Farewell To The Original Team and Hello New Team!

We are but a few days away from the end of June and in the next week or so I will be introducing the new team so you get to know them a little bit more. 

It is with sadness though that the end of June will bring with it the end of the term of the Design Team. Sure this is the natural progression of things..but you see this was a very very very special team of women. I know this will sound pretty corny but I was very blessed to have all these people alongside me, creating a storm or supporting me and this site since March 2011. 

I really do not wish to get into the details, but towards the end of 2011 I went through a pretty difficult time . One of those things where your life changes from one minute to the next. I was pretty much about to give it all up, including Once Upon A..Sketch which I had worked so hard for. But ..as a team they held it all together for me. All of them, in their own way took over and did what they could and I am so grateful because here we are ..many months later and I am so glad I didn't let go of this. Thank you girls from the very bottom of my heart for all your efforts in helping me on a personal note and helping Once Upon A..Sketch reach where it is today. You all knew that Once Upon A..Sketch was more than just a challenge blog for me... It meant many many things to me during the last few months and you hung in there with me.  I know you might not believe me, but I simply could not have done this without you.  Your work ethic and professionalism is second to none and because of this and the outstanding level of work you produced each and every month we have, in my humble little opinion, set a very high standard for future Design Team members and participants alike. 

I might introduce a new team, and I might remove your photos from our sidebar...but you will always hold a very special place in my heart and I wish you nothing but the best. As I told you before, I will be looking for your names in the scrapping industry everywhere and support you all in whatever it is you choose to do. 

SO goodbye to...

Natalie Elphinstone - Australia

Natalie May - Australia  
Trudi Harrison - Australia 
LG Belarmino - The Philippines 
Irini Liolia - Greece
Gerry Van Gent - The Netherlands 
Heather Jacob - Australia
Bente Fagerberg - Sweden
Sandi Taloumis from the USA
Jasmine Shea from Australia 
Vicky Varvadouka from Greece
Pamela Young  from the USA
 Larissa Albernaz from Brazil
Lene Neby from Norway
Mahlin Wiggur from Sweden 
 Maiko Kosugi from Japan

and some of the original members that left us early....Vibeke Harila from Norway

Steph Devlin - Australia
Carole Janson - Australia
Irma Peredne - USA
Lou Dahlstrom - Australia
 Rossella Palladino -Italy
Helen Tilbury - South Africa 
Nerrida Mitchell - Australia  
  

So its " see you later" to my old team and hello to my brand new team (with a couple of oldies :) ) 

This next batch of ladies is also going to impress you very very much . I have already seen most of their July layouts and let me just tell you that you will be VERY inspired! They are hugely talented...so much that one cannot help but feel intimidated when their layouts are all collectively shown together. Just wait ' till the July reveal!

Today, I want to  also introduce you to one more person that sneaked into our Design Team very quietly and  very humbly asked not to make a separate announcement for her and not to make a big deal..! That says a lot about a  person I think! So its with much excitement that I introduce you to  Karola Witczak together with a few other members of the new Design Team

Karola Witczak (Poland) 

My name is Karola Witczak. I am an absolutely addicted scrapbooking Mommy to Rose and wife to Marcin. We live in Poland/Europe, near the border with Germany. I'm a pretty crazy woman, who is dedicated to my scrapbooking passion almost every day, for a few years now.  I am constantly trying to develop my passion - in different ways and stepping on different paths - from digital scrapbooking 6 years ago, to an intensive exploration of the intricacies of traditional scrapbooking, constant learning and teaching others as a scrapbooking instructor. Currently I am working as a freelance designer for a large group of scrapbooking companies, shops, projects, challenge blogs and I'm proud ambassador of many top brands and initiatives in my country of Poland and abroad like a Pink Paislee, Melissa Frances, Glitz Design and others... Sometimes I design products for scrapbooking - it gives me lots of joy and satisfaction. I am proud and honored to being Creative Director and Product Designer in The ScrapCake company, so it's my full time job which I make at home. In everyday life I create a LO's, cards, albums, and other things not directly related to scrapbooking - such as notebooks, home decors. 

It is hard to define my style, mostly my friends call it "Karola's style," and often hear that this is a soft, romantic, feminine, eclectic. I love shabby chic but with something modern. In most of my work you can usually see portraits of my daughter - I am absolutely in love with her face, and such pictures usually go to my Lo's and albums. Definitely I like all feminine, romantic themes, delicate, soft colors, I'm also dependent on the sewing machine, especially when I make cards. I love to add new things to my projects, but usually I have a big inspirations from patterned papers, flowers and interesting color palettes - I believe when I have a piece of paper I can create anything! Besides scrapbooking I love to cook, read (for the books I definitely spent much more money than for scrapbooking!), I'm a geek about thrillers and horrors in the books and films. I'm also a rock girl, but I love jazz and bossanova too, I love live music, coffee, and I am dependent on buying jeans and sneakers.

