[Birthday Bash] The 4-1-1 on Danielle Walls

Hello Neat & Tangled fans! We are on Day 5, but who is counting ;) Today I have something special to share with you. Keep reading to find out what it is.

But before we continue I have a Public Service Announcement for the Neat & Tangled lovers.

Any purchase that you make during our Birthday Month, Danielle will include this little cutie for free in your purchase. Be one of the first to have one of them, and on the house.

If you are sequin lovers, there is a special sequins color combo that Danielle has for you to help celebrate any special day. They are a set of rich, gorgeous jewel colors. For those of you who picked up your Little Tangles Perk from yesterday, please note that a lot of sequins are out of stock, but they will be in by the end of the week, early next week. So don't despair...

So that special something? I have the down-low, the inside scoop on the lovely & talented Danielle Walls. If you do not know who Danielle is, I will let you in on a secret. She's the owner, brain-child, designer, and operations of Neat & Tangled Stamps - yep a one-superwoman-show.

I had a chance to sit down and get to know Danielle a little better. And I even had a chance to meet her in person (I have proof). I was really impressed by her passion for crafting, commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and her love for family and her two sweet boys. Moreover her kind, sweet nature was just so easy to get along with.

So grab a cuppa and come back to enjoy this post. It's a little long but it's worth while your read.

[Ren-Yi] 

Hi Danielle, Thank you for taking the time out to do this little interview with me. We would like to give Neat & Tangled fan and Little Tangles supporters a little glimpse into your life. Many people already know you through your other extensive paper crafting activities, but I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to ask you anything and everything ;) Are you ready?

[Danielle]

As ready as I'll ever be! Wait...let me grab a glass of wine :)

[Ren-Yi]

Let's get to know you a little bit. If you had to choose 5 words to describe you, what would they be and why?

[Danielle]

Committed - Whether it be to work, friends, or family. Once I start something I finish it, and I'll make sure to do the best I can. I am fiercely loyal. My friends are my friends for life (my very best friend and I have been together since kindergarten!). Occasionally this committed-ness bites me in the butt because I have trouble saying no and have a tendency to wear myself out occasionally.

My BFF and I earlier this year after running a 5k!

Quirky - My interests, hobbies and sense of humor are all over the place! 

Quiet - I'm introverted by nature. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy going out or being social.  I just don't talk unless I really have something to say haha! Obviously when I am with close friends or family it's different. But if I'm in a large crowd I tend to sit back and listen. And I love me some people watching! 

Healthy - Couldn't really think of another word to describe this part of me.  I was going to say 'active', but that doesn't fully encompass my commitment to being well. I love to run, take barre classes and practice yoga. My kids also keep me moving :)  I also am very conscious of eating - I follow a whole-plant strong way of eating and love everything about it. However I still have a terrible sweet tooth and have a hard time resisting candy - especially sour watermelons!

This is a picture of our aeroponic garden. It is a vertical garden that is completely soil free! Everything grows just from water and a nutrient solution. It's my first year giving it a go and it's been wildly successful!

Family-Oriented - My favorite thing to do is be with my family. My husband and two sons are really the lights of my life and nothing brings me more peace and happiness than spending time with them. And of course it's always fun to get together for bigger family gatherings with extended family. 

[Ren-Yi]

Awesome. I could have guessed four of those, but I wouldn't have pegged you for Quiet when meeting you last week ;) Anyways, how long have you been crafting and how did you first get into this?

[Danielle]

So, I'd say I've always been crafty. I always loved to color and draw, and I remember making lots of jewelry and bracelets in grade school, then more scrapbooking in high school and college. My first experience with stamping though was when I bought some Stampin' Up products to create our wedding save the dates in 2007. I stamped a little from then until about 2010 when my oldest had just turned one, and then I went crazy! In addition to paper crafts I love to crochet, especially amigurumi!

This was a monkey I had crocheted for a baby shower gift

[Ren-Yi]

Aww. He's a real cutie! So when I get my first kid, I want one of those monkeys (for me, of course ;). Exactly one year ago, you made a huge announcement on your blog. What inspired you to launch your own company?

