Kathy Roehrer is a card maker and creator who loves to try new techniques and materials to customize her cards and make them extra personal. Let’s see what inspires Kathy’s work and creativity!
Where do you find your inspiration for your cards?
When I see a certain paper or a die I really like, I take it from there. Anytime I see new techniques I like to incorporate them into what I want to make. I like to place the items together before I start making the piece. When I am making a card for someone I know to give to them for a special occasion, I like to make a card or item using things they like and their favorite colors.
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I like to watch Stacy from Scrapbooking Made Simple. She has YouTube videos I love to watch. She shows how to use things you already have in different ways. Learned many things from her, things I would never have thought of.
What are your favorite paper crafting techniques? Why?
I love to make flowers from paper and dies. The dies cut the flowers, then I shape them. I also love crafting my own background papers using sprays, mousse, glitter, inks, gelatos. I like making my own colors of papers, then I know they will all match. Variety is fun, so I also like using different things to put on cards. I have used paper bags I got from stores, ribbons, cardboard. If it didn’t take so much money to mail cards with all the ribbons and flowers I put on the cards, I would be doing a lot more of them. I like taking a die and using it a different way than the creator of that die had in mind. It’s taking a plain white paper and make it come to life!
I am from Michigan, been married for 36 years with 3 girls. Manager for our town pharmacy/store, working full time. Started crafting in elementary school, started sewing in 6th grade making a lot of my clothes. Do hand embroidery, liquid embroidery, knitting and crochet. If there’s a new craft or technique I like, I will try it. When they came out with home embroidery machines, I had to get one! My 1st two girls were very young when I got my 1st machine, a Janome. I love it!! Made them clothes and embroidered on anything that wasn’t tied down.
When my last girl was born I got to trade up to another bigger hoop embroidery machine. I love to embroider on ready-to-wear, home items and make my own freestanding lace. Started making cards on the computer. When Create and Craft came on Direct TV, I started taping the shows and watching them, seeing all the things they were making. Then I saw a die cutting machine, and bought my 1st die cutting machine two years ago. It’s like I’m in heaven.
They took the show off Direct TV, and I was very sad! Now I have to surf the net to see new and exciting things in the craft world. I love making cards now!!! When I get home from work I love to go into my craft room and make cards, it’s so relaxing!!
How would you say your creativity has evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new mediums?
With all the new tools they have now, it makes crafting faster to get things done and FUN! I also have a Cricut machine (which I still LOVE), but have to plug in, find a cartridge, pick the right size and cut. With the die matching I just pick out one of my dies, choose paper and run it through. So much faster! Same goes with embroidery. I used to do it by hand and that took awhile, so now I just load my design into the machine and away we go. I also like stamping, but I just couldn’t get it right. Now the internet shows how to get a perfect stamp and how to color with inks or pencils. I just love all the talented people out there sharing their talent for free and teaching others!!!!
Even though you are primarily making cards now, do you still dabble in sewing, embroidery, knitting or crochet
I still love sewing and embroidery!! I have taught all my girls how to crochet and sew. My mom (when she was alive) taught my girls when they were younger how to knit. I have made many craft items with my girls, Girl Scouts and taught 3rd grade Catechism for 20 years, and for the holidays we always made something. I still like to crochet, but never enough time. Usually I will bring it with me if I am going somewhere if I will be sitting for a long period of time and make scarves. I always love crafting. There is just NEVER ENOUGH time in the day!!
How many projects do you have going at once? Or are you one of those kind of people who only works on one creative project at a time?
I usually have 2 or more going at once. Lots of time when doing cards I would glue things and have to wait for them to dry, so instead of waiting I work on another one. Also, if I am embroidering on something, I would start that, go work on a card until I have to change a thread color, and go back and forth. Remember, only so many minutes in a day, and I don’t like to waste any time!
What is your favorite tip for organizing your stash of creative supplies?
I absolutely love see-through plastic containers! So many sizes! I have smaller ones for my markers, scissors, foils, medium ones for ribbons. inks, stamps and dies. And big ones for my papers. I also write on them what’s in them. I also have a lot in our barn for my holiday decorations and items I am keeping for my girls. Keeps everything dust and mice free!!
What does your craft room look like? Where does the magic happen
Since our house is not very big and we don’t have a basement, we have a very long room that is used for household storage items and one part is my sewing area and another spot is my desk and things for making cards. It is not very clean, things are in all different places, but I know where everything is!
How do you make time for creating? Do you try to create daily?
I try to get in time when I can, but it’s not that easy. It depends on the day. Some days I work on cards after dinner to late at night, but usually I have Sundays and Mondays off so after I clean and while the laundry is going is when I work on them. I usually don’t need that much sleep LOL so usually I am up until midnight working on them. My ideal life would be to make them for a living!
Do you sell your cards? If so, where can people find them?
I have a few in the pharmacy, but it seems people would rather pay $6.99 to $9.99 for manufactured cards then spend $4.99 to $5.99 for a beautiful handmade one. I do sell a few of them and a few of freestanding lace ornaments I made. My brother and sister in law have a salon where I sell cards. I also have done special orders for a few friends. I haven’t looked into selling them on the internet – seems like there are a lot already doing that. All I am on is Instagram. Don’t have a Facebook or anything else. If anyone does become really interested they can contact me on Instagram; my email is linked there.
Find Kathy Roeher’s work on Instagram at @kathyroehrer.
Interview posted January 2018
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