***Flygirl Fridays***

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take a course called "Flying Lessons" given by a very talented artist - Kelly Rae Roberts. It was an excellent course that covered such topics as letting go of yours fears, going after your true passion, and many other things. One of the best things about the course was, I got meet and learn about a lot of talented artists, all in on different paths, but all working towards making their dreams come true and learning to take flight. Flygirl Fridays is all about these wonderfully talented people and a little bit about them, so you can get to know them as well!

Please join me in welcoming

Ursula from Easy Scraps!

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?

Hi all! My name is Ursula and I started Easy Scraps with my friend, Heidi about 10 months ago. Our vision was to provide high quality scrapbooks, that were mostly finished, for those who don’t have the time or supplies to make their own. Our scrapbooks enable even a brand-new scrapbooker, to create a beautiful album in an afternoon. Since I am a Rubber Stamper also, we added a line of stamps that will work in scrapbooks, cards, ATCs, you name it! Our scrapbooks also come in Digital format, where the page is already created for you. Just layer your photos and print! Or print and then layer- either way works! Our goal is to provide products that are easy enough to be used by beginners, but in the hands of an Advanced crafter, could become something even more spectacular!! Visit our blog for ongoing ideas of things you can do with our Scrapbooks and Rubber Stamps!

What is something that you really love, and why?
I love to Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook. Scrapbooking to me is the most personal Art form. It is a way to celebrate your family, your friends, your love, your desires, your dreams. I hope that when I leave this earth, my scrapbooks will be around for my children, so they know how proud I am of them, and how much I truly loved them by taking the time to document their lives. I don’t cook, hate it with a passion, so this is my gift to them, and it is a lot less fattening than cupcakes after school!!

Rubber Stamping is my escape. It is the one hobby that I can play at, and get lost in just seeing what I can make those little suckers do! I have stamped on walls, vases, clothing, and a friend just recently used our stamps on fondant!!

What would your dream project be?

My dream project would be to design a line of Rubber Stamps. Oh wait- I am already doing that, LOL! Well, my dream would be that other people discover them, and want to use them in their own projects! Because I love to stamp and scrapbook, I want others to be able to do so easily, ( even beginners) so they can derive the same joy that I experience! For example, our scrapbooks use frames that are sized for common photo sizes- no cropping or re-sizing is necessary. Our stamp designs have a left and right side version when needed, and many come in different sizes. So, no matter if you are making a scrapbook page, a card or ATC, the stamp images can still work.


What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
I have been given lots of advice, some of which I heeded and some (like stay out of the sun), which I did not (and usually came to regret that later). But one thing that I really wish I had been told when I was younger, and so I try to pass that wisdom on, is how important English (Language Arts ) is! See- I am sure that was a run-on sentence with many grammatical errors! Language Arts is so important, no matter your occupation. If you want to get ahead, then you need to be able to read, write and speak well!!

Where does you inspiration come from?
Everywhere!! My kids, my yard, my friends. I adore reading, although I don’t have as much time for that as I would like. Also, when I teach a class, or hang out with my artsy friends, I usually have an excellent day of creating afterwards. I especially like driving in the car. I get lost in thought and come up with all sorts of ideas while I drive. I do miss a lot of exits though!

What do you think is the biggest thing holding you back?

Time and Fear. Not enough time to do all the things we should be doing to get our name out there, and not enough confidence that we are good enough, to make the time to do those things. Also, the cost of making the products. Because we are so small, we get no break on pricing, and so our products then need to be priced a bit higher. However, if you factor in how many stamps you get in one sheet, or the time and materials you would need to create a scrapbook from scratch, we think our products are still great deals!

What change do you think would most help your business grow?

I’m not sure- if I knew, I probably would be doing it! I’d love to have this be my main job, but there it is again- Fear!

What’s the biggest thing that you took with you from Flying Lessons?

Being part of the Facebook group! It is the most wonderful group of ladies- supportive, funny, creative, talented! I don’t get to spend nearly enough time on the Facebook group, or on everyone’s blogs, but I am making more of an effort to do so. Each visit brings me a huge smile!! Even this interview is an example of how caring and supportive our group is! Thanks for posting and I hope to return the favor!!



Our sites:

·   http://www.EasyScraps.com (from here you can get to everything else)

·   http://www.EasyScraps.com/blog there are actually multiple blogs here- My blog, and Heidi’s blog contain ideas, tutorials etc. And there is one for Easy Scraps news and one for technology tips, and one that has work by our kids.

·   http://www.EasyScraps.com/gallery this is where we have samples and instructions

·   Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/easy_scraps

·   Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Easy-Scraps/193149920717890