[Danielle]

Well, I think a lot of crafters often dream of doing something bigger with their passion - get published, make a DT, start a company, etc. And so one night, while we were eating dinner  I had told my husband I wished I could do more with stamping, like design stamps, and said, "Well, why don't you?". Poor thing, didn't know what he had just started ;)

[Ren-Yi]

It is so nice to see that he supports you to go after your dreams! Let's chat a bit about your design process and launching Neat & Tangled. When looking to design something, where do you look for inspiration? (e.g. magazines, shops, fashion)

[Danielle]
For inspiration? Absolutely everywhere. It could be clothing, a blanket, a book cover, a window display, seriously anything. I just spend a lot of time looking through books, magazines, or it could be something I see on a run,  maybe music lyrics,  a store display, a TV commercial, Pinterest, a toy, my dog, you name it!

[Ren-Yi]

Spoken like a true artist! It's really everywhere if you choose to see it. When you sit down to design, do you have any rituals? (e.g. grabbing a huge cup of tea, putting on some music...)

[Danielle]

Absolutely!  Whether I am sketching out ideas or working on the computer it's almost always the same: I am a BIG tea person, so I usually grab a cup (or 2 of the following): chai tea, macha tea, peppermint tea, or lemon zinger...just depends on my mood! I'm a huge I Love Lucy fan, hence our dog being named Lucy,  so I often will pop in an I Love Lucy DVD and have a few episodes play. Or I like to put on a favorite movie (typically a romantic comedy) like You've Got Mail or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It's usually more for the background noise.

These are my favorite mugs to use!

[Ren-Yi]
No way - I'm a huge I Love Lucy fan too. I still watch all the re-runs when I catch them, and my mom bought me a books on the show & Lucille Ball. She always makes me laugh. But I digress. Not that it's easy to pick a favorite, but do you have a secret crush on any of your releases that turned out better than expected? And why?

[Danielle]
Yes, hehe :) While I don't like to play favorites I'd have to say that both On the Strip and On the Strip 2 I loved from the moment they popped into my head. They really appeal to my CAS/graphic style.  I also really love My Heart Sings and Sparkle and Shine, these both were some of my favorites to design because of the combination of doodling and hand lettering I got to do :) Each of these sets have also been popular among Neat and Tangled fans.

[Ren-Yi]

Yes they have. On The Strip & On The Strip 2 have been one of my favs so far! Describe what you were feeling exactly one year ago when you made the big announcement. And what went through your head when you saw your designs in your hands? 

[Danielle]
Um, honestly I felt sick to my stomach! Haha. But seriously, I have anxiety to begin with, so this was pretty major. I remembered after the first set was revealed I didn't check my email for hours. I was afraid to read the comments and see what the reaction would be. To be honest, I still get just as nervous with each release!  When the samples first arrived to me I just couldn't believe it. To see an idea in my head become a stamp was pretty amazing.

[Ren-Yi]

You have nothing to worry about. Lots of people have been complimenting your products, you have received the Stamp of Approval from Moxie Fab twice (see here and here), and we see creations popping up everywhere. However, it's not just your stamps that have been successful. We have a come up with a little nickname for you. Did you know that you were the "Queen of Sequins"? You were pretty much one of the first person out there to make this trend happen. How did you know it would be a hit?

[Danielle]

I love the nickname ;)  I had no idea they would take off like they did! I just knew that I loved them a lot and figured maybe someone else would find them fun!  I am thrilled that so many people share my love of sequins - even if it is just to hoard them ;) They are a really fun, inexpensive embellishment that add such interest and dimension to a project!

[Ren-Yi]
YES! Fun & inexpensive. Each pack has like 300 of those little gems. Many great embellishments today that I love come unfortunately at a higher unit price. Any predictions what will be next hot thing?

[Danielle]

Full disclosure... I don't really follow the trends. Sad but true! While I do pay attention to trends, and try to incorporate some elements into my designs, for the most part I just like to design things that make me happy and that I enjoy creating. I don't like to force myself to be "on trend". When I do I usually end up frustrated, and that's never good.

