CASology Creator: Melissa Chipperfield

With our 100th challenge fast approaching, we thought it might be interesting for you to learn more about the CASology team!  What exactly makes us all tick, anyway?  Admit it, you have wondered...haven't you?!  We're making Melissa go first since she created this whole thing back in July of 2012!

Since we're not going to reveal the 100th cue word until Tuesday (June 17), we thought we'd give you a chance to win a guest designer spot for the the entire month of July!  The first person to guess what our 100th cue word will get to join the team as a guest designer for the five challenges in the month of July, our anniversary month!  Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post if you have a guess!  Remember, you have until Tuesday (June 17) at 7:59 a.m. (CDT) to get your guesses in!  Want to know what we've already used for cue words?  Here's a list for you:

And

Anniversary

Apple

Arrow

Autumn

Bee

Bell

Bird

Black

Bloom

Blue

Blush

Bold

Book

Brown

Bubbly

Bunny

Camp

Care

Carnival

Circle

Contrast

Cool

Country

Crisp

Dessert

Dot

Drink

Electric

Extraterrestrial

Fairytale

Family

Fireworks

Fish

Flame

Flower

Free

Fruit

Furry

Game

Garden

Giggle

Gift

Gobble

Gold

Green

Happy

Harvest

Hexagon

Hope

Joke

Jump

Leaf

Lucky

Knit

Metal

Neon

New

Night

Note

Orange

Paint

Paper

Party

Picnic

Pond

Pumpkin

Purple

Red

Relax

Ribbon

Roots

Royal

School

Shine

Shoe

Shop

Silhouette

Sky

Snowflake

Song

Sparkle

Splash

Star

Sugar

Sun

Thanks

Time

Travel

Triangle

Up

Wet

Wheels

White

Wild

Winter

Word

Yellow

Zoo

Also, you will want to comment on each featured designer's personal blog during the 24 hours they are featured because there is blog candy involved!  Who doesn't like that stuff?!  Just be sure you head right over and comment on the currently featured member's blog as soon as you find out who it is!  We plan to feature one design team member here on the challenge blog at 10:00 a.m. each morning for the next 10 days!  Are you ready?

Melissa Chipperfield from Oh, Smudge!

How did you ever come up with the idea for CASology, anyway?
It was just one of those ideas that I wasn't sure was necessarily a good idea, but when it kept bugging me, I had to give it a go!  I wanted a challenge that used simplicity as its key element.  A single cue word seemed simple enough and I knew my own creative inspiration often comes from simple things like words & themes.  I hadn't seen a challenge that consistently used cue words for challenges, so figured it was different enough from what was already out there to have a chance at taking off.  Never did I dream that it would take off the way it did!  THANK YOU to everyone, both challenge participants and the design team, for that surprise!

Currently...

• guest designing for i{heart}papers.
• creating with Mama Elephant, Sweet Stamp Shop, Lawn Fawn, Uniko Studio, Prickley Pear & Paper Trey.
• addicted to white cardstock, gemstones, glitter and my Wink of Stella markers.
• raising four children (ages 9, 7, 3 & 10 months).
• working part time as a dental hygienist.
• consuming my fair share of chocolate and coffee.
• struggling to get a long, relaxing run in on a regular basis.
• doing more laundry than she ever thought possible.
• helping her DH figure out how to create a new craft room.
• loving this challenge, its participants and the design team!

How did you get into card making?
Back in college (a long, long time ago...), some friends of mine decided to get together every now and then to make cards to save money.  It was a way to get together regularly and none of us were that serious about it.  We shared whatever we happened to have for supplies.
After college, DH & I moved for his career and I met a gal that was pretty serious about card making.  She introduced me to Stampin Up! and the rest is history.  It quickly became my hobby.

Why do you like Clean and Simple design?
I'm the type of person that likes things to be in order and I suppose that spills over into how I design.  While clean & simple design seems simple to the casual onlooker, it takes some thought along with trial & error to get a design to flow.  I love the challenge of it!  My ideal CAS design is one that is simple, but conveys the message clearly.  The simpler the better for me!  Of course, if there is a little humor I can inject, I'll do it.  Smiles are my job, after all!

Any advice to fellow crafters when it comes to finding their own design style?
Don't stress about it!  It will come with time and practice.  You should see some of my first cards!  CAS design was not what I started out with, believe me!  I still have a good sized stash of decorative paper and fancy embellishments that I don't know if I'll ever put to use!  Take a look at the work of designers you admire and consider what it is about their work that you love.  Maybe it's the color palettes they use or maybe it's the style of images they work with on a regular basis.  There are many elements that go into a card design and sometimes it takes a little time to find out which elements combine to define your personal style.

Is there anything else you think we should know about you?
I have a thing for photography, especially black & white photography and children's photography.  You'll find some of my photos on my creative blog as well as my fairly new photography website, Pixel Moments.
I love to help people.  If you ever have a question you think I might know the answer to, just email me.  I'm here to help if I can!  I sincerely hope you have found CASology to be a warm and welcoming challenge where you can find inspiration, support and friendship.

Don't forget to head on over to Oh, Smudge! & leave a comment for your chance to win her blog candy!  You have just 24 hours, so you'd better get going!

Stop back here tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. (CDT) to see which design team member will be featured next!