Introducing our Design Team!

Welcome to the WOW! Embossing Powders very first blog post introducing our talented Design Team! Their styles range from cute to grungy to clean and modern. We are so excited about the projects that they have prepared. Do visit their blogs and leave some comment love!

Amy Hewes

My name is Amy Hewes. I live in Lincolnshire with my partner of 12 years, Martin. We have recently moved house and I somehow managed to persuade him that I needed a whole room for my craft stash! I have been crafting for about 5 years and like to relax between my shifts as an emergency call operator by making things or going to car boot sales to pick up interesting ‘junk’. I love scrapbooking and am always taking photos with page layouts in mind. I also make altered art objects and jewellery and have recently been improving my textile skills. I like to learn and combine new techniques as I definitely feel the need to try everything so I would describe my favourite style as ‘mixed’ media! I’m really excited to be embarking on this new creative challenge with the WOW! team!

Bianca Mayer

I´m married and mom to 3 boys. I live with my family in the beautiful city of Vienna in Austria. I start stamping 8 years ago as I made the birth announcements for my eldest son by myself. Since this time I´m totally addicted, love to try everything new but also the good old techniques. I do card making, scrapbooking and some times a little bit of cross-stitching.

Christine Saunders

Hi, I'm a Freelance Designer from the Southwest of England and love anything and everything to do with Craft and Art.  

I am always creating and take inspiration from the things around me. Living on the Jurassic Coast, I often go walking along the shore looking for driftwood, shells and fossils or something to make into a work of art.

I hold my own Workshops, Talks and Demonstrations in Painting, Card-Making. Jewellery. Silk Fibre Craft, Paper-Making, Felting and more so you can see I absolutely love crafting.

I currently design/demonstrate for DoCrafts and my creations can often be seen in a variety of magazines including  “Creativity”  and “ Popular Crafts”.

I love to design and recently started my own website showcasing my creations and own stamp designs etc., 

My blog is updated regularly please so take a look.

I’m really lucky to have the opportunity to work with the WOW! team and am looking forward to an exciting year ahead.

Deborah Willis

I've been crafting since I was little, starting with old fashioned scrapbooks, then sewing, knitting, crochet, cross stitch - you name it.  When I discovered papercrafting I was hooked.
I like to try all sorts of paper craft, but my first love is rubber stamping, so our home is often littered with stamps, inkpads and scraps of paper. The cat has been known to get a sprinkling of glitter or embossing powder if he's in the wrong place at the wrong time! My husband is very patient, as we often have to clear a space on the dining room table to eat, when it is covered in my craft goodies and work in progress. 

Doris Stahl

I am a Mixed Media artist by night and my only (read: the only one I am admitting to here) vice is my addiction to embossing powder. I love experimenting and watch the magic happen when heat gets to it. Actually I just remembered another vice: I do have a vast collection of dies (my husband has been wondering for some time when I will have enough of them...... )

I am German, but have lived in the UK for most of my adult life and now live in Kent. I do a lot of travelling and am looking forward to incorporating my impressions into my artwork for the design team.  My style is eclectic and I hope that I can come up with some neat ideas to get the most out of your embossing powders.

Emma Sims

My name is Emma aka The Sparkly Fairy and I am 38 years old. I live on the South Coast of the UK with my five year old son and have been crafting ever since I can remember. It became a serious obsession after I had my son and spent more time at home. I have recently been accepted on a few Design Teams, including WOW! Embossing Powder's DT. I sell my cards online and at local craft fairs.  My favourite technique is stamping, but I also love altered art projects and scrapbooking. I love the vintage look in particular and working with fabric too. I can't wait to begin the WOW! challenges for 2012.

Lisa Scattergood

I live with my wonderful husband, two fur-babies (Popeye and Olive) and a feathery baby (Rosie). I have a passion for, some would say an obsession, for owls. I like to include or ‘hide’ them in craft projects that I make, stamped or other-wise. Two years ago I started volunteering at my local falconry centre where I am learning to become a falconer. Last year I worked with a European Eagle Owl, ‘Jez’  and I'm currently training a male Harris Hawk called Pann.

I have been crafting for what feels like forever and am never happier than when I’ve got inky fingers. I like all types of crafts including paper crafts, but particularly love mixed media art. I like using texture and colour in my work and to experiment with new materials and techniques. I look forward to working with WOW! powders and the team and to bringing you some new ideas and inspiration.

