This is me x

Hi I'm Elaine and I live in Southampton with my very own Mr T. I started crafting when I was younger getting an 'O' level in art at school. I began knitting myself jumpers and then progressed onto making baby clothes. My mum is a dress maker so perhaps some of her ability to play with materials rubbed off on me.

I used to do a lot of cross stitch and also made quilt. We had a brilliant craft shop nearby when I lived in Bicester and that's where I got into rubber stamping. I was a Brownie leader at that time and I'd stamp up paper for the girls to colour in and make Christmas, Mothers Day and Fathers Day cards. The girls always loved to take something home.

I seriously got into card making 3 years ago, to be honest cross stitch and wearing bifocals don't get on that well, and I found that stamping was a good way of being artistic and it's become my hobby. A year ago I watched Barbara Gray on Crate and Craft and I was hooked. It all looked easy, I tried it, it wasn't, so I bought her DVD's and then things fell into place (plus having a giggle at the out takes).

Mr T has encouraged me all the way to be creative and has set me up a little craft room in the small bedroom, I have lots of stamps but gradually getting them down to Clarity and Lavinia Stamps. I adore Pan Pastels as my hands are painful and they let me use them without too much pressure and the good thing is you can rub it out if you make a mistake.