We’ll be interviewing a top crafter and finding out what makes them tick, where they get their inspiration and any other questions you would like us to ask them!  This time we will be talking to the very talented Lousette Ashton. You will probably recognise Lousette from various craft magazines where you can also see her many crafty creations.

How did you get started?
I started making cards in 2000 as a creative outlet.  My daughter was just over two years old, and as a stayat-home-mum I desperately needed something to do that was just for me. You would not believe how quickly I got hooked, and I subsequently bought all the craft mags I could get my hands on. After a while I started to sell my cards locally, and in 2004 I took the plunge and submitted some cards to Practical Crafts as well as Popular crafts magazine. They decided to publish them and from then on I became a regular freelance contributor. In 2005 I got an e-mail from my editor saying that she wanted to start a scrapbooking magazine (Scrapbook Magic) and asked if I scrapbooked. I did not, and was sure that scrapbooking was definitely not my thing, however I said I would give it a try. How wrong was I. Scrapbooking soon took over my life.

How would you describe your style?
Definitely leaning towards clean and simple. Every now and then I try and be more arty, but I usually go back to clean lines.

What are your crafting influences?
The world of graphic design is a big influence. I love advertisements, banners, brochures, magazine layouts, CD covers … you name it.

Who do you admire most in the crafting industry?
Having worked in the magazine industry for about 4 years, I know how hard it can be to try and stay fresh and come up with new ideas.  For this reason I truly admire Jennifer McGuire and Ali  Edwards (Creating Keepsakes magazine), their creativity never ceases to amaze me, and I do not know how they manage to keep on producing the goods time and time again. I also love the clean
lines, colours and elegance of Venessa Matthews. As for card making, I really admire Paula Pascual. Her simple style is always spot on and her ideas are truly inspired.

Are any of your family crafty?
Actually, thinking back my mum had a real crafty streak.  She used to dabble in all sorts of things like pottery, macramé, dress making etc.  It must be passed down in the family, as my youngest
daughter is addicted to scissors, glue and paper.  She is most definitely a little crafter in the making.

What’s the one piece ofc afting equipment you couldn’t live without?
I couldn’t possibly choose only one. However top of my list would be Green and Black almond chocolate, it always inspires me. After that my craft knife and cutting mat. They are both well worn, but truly loved.

What is your favourite colour scheme to work with?
I don’t have a favourite colour scheme, but I tend to use a lot of pink, green and loads of Kraft brown.

What was your biggest creative disaster?
Hmmm, I cannot think of any real great big disasters, but I have had all of the little ones.  Beads and glitter accidently tipped over, ink splodges on a nearly completed layout, glue on the carpet – you know, all the normal crafting dilemmas.

What was your proudest moment?
I was absolutely thrilled to bits when I was told that I had been picked as a BOB winner in 2006.

What is your favourite crafting technique?
Oooh, this is very hard. I cannot say that I really have a favourite. In scrapbooking I love to play with text and fonts on my pc, and I have always been somewhat of a hybrid scrapper. Card making
is a totally different story, and there I use many techniques, some of my favourites are using die cuts, wire and acrylic stamps.

What is the last craft item you bought?
Loads of dies from Ellison because they were having a sale, and it would have been rude not to buy products at such reduced prices. I do love a bargain.

Which craft item did you buy but is still unused?
A paper quilling tool. I bought it about a year ago and I don’t even know where it is.

What is your crafting space like?
I have the upstairs box room as a dedicated craft room, but it is mostly a great big mess. Far too much in a small space, which means the floor, shelves, table and any other surface is usually covered with half finished projects or ideas in the making. I know I am lucky to have a dedicated space, but honestly I could do with a room 10 times the size.

Do you have a favourite inspirational Blog/website?
I love to blog surf, but don’t really have any favourites. I sometimes check in on Cathy Zielske , also Donna Downey and Ali Edwards (I always like to see their ideas). From there on I just follow links until I have spent the entire morning surfing the net. Other times I just click on people’s blog links in their signatures on the forums and then follow links from there.

Is there a style or craft item you really wish you had come up with first and do you have any ideas in the pipeline?
Electronic die cutters – now that was inspired. Wish I did have some idea in the pipeline, but I cannot imagine what else the craft community can possibly come out with. We seem to have every
gadget known to man (or at least that is what my husband says when he dares go near my craft room).

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Tags | acrylic stamps, Ali Edwards, beads, Cathy Zielske, craft knife, craft room, Creating Keepsakes magazine, cutting mat, die cuts, die cutting, dressmaking, Ellison, hybrid, Jennifer McGuire, Lousette Ashton, macrame, paper quilling, Paula Pascual, Popular Crafts magazine, pottery, Practical Crafts magazine, Scrapbook Magic magazine, scrapbooking, Vanessa Matthews