Creating Success Around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every week, our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring! Come take this worldwide tour with us!

You can visit each host below and read about a featured creative person on each continent! All interviews are posted simultaneously around the world, resulting in one big crafting party. And then, add your blog to the Blog Hop party below. You could be featured in the next Around the World Interview! Fame. Notoriety. Pure Awesomeness! It’s all in the touch of a keyboard button…

 Our Guest this week is from Savannah, GA, USA! 

Today we are welcoming Manda from Who Are You Calling Crafty?  Manda is an amazing artist who works with a large variety of mediums.  Her specialties include painting and sculpture, and she often uses her expertise to teach easy crafting for children.  Her website has many great tutorials, including lots of video tutorials for those of you that enjoy actually seeing a craft come to life.

My buddy Tom Selleck, his mustache and I are thrilled to have her here.  I’ve spent all morning trying to clean up the Green Room in preparation of her arrival.  Seems that my buddy Tom offered to babysit Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s kids while they sneaked off on a vacation to the Florida Keys disguised as the Octomom and her bodyguard.  (Because they figured everybody would avoid them with that disguise).  And I hear it is working.  So far, they’ve toured Key Largo and are now headed for Key West in a borrowed blue and white mini van and not a single person has approached them for an autograph.  They totally have everybody fooled.  The folks at the Holiday Inn at Key West will never figure it out.

Ow!  Quit nudging me. What is it, Tom?

Oh…

Forget what I said about the disguise thing, oh and the mini van thing….ummm…I don’t know where they went.  Could be anywhere.

Sooooo, let’s get on with that interview, okay?

Suzy: Tell me a little about yourself, your family, your other hobbies…
Manda: I am a stay at home mom of two children my daughter (The Princess) is 6 and my son (the Booga) is 2.  I have been happily married to my wonderful, supportive husband Jeff for six years.  I have a background in Historic Preservation and Art Education.  My other hobbies- I love to garden even though I am not the best gardener (I have gotten better not killing my indoor plants) I guess practice will make perfect someday.  I enjoy photography but would never do it professionally because I wouldn’t want the pressure of producing a perfect photo every time.

Suzy: I love that you show many different styles of crafting on your blog.  And your tutorials are great!  When did you start blogging, and where would you like your blogging to take you?
Manda: I always try to make my tutorials so anyone can understand them.  I usually have my husband read through them before I post them to see if he can understand them.  If I get the, “Hey I could make that.”  Then I know I explained it in a way anyone without an art or crafts background could understand.

Manda: I started blogging when my daughter was a baby to keep in touch with family.  I found my personal blog was becoming more of an art blog so I started Who Are You Calling Crafty? When my son was two months old to keep track of projects I was working on. I honestly don’t know where I want my blog to take me.  I enjoy blogging, making, sharing, and teaching art.  My biggest thing is I would do this regardless if anyone read my blog because it is my little slice of sanity and I love it! 

Suzy: Can you tell us a few things that most folks don’t know about you?
Manda: One of my favorite ways to relax is to color in a coloring book – there is nothing like the smell of a new box of crayons to give me absolute calm. I don’t like horror movies and Zombies scare the bejesus out of me (my husband is a huge The Walking Dead fan – I wear my iPod and draw until it is over). I can quote “Shawshank Redemption” every word of the movie.

Manda: I hate raisins but every now and then eat one to remind myself why I hate them (same with chocolate and yogurt raisins).  I can’t knit or crochet and it is not for the lack of trying.  I get a chain and I can’t figure out how to do the next row.  I cleaned an 1/8 of an acre of stone (marble) with a toothbrush one summer (in 100 degree heat) – had a blast doing it.
Suzy: I’m with you on that coloring book thing.  Folks tell me that my VW smells like crayons.  I think that’s pretty darn cool.  Ha!

Suzy: You have a wonderful section on blogging tutorials on your site.  Can you give any new bloggers out there a few helpful hints?
Manda: Simple is GOOD!  Remember not everyone comes from an art background so the simpler it is, the better.  Also photos- if you can take photos as you go it will be easier when writing a tutorial.  I use my webcam if I am working.  It is easy to keep open Photobooth and snap away.  I also take a ton of photos because they don’t always turn out well.  If you take three photos, chances are you will have one good photo (sometimes none of them turn out).

Manda: Another tip-  if you find an idea on Pinterest, try to give the ORIGINAL person credit and not just say I found it on Pinterest.  Pinterest didn’t come up with the idea, so I always try to give the original person, blog or magazine I got the idea from credit.  In blogging I always want to help out the next person.

Manda: Post your FAILS – I still have a problem with this because if I see a project is failing I stop working on it.  One of my New Years Resolutions is to post my FAILS more often.

Suzy: This crafty blog community is full of wonderful folks.  Can you tell me what blogs inspire you?
Manda: With Pinterest I have discovered so many blogs I can’t even begin to tell you my favorites.  There are a few blogs that I try to read on a regular basis but I have a two year old, so my blog reading is cut down drastically.  Here are a couple I try to read at least once a week: Leslierahye – She a great friend who has a great blog, she does amazing tutorials on cards and all kinds of crafts; I love Tip Junkie; Dollar Store Crafts – I love easy (cheap) projects to do with my kids; Favecrafts – they always have amazing ideas (I wish I knew how to crochet); and Hyperbole and a Half – 95% of the time I am in tears after reading her stuff and laughter is good!

Suzy: Can you tell us a little about what you are promoting right now?
Manda: Well I am on several Design Teams:  Creative Paperclay® Modeling Materials, Amazing Crafting Products, Robin’s Nest and The Hive (which helps me stay focused), so I am promoting their items not because I am on their Design Team but because I like their products.  I don’t go out for a Design Team unless I like a product because really there is no point to be stuck with a bunch of stuff you don’t like.  I always try to use what I have whether it is an old t-shirt, TP roll or beer bottle.  I know not everyone can go out and buy art stuff.  Times are tough and I want to show people that you can still create useful, practical items with little or no money.

Suzy: Manda, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by The Sitcom!  Please take a few moments to check out Manda’s blog, Who Are You Calling Crafty?  I’m sure you will find lots of great inspiration there.

Well, we’d best get back to the Green Room.  Apparently the kids had convinced Tom to play cowboys and Indians with them and they currently have him tied to the leg of my sewing machine table.  Which wouldn’t be too bad, but for the fact that the kids got tired of the game and took a subway into the city to check out the toy section at Macy’s.  Wow.  Those kids really know how to get around. 

We’d best untie Tom so that he can catch up with them since he is babysitting and all.  And Tom, please answer your cell phone.  It has been ringing constantly for the past ten minutes!

What?

Umm…. I have no idea how their disguise thing got blown.  Maybe there Is suddenly a demand for Octomom and her body guard’s autographs.

It could happen, I’m sure.  Right?

_____________________________________________________

Would you like a chance to be interviewed on the Sitcom?  Would you love to meet lots of great artists from around the world?  Be sure to link up your blog to our international blog hop!
‘); // ]]>