and stencils are one of favorite tools.  I enjoy trying new techniques with them and I’m so excited to be a part of Shawn’s team, and use her amazing stencils!!

Favorite quote:  “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” Bob Kerrey

Fun Fact : I can spend hours alone in the woods riding dirt trails on my mountain bike.

 


Robyn Barber

Hey there!  I am one-half of an Artisan Couple living in Santa Fe, Tennessee.  While I have had a life-long passion for creativity, my husband has fostered a love of woodworking.  We are now nurturing our creativity in our combined workshop known as Chestnut Grove Studios. My early artwork was created using acrylic paints on canvas in an impressionist style.  Influenced by the beauty that is found throughout the many rural areas of my home state, I completed two painting projects.  The first features over 20 rural Tennessee churches, and the second features over 20 Tennessee barns. My most recent studio time has been spent experimenting with mixed media and watercolors. I teach pop-up art classes called Art Without Lines which reaches out to students who have an appetite for creativity, but not necessarily a confidence in their drawing abilities.

Favorite Quote:  Do.  Or do not.  There is no try.

Fun Fact:  My husband and I built and live in our own tiny house


Shemi Dixon is a woman of many interests: a mixed media artist, Abstract painter, altered art artist, and an art journaler. Shemi loves layers, texture, and paper. She teaches art workshops, creates online classes, and creates weekly tutorials for subscribers on YouTube. Shemi believes that every person is creative and an artist at heart. Shemi's loves to help and encourage other people to discover their creative self.


Favorite quote: Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
  ~ Maya Angelou

 Fun Fact: My favorite ice cream flavor is  Rocky Road.