Introducing Jessica Witty

Jessica Witty. I admittedly get a few shivers of excitement up and down my spine just saying her name out loud. THE Jessica Witty, the stamper I have admired for so long is going to be joining us for a two month stint as a Guest Designer.  Someone please pinch me!

Jessica's style & flair is among my very favorites in the industry.  The simple clean nature of her cards has always spoken to me, not to mention her use of fabulous color combinations!  Since she's a stamper at heart, we have a lot in common and I look forward to seeing how different (and perhaps even similar) our takes are on each stamp set released over the next few months.  On top of having more talent than you can shake a stick at, Jessica is a genuine soul, full of compassion & kindness.  I know you will enjoy the next two months with her as much as I will.

Without further ado, here's Jessica in her own words…

Soooo… all about me, huh?

What is there to say?  I love cards.  If I were allowed to make just one thing, I'd make cards.  What's not to love?  Little bundles of cuteness all wrapped in happiness and handed off to someone else to enjoy the cuteness and happiness.  Love them.

If I was allowed to use just one thing on said card, I'd use stamps.  Every time.  Something about a crisp image appearing in my favorite color of the moment (currently yellow) where seconds ago there was nothing… it's magic to me and completely satisfying.

My style leans towards the clean and graphic, fun and cute side of things.  My favorite element tends to be white space… my all time favorite designs are generally no-layer cards with simple designs and just the right bit of embellishment.  Not that I generally achieve that look in a terribly proficient way, but I like to try.  I'm finding myself inevitably drawn to the exact opposite of my design tendencies as well… I find it incredibly inspiring to let my eyes and mind linger over designs that are completely decked out in all the trimmings.  I'm constantly looking for ways to bring part of that technique down to where I'm comfortable and make it me.  I also love to find new uses for what I have.  My home has, ahem, "space issues" (and by that I mean lack of it) so I am pretty darned vigilant about what products are allowed to make a home here.  I have to love it and use it, and I can honestly say that I hardly go a day without reaching for my Papertrey favorites.

My current crafting life started with stamping many years ago. (It probably just seems like many years ago because that was in that long ago, faraway time known as "before kids")  Crafting has taken various forms for me over the years, but stamping and paper crafting are the ones that have caused me to settle in, to explore the creativity that was always there but not always expressed, and to give up my dining room to the cause.

I started working on the publishing side of things a few years back (2006) and had a seriously lucky break in the beginning when a few of my cards made it all the way Paper Crafts Magazine's Stamping Royalty contest. I've been working with them consistently ever since, with hundreds of publications in Paper Crafts and many other magazines over the years.  I'm currently relishing my role as a Paper Crafts Go-to-Gal and all the paper crafting that goes along with it.

In my "real life" I stay busy with loads of things.  My husband and I have three kiddos, ages 5, 2, and 7 months.  So, yeah… definitely busy!  Two of my children are adopted through miraculous circumstances and I have a deep passion for adoption agency advocacy, especially issues relating to open adoption.  At this point, it is actually pretty normal for us to announce completely out of the blue that we will be adding to our family soon… meaning, in a matter of days, and I love it that way!  Daily adventures include homeschooling with my kindergartner, mentoring high school girls at church, and hitting the treadmill at the gym in hopes of breaking the 2 hour mark in the marathon races I like to run (although to be honest, sometimes I like them, sometimes not so much).

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Jessica today!  Please be sure to stop by and visit her blog today and give her a warm Papertrey welcome!

Jessica is giving away a

$100 Papertrey Favorites Prize Package!

Visit her HERE and introduce yourself to have a chance to win!

(Please note, leaving a comment here will NOT enter you in the contest!)

We are looking forward to what the next few months will hold as we watch Jessica's Papertrey magic unfold!  We hope you enjoy the ride!