ABOUT ME
Thanks for visiting my studio site. Creativity is an integral part of my life! I've always loved working with my hands—creating beautiful things out of fabric and paper. As a child I would break the needle on my mom's sewing machine making barbie dresses, hide in the closet writing plays, and doodle to my heart's content. As an adult, I try very hard to include beauty in my life whether with my children, in my designs, or my home. Creativity is a meaningful part of my life, and I know it's important to you too.
FOLLOWING MY PASSION
I received a BA degree from BYU in Marketing Communications and specialized in advertising. I found myself frustrated when I couldn't execute my ideas...so I decided I needed a degree in design. I continued on to get a Masters degree in Design Communications at the University of Minnesota. Three years later, I was also armed with a Ph. D. with a supporting area in Art. Through this process, I learned that being creative isn't necessarily all about talent. It's also about PASSION and LEARNING. I continue to take classes in anything that interests me, which includes a recent course series on how to use my Bernina sewing machine and a quilting class. I believe in life long learning in the classroom and outside of it.
I taught Graphic Design Foundations, Typography, Design Theory and Packaging Design at the University of Minnesota. I left acadamia to reclaim a part of my life—the need to create. I currently design paper for My Minds Eye. You can find my papers at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, ACMoore, online and independent retailers. I design fabric for Northcott with the my first collection hitting quilting stores in June of 2010. You can find my 2008-2009 digital scrapbooking products at Two Peas in a Bucket. My most recent designs you will be able to find at the designer site of Design House Digital.
I still teach, but now you can't find me at a university (I love being at home with my little ones too much!). You can find my online courses at Jessica Sprague.com. I specialize in teaching Illustrator courses.
MY FAMILY
My little family is the most important part of my life! I have two little daughters—Siri (6) and Felicity (3). My bestie (Josh) plus me makes four. We moved to Salt Lake City in May of 2008 from the Twin Cities. We've managed to make ourselves at home in Salt Lake nestled in the mountains and love being near family again.
My hope is that my work will make your crafting experience more creative, more enjoyable, and more fulfilling. I believe we all have a bit of "dormant" creativity that is just waiting to be unleashed! Building beautiful things that help us maintain wonderful memories and make our lives more beautiful is just the beginning of our work as "creatives."
I look forward to bringing you more projects and designs in 2010. I am so excited for this year as there are so many thing "in progress." Check back often for design news, new collections, and more!
MEET THE TEAM
Jamie Whittier, Marketing Director
A news and crafts junkie, Jamie always knew she wanted to be in the marketing world. She describes working with Carina Gardner in the crafts industry as pure luck.
Prior to working with Carina, Jamie worked in the Public Relations department for Richter7 after recieving her bachelors from Utah State.
Jamie is glad to be a stay-at-home mom to her two year old, Logan. Jamie and her husband reside in Heber City, Utah.
Lindsey Morris, Studio Assistant
All around art and music geek. Graphic Designer by day, painter, photographer and wanna-be drummer by night. Lyndsey held several corporate in-house positions, freelance, and also currently a design intern for SLUG Magazine, all over the last 5 years.
She believes being diverse has opened plenty of doors in her design career. She glad to have found her way into the scrapbooking industry, and to be working alongside Carina.