Welcome Go-to Gal, Betsy Veldman!

Jennifer Schaerer

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…it’s   Betsy Veldman, Superhero…er, I mean Paper Crafts Go-to Gal! With super powers that include cutting, stamping and gluing, plus weapons like stickers, super-sharp scissor hands, and glue gun, it’s no wonder we chose Betsy Veldman as one of our six new Paper Crafts Go-to Gals.

Her son beat us to it and awarded her Superhero status a few years ago (want to giggle? Read Betsy’s blog – it’s all about the expression on the littlest one’s face!), so we’ll just have to settle for working with her as a mere mortal. But since there’s nothing that isn’t super-powered about Betsy, set your mouse to super-scroll and read more about this super-scrapper paper crafter who grew up in small town North Dakota and now lives in Iowa.

Go-to Gal Betsy Veldman

1. Do you work outside the home? If so, what do you do? No, I do not work outside the home right now. When I did, before the birth of my third child, I worked as a floral designer.

If you noticed our Get Inspired column (p. 98) in our March/April 2009 issue, you saw Betsy’s flair for floral!

2. If a movie were to be made of your life, who would you cast to play the part of you? Gosh, I don’t know…I asked my husband and he said Alice from The Brady Bunch. What a romantic.

3. What song would you choose as the theme song for your life? The Sponge Bob theme song? Oh, wait, that’s just what I hear in the background 20 times a day!

4. What is one thing most people would be surprised to hear about you? That I hate to try different foods. I am such an American girl when it comes to my food choices…give me a hamburger and fries any day! My friends tease me and are constantly threatening to take me out and make me eat squid or something. 

[So now we know that sushi is probably not an option for our next Editorial Board meeting…but for Betsy, we’ll have burgers and fries at least once!]

5. What/who inspired you to start paper crafting? My sister was actually the one who got me started. She got into scrapbooking about the time I got married and she bought me an album and a bunch of supplies. It’s kind of funny that she would be the one to start me on it, since I have always been the craftier one.

6. What is your biggest paper crafting challenge? Organization! I make such a mess when I create and I wish I could find a way to keep it under control! Sometimes I feel like I spend more time cleaning and trying to organize than actually creating. Finding time is also a big challenge (this might also have something to do with all the time I spend cleaning???). With three little ones to keep up with, life is a bit crazy sometimes!

7. If you were only allowed two items to create a card beside cardstock and adhesive, what would they be? This is an easy one…stamps and my Cricut. Can’t live without either one!

8. What is your favorite occasion or holiday to paper craft and why? Christmas! I love creating little handmade gifts for friends and family. It’s a great excuse to spoil everyone with little treats. It might just be the handmade tags on the gifts, or a handmade card, but my friends and family enjoy getting something created from the heart.

[Watch for Betsy’s 15 Christmas projects in our upcoming special issue Holiday Cards & More, on sale August 25!]

9. How would you describe your style? I think my style is colorful, bright, full of details and has just a touch of vintage funk. 

Look for the supplies and instructions for Betsy’s adorable treat bag in our Sept/Oct issue, on sale in two weeks!

10. When is your favorite time to craft? Definitely late at night when the house is quiet. I drink a little caffeine around 9:00 p.m. and as soon as the little ones are tucked in bed, my mind starts to unwind and the creativity flows a lot easier than it does during the busyness of the day.

11. What sort of music do you listen to while crafting? Many times I just like to have it quiet and peaceful, since I usually craft late at night, but if I listen to anything, it’s usually just the radio.

12. How does your family participate in your paper crafting passion? My kids love to hang out with me in my craft room. It doesn’t always work out so well with the two-year-old, but my other two children love to craft with me, especially my 5-year-old daughter. She has her own stash of stuff and I love to see what her little creative mind comes up with!

13. When it comes to calls and deadlines, how do you keep yourself organized? I have a calendar hanging above my desk that I write all of the calls and deadlines on. It’s right above my computer, so it’s always right there in front of me!

14. Do you remember what Paper Crafts issue your first project appeared in? How has your style changed since then? Hmm…I think the first issue I was ever in was the August 2007 issue [Yep! She’s on pgs. 53, 57, and 75!]. I’m not sure how much my style has changed – I still love bright colors and lots of details, although I do feel like I’ve really grown as a designer since then. I’ve learned so much about different techniques and I think my work has become more polished. I also don’t think I owned more than a handful of stamps back then, and today stamps are such an integral part of my paper crafting.

15. What are you looking forward to most about being a Paper Crafts Go-to Gal? Working more closely with all the special people at Paper Crafts. They are such a joy to work with. Their creativity and vision for the magazine are just outstanding!

[Thanks, Betsy! We think you’re pretty special, too!]

16. Have you contributed to any design teams in the past or present? If so, which ones? Yes, I’ve contributed to quite a few design teams, past and present. Some of my past commitments include Tinkering Ink and Inque Boutique. Currently, I design for Papertrey Ink and Provo Craft (for their Cricut and Cuttlebug team). I also do a bit of freelance work for Die Cuts With a View for some of their QVC shows.

17. Name three designers whose styles you like and why they appeal to you. 

• Melissa Phillips (for the charm and amazing details she adds to her work)
• Dawn McVey (for her inspiring color combos!) 
• Heather Bailey (the color and pattern combinations in her fabrics blow me away! it also helps that my biggest love after paper is fabric!)

18. Do you have any advice/tips for someone who’s never been published or who wants to submit for the first time? It’s been said a million times, but you can’t be published if you don’t submit! And don’t give up if you’re not chosen the first time! I think I submitted for over a year before I had anything picked up by Paper Crafts. Also, take clear, crisp, bright photographs and make sure your work is clean and polished. When you see a call, print it out and go down the list…many times I try to make at least one card or project for every section of the call. It challenges me and gets my creative juices flowing.

And we’re happy to have those Superhero creative juices! Since Betsy loves stamps so much, especially those from Papertrey Ink, I’ve got some PTI stamp sets to give away. Leave Betsy a cheery welcome note in the comments section no later than midnight MST on Sunday, July 19 and I’ll pick six lucky winners!

Welcome aboard, Betsy!
Jennifer

P.S. It’s time to announce the winner from Cath’s Welcome Go-to Gal, Maren Benedict post!

Congrats to Brianna! (July 15, 1:36 p.m.)

Brianna, you’ve won an amazing prize package from Unity Stamp Company! Kelly will be contacting you shortly for your mailing address. Thanks to all who left so many welcoming comments for Maren!