Crafty girl: Cat!

Meet our brand new resident DIY Diva and total inpir-o-girl Cat! Not only is she generally just totally awesome, she also has her own super-cool crafty website called Cut Out + Keep! Every fortnight the lovely Cat will be lending her DIY expertise to us here at Lolasland.com - how cool is that?!

Without further ado I give you craft-girl extraordinaire: Miss Cat!  

Describe craft-girl Cat in five words
Experimental, kitschy, geeky, creative, adventurous.

So what is it you do exactly?
Cut Out + Keep is my full-time job. A typical day for me involves organizing and publishing all the new projects on the site, messaging our users and thinking of new features, starting and arranging competitions, blogging about great crafty things, putting together issues of Snippets (our online magazine), making podcasts and reviewing books. I seem to spend all of my time writing and emailing, but whenever I have a free moment, I'll sneak away to my craft desk and make something new.

Tell us about your website Cut out & Keep, how did the whole thing start?
CO+K started as my blog in 2003 while I was studying at university. In my spare time, I would make all kinds of crafty things and so I started posting them on my blog with instructions on how-to make them. From there, I had lots of readers email me with their versions of my projects and also things they had been making. I realised that there were so many creative people out there who wanted to share their crafts, just like me, so we decided to open up the site so that everyone could contribute and share their ideas. A thousand crafty hands are better than two, after all. So in December 2007, we launched the site and it received so many wonderful projects - it grew so big, so fast and worked so much better than I had ever imagined it would. Everyday I wake up excited to see what new and wonderful things people have been making.

How do you come up with the projects/ where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspiration everywhere - traveling, reading books, watching movies, going to museums and even just from taking walks. I love to experiment with different techniques and crafts to see what's possible with different types of materials. Usually ideas just pop in to my head and when they do, I scribble them down in to a book where I can keep them safe. When I'm in the mood to craft, I just flip through my book until I find something I'd like to make. It's important to write down all of your ideas so that you don't forget them. Make sure to keep a notebook with you at all times, inspiration can strike anywhere!.

What's your favourite thing you've ever made?
I make myself a lot of clothes which I wear everyday, but my absolute most favorite thing I've ever made was my Cat name chocker (see pic above). It's a pendant of my name covered in rhinestones. I love it because it was really easy and inexpensive to make but it looks really posh and professional.

Do you have an ultimate craft inspir-o-girl?
There are so many wonderful and inspiring crafty girls out there. The Crafty Chica, Cath Kidston, Jennifer Perkins and Vicky Howell and are all hugely creative and business savvy ladies who have turned their passions in to successful companies through hard work and dedication. They give me motivation to do the same with my own projects and show women everywhere, that they can make wonderful things happen for themselves, by themselves.

Who or what makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
My friends and family make me very happy. I love to explore, go on adventures and finding new places. I want to jump-in-the-air-happy when I successfully finish a project - I love wearing DIY clothes out for the first time or experimenting with a new recipe on a friend.

Tell us about your work space - do you have an office? Do you work from home? What do you have in it? Do you have any inspir-o items?
I use to have an office but it all got a little hectic. I'd get an idea for something to make but then I'd realize that the materials I needed were at home on my craft desk. We recently moved city and in to a much bigger place with space for a home office. I have a desk for crafting, with my sewing machine and craft mat, and I have a desk for working, with my computer and telephones. But best of all, I have loads and loads of space to store all of my craft supplies and collection of mannequins. As for inspiration, I have hundreds of books and magazines, all arranged by colour, which create a rainbow across my bookcase.

Quick fire round - what's your favourite:
Book: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Movie:  Leon
Food: Sushi
City: London
Era: Victorian
Magazine: Bust Magazine
Hang out: Camden Market or Little Venice, in London.

What's your motto for life?
Try to spend every minute doing something creative, wonderful or fun.

What's your advice for any would-be craft-girls out there?
Be daring and don't be afraid to aim high. If you're ever afraid that you're not good enough to make something, don't worry, you only get good with practice. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Check out Cat's projects featured in DIY Diva every second Friday starting tomorrow with a super-cool necklace!