Guest Star Amy Bender!

Hi there! I'm Amy Bender and I live in Bethel, CT with my husband, Christian, and our two crazy kiddos, Gavin and Elizabeth, ages 8 and 4. We also have two neurotic cats who keep life interesting. Life is never dull around here! I like it that way. It keeps me on my toes!

I have been in Arts and Crafts all my life some how or another. My Mother, my Nanna, and my Nan have all been instrumental in fostering my creativity. They are my mentors, my guardians, and my angels in life. These three ladies taught me at a very young age everything they knew about Arts and Crafts. At a young age I was my mother's helper for her craft businesses. I went on to college for Studio Arts and Graphic Design with a concentration in Color Theory and Book Arts. Later on in life I used these skills to own and operate my own Scrapbook Store in Connecticut. It felt like a natural transition for me. I truly loved every moment of owning my store and helping my customers with their creative endeavours. Watching someone blossom and create something meaningful was so rewarding and made any struggle I face worth it.

Beyond my passion for the Arts, I have an insane infatuation with Cheshire Cats, Lucky Charms cereal, the color Pink!, Birkenstocks, and all things sparkly. I have quite the collection of each, except for the Lucky Charms! They are magically delicious! If there were ever pink, sparkley Birkenstocks with Cheshire Cats on them though...

The wreath is made with a slew of vintage buttons that were my Nanna's. The flowers on the wreath are created from instructions that Jenni gave me once at a trade show event. I adore these flowers!

You can read more on Amy's life and creativity on her blog, Moon Splash Designs.

Thanks for the inspiration Amy!