Ask Around: Cindy Tobey

Hello my moxie fab friends! I hope you've had a good week so far. I've been really busy here at work--lots going on. We're also gearing up for CHA at Paper Crafts and that brings with it a lot of extra prepping, so I've been feeling a little like a chicken with its head cut off lately. But my hubby and I went on a picnic last night in a nearby park right up against the mountains, so now I feel all recharged.

Plus, who wouldn't be charged up to see the name of the designer I'm featuring today in the Ask Around: Cindy Tobey! I've been such a longtime fan of her and her work, so I couldn't wait to ask her to share where she gets her inspiration. And now I can't WAIT to share her with you!

I really got to know Cindy and her card making skills when she had 6 projects picked up in Card Creations, Volume 6. I love her fun, simple, clean stlye. I mean, take a look at this card. It doesn't get much more fun and simple than this:

Tiled Birthday Card, Card Creations, Volume 6

I got to know her style even better when I wrote the supplies and instructions for this cutie-pie card:

Friendly Flowers Card, Card Creations, Volume 6

Don't you just love it?

Cindy has been all about making art ever since elementary school. She studied graphic design in college and worked in that field until she had her daughter and decided to be a stay-at-home-mom. She enjoys many forms of art: painting, drawing, photography, quilting, knitting, and of course, scrapbooking. She loves scrapbooking because she is able to combine so many of her other creative loves into this one art form. She was honored to be inducted into the Creating Keepsakes 2008 Hall of Fame and is excited to be a member of the Creating Keepsakes 2009 Dream Team. She is also a member of the Fancy Pants Design Team and she enjoys doing contract design work for other manufacturers as well.

Join me in welcoming Cindy Tobey to the Moxie Fab World, friends! Get ready to be inspired!

Hi Cindy! Thanks for joining us today. I'm sure we'd all love to know: Is trend-watching important to your creativity? Why or why not? If so, how does trend-watching manifest itself in your work?

I’ve never thought of myself as a “trend watcher” necessarily, but I know that I am influenced by trends. I’m always on the lookout for things that inspire me and many times those inspiration pieces either contain or are part of a new trend. For me it is important to constantly be looking for new inspiration that will spark new ideas, otherwise, I think I’d find myself stuck in a creative rut which would cause me to become bored with my work.

Where do you find trends?

Everywhere! Book covers, advertisements, CD covers, fabrics, fashion and the list goes on. If I want to see what is hot specifically in scrapbooking I love to look at the online scrapbook galleries. My favorites are twopeasinabucket, scrapbook.com, and scrapinstyletv.com.

What websites, blogs, magazines, ads, etc. are the most inspirational to you in terms of trend-watching? Why do they motivate you?

I love to sign up for email ads with stores that have advertising or products that inspire me, such as Old Navy (I love the fun, retro feel of their ad campaigns), and Cost Plus World Market (I love the bold colors and design of their products from around the world). I enjoy visiting many websites for inspiration. Two of my favorites are Covers (for inspiring book cover design, I have a soft spot for beautiful books), and Land of Nod (for their fun color combinations and whimsical designs.)

The Land of Nod catalog cover

Image from The Land of Nod catalog

Where do you think trends get started and what propels them once they do?

Honestly, this has always been a mystery to me. Since trends seem to be cyclical I suppose many designers look to the past for ideas to reinvent and make their own. I think the fashion and textile industries spur design trends in other industries.

What advice can you give to paper crafters who are interested in incorporating more trends into their projects?

First, look around to see what trends you personally like. I would never apply a trend to a project if I didn’t like it. Then come up with a practical way to incorporate it onto your project. There may even be a scrapbooking product out there that would fit the trend you want to incorporate. I created the layout below last year for Creating Keepsakes to show how to incorporate the trend of line drawings, found in the fashion and home décor industries, onto a layout. The line-drawn flowers on my layout are actually clear stickers made by American Crafts. I could have drawn my own flowers or used an enlarged dingbat to get a similar effect, but since I already had the stickers, they provided the quickest and easiest way to achieve the look I was after.

Published in Creating Keepsakes, October 2008 issue, in the Hot Spot column

In your opinion, what paper crafting techniques are trendy right now and why do you think they are appealing?

One that I’ve recently noticed is misting ink. This is usually done either over a mask to create a shape/design or just onto a project to add a splash of color. It’s a fun and easy way to add an artsy feel to a project. I also see a lot of machine stitching on projects. This is actually one of my favorite techniques. I think it adds a wonderful “homemade” feel. The layout below was from my 2008 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame entry. I added machine stitching around the large bracket shape as well as over the clear stars. I love the texture and down home feel that the machine stitching gives to my layout.

In your opinion, what paper crafting products are trendy right now and why do you think they are appealing?

Paper punches have been around a long time but I’ve seen a recent increase in their popularity. I think they are appealing because they are so versatile, you can use them to punch from a variety of materials, allowing you to make your embellishment unique to your own taste. They are also economical as you can use them again and again.

Decorative edge strips/borders are popular as well. They are being produced by so many different companies now, and again, there is also a wide selection of border punch options available so that you can make your own decorative edge borders. On the layout below I used a decorative edge from Bazzill Basics Paper as well as one from Doodlebug Design. I love how the border strips add interest and texture to my layout.

Published in Creating Keepsakes, August 2008 issue, in the Seasonal Solutions column

What is your favorite medium in which to work and why does it appeal to you? Has that changed over time? Why or why not?

I love to “color, cut, and paste,” I’m a traditional scrapbooker. I love to feel the products as I work and get messy. That is how my love of art started as a child, but I transitioned to digital art/design in college. I worked as a graphic designer (designing book covers) for a while and then found my way back to coloring, cutting, and pasting with scrapbooking. I think I have found a combination of the two that best suits me. Using the computer for photo editing, journaling and an occasional title or embellishment but putting my layouts together traditionally.

Name some doors that have opened to you as a result of being connected to the scrapbooking industry and what that has meant to you.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing product manufacturers, designers, publications, and editors. As a graphic designer turned stay-at-home-mom the opportunities I’ve had in this industry have filled my need to create in such an awesome way! I’m truly thankful for this!

Once you spot a trend, do you have a way of filing that idea away for later use that works for you?

Yes! I am an organizational nerd, just ask my friends! I have a folder for inspirational ideas on my computer as well as a small sketchbook (my little black book) that I fill with ideas that I clip from magazines, catalogs, packaging, etc. I have sections in my inspiration book for color and pattern combinations, embellishment ideas as well as title and journaling ideas.



I'd like to thank Cindy, for taking the time to share her moxie fab insights on trends and paper crafting with us!

What do you think, friends? I'm thinking that I wannabe Cindy Tobey right about now. I'm afraid that the closest I can come, however, is in knowing that she and I got married to our husbands on the exact same day, June 17, 1995. How cool is that?

Let me know how Cindy has inspired you by midnight MDT on Sunday, July 19 and I'll draw 3 random winners to receive Easier-Than-Ever Scrapbooking 2, a special issue from Creating Keepsakes that Cindy was involved in.

Enjoying Cindy Tobey Day,

~Cath

PS How are your projects for our It's All Green to Me challenge coming along? There are some super fun entries in the gallery so far! Click here for info on the challenge. The deadline is Monday! So don't fret, just don't forget! :)