Moxie Fabber of the Week: Piali Biswas

I hope you're enjoying your Monday, Moxie Fabbers. Although, with the Moxie Fabber of the Week feature occurring on Mondays, they're bound to have some joy in them, right?

Today I've got all kinds of joy to share with you, for we've got card maker extraordinaire, Piali Biswas in the house, and I'm absolutely thrilled to introduce you to her.

Piali is about as fearless as they come, trying new techniques and challenges without even blinking. What's more, I can always count on her to come up with something incredibly unique and well-done. She enjoys trying on trends as she feels they help her to grow as a card maker, and I'm always interested to see how she's approached whatever trend we are exploring when I click on her name in Mr. Linky.

But enough from me, let's get to know her better together, shall we? Take it away, Piali!

What is your full name? What is your screen name? Do you have a blog or an on-line gallery?

Hello! My name is Piali Biswas. You may know me as Piali. My Flickr screen name is Touch of Creation which is also the name of my blog.

Describe yourself in three short, fun sentences.

I would describe myself as simple, kind-hearted, positive, funny and creative. I’m a procrastinator, coffee and chocolate lover, avid stamper, quick learner and card challenge addict. When I’m not stamping, you’ll find me baking, cooking, sewing/quilting, chauffeuring and helping others.

How long have you been paper crafting?

I stepped into the paper crafting world in June 2009. That’s when I started creating cards and blogging. It's been three years and I’m enjoying every moment of it.

How did you get involved in paper crafting? What is your favorite aspect of paper crafting?

While looking for a quilting technique online, I stumbled upon Kristina Werner’s videos, and that's when I discovered the magic of stamping. On searching furthermore on the Internet, I discovered card challenges. The 365 Cards challenge blog really inspired me to try out their daily challenges. From there my paper crafting journey started and it has become a very important part of my life.

To me stamping and card making is like a therapy. Creating something new and beautiful makes me happy! Sharing my work with all the wonderful crafters from all around the world, making new bloggy friends, inspiring others, trying new techniques and challenging myself to do something new really keeps me busy in good way!

What do you like most about the Moxie Fab World?

I like everything about Moxie Fab World. For me, it’s the ultimate source of inspiration.

What is your favorite feature and why?

I like all the features of the Moxie Fab World, but my favorite is the challenge winner posts. I love to read the Moxie Fab Alerts. My other favorites are Trend Talk, Moxie Talk and the Tuesday Triggers. I love to see how differently all the crafters interpret the Tuesday Trigger inspiration picture and create something unique. Oh! I like How Pinteresting too!

Do you have a favorite all-time post? If so, list the URL and tell why you like it so much.

I really like this post a lot. It’s not because Cath featured my card in it. ;) I really liked how Cath pointed out the great elements of designing and what a person looks for in a winning creation.

We are all moxie fab in our own way. Name one thing that makes you moxie fab.

This is a tough one. Ummmm!! I’m not sure, I guess because I’m persistent and I always strive to do my best at everything I do.

How would you describe your style? Provide an image of a paper crafted project that illustrates that style best.

I love to try different styles and techniques! The style I enjoy the most is clean and simple with some stamped elements in it. I’m not good with too many layers or too many embellishments. Cards like this make me very happy!

I enjoy coloring my images. I’m a self-taught Copic colorist! I plan on getting my certification done sometime soon.

Here is one more card with coloring and CAS style:

Who is your favorite manufacturer and why? What is your favorite all-time collection and why? Have you created a paper crafted project using this collection? If so, feel free to attach it.

Being an avid stamper and obsessed stamp collector I have a very long list of favorite stamp companies! My most favorite stamp companies are Hero Arts and Papertrey Ink, I tend to use their stamps the most for my creations.

This card was published in the September/October issue of Paper Crafts magazine using PTI stamps:

The other stamp companies I like are Paper Smooches, Wplus9, Lawn Fawn, Avery Elle, Sparkle Creations and many more. The list goes on and on.

Paper Crafts magazine has produced a great number of special issues over the years. Which has been the most inspiring to you and why?

I love 365 Cards because it's full of inspiration for every possible celebration. It also introduced me to some unique holidays that I’ve not known before.

It's hard to choose just one! Holiday Cards and More, Volume 6 holds a soft spot in my heart because it's the first Paper Crafts magazine issue my work was published in.

What is your favorite column in Paper Crafts magazine and why?

Moxie Fabs! I like to see what people are creating with the latest trends! It also helps me understand if this is the thing I would like to incorporate in my future projects. I also like Paper Crafts 101--it's fun!

Do you consider yourself to be a trend-watcher? Why or why not? Do you feel that trend-watching is important to your creativity? Why or why not?

Yeah! I’m definitely a trend watcher. I may not fall for all of them but I like being aware of what’s new in the industry. New trends and techniques keep my creations fresh and sometimes help me to think outside the box.

For instance, the neon trend! I tend to use more whites and muted colors for my creations, so it was quite a challenge for me to use super bright neon inks. Finally I came up with a way to make it work with my style and here it is: 

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Fearless, right? Isn't it great to have the opportunity to get behind the scenes to see what makes paper crafters like Piali tick? And aren't her card designs fantastic? She has a very unique style which I find to be intriguing, imaginative, and perfectly executed.

I'd like to thank Piali for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions today and invite all of you to say "hello" to her in the comments before you go.

Moxie Fabbers ROCK!

~Cath