My name is Grace Nywening, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm a dirty girl! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be saying that!!!

It all started on Oct. 1. I had just got done downloading the HYCCT tracking sheet, hoping to be able to play along this year and donate to this wonderful cause, when I received a PM from Lydia wanting to ask me a question about my gallery. I worried that I was in trouble for something I must have done wrong. When I responded, she said "well, what I REALLY wanted to know is if you would like to join the Dirty Dozen". Seriously? I know I sputtered and choked, and then I babbled, but somewhere in the babble was a "YES!" LOL!

I am a wife of 43 years to my loving and supportive husband, Alan. I'm a mom and grandma, and I treasure every relationship God has blessed me with, including some incredible friendships made here on SCS! I also want to say that my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is the driving force of my life and aspirations. He has brought me through so much, and in fact, spared my life in what all the Drs. thought would be a fatal car accident. So I have a special appreciation for each and every day I've been given and I want to use each day to the fullest.

We currently reside in NC, but we have been transplanted many times in our 43 years, so I have lived in many states from Maine to TX. In 2008 I retired and that is when I found SCS (through my daughter) and really started stamping for real. I had bought a few stamps back in the 90's to make Christmas tags with, but really hadn't done much else. When I saw the beautiful work here on SCS I was driven to get educated and learn all I could. I started out playing almost every daily challenge, and learned so much here! I started my blog, Th-INK-ing of you in Feb, 2009. In May of 2009 I was invited to design for Our Daily Bread Designs, and I have been there ever since. I have also had the privilege of designing and guest designing for many other companies and challenges through the years.

I have been a crafter of sorts for most of my life. On Sunday afternoons my Mom and I used to sit down with a pretty calendar picture and draw it. Later I began doing all sorts of needlework and tole painting. My biggest passion before I found paper crafting was quilting. This actually is how I came up with my SCS name; well that and a typo! LOL! I intended to type Scrappingramma2, but missed typing the "n" and came up with Scrappigramma2. At any rate, it was a reference to using scraps, whether fabric or paper to make beautiful things.

Quilting has now taken a back seat to paper crafts, and card making has become my passion. Almost all my cards that I don't send personally are donated to various causes. I have a card rack at my church (that is challenging to keep stocked), where people can take any card(s) they want, and if they wish to leave a donation, all the money goes to a mission fund that's near to my heart. It gives me great joy to know that not only will someone be blessed by receiving a hand made card, but the monies from those cards then can go on to do even more good.

My main stamping style is classic elegance, but I also love shabby chic and I've been working hard to embrace CAS, and while I'm still not comfortable with single layer cards, I do love the "clean and layered" style. I have also been branching out in to watercolor painting, with and without stamps.

I want to thank Lydia for this incredible opportunity. I am joining a group of super talented artists whom I have admired for a long time, and I'm truly honored to be here!

Read more: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2567889#ixzz3GELrIGoJ