Meet the team - R Maria Sabina!

Hello and welcome to a brand new series on the blog - it's Joanne here, guest posting for this monthly feature where we'll be introducing members of the Design Team.

Most of the designers whose work you see in the magazine are freelancers who are kept in order by the lovely folk at Craft Stamper HQ! Having lots of people on the team helps to make sure there's a broad range of projects and styles to suit a variety of stampers.

Our first designer is R Maria Sabina - known to many online as Lollyrot - whose style combines lots of detail with a dash of whimsy and great use of colour. I'll let her introduce herself and a few of her favourite projects...

I'm R.Maria Sabina,a young designer and crafter from Romania. I joined the Craft Stamper family in 2013 and I'm really enjoying it!

My stamping story began in 2009 when I bought my very first craft tools from Spain,  and slowly discovered the creative community on-line,  on Youtube. 

In Romania we don’t really have crafty/ scrapbooking shops and this is really difficult when you need quick crafty supplies. Working as a baby sitter in Spain I had the opportunity to buy my very first basic tools:  paper trimmer, crafty scissors and cardstock.


Favourite project #1: This creation is really important to me because the little rabbit is actually from my very first rubber stamp collection, manufactured by Stampotique.

{this project is blogged here}

Q: Do you have a signature style or favoutie technique?
A: I love colouring stamped images, but sometimes I wish I would just go for bold stamping for a sweet and romantic look. However colouring stamped images remains my signature.

I’ve tried copics, promarkers and colouring pencils. I must say Inktense pencils are my favourite! You can blend and work with them much better and the result is always beautiful. To get the best results, you must find the right colouring media and paper. You must practise, practise and again practise to get the best colouring. 

Favourite project #2: I love mystical stories and the Victorian Era. It's such a beautiful inspiration to create interesting creations with a secret message.

 {this project is blogged here}

Q: Where do you look for inspiration before you start on a project? 

A: My little brain is pretty busy with so many different ideas. I find inspiration in so many things you would never think of. Mostly when I start a creation, I always think of the message I want to express and that comes from my state of mind at the time.  

As a designer, I think it’s very important to create something and inspire others. It’s not enough to buy supplies and just put them together. You must come up with something unique because the crafty community is like a new TERRA and we all want to be different and inspire others. Find your own style!

Favourite project #3: I'm not a Valentine's day fan but every time I work with these birds I just feel really happy, and remember that we all have a soul-mate in this beautiful world.

{this project is blogged here}

I would like to create things as my full time job and I’m working on it. But I need baby steps to work on my dream. My dream is not just to stay in my crafty corner and post creations on my personal blog. I want to have my own studio where I can create beautiful things and later on, workshops where I can do and share more ideas. Sometimes you need courage to fight for your dreams. And I can only get that courage from the people who really admire and respect my work. So here is my advice. If you have a passion, fight for it and prove to everyone that you can do it and you can live a happy and respectful life.  Don’t be afraid if you live in a small town, like me. If you have a story and talent, you can build your own happy land.

Big thanks to Lollyrot for sharing her projects and stamping story with us in this first DT spotlight - I hope you've enjoyed finding out a little more from one of the faces behind the scenes! If you'd like to see more of Lollyrot's lovely work, you'll find her blog {here}.