Creative Experts


Some of the industry's hottest creative experts will be joining us this year; many will be teaching workshops, offering demos, and mingling with attendees. Meet your favorite expert for some face-to-face inspiration at ScrapFest 2008!

Tim Holtz

Tim has been stamping for over five years and is currently the Designer and Senior Educator for Ranger Industries. He travels and teaches all over the country, and is always in awe at the excitement and creativity each person shares when they get together. He is a frequent guest on HGTV's Carol Duvall Show. He is the author of books such as An Altered Journey and creator of signature products with Ranger such as Distressed Inks and Alcohol inks.


Jennifer McGuire

Jennifer, a 2002 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famer, has been scrapbooking and stamping for about five years. Previously an engineer, she left her job in order to scrapbook full-time. Jennifer has had numerous designs published in Creating Keepsakes magazines and idea books, Autumn Leaves’ Designing With books, and several other publications. Her work can be seen each month in Creating Keepsakes’ “Tool Time” article, where she shows many things you can do with one tool or product, along with a bi-monthly article on creatingkeepsakes.com. A book based on this article, 101 Things To Do With Your Scrapbook Supplies, was released in June 2007. Jennifer also works as a designer for Hero Arts, contributing to their designs, catalogs, and website. She most enjoys traveling the world teaching stamping classes. Jennifer lives in Cincinnati with her husband Ken, son Colin (2), and sweet step-daughters Kay (13), and Audrey (10).


Erin Madsen

Sometimes great opportunities present themselves when you least expect them—just ask Erin! She was working as a bank teller when she met Nancy Hill, founder of Die Cuts With A View, and the rest is history! Erin has been with Die Cuts With A View for more than four years now, working as a designer and instructor. She loves scrapbooking and card-making, and loves the opportunity to share them with others. Erin has two children, Troy and Colt, and an equally time-consuming pug puppy named Jack.


Danielle Diak

As Education Coordinator for EK Success, Danielle oversees most of the company's education efforts at industry trade shows and with key vendors, including demonstrations, make-and-takes, classes, and display projects. She also manages the 12 members of the EK Success Creative Artist Team. A graduate of Colorado State University, Danielle previously worked as an elementary school teacher during the week and as an assistant manager at a local scrapbook store on the weekends. At EK Success, Danielle combines her love of teaching with her love of scrapbooking.


Andria Gibson

A graduate of the University of Iowa Business College, Andria has been a passionate scrapbook artist for over eight years. Her love of scrapbooking became the inspiration behind the Reminisce retail store, located in Coralville, Iowa. Together with her husband, Matt, they launched the Reminisce brand of products in 2003. Andria has shared her scrapbooking passion with thousands at conventions, women's organizations, and classes. She has a love for learning and an even greater love for teaching people to preserve their family legacies for generations to come. Most importantly, Andria loves spending time with her husband, Matt, and her daughters Ella and Vivian. She enjoys distance running and has completed two marathons.


Joanna Campbell Slan

Joanna Campbell Slan is the author of Paper, Scissors, Death: A Scrapbooking Mystery, featuring scrapbooker extraordinaire Kiki Lowenstein. She's also written seven technique books, and is the founder of the Best of British Scrapbooking contest. Always a trendsetter, Joanna was among the first to use silk flowers on pages, add felt to layouts, and ink the edges of photos and paper. She has taught scrapbooking in England, online, and on cruise ships, as well as at major craft conventions. A former columnist for Creating Keepsakes, her articles have appeared in Making Memories and online at About.com.

Joy Macdonell

As Education Director at EK Success, Joy spearheads all of the company's retailer and consumer educational initiatives, including its proprietary Scrapbook Design and You™ program, a 10-class, in-store curriculum, focused on scrapbooking fundamentals. In addition, Joy is the host of Do It Yourself Network's (DIY) Greetings From DIY, a workshop series that helps viewers turn personal correspondence into works of art.

Joy's philosophy is that "there is no wrong way to scrapbook, but if you know the fundamental theories and techniques, you will be empowered to create any page with your own style." Joy's love for scrapbooking is inspired by her husband Duncan, and children, Joy and Devin.

