I have a very special interview with designer Holly Jones today! She is the owner and creator of My Cute Stamps, an absolutely DARLING store with her beautiful clear stamps! She also has a fabulous blog Creating Cupcakes. She’s also offered a darling stamp set to be given away to someone! Let’s meet her:
Carina: What kind of “designer” do you consider yourself?
Holly: I started out as a graphic designer but as I worked at various jobs, I soon realized that I preferred Illustration over design. Now I consider myself an Illustrator.
Carina: Do you consider yourself a “creative” person?
Holly: Yes, growing up my dad owned a small print shop. I preferred playing with his trash (discarded papers, glue, inks, & etc.) more than I enjoyed playing with any of my toys. I love to learn new creative skills. I enjoy drawing, stamping, paper crafting, knitting, jewelry making, the list goes on & on.
Carina: Do you always feel creative?
Holly: Most of the time. Most days I feel like there isn’t enough time to create everything I want to create.
Carina: What kind of jobs have you had?
Holly: My 3 favorite jobs include: 1) Working at the computer lab it college. This is where I learned to use the computer & graphic design programs. I didn’t have a computer of my own until a few years ago, so it was fun to be able to use one everyday at work. 2) Being a “live in Nanny”. I got to explore the Eastern states with a great family whom I still keep in contact with. 3) Designer & Illustrator for Stampin’ Up! I worked here designing papers, products & stamp sets. I really enjoyed the environment and my fun and creative co-workers.
Carina: Tell me about being a mom and your “design work”.
Holly: I work at home with my 2 cute girls. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, It can be challenging at times. My girls are both young and demand a lot of attention, so I really don’t get much work done until they go to bed at night. My oldest daughter is 4. She loves crafts, she has recently been interested in drawing her own stamp sets. She keeps asking when we will be selling her cute designs. I don’t think it will be much longer before she’s ahead of me in her creative skills.
Carina: What do you do now?
Holly: Right now my husband and I have two businesses, Vinyl Wall Art & My Cute Stamps. He does most of the orders & technical stuff, while I do all the design work and marketing. I’m currently designing some new Reposition-able vinyl for Vinyl Wall Art, and getting our display for the Stamp business ready for the Salt Lake Scrapbook USA expo which takes place next week.
Carina: Tell me more about My Cute Stamps? What made you get started with that?
Holly: Initially, I started doing Wall Art because I had a 2 year non-compete contract with Stampin’ Up! I still enjoy designing wall art, but I missed designing for the craft industry. My non-compete contract with Stampin’ Up! ended in October (the same month as my birthday) My husband thought it would be fun to order me some stamps that I designed in celebration of both occasions. I really loved designing the stamps, and had forgotten how much I love to design products for the crafting industry. I posted some of my stamp designs on the internet, and the response was fabulous, so we decided to set it up as a business. I’m really glad we did. I’m having a great time coming up with new set ideas & new product ideas (coming soon.)
Carina: What is your favorite stamp set?
Holly: It would be Eek! A Monster!
Carina: Where do you see yourself in 10 years with your designwork?
Holly: I hope to have an entire line of products within the next 10 years. More than just stamps, perhaps coordinating papers, and craft kits.
Carina: What makes My Cute Stamps Unique?
Holly: When I design new stamps, I really try to keep in mind how the stamps will be used. I try to make each set as versatile as possible. I want the end user to be able to use each set for multiple occasions and projects.
GIVEAWAY FROM HOLLY!
A big thank you to Holly for doing the interview! And she has been really generous to giveaway this darling stamp set: Spunky Nature Stamp Set! It’s my favorite set!
What do you have to do to win it? Comment on this blog and your name will be entered into the drawing! If you go over to check out My Cute Stamps and tell me your favorite set, I’ll put your name in twice! Easy! This giveaway will end on Saturday at 9AM MST and winners will be announced on Saturday morning at 10AM MST. Good luck!
Nice interview! I recently started stamping, so it’s all new to me. I like all the stamp-sets, such cute pics. The Little Forest Friends are very nice, and the Russian themed set is unique… but my favorite has to be Eeeeek! A monster… with 4 of those here around me every day, I really need that LOL
HI! My name is Bobbie and I confess I haven’t used a lot of stamps:( Although I would love to! It just so happens that I took a look at all the wonderful stamps available and the Spunky Nature Stamp Set IS my favorite! Thanks for the chance for your “Oh, so CUTE!” stamps!
Nice interview…. and those stamps are really cool.
I just started scrapping and stamping. These are adorable!! Thanks for the chance to win.
whoops….here’s my favorite set at My Cute Stamps: Celebrate Today…The sets are all adorable…really hard to choose a fav!
Very nice interview! Wow, Holly is sooo talented!
We’re a moving in a little while and I already bookmarked Vinyl Wall Art for when decorating the new house!
