[Birthday Bash] Chat & Inspiration with Danielle

Happy Weekend everyone! Remember our 4-1-1 on Danielle? I extended the same fun to all of you, and sure enough, many of you had questions for Danielle. Lucky for you, she loves interacting with her fans, customers and blog-o-sphere friends. So read on what she has to say...

Welcome back, Danielle! Off we go to the questions...

shirley-bee asks:

If you were starting out now, but with all the experience/knowledge you've gained over this first year, what would you do differently?

What a great question. So, first of all I would have a better idea for a release schedule. For example, I did a larger release every 2-3 months at first. While this was fine, I found people enjoy it more with smaller releases every other month.  Additionally, I would have designed all the stamps for two releases to start, that way I would always be ahead of schedule! Looking back I wish I would have incorporated my hand written sentiments sooner as they are some of the fan favorites. 

cm

If you could initiate another 'trend' (delightful, perky, affordable, as the sequins are) what do you think it would be??

This one has me stumped! Haha. The sequins were just a happy accident. I loved using them on my own projects and thought others might too. I had no idea they would take off like they have!

LuvScrappingTogether

Danielle, what advice would you give someone that wanted to start their own crafting business whether it be stamps or some other product?

Take your time and educate yourself about all aspects of your venture. Talk to people who are already running a similar business, or have a skill set that could maybe help you out. For example, you want to design stamps and have a friend who does graphic design - pick their brain!  I spent a lot of time educating myself on the ins and outs of not only the design skills I would need, but also all that is involved with the business.  Find a great lawyer and accountant to help get you started on the right foot! 

~amy~

Would love to know what Danielle's FAV crafting tool or product would be (excluding sequins!)....perhaps it is the ink she uses....or cardstock?

That's like asking me to pick a favorite child! I can't do that! LOL How about a favorite product for each "cateogry"

White Cardstock - Neenah Solar White

Color Cardstock - Bazzill Candy Shop and Hero Arts Layering Papers (it's a tie!)

Black Ink - Versafine Onyx Black

Color Inks - Hero Arts Shadow Inks

Embellishments - (sequins, hehe), enamel dots
Tool - Heat Embosser 

Other - Vellum

Denacline88

I would like to know...Besides all the stamp sets she has designed for Neat and Tangled stamps, what would be her (2nd) next most favorite stamp set that she likes or uses in her papercrafting projects? Obviously I am sure she uses lots of her sets, But does she have any other non-neat and tangled stamps that she loves to use most often?

Oh, so many wonderful stamps out there. My favorite non-Neat and Tangled stamps are Hero Arts. In particular, a set I reach for over and over is HeyDay Sentiments.  Here is a card I made using Neat and Tangled's Sunburst with a sentiment from that Hero Arts set. I also used some of my favorites: Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Tide Pool, vellum, Versafine ink, and Bazzill cardstock.

Lyndal

My question for Danielle is, if you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be & why?

What a fun question! There are so many places I'd love to see, but if you're asking for one I'd have to say the Galapagos Islands.  My degree is in Biology, and my pre-kids plan was to go on for my Masters in Conservation Biology. From all I learned in college about the Galapagos it just seems like a really beautiful, fascinating place. 

Lisa

If Danielle could be an animal, what would she be, and why?

Haha, my mom would laugh at this question. As a child I used to always pretend to be different animals, and they all had different names.  But I would have to say a cheetah! I love to run, can't say I'm that fast :)  I was pretty obsessed with cheetahs when I was younger. I remember racing around outside pretending...nerd much? Hope no one saw me! lol 

Well there you have it, lovely readers. Are you happy with your answers? Did you get what you were looking for?

Day 13 Favorite Technique Winner - Redraw

One of the winners contacted me and threw the perk back into the pool. So what do I do with an extra perk? Annette Allen, congrats, you win our Little Tangles Perk. You win a"Buy 4 packs of sequins, get 1 free." Please contact me at neatandtangledstamps(at)gmail.com with the subject line "Little Tangles Day 13 Perk Winner" and I will promptly send you instructions on how to claim it.

I will keep this short in case you want to cook something up delicious for our Potluck Party Challenge. You still can sneak in a delicious entry.

Challenge Reminders

Challenge #19 Eat Cake - ends Sept 1; free stamp set
Project Life Challenge - ends Aug 28; $5 gift certificate

Party Favor Challenge - ends Aug 24; $5 gift certificate
The Un-birthday Birthday Challenge - ends Aug 20; Guest Designer Spot
Potluck Party Challenge - ends Aug 18; $5 gift certificate

See you back tomorrow with a favorite girl of mine! She use to be a Little Tangles Super star. Any guesses? Just askin'. Maybe I will throw a sweet perk your ways if you guess correctly... ;)