May Guest Designer: Nicole Maki

We bid farewell to our April guest designer Debbie, we are thrilled she joined us this past month and loved seeing her creations with Stampotique.

For May, I'm excited to introduce an amazing artist, Nicole Maki.  Her canvases are out of this world and I think you all will love what she creates with Stampotique. Hop on over to Stampotique Designer's Challenge today to see Nicole's pink & turquoise creation for this week's challenge.

Hey everyone, I’m delighted to be here, rubbing shoulders with the talented crew of Stampotique. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

I’m Nicole, a color-loving, mixed-media artist from the western United States. 

In a fit of creating, I produced three boys in two and a half years (no twins!)  - they are now 16, 15 and 14 and possess a dark talent for growing out of shoes and emptying the fridge. In a joyous bit of karmic balance, I’m also mom to an 88 pound couch-warming mutt named Bubby who has my penchant for napping, snuggling and general quietness. My husband Chris and I have been married for eighteen blood-tingling years after a whirlwind two month courtship that culminated in our immigrating from Canada to America mere days after our honeymoon. 

We homeschool (which kind of explains the mummified chicken buried under our basement stairs) and I write on occasion for money. Sadly, I've only managed to sell articles on learning and parenting not my scandalous choose-your-own-adventure novels for grown-ups about reality TV. Bummer. 

Collage, art journalling, stamping and card making have been an essential part of my life for more than a decade. The cards never stick around long though, there's always someone I know who could use a little happiness when they open their mail. Paint is my worst addiction and I've rarely met a piece of packaging that doesn't beg to be up-cycled.

Recently I’ve been focusing the bulk of my creative time on mixed-media collages that I sell online, through Etsy, and at craft fairs.

My work can be seen in Memory Makers, Scrapbooks Etc., Family Fun, Home Education, ScrapStreet, Scrapbook News & Review, Art Journey Journal and the books Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World and A Card a Day by Paper Crafts Magazine .

I’d love it if you visited me at my blog, www.madebynicole.blogspot.com

Warmly,

Nicole