Not just "one of the girls" - more about Justine!

A little bit of this

A little bit of that
And a little more about Justine!

Working these past two weeks with Justine have been a blast and she's been a fantastic guest. I definitely have not been a flawless Coordinator and last week, I even posted her card late, but she was very understanding about it. Geez, sometimes it really does take two tries to get it right, however, we DO get it right. Who ever knew that a little order mistake could have given us the opportunity to work with such a talent? Today, we find out a little more about her and tomorrow, she will showcase her final guest DT creation with us. I'm sure we will all be in for a treat!

So, how did Justine get started on crafting, anyway? "Actually I think I have always had a crafty side. I can remember learning to sew clothes in the 2nd grade. My mother and grandmother were extremely talented artists." Like most of us, Justine says that crafting brings her peace and satisfaction. There's really just nothing like the feeling of a job well done on something that you are going to send off to someone else.

Of course, where would a gal be without her supplies? I would be lost! Justine's favorite supplies are the Tombow permanent glue, buttons, patterned paper and stamps, but if she could only use one accessory, it would have to be ribbon. Ah, a girl after my own ribboned heart!



Speaking of stamps, if you didn't already know, Justine designs for Shirley's 2 Girls Stamps, which were recently added to the Paper Maniac store. What does Justine like most about the stamps? "They are different that anything else on the market. I'm a bit of a rebel so anything that is different catches my eye. The stamps are amazing to color and the sentiments are crazy fun." She also loves that the stamps are all about LADIES with ATTITUDE! Gotta love that spirit!

Here are just some of the cards that Justine has created using Shirley's 2 Girls stamps:

But Justine does more than just stamp; she also teaches in the Special Education department of the middle/high school at the Department of Defense school in Sicily. When does she find time to craft?? "I try to squeeze in a couple of hours each day during the week and several hours on the weekends. Of course that time gets interrupted with those annoying things called life (cooking, cleaning and on the rare occasion sleep!)" Ah, too bad there aren't enough hours in the day to spend it out and about in the beautiful town of Sicily! But what would Justine do if she had all day to herself? She would spend it at an all inclusive Day Spa, complete with massage, facial, pedicure, hair, makeup and a new outfit so I could meet my husband for a date night afterwards. That day DOES sound perfect.

Speaking of her husband, if you hadn't read earlier, the reason why she's in Sicily is because her husband is in the military. For Justine, the hardest part about having a husband in the military is that her husband is Special Operations and is gone about 70% of the time, but she stays positive and likes that their time apart is exciting because there is always a homecoming to look forward to. Justine's positive spirit is inspiring!

Since it's been such a pleasure working with her, we were curious to know how she came across Paper Maniac. "The amazingly talented Stephanie Muzzulin introduced me when she announced that she would be on the Design Team and was anxiously awaiting for the store to open. Her excitement was contagious. Thank you Steph."

Is she an interesting woman! Justine had a few last words to say, but I will post that up on Friday along with her final creation as a Paper Maniac guest designer. Come back on Friday to see what else she had to say as well as to the rest of the DT's creations using our weekly theme. Thanks for joining us today to learn a little bit more about Justine!