Creative Blog hop

Good morning lovelies and a big thank you for visiting today. This is a different kind of post as I was invited to take part in a blog hop with a difference by the lovely and very talented claire. If you don't already know Claire check her out - her work is absolutely awesome!

So to begin here is a little bit about me. I am a stay at home mum to two girls aged 8 and 6. I used to teach Chemistry at the Girls Grammar school here in Lancaster but when the girls came along I opted to take a career break and have never found the time to return! These days my time is taken up with crafting, running/swimming, running a pack of Rainbows and chairing the PTA at my girls school. I love crafting and have evolved in my crafting tastes over the years - these days I am very much a stamper - I adore to learn new techniques and am never happier than when I have inky fingers.

I started my blog in January 2012. Little did I know at the time that I would become completely hooked or that i would make so many friends from blogging. It really is an intergral part of my life these days and I enjoy it very much.

What am I working on right now?

I'm always busy - tonight I plan to work on my second Imagination crafts make for September and also my Christmas card club make for the 7th September - thats Great North Run day - which is another thing I'm working on!!! I do have my Tims tag of August 2014 to share with you at this point!

I love the techniques on this tag and have followed Tims tag techniques but created something completely different to his tag - it really is something from the heart for me this tag. I have followed my creative muse! I would of course like to enter this for his monthly challenge here.  

Why do I create what I do?

I create for many different reasons. Sometimes I create for a specific purpose - for a DT committment or for a challenge. More often these days I create because I want to try a new technique or to use one of the new toys I have bought!  Sometimes I am driven by inspiration from you guys out there in blogland - sometimes I create just for the hell of it! I am certainly hooked on craft these days and when I don't create I am not a happy bunny!

How does my creative process work?

It works in many ways - from varied sources of inspiration to varied methods of evolution. Sometimes I have a really fixed idea of what I want to create and if I am lucky the techniques come to mind and I nail it - more regularly though something evolves and I come to accept the creative process and the piece is different from what I first imagined but sometimes much better.

How do I stay focussed/motivated?

I don't know the answer to this one - I guess its because I am still really learning all the time - I am stimulated to learn more and to get better and to try new techniques!

I'm tagging three lovely and very talented ladies in my post. They should all produce a post something like this on the 25th August! The three lovely ladies who agreed to be involved in the blog hop are all people I have met through blogging. I love their work and have found them very supportive as well as inspirational - please check out their blogs if you don't already know them:

Jo of mycraftingcorner

Karen of stampinginpink

Kerry of kezzyscraftyjourney

Thanks for popping by today and I hope i haven't bored you too much!

Rachel xx