Creative skill is on the cards

By Nicole Williams
ONE stamp and some home-made Christmas cards marked the beginning of a life-long passion for Sandie Downey.
Sixteen years ago the mother of three attended a stamping party and decided to make her own Christmas cards that year.
“When the kids were little, I would make cards and take them to playgroup to sell,” Sandie said.
Despite her hesitations, card-making led to scrapbooking and now the Pakenham resident has her own blog, wholesale business and works casually at Scrapbook Lady in Pakenham.
“That’s my life – scrapbooking and card-making,” Sandie said.
Completely self-taught, Sandie stuck to card-making for years, selling her wears to friends and in local shops and always saying she would never turn to scrapbooking.
“I always said ‘I’ll never do scrapbooking’,” she said.
But an online challenge on a scrapbooking and card-making forum made it inevitable.
Her first scrapbooking layout was of her son and made her realise scrapbooking was like cardmaking but on a larger scale.
“It’s addictive,” she said.
“It’s easier to go from card-making to scrapbooking but hard to go the other way.”
Sandie approached the owner of Scrapbook Lady about three months ago to stock her wholesale range, Handmade Daisies by Sandie.
Now she works at the store on a casual basis and loves every minute.
“To do a job you love is amazing,” Sandie said.
Despite the love for scrapbooking, it can never overtake her love for cards.
“My number one passion is making cards.”