My Blog: Karola Witczak 

Luzma Bruna (Chile) 

First of all I want to say thank you so so much to Nadia for inviting me to be  designer of this fabulous site and share with such lovely and talented ladies.I feel so honored and I love her sketches. My name is Luz Maria but everybody calls me Luzma.  I`m almost 47 years old. I`ve been married for 17 years to Rodrigo.We have a girl of 15 call Bernardita (Nini) and a boy of 13 call Rodrigo (Yoyo).I began to scrap in March 2007 after I left my job ( travel agent) which I did for 20 years and now  I`m addicted!!! I also love everything crafty.I love cross stitch and knitting as well. Currently I am on the Design Teams for Bo Bunny and My Creative Scrapbook.  My Blog: Luzma's Scrap Place

Cathy Cafun (USA) 

Hi, my name is Cathy and I live in Queensland, Australia with my very supportive husband of 25 years and 2 teenage children Luke and Brittany.  Scrapping has been part of my life for about 7 years now and it’s an all-consuming passion!!I’m not sure of my style as it is constantly evolving, but I do love Shabby Chic/Vintage and am very partial to the grungy distressed look. My inspiration usually starts with photos of my family, and I just let my creations flow from there, but I also find inspiration from browsing blogs, online galleries & mags and all the ever-changing & exciting products out there.   My creations usually have elements of texture and dimension and I find fussy cutting, layering and distressing a wonderful way to achieve this.  I really enjoy experimenting with new techniques and am loving mixed media at the moment.  Currently, I am designing for, Meg’s Garden, Scrapmatts  Berry71Bleu & Bird is the Word. My blog is http://cathycafun.blogspot.com.au/ if you want to stop by and say hello.I'm  so excited to have been asked to be part of this fabulously talented group which make up the OUAS Design Team... thank you so much Nadia.

Efi Stamatelli (Greece) 

Hi there, my name is Efi Stamatelli!I live in Athens/Greece, but I was born and studied in Germany!I am happily married with Costas and have two adorable kids(Maria and Vassilaki)!I discovered scrapbooking 2 years ago and I have been hooked ever since, I am addicted and enjoy myself immensely when I am creating a mini album or a layout!My main inspiration comes from my family, because I feel that scrapbooking is a way of telling our own family story!This hobby helps me also to escape from this ‘crisis issue’ that has plunged my country as well as our psychology. I don't have a specific style; I'm still learning and discovering the wonderful world of scrapbooking. But when I create something, I love to use flowers pearls and crystals!I proudly design for Get Creative, our Greek challenge blog and also OUAS sister blog!!!I consider Nadia’s challenge blog to be one of the best out there, because it intrigues us to tell ‘our story’ writing pieces of journaling in our creations. I am sooooo thrilled to be part of OUAS amazing team!!!! Thank you so much Nadia for inviting me!!!!!My blog … http://greekscrapbooking.blogspot.com/

Kay Fatula  (USA) 

My name is Karla but I'm better known as Kay--a nickname I rec'd in college & it simply stuck.  I've loved arts/crafts my whole life.  I've been drawing since the first time I picked up my first crayon.  However, it wasn't until 2007 that I discovered scrapbooking & haven't looked back since.  Scrapbooking provides a means for me to release my artsy side & to document my life in order to pass down to future generations.  Along the way, I also discovered the art of stamping--I tend to stamp my own backgrounds & create my own designs.  I also enjoy doing the occasional altered art.  I've altered wooden frames, wooden boxes, mini albums & have done a couple of canvases.By day, I'm a senior level Quality Analyst working for a Fortune 100 global company. I'm married to a great guy that puts up with & supports my scrapbook & crafting addiction!  I have no kids as of yet.  Just one small fur-baby by the name of Toby who's my little ray of sunshine.  I have two sides to me--the technical/analytical side seen by day and the crafty/artistic side seen mostly by night.I'm looking forward to working with the OUAS team & to hopefully provide innovative inspiration to some of you along this new creative journey!To see more of my work or to learn more about me, please feel free to visit my blog:www.kayskreativekorner.blogspot.com

Erin Blegen  (USA) 

 Hi! My name is Erin Blegen, I'm 28 years old and live in rural Northeast Minnesota, USA. There my hubby Josh and I make our home in a little cabin in the woods along with our 3 beautiful children. We enjoy anything the outdoors has to offer and we live a fairly simple lifestyle that most people would not choose (no running water for starters lol)- but it's a good, quiet life and we like it that way :) I first started scrapbooking back in 2007 when my first child was born, completed one album, and then quit until July 2010 when my second child was born. Since then, I haven't looked back! In that time I"ve discovered my "style" which generally includes lots of beautiful layers, flowers, and distressing. I've also recently expanded my interests into cards and altered projects, which I've quickly fallen in love with! I'm a bit of a paper and flower collector, love to work with chipboard, and experimenting with different mediums.  I'm super excited to be joining the team at Once Upon A...Sketch. I've been a fan since discovering the site about a year ago, and have had the pleasure of getting to know Nadia through C'est Magnifique Kits, where I have the privilege of being on the design team with her. I also design for the Australian chipboard manufacturer Scrap FX, and Scrappin' Patch, a scrapbook store in New Zealand.You can find me at my blog: My Scrap Cabin

Stay tuned everyone as I introduce to you the rest of the team in the coming week!

Have a great day!