Amy Brinkman and Nancy Martinez

Amy and Nancy are the founders of Cloud 9 Design, a leading-edge scrapbook manufacturing company located in Osseo, MN. Both Amy and Nancy have been involved in the scrapbooking industry for over 10 years. In 2002, they came together to form Cloud 9 Design, and last year sold their business to Fiskars Brands, Inc., where they continue to create and design all of the Cloud 9 Design products. This new partnership allows them to dig into their creativity and devote more of their time to developing a great range of products with a trendy, upscale feel.

Stephanie Kissner

Stephanie has been creatively making her mark since she could hold a crayon—just ask her mom about the autograph on the downstairs wallpaper! Born and raised in Minnesota, Stephanie fine-tuned her creative abilities in college and developed them into a graphic design career specializing in consumer branding and packaging. She worked in print shops, created brands, and helped launch products across the country. After designing packaging, catalogs, and more for Fiskars, she began drawing and creating Ink by Steph scrapbooking products. Through her work and travels, she’s developed a unique style that combines her two favorite things—shopping and design. Her fun, trendy lines are inspired by where she’s been, what she loves, and a little piece of home.

Angela Daniels

Angela, Lead Fiskateer for Fiskars, describes herself as an obsessed scrapbooker. Her scrapbook pages and projects have been published in nearly every major crafting magazine. She recently spent 2½ years as a cast member for Scrapbook LifeStyle, an online scrapbooking reality show for Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. When Angela is not scrapping with her favorite Fiskars products, she’s blogging, spending time with her husband and two children, reading, critiquing reality television shows, following her favorite comedians, reading Spider Man comics, exploring the beautiful Sierra Nevada wilderness in her backyard of Reno, Nevada, and snacking on candy.

Stephenie Hamen

Stephenie describes herself as a lover of all things paper-craft related. Stephenie began scrapbooking in college, after a trip to Colorado, and was hooked. Once her boys were born, the passion truly enveloped her life. In 2005, Stephenie began teaching and later became one of the four founding Lead Fiskateers in 2006. After two years, she joined the Fiskars team in Madison, WI, and, in June 2008, became Fiskars’ Design & Consumer Education Manager. Her position gives her the opportunity to educate, motivate, and inspire crafters on a much larger scale. Stephenie says, “Crafting is my life and Fiskars is my home!”

Samantha Walker

Samantha has always enjoyed creating with any kind of medium—perhaps that’s why her Creative Imaginations product line changes so much from season to season. Samantha enjoys photography, acrylics, collage, and using a computer to create one-of-a-kind art. She is a 2005 Memory Makers Master and Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year finalist. When she’s not scrapbooking or designing, she loves to be creative in the kitchen, whether it’s baking bread, making jam, or creating her own recipes. Samantha lives in Utah with her husband, Jonathan, and their three children.

Becky Fleck

Becky is a designer, teacher, and project manager for BasicGrey and has been scrapbooking since she was a child. She loves the creative process and is particularly fond of altering found objects. Becky also owns and operates www.pagemaps.com, a free community sketch resource for scrapbookers and card-makers. In February 2008, she released a book from Memory Makers called Scrapbook PageMaps, featuring over 60 sketches. When she’s not designing or scrapbooking, Becky enjoys fly fishing, camping, and watching football—she is a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan. She and her husband live on a cattle ranch on the Yellowstone River in Montana with their two yellow labs, Jackson and Hannah.

Shari Carroll

Shari began stamping for Hero Arts in 1989 as a replication artist. As years passed, she found her own style through exploring and developing techniques with inks, papers, and rubber stamps. Her work has been featured in magazines such as Somerset Studio, The Gallery, Take Ten, Stampers Sampler, The Rubber Stamper, Paper Crafts, Creating Keepsakes, and Memory Makers. Shari has also contributed to Autumn Leaves’ Designing with Stamps and Designing with 2006 books. In 2006, her book, Layers, a 128-page book of step-by-step projects for scrapbookers, paper-crafters, and rubber stamp enthusiasts, was released from North Light Books. Shari lives in Illinois with her husband of 21 years, Tom, sons Brooks (20) and Scooter (18), their friend Chris (19), and the family German Shepherd, Cede.

