We stopped for a chat with the Queen of Crafting, Amy Tangerine, and learnt how she turned her passion into a profession

The limits to your creativity seem endless! Where exactly does your inspiration come from?
Creative and kind people inspire me. I find inspiration in the world around me and every chance I can – whether it’s on my morning run, playing with my son, or even if I’m on a business lunch. There’s so much possibility and beauty if we’re willing to expand our horizons. Magazines and books are great sources too, but I prefer to embark on mini adventures to seek inspiration.

What first drew you into scrapbooking?
In a way, I think I have been a scrapbooker at heart since I was young I had a fascination with my parent’s old photographs, and I loved flipping through photo albums. I also had an affinity for stickers, markers and all pretty stationery from an early age –  I even had a Post-it Note collection! It was around 2007 that my soul started searching for something new. I was feeling consumed by my small business and a shift in the economy and I realised that although I loved what I was doing, I didn’t have enough time to be creative just for the sake of it. Finally, I walked into a scrapbook store I had passed so often, took a class and was hooked immediately! I loved every aspect of it – not just the supplies and photos – but the bonding of women as they shared their stories and spent time on a hobby they loved.

What’s your advice to people who are new to digital scrapbooking?
There are so many great resources out there making it easier for us to document our lives. Mixbook.com has plenty of choices for putting your photos alongside digital stickers and titles that you can customise. Best of all, if you want to spend more time on the pages, you can, but if you don’t, their pre-made options are fantastic. Many people are drawn to scrapbooking because of the way you can feel and hold your memories, so I totally understand the instinct to shy away from digital versions, but there’s a happy medium. You can definitely combine both things to come to a harmonious place.

Can you give us five tips for first-time scrapbookers?
1. Let go of perfection! It’s going to be beautiful because it holds precious memories. Don’t let unrealistic expectations get in your way.
2. Stamps are an investment that, you can use over and over again. I love how versatile they are and how the possibilities are endless.
3. Set aside time to do it for at least ten minutes every day!
4. Look for inspiration online and in the world around you. There are so many resources for beginners and scraplifting is encouraged. See styles you like? Emulate them!
5. Have fun and enjoy the process. Your scrapbooks should look different and unique because you are!

We’re desperate to know, how many scrapbooks do you own?!
That’s such a hard question to answer – I’m not even sure! It’s been a continuous process for most of my life and I wouldn’t know where to start counting as I have minibooks and smaller albums – do those count?! One of my favourites, though, is my son Jack’s baby album. At the time I didn’t think I was documenting enough and I didn’t go all in chronological order at first, but seeing it in the album makes me really appreciate the fact that I took the time to do it, even while I was sleep deprived. It’s really important to never lose sight of our hobbies and as a new mum, I would often steal just ten minutes here and there to get something down on paper. It would take days to finish a layout sometimes, but now when I look back on them, I’m so grateful to have it documented.

How did you turn your hobby into an incredibly successful business?
My company, Amy Tangerine, was a happy accident. Initially, I worked as a fashion stylist and produced photoshoots. I came up with the name at that point. When I started making arm warmers and hand-stitched shirts, it seemed fitting to have it all under the same name. In my twenties, I focused on branding without realising. Knowing I started something back in 2002 and watching it evolve and adapt in a way that is unique has been one of the best things about starting my business. I’m inspired by so many things, but most of all by the amazing people I have met along the way. Our products have changed throughout the years but our values have remained the same – spreading happiness and inspiring women to infuse more creativity, fun and intention into their everyday lives.

Your job looks SO fun! What’s the best part about it?
It feels weird to say this, but I really do feel like the luckiest person as I do what I love on a daily basis. Sure, I have bad days, but I get to be creative and share it with others. One of the most rewarding things is seeing what people do with what I’ve designed. When someone tells me that I have inspired them, it’s one of the best feelings ever. As a mum, I feel incredible joy doing what I love and seeing the world through the eyes of my son.

Craft a Life You Love is such an uplifting and inspiring read, what made you write this style of book?
It was a passion project as I had been going through a bit of a tough time in 2016. A couple of my friends had self-published and had a great experience, so it was awesome being able to get their advice on the process. I hired an editor, book layout designer for the interior pages, and a cover designer. My editor told me that I would never write a book until I wrote a bad first draft, and after I did that, I could just hand it over to her. It was really helpful for me to have an expert lay out the flow of the book, I just wanted it to inspire enough people to get the money back that I had put into it, but the return was so much more than I could have ever dreamed! A couple months after it was released, it was picked up by Abrams. We worked on the revised and expanded edition, which is out and available now. I wanted to be sure there was value in it if people had already bought the first one but also wanted the new version. My experience with the book shows the value of pursuing your dreams, even if you have no idea what the outcome will be. It truly surpassed my expectations.

Our readers would also love to know about your sewing journey, tell us more!
My mum sewed matching outfits for us when I was growing up. I took a class in high school and ended up making my prom dress. In college I made custom dresses for friends. I started hand-crocheting arm warmers after college as I was working as a fashion stylist in Atlanta at the time and wanted to keep warm while still being able to pin clothing on the models, it was then that stores started ordering them! Next, I decided to hand-embroider flowers on ribbed tank tops and after Cindy Crawford was photographed wearing one in Glamour, I decided to pursue making full time. All of the items in my first collection were hand-stitched and we upcycled men’s t-shirts into women’s silhouettes. It was really cool to be able to think of an idea, create it with stitching, then see someone wearing it!

When you’re not busy being the Queen of Creativity, what do you do in your free time? Are there any other crafts that you enjoy?
I love painting, hiking, travelling, reading and playing with Jack. Also, I know it is linked to work now, but I used to think of video editing as a hobby. It’s fun to piece those clips together and have something others can enjoy watching.

You must’ve had plenty of incredible moments in your career so far, but what is your ultimate highlight and what would you still like to achieve?
The ultimate highlight would have to be becoming a mum. It’s indescribable in many ways, because the role has taken on such a large part of my life. Being able to nurture Jack and see the world through his curious eyes and his silly mind is just wonderful. Personally, I’d love to be able to expand our family. As an only child I realise that I want Jack to have siblings. However if it’s not meant to happen I know his life is full and will continue to be. Professionally, my goal now is to grow the business in a way that makes even more of an impact on inspiring people to live their best creative lives.

Find more inspiration from Amy at www.amytangerine.com