Moxie Fabber of the Week: Geri Greening

It's another one of those magical Mondays, friends.

You know what I'm talking about. At 12:00 PM EST, you see that I've posted another Moxie Fabber of the Week interview. You glance at the name that follows, and it is someone you may or may not know. If it is someone you know, you squeal for joy and read rapidly, noting the choicest bits of information as you eagerly devour it, maybe skipping a little bit here and that bit there until you get to the most important part--the part where you can see which cards your friend has chosen to share with the world--before going back to read each word very carefully. All the while, you are ecstatic for your friend, knowing how much she or he deserves to have been recognized, amazed that she didn't share her secret with you until now.

If it is someone new to you, you scroll down to learn more about the person I place before you, and answer after answer, paragraph after paragraph, image after image, you feel compelled to embrace yet another inspiring member of our beloved paper crafting community. As she tells her experiences, you check your own. Perhaps you remember seeing her here and there sometime when. If you are like me, you feel lucky to have had a more personal glimpse into her history with our craft. You feel glad to know more about her life outside of paper crafting, to get a sense of what inspires her, to understand her style.

But most of all, you feel as though you have made a new friend.

That is exactly the experience I had when I read through Geri Greening's interview, friends. Delighted to get to know her. Inspired by her confidence. Beguiled by her exquisite style. Thrilled by her passion.

Ready to call her "friend."

See if she has the same effect on you. Take it away, Geri!

What is your full name? What is your screen name? Do you have a blog or an on-line gallery?
 
Hi everyone! My name is Geraldine Greening, but my family and friends call me Geri. My blog is called Manitoba Stamper. My on-line name is Geri G.

Describe yourself in three short, fun sentences.

I am mom to our two beautiful adult children, son Eric and daughter Brady. I have been happily married to my high school sweetie for 35 years! I spend my mornings at work as a Program Assistant for the federal government and the rest of my day playing in the yard during the summer months and hiding out in my craft room during the long cold Manitoba winters.

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

A co-worker showed me a Stampin’ Up! catalogue in 2004 and I knew that I would one day become obsessed with this fun hobby. I dabbled a bit in card making while the children were young, but as most of us know, craft time was not a priority! Now that our children have moved from home, I have all the time in the world to spend in my craft room.

I love being swept up in the evolution of this wonderful "sport" of paper crafting. Think back just a few short years when we were happy with scissors that cut a fancy edge. I often refer to this fun activity as a "sport" as I’m quite sure that we have all worked up a sweat at one time or another as we scrambled to meet a submission deadline!

What do you like most about the Moxie Fab World? What is your favorite feature and why? Do you have a favorite all time post? If so, list the URL and tell why you like it so much.

I love the Moxie Fab "Stamp" of Approval features! Cath’s posts are my link to everything new…new products, new techniques, new companies.

Out & About is another favorite feature. I have discovered so many talented crafters that would have otherwise been unknown to me. Inspiration abounds at every click of the mouse.

My all-time favorite post is one that moved me to tears! Cath composed a tribute to her daughter Nicole who was preparing to leave for graduate school in Toronto. Here is the link to Road Less Traveled. You might want to grab a tissue before you start reading!

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

I thought long and hard about what I thought makes me moxie fab. I settled on “determined." I seldom produce a card that I am happy with on my first try! I work at it with purposeful determination until I am satisfied that it is good enough to post…which usually amounts to a whole heap of paper in the recycle bin!

Name a paper crafter who inspires you. Why are you drawn to his or her work?

Not a moment of hesitation in answering this question! Lisa Addesa is the first blog that I started following. Lisa possesses a keen sense of design that incorporates vivid colors and perfectly placed elements in a fabulously clean and simple style that never fails to inspire me.

How would you describe your style?

Definitely clean and simple! I have explored other styles in the past but keep coming back to the glorious white space!

Do you consider yourself to be a card maker or a scrapbooker? If you are a card maker, why do you prefer it over scrapbooking? If you are a scrapbooker, why do you prefer it over card making? If you do both, what do you like about card making that is different from scrapbooking and/or vice versa?

I am definitely a card maker! I much prefer working on a smaller canvas and being able to complete a project within a day or two. I have tried scrapbooking but was intimidated by the large scale of the project and the length of time it took to complete a layout.

Attach an image of a paper crafted project of which you are the most proud or that means the most to you. Include a brief statement that explains why.

I am very proud of this card as it was chosen as the winner in a recent CAS-ual Fridays challenge Knotty or Nice. The card has over 175 French knots stitched on to the paper. Winning this challenge earned me a spot as guest designer for the following challenge. This was definitely the highlight of my 2012 crafting year!

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Isn't Geri fantastic, friends? Doesn't she have such an amazing clean and graphic style? Wouldn't you just love to make cards with her over a cuppa somethin' yummy any day of the week? With such "determination" and attention to detail (175 French knots! That's something this detail-loving girl would totally do!), I'm sure I could learn a few tricks from her myself!

I'd like to thank Geri for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions today, as well as thank her for her kind words about me and the Moxie Fab World.  

And now it's your turn, friends. Be sure and leave Geri some love before you go, Moxie Fabber style!

Moxie Fabbers ROCK!

~Cath