Sharon Ann & Lori Marek

Sharon lives in a beautiful small town in Colorado with her husband of 19 years, Kevin, and their four children, Jordan, Kori, Kacey, and Keaton, where the family owns and operates organic orchards. She works out of her home, part-time, on the product development and design team for Déjà Views, specifically designing the Sharon Ann Collections and Wonderful Words hand-lettered rub-ons and stickers.

She is inspired by her husband, whose support and love always inspire her to achieve her goals and dreams; her mom, who has always encouraged her through word and example to exercise and utilize God-given talents; and friends that she is blessed to be able to work with through her job. When she is not designing for Déjà Views, she enjoys gardening, photography, cooking, traveling, shopping, and reading.


Jennifer Wohlenberg

Jennifer began scrapbooking after the birth of her second daughter, in 1997. She was inducted into Creating Keepsakes’ Hall of Fame in 2002 and has been a teacher at Creating Keepsakes University and other scrapbooking conventions for the past six years. Her favorite part about this hobby is mixing her two great loves—photography and journaling. Jennifer lives with her husband and three daughters in Southern California, where she runs a photography and custom scrapbook business. When not scrapbooking, taking pictures, or teaching, Jennifer loves quad shot mochas, bargain-hunting at Target, and rooting for the Dodgers!


Marah Johnson

Marah grew up in a family whose motto was, and still is, “to think and be outside the box.” Her parents—an artistic mother and a father who taught her to love the written word—both believed in the importance of imagination and cultivation of creativity. As a teen, it was not unusual to find Marah perusing local flea markets, wandering through card shops, or spending hours at art supply stores. Experimentation is the key to Marah’s art—she is always striving to try something new, whether it’s new combinations of colors, textures, or techniques. On any given day, she can be found in her studio with a blowtorch in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. A designer for Creative Imaginations, Hampton Arts, and Michael Miller Fabrics, Marah currently resides in California with her three daughters.


Jan Lanoy

Jan is the owner and initial designer for Bo-Bunny Press. Her passion for creativity evolved from painting her own furniture and murals in her bedroom at age 11 to her current love, designing paper, stickers, and products used by scrapbook lovers all around the world. "I still feel a thrill when I see Bo-Bunny products in a store, or better yet, Bo-Bunny products used by a mother or friend to design a layout that preserves their special memory." Jan's other loves: her husband Don, her three sons, and her grandchildren, Michael, Rachel, and Alissa.


Kara Wylie

Kara Wylie says, "Working with and teaching for Heidi is a dream, and I couldn't be happier to be part of the Heidi Swapp team!" Kara has been scrapbooking for almost 10 years and has been published in all of the major scrapbooking magazines. When she is not traveling, she is hanging out at home in Dallas with her husband, Steve, of five years, and her five dogs. "Yep, FIVE dogs," says Kara, "life is crazy!"


Kimberly Roberto

Kimberly is an accomplished scrapbooker, crafter, and business owner. In 2003, she founded Scrappy Cat—a scrapbooking and stamping company. Over the past several years, she has developed new products, taught numerous classes at industry events, and still makes time to create personal scrapbooks and projects to celebrate family and friends. Kimberly’s work has appeared in many magazines, including Simple Scrapbooks, Memory Makers, and Creating Keepsakes. She has been recognized for fun, innovative ideas, as well as photography, and is always exploring new ideas to share with the scrapbooking community. Kimberly lives in Ohio with her husband, Chris, and their three children, Jenny (9), Jacob (7), and Jordan (5).


Julianna Hudgins

As an innovative expert, TV personality, author, and designer, Julianna has turned millions of people on to the joys of crafting. A spokesperson for the Ellison Prestige and Sizzix brands, Julianna travels the country and abroad teaching unique die-cutting techniques for paper-crafting, home décor, jewelry, and fashion. She has appeared on television programs like HGTV’s Carol Duval Show, PBS’s Scrapbook Memories, DIY Scrapbooking, Discovery Channel’s Home Matters, Shop at Home TV, QVC, and the Home Shopping Network. Julianna was also recognized as one of the “Top Eight Scrapbooking Authorities” by the DIY Network and has penned four books on crafting. In addition, her work and words continue to be featured in popular hobby publications. She also represented the Craft & Hobby Association at the Japan Hobby Show in Tokyo, where she presented the latest trends and techniques for paper-crafting. Julianna lives with her husband, Rich, son Josh, and boxer dog, Billybob.