My name is Lara Medina, I live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, with my husband, our 4 children and our Boston terrier. We are all creative. All of our kids love different aspects of art. Some of my guilty pleasure TV shows are Housewives of OC, Make Me a Supermodel, Peter Perfect, We Mean Business, and My Name is Earl.
squooshie button kit - 10 pack
Apart from creating art, what do you do?
I am a stay at home and work at home Mom. My hubby and I run a photography biz from home, so we are able to be here with our little guy and for our kids when they get home from school. It’s awesome. I love to cook, paint, and play “Lips” with my kids on Xbox. Shhhhhh, I can’t sing, but I love to pretend I can, and recently I have become addicted to Twitter.
lovin' life 12x12 paper art kit
What first made you want to become an artist?
I think I have always had a creative side to me. When I was younger I was not sure what medium I should focus on. I discovered scrapbooking and creating handmade albums a bit by accident. A few years ago, I had a prolonged illness and decided I needed something to take my mind off of it. My kids and I visited the craft store and picked up some card making supplies. Since my husband is a photographer we had many photos to experiment with. I used some of the card making supplies to create an album layout and I was hooked. My first few pages were horrendous! Eventually, I found my style and began to grow into it. I have created pages and albums for friends, family, and eventually, I opened my shop on Etsy.
rustic 2-sided file tabs - set of 32
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I have a small craft station in my home office. My supplies are organized but my table top is usually covered with works in progress, kits I am putting together, and my new Etsy purchases. I create when I have time and inspiration--often these do not happen at the same time. I try to accomplish something everyday--research, buying supplies or just gaining inspiration from others. I use many handmade items purchased from Etsy shops in my projects. I also love using recycled items in my albums and kits. I currently store about 30 boxes under my desk waiting to be turned into journaling spots or other embellishments.
crate paper 12x12 paper & ribbon kit
What artists have influenced you and inspire you to create?
Ali Edwards, for her clean, simple design, Elsie Flanigan whose work is cute and quirky, Teresa Collins for her edginess and so many people on Flickr have inspired me to create.
wanted - custom altered 12x12 canvas
Where else can people find your work?
My work can be found in my Etsy shop, my blog, Flickr stream, and maybe one day I'll be featured on Martha Stewart! I can dream, right?!
Photos in this post are by and copyright of Artful Memories.