Neil Burley

I’ve been crafting for over 12 years - happily my wife also crafts, but this does have the side effect of doubling the costs! I found fitting crafting round a 'proper' job a little restrictive, so I took an opportunity to change careers and enrolled to study Art & Design at Leicester College in September 2011. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed developing skills in stamping, paper craft, scrapbooking, metal art, quilting, beading, making books and using ProMarkers. I now like all of them so much I combine them in mixed media designs and altered art projects. I demonstrate once a month at The Manic Stamper Craft Club in Leicester, and have a reputation for creating ‘more challenging’ projects. I use my blog to document all my creative endeavours, so feel free to pop over and browse, and perhaps leave a comment or two.

Nikki Smith

Hi there, my name is Nikki and I live in Bonny Scotland with my fantastic son and my two mad springy rescue dogs Dylan and Daisy. I am a young widow, but I am so lucky as I was married to the most wonderful man. I suffer from ME/CFS and IIH, but still find lots of things to smile about. I love all forms of crafting and although I have to admit that I am a paper stroker...... I have a massive love of stamping and all the techniques that this can involve. I love all things purple - even my hair is purple at the moment! I am looking forward to joining such a wonderful creative team and I can't wait to see what all of you come up with too. This will be a very exciting year! 

Rachel Walker

I'm a married mum with 3 great kids. I have been crafting forever, card making for about 5 years.I am an Independant Demonstrator, demonstrating for several well known craft companies. I also own Stampeezee, a webshop dedicated to papercrafting and rubberstamping.
In my 'spare' time I work 4 days a week as an Accounts Manager - the boring side of me. I'd much rather be playing with inks and paints all day than numbers and hopefully one day I will be!

Sandie Dunne

My name is Sandie and I live in Ireland with my husband. I am a SAHM to our 4 kidlets who range in age between 6 and 19. I have been crafting for over 6yrs, starting out with scrapbooking, and was then lured over to the world of stamping and card making by all the talent in blogland. I enjoy all types of paper-crafting from mini books to templates to cards. My favourite colouring mediums are Copic markers and distress inks but I mostly use Copics. I am very much a flowers and pearls girl and love to use loads of bling on my crafts. I am very honoured to be a WOW! Embossing Design Team member.

Sarah Rhodes

I have had a passion for creating for as long as I can remember and think I was probably born with a pencil in hand. I work as a designer for a lighting manufacturer and this is mainly based on the computer, so when I get home, it's great to get out my craft goodies and physically create a 3D project, although I do sometimes miss having an edit-undo button! :D With regards to my particular style, I like to experiment but I love pearlescent card and creating lovely textures with embossing powders, sequin and gem embellishments, ribbon and the occasional splash of glitter. I am a big fan of cut outs and many of my lampshade designs feature them in all sorts of different patterns. I have recently moved in with my wonderful boyfriend who understands my passion for crafts and dedicated a whole room to be my studio. It is my little haven and I am most happy sat at my desk with my computer as my side kick (and also my DJ as I have to listen to great music when I'm busy creating). Many of my designs are on sale in retail stores and I also have some of my pattern designs published. Along with design and crafting, I also enjoy photography, travel and the outdoors.

Sue O'Connell

I have been card making and scrapbooking professionally for 12 years but it all started when I swapped Geography GCSE for Art at school because I didn’t like Geography.

I scrapbook for my family and love learning about our heritage and treasure the memories of our family old and new. I do bespoke scrap canvas and scrapbooks and demonstrate products for companies and teach workshops on both subjects all over the North West and cannot think of a nicer way to spend my days.

My philosophy is  ‘There are no mistakes in art, only happy accidents’ and I love starting off with a plain canvas and watching it transform.

I hold an A level in Art, am a qualified trainer, and assessor and have attained my Certificate in Education. 

I have been police vetted for the Education Sector and Girl Guide Association.

Tracy Watkiss

Hello I am Tracy,  I have been married to Dale for 15 years, I have been crafting all my life but about 9 years ago I discovered papercraft as a hobby and have been extremely lucky to turn my hobby into my career, I enjoy demonstrating and running workshops for crafters as a freelance demonstrator/ designer, and 2 years ago I was very excited to be able to open my own craft shop with my friend Karen as my business partner in my home town Plymouth Devon. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing some of my ideas.

Tania Ahmed - Design Team Coordinator

Like many on our extremely talented Design team, I have been crafting almost all my life and dabbled in everything from sewing, beadwork, embroidery, and jewellery making. These days my vices are: cardmaking, art journalling, mini albums, mixed media and the smell of new stamps! I've been married for almost 4 years to the most wonderful man who has encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I feel very blessed to be able to work in the crafting industry. I am  so thrilled about the projects that our Team has made!

Be prepared to be WOW'd!