My name is Kelly Morrison.  I live in Maple Valley, Washington with my husband Mike and our sons, Max (20) and Cody (17).  We also share our home with a lab/shar pei mix dog, Kana (9), and a cat, Graybee (13).  Oh, Max also has a bearded dragon (lizard) and a pacman frog.  We also have a daughter, Melissa (28), and three grandchildren, Josoph (8), Jonathan (6) and Lilly (2).  Max and Cody will be moving out soon and then Mike and I will be together with no kids in our home for the first time ever.  Wow! 

Mike and I have been married for 22 years, together for 26 years.  We recently purchased a Honda Goldwing motorcycle and are excited to enjoy touring the country.  Our first major ride is going to be from June 21 to July 2 when we will ride with a group of about 15 people and visit numerous state parks in Utah, Arizona, and Colorado.  I'm most looking forward to visiting Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon, and Arches State Park. 

I was born 12th in a family of 13 children.  We lived in the Seattle and Everett area until I was ten years old and then my younger sister, parents and I moved to Ketchikan, Alaska.  I moved back to the Seattle area when I was 16 and I've been here ever since.  My mom encouraged me to a very early love of reading, which I still embrace to this day.  My early creativity was primarily expressed through writing. 

I found PWA when I ordered some beads and discovered that I live so near the castle.  Suzanne and I met and now it is strange to think that there was a time when I didn't know her.  
 

I was introduced to stamping when I attended a D.O.T.S. party.  I've been stamping for about twelve years or so now.  I've worked at conventions as a demo/make-n-take artist as well as taught at local stamping/scrapping stores.  I enjoy scrapbooking and have LOADS of pictures to get into albums.  For some reason, though, I'm more likely to create a piece of altered art or a card than I am to sit down and scrap.   My scrapbook pages are much simpler than my other crafts, mostly because I just want to get them done.  I'm an "immediate gratification" kind of gal, I guess!  When it comes to scrapbooking, my favorite project was a group of pages with an original story I wrote as a baby gift for a friend.

I really enjoy collage work, altered art, and I'm particularly drawn to techniques that achieve a big "wow" factor in a quick and easy way.   I love to stamp bold images in vibrant colors and then cover the whole piece with clear PWA micro beads.  I love to add color by stippling, as opposed to detail painting/coloring.  I like the shadow stamping technique, also.  I definitely color outside the lines --- not only in my art but also in my life!  Accuracy and consistency are not my strong points, so I'm not one to make the same thing over and over.  I can be accurate in small doses, for projects such as bookmaking, when I need to be. 

I am especially inspired by new products, new images, and challenges.  I tend to create most to meet a need, either in myself or others.  For example, I am often inspired by my need to reach outside myself, particularly when I am feeling most sad or depressed.  This is when I will seek to break free through creativity, particularly creating and sending cards or other items to friends, family and, occasionally, strangers.  Also, I am especially motivated artistically when I am developing projects to share with others through classes and gifts.  In contemplating this, I recognize that I rarely create just for the sake of creating, it is nearly always with a specific purpose in mind. 

I am so blessed to have an entire room dedicated to crafting.  Unfortunately, organization and neatness are not my strong points and it is almost constantly in a state of disarray.  Like many artists, I am an accumulator, and my craft room shows this.  It seems that no matter how big an open space I start with, I inevitably end up working in a space about the size of a T.V. tray. 

I attribute my talents as a gift from God.  He is the ultimate creator and He gives each of us a portion of His creative character.  Have you ever thought of God as an artist?  Look at nature, the amazing palette of colors, the shapes, the textures and combinations!  Whether it is something as small as a blade of grass or something as majestic as Mt. Rainier, I love to consider the subtle and not so subtle layers of creativity expressed in nature.  The same can be said of the layers of human nature; personality traits, character, spirit, physical attributes --- How amazing it all is!

Thank you for choosing me as AOTW.  Big hugs to you all!

Kelly