So Canadian Eh? : Craftberry Bush

Please welcome the amazingly talented 

Lucy from Craftberry Bush.

She is....

Lucy's blog, Craftberry Bush is a collection of gorgeousness. 

Her talent for creating beautiful things has me awestruck. She is a Canadian Martha, her blog full of fabulous crafts, art, tutorials, homemade goodies for the kids, food, creative mantel-scapes, and the list can go on. 

Her talent doesn't just stop there. Her photos are magazine worthy, impeccably styled to perfection.

All that has gotten her noticed, she has been featured in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, and Mes Petits Mains, and on well known websites such as Apartment Therapy, Babbly, Funky Junk, Tip Junkie, and Censtational Girl.

Just check out the photos of her work, all styled and shot by her!

Water colour paper roses...

Fall Mantel-scape...

Handmade pillows....

DIY Chalk paint...

Faux cross stitch art.

Tell us a bit about your background?  Your education?  Has design always been in your blood?

My early childhood was heavily influenced by an extended family of self-taught artists and musicians.  I suppose creativity is in my genes, but I’m sure having been surrounded by canvases and paints at such an influential age helped to develop my love of art.

While art is my passion, I wanted to explore other opportunities through education and initially studied Marketing.  I soon realized how much I enjoyed working with children and transitioned to early childhood education.  I then went on to teach art classes to young children at a local studio for several years.

How would you describe your design style?

I feel my style is constantly changing so it would be difficult to say I have one specific design style.  I have always been drawn to French Country farm and most recently developed a new appreciation for the all white airy feeling of Scandinavian décor.  As you can imagine, this sometimes creates an internal conflict for an artist who also adores colour.

How long have you had your blog?  What made you decide to start writing a blog and what have you enjoyed the most about blogging?

I began Craftberry Bush in July 2010.  Initially, it was intended to serve as a means of keeping an electronic photo journal for our children, but over time, the blog began to evolve and became a medium for me to express myself through my art. 

No longer having Craftberry Bush be solely dedicated to our children is something I admittedly often feel guilty about; although I hope I have been able to maintain the essence of the blog by sharing a little bit of my life through my family's successes and hardships, thus incorporating both creative as well as spiritual inspiration.  

Reflecting back, I think what I have enjoyed most about blogging has also been the most surprising aspect of this journey and that is the amount of encouragement and bonds formed within the blogging community.  Within many of my posts, you’ll find me trying express my appreciation for ‘friends’ who take the time to visit and/or leave a comment.  I truly feel honoured and blessed to have met so many wonderful people.

What are your hopes and dreams for your blog?  Your future?

I have a few hopes and dreams for Craftberry Bush. 

I had mentioned the encouragement and bond of the blogging community took me by surprise, but it has also served as a great source of inspiration for me.  My hope is that I can give back and inspire others to put aside their fears and use art to express themselves. 

My dream is that Craftberry Bush will continue to evolve.  Being a stay at home mom affords our family many benefits that I wouldn’t trade for the world, but it also means we’re a one income home.  As my blog has evolved, I can’t help but think how wonderful it would be to use my art as a means to contribute to our home monetarily.  I recently began accepting sponsors and after much debate, am in the process of setting up an Etsy shop.  I have been reluctant in setting up a shop as it’s important to me that I’m able to maintain what I believe is the close knit feel of Craftberry Bush, but I feel the time now is right.

My hope and dream for my future is not necessarily blog related (although I’m certain I would document the experience).  I believe we are never too old to pursue our dreams and one day hope to travel with my family to a less fortunate part of the world and help build shelters, churches, schools and water wells for those in need. 

You are such a DIY diva, where do you find your inspiration for all the creative projects you do?

My husband just chuckled as I read “DIY diva” to him.  I am a strong believer that inspiration surrounds us all and we just need to open our eyes to not only what is directly in front of us.  There is so much beauty in the world that we take for granted and I remain in awe when I stop to appreciate it.  But sometimes when it’s late at night and a nature walk just isn’t viable, there’s always Pinterest. 

Your projects have been featured on many high profile websites, what tips do you have for others in getting their work noticed?

My hope has always been to give back via my art and so I consider myself very fortunate to have been noticed by a few of the higher profile sites as they have provided the platform to reach a greater audience.  That said, I’m not about my ‘follower’ count.  I do have an immense appreciation for anyone who chooses to follow and admittedly get excited when approaching a milestone. That they’ve chosen to ‘follow’ my creative journey, makes me appreciate them that much more. 

The beauty of the digital world we live in – once you put your project out there, you somewhat lose control.  You unknowingly relinquish some of the ownership as it becomes open for public consumption. 

If you’re looking to be ‘noticed’, I would highly recommend you consider these four things:
1) Link – Participating in ‘linky’ parties is not only a great way to gain exposure, but you’ll likely meet and be inspired by new people.

2) Use social Media – The internet, and more specifically social media, serves as a boundary-free vehicle that can catapult your project.  Your blog provides but one entry point for exposure so use FB, Twitter, and the increasingly popular Pinterest (which is my number one source of traffic right now) to drive awareness to new posts.

c) “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” – Make your final project stand out from the rest by paying attention to detail through your presentation, staging and photography.  Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a fancy camera to take great pictures.  In fact, I only began using my DSLR 5 months ago, as my first year of blogging was all documented with a little 8 year old point and shoot camera.

d) Be yourself – My advice, or the advice you read elsewhere is just that…advice.  If it doesn’t feel right for you, don’t follow it.  When you think back to when you first created your blog, the likelihood is that you created it for you.  Yes, we all crave validation, but never lose sight of who the blog is for.  In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “You’re on your own, and you know what you know.  And you are the guy/gal who’ll decide where to go.”

Tell us one thing about you that would surprise us!

While I would like to think of myself as being creative with the ability to think outside the box, please never ask me to draw a box.  Because I can’t.  Honestly.  I am linear challenged.  It’s quite sad.

Oh, and I am belong to a women's soccer league and play both indoor and outdoor soccer (and no, I can’t kick straight either).

If you could meet anyone or do anything who or what would it be?

I would have loved to meet Dr. Seuss.  He is simply brilliant.  While art truly is in the eye of the beholder and comes in many forms, his genius transcends barriers and his work is as relevant today as the day it was created.  

Now for the record, I would have also said Jesus…but it’s a given I will meet Him one day.

 What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time?  What’s that?  As a mother of three young children, our schedules – not unlike those of many others – can be pretty hectic at times.  Apart from family, I have a few other passions in life and try to use whatever free time I’m afforded to find a healthy balance between those passions – be it exercising or creating projects for Craftberry Bush.

What are your views on the role of Canadian design?  Do you feel that Canadians have a unique sense of style, the way we design and decorate our homes?  If so, what do you think sets us apart?

When describing Canadians sense of style, I don’t know if I would use the word ‘unique’, so much as ‘diverse’.  That is by no means meant to be derogatory as I truly believe the beauty of Canadian design is that it’s not limited to one influence, but is instead comprised of the many facets of the multiculturalism we embrace here in Canada.   

Such wise words and fabulous advice Lucy! 




XO Barbara