The Greeting Farm!

As many of you know, we have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off here at Designed to Color!  We were so busy in fact that we totally forgot to post an amazing interview with Jessica Diedrich from The Greeting Farm!  Silly us!  So without further ado, please read on and enjoy our little editorial on Miss Jessica!

Do you remember where you were when you first heard about The Greeting Farm?  I sure do!  I was browsing thru some blogs back in the summer of 2008 and I saw a super cute stamp, a version of Anya I believe.  I followed to link to Pink Skullies Stamps (I think that’s what they use to be called), and I pressed that cute little follow button.  I’ve been a fan ever since!  A few months later, they changed the name to The Greeting Farm and it’s been history making for their adorable stamp company.  With their unique take on amazing images from animals to their signature Ian’s and Anya’s; they have grown a new crop of amazing designers.  Our very own Carisa has had the honor of being on their amazing and talented design team.  If you take a look around their website and blogs, it becomes very obvious that they sure do love to color!  Using all type of coloring mediums, The Greeting Farm embodies what we here at Designed to Color love.  COLORING!

We are so lucky to have Jessica Diedrich, Creative Coordinator of The Greeting Farm here with us to give us a little inside look into her crafty brain, TGF, and how much she loves to color.

Tell our readers about yourself & background.

I am a 35 year old work-at-home Mom of four amazing children and wife to a man who makes me laugh every day.  I grew up with several creative outlets although paper crafting didn’t come into play until my adult years.  I spent my childhood and especially high school years in performing arts and ran the gamut between singing and dancing in musical theatre, marching band, and was even captain of the pompom squad, can you believe it?  I sang in several variety shows, plays, and every Sunday in the church choir, too 🙂   As for my love affair with paper crafting?  Well, my story is probably much like many crafters out there… it all starts with a little at-home party, right?   Well, beyond that I have found that blogging and designing for companies like TGF not only allow me a creative outlet, but they have allowed opportunity.  The opportunity to stay at home, do what I love, put my marketing and management skills to good use, and all the while meet some amazing women along the way and provide THEM w/ opportunity to design and be a part of something that is just for them…sometime that defines them a little bit more than mom, wife, friend.   That has truly been the best part of the job and something I will cherish for years to come 🙂

How do you come up with new ideas for new stamps?

Marie and I love to chat and brainstorm about what Anya or a Sprout is going to do next.   Although we do like to base ideas on what is trending from time to time, we really just have so many ideas based on our own life experiences, what our kids are doing, and what customers ask to see so it just all kind of comes full circle.  Brainstorming the next character or what their next theme will be is one of my favorite parts of the job!

What is your favorite part about stamping?

My favorite thing about stamping is the process of how it all is going to come together.   Sometimes I color an image and then choose the paper, etc. based on the colors I used…sometimes I do exactly the opposite and choose the papers, card stock, etc. first.   I love being able to look at the exact same desk of supplies each day and yet see them totally different each day, depending on what I want to create 🙂

What medium to you prefer for coloring?

Hands down, I love Copic markers.  I love the ability to control, blend, and shade with them and have tried other coloring mediums but just don’t love anything as much!

Where do you find inspiration?

All over the place.   Honestly, I could look at patterned paper all day long and it TOTALLY depends on my mood as to what pad I reach for.   I love having so much variety. That in itself is inspiring 🙂

Describe your craft room.

My little studio is mostly my big desk, which folds up and down and becomes a ‘hutch’ type piece of furniture when the desktop isn’t down.  It’s really nice for being able to hide the absolute mess I make when company comes over-all I have to do is close it!  I love it- my favorite part about my desk is all of the paper slots on the top shelf so I can separate my card stock.  I love seeing a “Skittles’ type rainbow of nicely organized paper the minute I open it.  Love that!  It’s the little things, right?

Do you like to color with music or without?

Most of the time, I color when the kids are in school and I rarely have the TV on, so yes, most of the time it’s just me, my Copics, some coffee, and my iPod speaker dock 🙂

Give our readers a sneak peek of what we can expect in the coming months for The Greeting Farm!

Hmmm, well, with CHA right around the corner, you won’t have to wait TOO long for a sneak peek….so let me just give you a little hint and say that you just might fall out (or back into) of your SEATS next month!  😉

Thank you Jessica for an amazing interview!  You can follow Jessica’s blog at The Whimsical Butterfly and check for her work with The Greeting Farm on their website.

Hot off the Presses!!

If you have been following us on our Facebook page, then you will remember that we said we had a SURPRISE for you!!!  What oh what could us colorful girls have up our sleeves?

Introducing… Designed to Color Premier Issue Feb/March 2012

Please follow the link to our FIRST ISSUE!  Yes that right!  We are bringing you the first issue a few days early!!  How exciting!

So please, find a comfy spot and grab something yummy to sip on and enjoy our premier issue.

Video Tute from Lizzie!

Hello my Coloring Casanova’s!  How is your Friday?  Good?  Awesome?  Are you excited for all the CHA-ness that will be gracing our blogs and facebook’s and emails this weekend and next week?  I am too!!!  And I thought it would be a great time to get you guys excited about the premier issue of Designed to Color with a fun Water Color tutorial!!

Calling all color lovers!!

Did you know that we are looking for submission for our April/May issue of Designed To Color!

This is a magazine that displays our love of coloring in the crafty community.

The call will end on Feb 20th and all acceptance emails will be sent out by Feb 24th.

Guidelines:

• Please submit a clear photograph of your project to submissions@designedtocolor.com
• Include your contact information (Name, Email, Phone Number, Country)
• No watermarks please.
• Please include a list of supplies.
• List what coloring medium you used. (if using a medium that has color names ie. Copics, prisma please list)
• List any coloring techniques used.
• All coloring mediums are welcome.
• All projects must be NEW and NEVER BEFORE SEEN.
• International entries are welcomed and encouraged!
• If selected, projects maybe be revealed on the internet 30 days after the issue has been published.
• If selected, all projects need to be mailed to Design To Color and must be received by March 9th.

If interested please check out our Calls page located above.

So c’mon!  Try out!!!