The Paper & Ink Boutique - Calgary

I have been teaching at The Paper and Ink Boutique for almost two years. I was so excited when I heard that we were getting a new scrapbooking store that I stalked their page prior to them opening....I was so excited when they put out the call for instructors, and even more excited when they said I could be part of the creative team. I love teaching and have met so many great people not only the ones who take my classes but also those shopping in the store. I have to admit that the creative team and staff at The Paper and Ink Boutique are pretty amazing!

I have been crafting my whole life, my parents were both very creative and passed that on, my Dad knit his own socks up to the week before he died and my mom at 80 is still knitting for her children and grandchildren. Although I do know how to knit I don't do it very often as I would much prefer to be Scrapbooking, and card making. Although just as much you can find me at the sewing machine sewing or quilting, as well as flower arranging. There are not many crafts I am not willing to try at least once.

I have been married to my husband Byron for 32 years and we have two very creative boys. I taught them young! Darrian doesn't do so many creative things right now but every now and then he will sit down and do a project. Andreas is always thinking and making something. All four of us are always working on something. As a family we have moved around quite a bit and in each community I have been found my paper arts tribe. I have taught paper art classes in Yellowknife at their teacher’s conferences and my former High School. I also owned my own Craft and Gift Basket store there. I am an avid teacher and truly take joy in seeing the pride in the face of my students be they 2 years old or 85!

I have a pretty big craft stash and with doing so many different crafts - I have my very own craft room that seems to bust out into the dining room regardless of what I do. This drives my husband crazy but he is still supportive of my hobbies but can be seen doing a dance when I give some away or used up lots of it.

I have done a lot of jobs both for pay and not, and enjoyed most of them but I think the most unique one is when they discovered diamonds in the north, I was one of the first 10 northerners to be trained to polish diamonds. I also went on to run the laser and that was the coolest job ever. I was the one who put the serial numbers and the company logo, a polar bear, on each and every diamond polished.