Featured Guest - Tammy Lee

I was fortunate enough to meet Tammy last month.  Not only is she talented as all get-out, she can dance up a storm!  I think you'll agree with me that she's a true beauty!

How did you find out about Whitworth Ranch Retreat?  I first met Stacy and her mom at one of the scrapbook conventions.  I thought they were great and was hoping to stay at the ranch sometime.  Luckily, soon after that Cindy Mayfield planned a Paper Cowgirl retreat there.  I have been to the ranch four times now and I'm planning to go back this weekend.  I absolutely love it.  It's like bieng at a big slumber party with all of my best friends.

Do you have a preference as to which bedroom you sleep in?  I think I've spent the night in most of the different rooms now and I really love them all.

 

Where do you prefer to get your craft on?  Large room, small room?  My favorite craft room is the large one because we can all get together in the same room.  It's more fun for us when we are all together.  That way, no one misses a thing.

 

Were you in a mixed group or did you fill the house with your own friends?  I have been in a mixed group and I've been in the house filled with only friends that I already knew. Of course it's always great to get together with friends you know and catch up with each other. Though I really did enjoy the mixed group as well because I made new friends.
 

If there is an opening for just one person, are you open to attending a retreat with women you’ve never met?  Yes, absolutely I would.  Based on my past experience with the people I have met, everyone has been very friendly and inclusive.  So even though I might be a little nervous, I would not feel too uncomfortable to go by myself.

 

We all know that Stacy is an excellent chef.  Do you have a favorite meal?  I love all the food that Stacy makes, but some of my favorites are her homemade biscuits, taco soup and coconut cake. Every time she cooks for us I'm always asking for recipes and she is very sweet about sharing them.

 

Are you a paper crafter, quilter, knitter, jewelry maker or trouble-maker?  I am a mixed-media artist, so sometimes my interest can be all over the place. I spend most of my time oil painting, but I love to make jewelry, flowers and purses among other things.

I would not consider myself a troublemaker but if a group of my friends and I are together we do tend to get a little bit loud and silly. We like to have fun while we create! Lol!

I've been into arts and crafts most of my life but I've been doing mixed media and oil painting for about four years now.

When you create, do you sell the finished products, keep them or gift them?  Sometimes I do sell or give away my creations. I'm always thrilled when anyone likes something enough to want to own it.

 

What is your signature style?  My style is a combination of shabby chic, vintage, artsy and funky.

 

What have you created that you are most proud of – and why?  My favorite piece is an oil painting I did of a coal miner. He had a weathered face, full of character. My mom had torn his picture out of the newspaper about 30 years ago, thinking that someday she would like to paint it. She and I both painted it about two years ago. I think when we finished we felt like we knew him. So I still have the painting in my house and I feel like he's a member of our family.  Also shown is another piece I painted.

 

If Ms. Muse decides not to show up, where do you get your inspiration?  When I'm looking for inspiration I usually get on Pinterest or start flipping through my Somerset magazines. I also like to go shopping or spend time somewhere I can surround myself with beauty of any kind.  And then sometimes just going into the studio will inspire me.

 

Do you have a dedicated craft area in your home?  I have a small room in our house that is my craft studio. I have lots of shelves and cubbies to put things away. I have stacked them floor to ceiling. It seems that I am always in the process of re-organizing that space. Lol!

How do you keep your area organized and do you have any tricks for organizing your supplies?  So far what seems to work best for me is to keep like products grouped together. I try to have all my paints and inks in one area. Paper and ephemera in one area and things like that. Staying organized is a huge challenge for me. Most of the time I don't get to finish a project in one sitting and I am always so tempted to leave it out so I can just pick up where I left off, but sometimes it's days or even weeks until I can get back to it. For that reason I have found it works much better for me to go ahead and clean up after each sitting. Otherwise I will start a new project and then before I know it my table is so cluttered I can't get to anything and I end up cleaning instead of creating.

 

What are you working on right now?  I'm in the process of taking a free online organizing course from Tiffany Spaulding and I think it's really going to help me. Fingers crossed. Lol!

 

What would your dream space be like?  If I could have a dream space it would be a giant studio in my backyard. I would decorate it all vintage shabby chic and funky. I would have different stations with chairs and shelves so that you could move around and work on a project without having to drag everything out and put it up every time. Like a fabric station with a sewing machine. An ink and paint station where I would keep all my stamps, stencils and collage materials. I would  have another station with my printer, my big shot and my cricket with all my dyes and cartridges together.

I would have lots of table and floor space so all my friends could come over and create too.
Oh my gosh I could go on forever. That would be sooooo awesome!  ;~}

I don't know about you, but I want to spend more time with Tammy.  I'm sure some of that mixed-media talent would rub off on me.  Thank you, Tammy for agreeing to be a featured guest.

Would you like to share a little something about yourself?  Just let me know - we'd all love to meet you!

Remember one thing:  YOU matter.  See you next time!