This week's featured crafter is crazy about rubber stamps and takes pride in giving her friends and family a way to remember special moments. Let's meet Patti!
Name: Patti Hodder, 47
Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY
Occupation: Vice president of marketing for an apparel company
How did you get into making cards?
I started rubber stamping about 15 years ago and realized that I was running out of room to keep all my projects. I started making cards for birthdays and realized how much fun I was having and that my family and friends really enjoyed receiving something handmade.
Where do you find inspiration?
I am lucky in that I find so many things inspiring... an old building in Manhattan led to an architecture-based card; I read so many magazines and I find some ads use interesting mixes of color or a beautifully designed living room leads to something else. The ocean and any seashore locations have been a great source of inspiration since I was little. The majority of my photo cards are based on the sea.
What's your best craft tip?
I keep an idea journal. It's a large sketchbook and I pull pages from magazines, Web sites, photos, doodles, yarn swatches ... anything that I love the look of. I make it a habit to go through the book at least once a week and I come up with different ideas.
Where do you get your card making supplies?
Many of my materials come from Michaels, a Web site called Addicted to Rubber Stamping and, of all places, Home Depot. Hardware and screens can make really interesting additions and you can usually find really cool items for a low cost.
What's your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge is how to take my crafts to the next level. I love craft shows and I'm
working on inventory to hopefully show at one some day. I have created postcards featuring some of my work and I think "well these might be cute, but who would want to buy them?" However, I continue to get requests from friends and family and I need to think of this as a business. Much of what I've learned and do at my job can be applied to my "hobby" as well.
Any advice for beginners?
If you are just starting out in making your own cards, the amazing selection of products can be a little daunting at first. I do a layout on plain paper and I don't glue anything until I have put it all together to make sure I like the composition and color choices. Supplies are not cheap, so I do these layouts to feel confident it will come out the way I would like.
Buy consumer magazines to get some ideas and start off with a theme, such as birthday or birth announcement cards. I also look through the top papercrafting magazines. They can all be found at a Barnes & Noble or at any large newstand. Inside you'll find submission requests for upcoming themes and this is a great way for amateurs to get some artwork out there.
You should also determine what type of artwork each particular magazine leans to and cater your work in that direction. Over the last year, I have had my cards featured in both RubberStampMadness and Somerset Studio magazines as well as a new book entitled "1000 Artist Trading Cards." The only investment you make is in postage (since you have probably accumulated all your supplies already!) and it is a great feeling to see that your work made it into the pages of a national magazine.
What would you like to try next?
I would love to find a unique way to combine my photos with handcrafted touches, such as incorporating fabrics, stitching, coloring black and white photos. I'm just starting to use digital software and I'm hoping to stumble on something fun.
Why do you love making cards?
It makes me so happy to give something that someone would like to keep as a rememberance of an occasion: a wedding, birthday, a baby. I love when someone says "wow, you made this?"
To learn more about Patti Hodder and her handmade cards, please contact her via e-mail: pattiah@hotmail.com.
Want to show off your creative side? Send me an e-mail with pictures showing off your favorite craft and you might be chosen as our next DIYer of the Week!
