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Today I’m really excited for you all to get to know another of our Block Party guests, today we discover more about Christine who is selling in the store as Clever Crow Design Studio but you may also know her as Miss Crow too! I found her RIGHT before this block party started and was really happy to see that she would be joining the party, she has some of the coolest and most unique products in her Magickal Emporium as well as in her shoppe here at CRD!! I hope that you’ll spend a little of your time today getting to know her better and be sure to check out all of the links to her site that she gives you in here because you can get lost in them for hours if you are anything like me, LOL!!

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AA: Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
CC: I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. I now live in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania (in the North hills of Pittsburgh).

AA: What’s your sign?
CC: Gemini, baby!

AA: What interested you in Digital Scrapbooking?
CC: I was researching artwork for a client and I stumbled across some digital scrapbooking freebies. I also checked out a few galleries and then I had an epiphany - I was a graphic designer so why wasn’t I scrapping digitally? I could not believe that it had never occurred to me before! I loved to scrap traditionally, but I NEVER seemed to be able to find the time. With digital scrapbooking, I can create pages much quicker, I can reuse my items over and over and I never have to deal with a huge mess - LOVE it!

AA: What’s your favorite food?
CC: Filet Mignon, medium rare

AA: When did you start designing and how did you learn?
CC: I’ve been a professional graphic and web designer since earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1993, but I began selling my own products in September of 2007. I learned the basics of computer design while in college, but it really was BASIC. Heck, we didn’t get color monitors until my senior year and the ONE scanner that the department had was kept in a locked room! I basically learned all that I know on-the-job. I am essentially self-taught and have also learned little tips and techniques from the wonderful colleagues that I’ve worked with over the years.

AA: Do you scrap? If so, can you link us to a gallery?
CC: I LOVE to scrap, but lately I haven’t had much spare time to do so. Hopefully, come November, my schedule will open up and I can get back to it. Check out Christine’s gallery here!

AA: If you could only have three scrap items to use what would they be?
CC: A great paper, a frame of some sort and some kind of flourish.

AA: How do you know Christina?
CC: “Back-in-the-day,” I emailed Christina to tell her how much I adored her products and we just kept in touch from there.

AA: What are your two favorite products you have designed? (Please include links and previews if you can)
CC: This is IMPOSSIBLE! I really like the looks of my kit Bohemian August and I am very pleased with my new kit Geist. You can check them out here, both are clickable for you to take a closer peek!

AA: Tell us where we can find you and your great products in the future.
CC: I have my own independent store, called Miss Crow’s Magickal Emporium (Miss Crow’s for short) and I also sell at Plain Digital Wrapper. I have also recently started a small CU line of products, under the name Madame Magpie, which are available at Plain Digital Wrapper.

Interesting Tidbits:
* I’m a wife to an amazing man, and a mother to a lovely & creative daughter and to a stellar little boy.
• I am a complete Lord of the Rings junkie! (I am actually just a complete scifi/fantasy geek, in general.)
• I ADORE crows and can even make a wicked-good crow call myself.
• My husband and I are crazy for Halloween. I particularly love vintage-style Halloween items and altered/folk art style pieces. Starting in late September, we pull out all the Halloween decorations that we’ve collected over the years, and display them throughout the first floor of our home. We also have an annual non-gory, very traditional & spooky yard haunt, called the Haunting of Ivy Hall - think cauldrons and cornstalks, NOT chainsaws & corpses. We start working on new props each March! http://www.hauntingivyhall.com
• I am also very passionate about re-forestation. Plant yourself some native trees! The joys you and your family will receive from them far outweigh the small amount of maintenance they require.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Christine a little better, I know I enjoyed it way too much, I spent a good half hour at work one day looking at her Halloween decorations and that’s not counting the time I spent browsing in her shoppe but shhhhhhhh……..don’t tell my boss that!! LOL!! There’s something REALLY important that you should know about her love of Halloween, she’s doing a HUGE event on her site this month that includes 31 days of FREEBIES!! Click on the image below to take a peek:

There’s lots more going on with her site other than freebies so make sure you explore around a bit and see what you can find. Are you already a huge fan of hers? Want a super cool fan blinkie to wear in your siggy lines everywhere you go? Well wait no longer, here you go:

Christine was kind enough to create an extra special freebie just for the Authentic Artistry readers too! Check out this cool frame from her, just click the image to download it:

Thanks Christine for taking time to share with us today! Be sure to check back tomorrow to see which of our Guest is taking the spotlight! Happy Scrapping!

~Andrea C.