Today I’m very proud to be bringing you an interview with a guy whom, in my opinion, is one of the top scene building card makers around. I’ll have his links at the end of this post.
What is your name and in which country do you currently reside?
Peter, The Netherlands (Not in Amsterdam, we have more cities, you know)
How did you first become involved in card making?
My mom sometimes made cards when I was younger. Take note that Dutch card making wasn’t as elaborate as American card making. Back then card making was only fussy cutting pre-printed images and putting them together with foam tape so you would get “3D”cards.When I was around 24 I made an attempt to make some cards with wallpaper swatches, cardstock and some puffy stickers that I found at a budget store. They where ok, but that was about it.A few years later I went to a craft fair with one of my best friends and she bought some Lawn Fawn stamp sets. I loved them, but she mostly bought them to use them in her planner. Although I had a planner, I’m not really decorating it so I skipped them. She started making cards with them after a while and from that moment I bought my first Lawn Fawn minis. I think that was December 2017.
What do you enjoy most about card making?
I get really zen when I’m making cards. I love every part of the process; from stamping to assembling the card. I love how you can combine stamp sets to enlarge the possibilities even further.Also, give anyone in the community the same stamp set and the outcome will be different with everybody. That’s lovely, isn’t it?
Stereotypically card making is considered by some to be a hobby in which only females participate. Have you experienced any judgement or discrimination based on this stereotype?
No, I’ve found everyone in the community to be very welcoming. My gender has never been the topic of conversation.The only thing I don’t like, although people don’t do it on purpose, is that for example on a Facebook group about card making, people will sometimes start their post with “Hi, ladies”. Also, since I did Amigurumi in the past, I once stood in a store with my hands full of yarn. And some older woman asked, with sarcasm, if I was going to knit a sweater. Dudes craft too, you know.
Do you feel that, as a male card maker, you bring any experiences or attributes to the craft that you might not otherwise if you were female?
I don’t think so. Your capabilities aren’t based on what gender you are.
What is the best thing about being a male card maker?
It’s that there are way fewer males in the community than females. Also whenever I come across another guy that is a card maker on Instagram I give him a follow because I feel an instant connection in a way. Also I think people sometimes remember you better because you aren’t one of the many female card makers they come across. For example, I also do cookie decorating and I followed a workshop somewhere. I sometimes come across the woman who taught the workshop and she still remembers me because I’m one of the few guys that followed one of her classes.
What is the most challenging?
I haven’t found anything challenging about it yet! Let’s keep it that way.
What changes, if any, would you like to see happen in the card making industry as far as male card makers are concerned?
I really don’t know. For example, I advocate that everyone (male or female) can do anything they want to and that kids can play with anything they would like. I can’t think of a single company in the industry that is targeting things to females only because, in truth, everything can be for anyone.
What drew you to card making?
Lawn Fawn is my number one brand. I have 100+ stamp sets because I love the illustrations so much. I love how you can make such different and cute scenes with their products. Like I said earlier I made cards before but I didn’t enjoyed the outcome that much. For example I don’t like flower illustrations. When Lawn Fawn came on my path it was like the door to card making happiness was opened.
Do you do any other crafts?
Yes! I used to do Amigurumi. I was crocheting every day and I designed my own patterns. Although you can still find and buy my patterns on Etsy (AmigurumiWizard) I’ve quit some years ago. I have physical problems and crocheting always ended up in pain, for days. I still have my supplies though, and if I have a really good day I crochet for a small bit.Besides that, I love making felt critters, cake and cookie decorating, illustrations, graphic design, perler beads, polymer clay charm making, cross stitching, sewing… But I would say card making is my greatest hobby!
Have you always been creative?
Yes! Besides gaming and watching tv I was busy painting, coloring, drawing and crafting all the time when I was younger. And in my teens I still did something creative once in a while.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
For cardmaking, it can come from other peoples cards like a color combo I liked, or a great general composition. I twist it to my own design. But I also love to just pick 2-3 stamp sets and combine them into a card. I even made a challenge about it on my blog and from time to time I do the challenge for myself again. I then let my husband pick out stamp sets that aren’t really logically connected to each other and I have to make a card out of it. Let me tell you, it will let your creative juices flow! One time, I made a card where robots are helping out with the laundry. Would you ever come up with that without this challenge? No!
Is there anything you struggle with in terms of card making?
Yes, I’m still finding some people to gang up and rob a bank to afford everything I like (just kidding ofcourse!)
What has been your proudest card making moment or achievement?
I have a YouTube channel with until recently only some baking video’s. Since Peter’s Treasury is all about everything I like to do, I wanted to start making card video’s too. But I procrastinated it for a long time, since it was new to me and I saw a lot of hurdles I didn’t feel like taking. Luckily, a video hop for Halloween came along and I opted in. So then I had deadline. And guess what? The hurdles weren’t as hard to overcome as I thought! With the hop came a prize pack which you only could win if you commented on every video. So that I was getting comments was expected, but at least 1/3 of the people also subcribed to my channel which was really cool! I also uploaded a second video already, outside of the video hop, and I even got some comments after it being up for just a few hours. I have older video’s with zero comments. So that’s something!
What, if anything, would you change about the card making community?
It’s really one of the best communities out there. I wouldn’t change a thing.
What, if anything, would you change about the card making industry?
It would be great if stuff would be better available in Europe for a better price. It can be real hard to find stuff sometimes and things can be REALLY expensive because dollars get converted to Euros one on one.
How would you describe your card making style?
I LOVE doing elaborate cards, so scene building with a lot of critters and decoration. But they also take a lot of time! So I also like simpler cards but with a lot of attention to my coloring and details on the card.Lastly do you have any advice, tips, suggestions, or words of encouragement for other card makers?Be who you are. Don’t change. Being yourself is great! Don’t compare to others. Always be yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. Never, ever stop dreaming. Dreams can come true, you know.
If you’d like to see more of Peter’s fabulous work you can find him at the following:
- Peter’s Treasury – Instagram
- Peter’s Treasury – YouTube
- Peter’s Treasury – Blog
- Peter’s Treasury – Facebook
Peter, thank you very much for being a part of this series. I deeply appreciate your time, your perspective, and the great and insightful things you have to say.
Until next time,
Magic, mark, where’d I park,
Samantha
Driving the Crazy Train 