Oh, my… choosing a favorite among all those cute stamps is really hard! I’ll say Night Owl… those baby owls are too irresistable!
Great interview. Thanks for doing it. I have really enjoyed your blog.
It’s hard to choose a favorite but I LOVE the Cheer Up! set. 🙂
My favorite set is the Matryoshka Dolls. My husband and I both served missions in Russia/Ukraine, and I LOVE the designs and how reminiscent of the culture they are.
I had a whole stamp collection when I was younger with the old wooden stamps, but I love the newer clear stamps. They’re so fun!
It was hard to choose my favorite stamp set at My Cute Stamps, so I’ll give you my top two favorites: Celebrate Today and Spunky Nature Stamp Set!
I love Eeek! A Monster, but they are all absolutely adorable! Thanks so much for the opportunity to win!
Wow! Thanks for the interview! Now I need to go shopping for these great stamps!!!
Your site has lots pf fun giveaways. Can I be enetered in this one, too! She’s a genius.
Great interview! I love stamping and would love a chance to win this one. It is really nice. Found you over on SITS and wanted to say hi.
love holly’s stamps & digi kits – they are always adorable! i’ve had my eye on that monster set for a while – so cute.
Ooh! My Friday Favorite is finding out about Holly’s stamps and blog! I love the Spunky Nature set, along with Matryoshka Dolls. Thanks for the great inspiration!
They are all adoreable, but I love the Celebrate Today set! Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great interview Carina! I’m just getting ready for the weekend by hangin’ in my favorite crisp,fresh happy place (and avoiding what isn’t crisp and fresh in my household!!)
My favorite is the set that you picked followed by the woodland set (can you believe I’ve already forgotten the specific name?!)
Love, Love, Love these stamp sets. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful interview!
It’s so hard to narrow down my favorite, but I really like the Hello Doodle set.
Thanks for the chance to win these fabulous stamps! I personally love the “Dinosaurs RARRR” set – too cute!
Thanks for the wonderful interview Holly! It’s always great to meet the person behind the creative work. As a mother of 2 young children as well, I am amazed at all that you in addition to being a mom. Kudos!! You’re an inspiration to us all. Your stamp sets are adorable (my favs would have to be Royal Celebration and Hello Doodle)…can’t wait for you to advance your line and bring out papers and such that will no doubt be just as adorable!! Take care!
Ooo! So cute! Isn’t it exciting to get to do what you love?
Oh and I just love the Sweet Kawaii set!
Wow what incredibly cute and creative work you do!
I seriously cannot pick a favorite but I’ll put down My Little Forest Friends because I’m into little creatures lately.
Great interview.
Hi! Love ALL of the stamp sets, but how in the world can I resist Sweet Chocolate? Yup – it’s my very favorite. Thank you for this opportunity.
I love this stamp set, it is perfect for some spring cards I want to make… if you pick me, I will have a wonderful time with them, that’s important, don’tcha think?
Plus, I only own one set of acrylic stamps and gosh I love them but just haven’t expanded my collection, so this would be splendiferous.
Sweet Kawaii….is so cute
I am doing a donut/morning pj party theme for my son’s second birthday party. I hadn’t even thought of a donut theme.
thanks for a chance to win.
Good Luck With your business.
Love the stamp set – love the cards!
I adore that set with the monsters. how adorable! I am very interested in the wall art too, we just did this in some open space at my work place and it’s very cool.
just went to check out the sets at your site and bookmarked it immediately. Wow, I love that eek a monster set but I think my favorite is Royal Celebration, for my daughter the princess wannabe. great stuff, Holly.
Great interview! My favorite set is “Celebrate Today” – I see lots of uses for it! Thanks!
Love learning about new designers…very cute designs too!
Favorite from perusing all of them is “Celebrate Today”!!
How nice of you to offer this set!
What an awesome set, I’ve never used acrylic stamps, would love to win a set, I think they’d be a lot of fun.
Great interview, and my favoirte set is Royal Celebration, since I have 4 daughters, it would be perfect, lol.
Thanks for the chance to win
I love the Celebrate today and the Little Forest friends stamps – they are awesome all of the stamps over at my cute stamps are amazing but that is my favorite
I love the little forest friends. My fav is the hedgehog. SO cute!
I’d love them!
I love the Jelly Bean set. I teach kindergarten and we’d have a ball with these!
Sweet Chocolate is my favorite – I’m a chocoholic!
These are really cool stamps.
Love all of her stamps! But I have to agree with Tiff@ThreePeas……that hedgehog is adorable!!
Wow, great interview! Love the dinosaur stamps…how stinking cute! Thank you so much for the chance!
i’ve never heard of my cute stamps; they really are cute! i think the eek monsters & spaceships & robots are my top favorites
jenn
What awesome stamps and great interview. Thanks!
I LOOOOOVEE YOUR STAMPS THEIR ADORABLE. THEY MAKE ME HAPPY