[Ren-Yi]

I knew I liked you from the get-go. This is really awesome and it's so refreshing and inspiring to hear that you do you own thing. It takes a lot of guts! So we're partying hard here at Little Tangles. And you like a good shindig. Do you have any photos or stories from past birthday bashes that you would like to share?

[Danielle]

Thinking of an answer to this question brought me lots of laughs - so many wonderful memories of birthdays. If it's okay I'll share two: one pre and one post kids!  I think my favorite and most memorable pre-child birthday bash so far was my 23rd. My husband drove myself and 2 of my best friends to Dave and Buster's in Philadelphia. If you've never been to Dave and Buster's it's like a video arcade with a bar. While there are many stories from that night, one of my favorites was when we tried to get my friend to climb into the giant claw machine. We weren't very discreet and employee caught us. There is a picture to document this somewhere, I searched but couldn't find it in time!

My second favorite would be my 26th. My husband suggested an impromptu weekend at the beach. We are big beach bums - it is our dream to live in a beach town someday.  Grayson was about 1 1/2 and really able to enjoy the beach for the first time, and I was pregnant with Miles. The weather was perfect, the food was great, and it was just the perfect mini-getaway. There was even a craft fair on the boardwalk the last day we were there so it was clearly meant to be! This was a photo from that weekend - notice how I positioned Grayson to strategically hid my expanding belly. LOL

[Ren-Yi]

There might be a reason why you couldn't find evidence of adults crawling into a Giant Claw machine. And that picture of you and Grayson is really the cutest. Thanks for sharing. So what are the most important elements to a good party?

[Danielle]

You know, when I was planning our wedding reception my biggest priorities were music and drinks ;) I still find those my focus when putting a party together. And good food can't hurt!

[Ren-Yi]

Spoken like a seasoned hostess! Speaking of food, if you could share your birthday cake with anyone(s) in the world (alive or not), who would you be eating cake with right now?

[Danielle]

Oh, good question! This will be an eclectic mix, and should help highlight my quirkiness! I'd be indulging with my Baczi (polish for Grandmom), Bob Marley, Lucille Ball, Kevin Hart, Charles Darwin, Channing Tatum, Ellen and of course my husband and kids :) I love to laugh, I'm a biology nerd, and I'm pretty easy going so I think this group covers all of those things!

[Ren-Yi]

Wheef, sounds like you really know how to party it up. I think I'll have to crash this party and you'll have to seat me next to Channing Tatum ;) I have one more last question that looks into the future. What hopes & dreams do you have for Neat & Tangled? Where do you want to be 1 year from now (aside from covering the world with sequins)?

[Danielle]

Yes! Cover the world in sequins - it might be a little sparkly but it sure would be happy!  As for 1 year from now, I hope to keep doing what I am doing and continue to grow. Design more stamps, find more sequins, spread more happiness! To welcome new fans to the Neat and Tangled circle of friends and family. One of my favorite parts of this is getting to know more people: professionals, friends, fans, whoever! I just hope to continue to connect with people and have them enjoy the stamps! Seeing how people use them truly is the best part. I love looking through the Flickr group and checking out Little Tangles entries - always makes me smile. I've made some great friends through blogging and stamping :)

Kelly Marie, Chari, Britta, Me

[Ren-Yi]

Aww, look at you girls! That looked like its own fun party. Thank you for your time, Danielle. This has been loads of fun for me and hopefully also for our readers. I hope it gives everyone a little glimpse into your exciting, fun-packed life.

So what do you guys think? What responses did you like the best from Danielle? If you had a chance to ask Danielle anything, what would it be? The more creative your question, the more we'll love them.

Leave your questions in our comment thread and I will draw one random Little Tangles Prize. How about one pack of free sequins? And for the creative questions that the DT really loves, we'll give away some Little Tangles Perks. 

I'll announce Little Tangles Prize & Perk winners on Wednesday August 7th. 

See you tomorrow.