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Nurture your Creative Side with Abbi Kirsten!

Nurture your Creative Side with Abbi Kirsten! main article image
Posted on August 20, 2021 by Creative Fabrica The Artistry
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It was a pleasure for us to chat with Abbi, the creator, and owner behind Abbi Kristen Collections! Abbi is a blogger, author, Cricut lover, and papercraft designer, and it doesn’t stop there. She is also a wife, mama, daughter, sister, and entrepreneur. Abbie has a passion for helping other craft-lovers start their own business, and she shares her stunning crafts and DIY projects on Facebook and Instagram too. 

Can you tell us some more about yourself and how your crafting journey began?

I started my small shop on Etsy in 2014, still known as Catching Colorflies Designs because I realized I needed to find myself outside of Motherhood and Wifehood. After my shop opened, I started my blog Abbi Kirsten Collections, my parent brand, which unexpectedly blossomed into one of the most popular craft blogs on the internet! My small business has launched into a career, and I have been honored to work with many well-known companies like Michaels Craft Store, Cricut, HGTV, and Brivbdal magazine, and many others.

As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed crafting. Believe it or not, my talents haven’t always come easy to me, but rather through hard work, which continually forces me to discover creativity within myself, which I never knew existed. When I am not crafting rainbows of color in my studio, you can find me designing new crafts and printables on my couch while cuddling with my two kids, my husband, and my two dogs. My bucket of creative ideas is always overflowing, and spreading the joy of crafting is truly why I love what I do! In addition to my love (ahem..obsession) for colorfully crafting, I have a passion for helping other creative dreamers launch their own businesses and achieve lasting success!

You create the most stunning paper crafts. How did you find your way to paper crafting? 

I started paper crafting just for fun one afternoon when I saw some paper florals in a window display. I did some research and started to figure out how to make my own. Not long after I taught myself how to use graphic software to digital create templates for paper crafts/florals that I could share with other crafters. 

How did you learn and develop your crafting skills? 

I’m always researching and trying new things! I think experimenting is a crafter’s best friend. I also love to watch and learn from others who have developed a particular skill set beyond what I have. With my paper florals specifically, there is no better teacher than nature! I often look at real flowers to develop my techniques!

Your tutorials are so inspiring and fun to watch, where do you get your inspiration from?

Aside from other inspiring crafters around me online I usually find myself scribbling down random thoughts on post its and then thinking of a way to use that idea as a craft. For example, I found myself experimenting with using iron-on vinyl on cardstock last year. Around the same time, I wanted to make a fun teacher appreciation craft too with a template for my readers. As a result, I made some paper crayon gift boxes with iron-on vinyl custom details. Vision plus experimentation makes for inspiring results every time!

What do you love most about crafting and teaching people how to craft?

Oh, gosh! Where do I begin? First, I love seeing others create their interpretation of what I share, creativity is very free for interpretation and comes in many forms – seeing those variations is such a beautiful thing. 

My second favorite aspect of teaching others is when a new crafter is just starting their creative journey and needs help. I love taking them from overwhelmed or confused to excited and passionate about their craft. 

And last but not least, I love to deliver on requests. My community often looks for very specific help and if I don’t have a tutorial on it yet, I love to create one! Serving my creative friends is a great joy for me.

Do you have any tips for those wanting to start and grow their own YouTube crafting channel?

Absolutely! Consistency is key. Post regularly and listen to what your audience wants. And always be detailed. In the craft niche, people would much rather have too much info and detail than not enough and feel lost! Also, be prompt to reply to questions – nothing is worse than posting a video and forgetting about your viewers, and not coming back to answer questions.

What does your workspace look like, and do you have any tips to organize your craft supplies and create an inspiring workspace?

Currently, I have an upstairs loft area but I used to work on my dining table. I wanted to share my craft room set up with my community so I created a full tour of my craft space from all angles and a list of my favorite resources to stay organized! I even designed a craft room organization binder for my fellow crafters to use to declutter their space!

Most importantly with any craft space make sure it is arranged in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and brings inspiration to your work. If it is cluttered or full of trash your creativity will feel choked. Decorate the space with colors or styles that naturally spark your creativity.

 

 

 


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