Spotlight-- Maryanne Nelson

I really appreciate people who not only develop talents, but use them and share them with others.

Maryanne is really one of the most talented crafty person i've ever met.

The things she comes up with are so cute and creative and she is so good at what she does.

Here is a little bit more about her:

(be sure to check out her websites for great ideas, tips, and gifts!)

Tell me about yourself, family:
I'm Maryanne Nelson, a wife to an aspiring illustrator and a stay at home mom to a soon to be three year old boy and a four month old baby girl.

I'm also the creator of Scrappy Gifts: Displaying your Moments Beautifully and my blog is Crafty Mommy Diva - a place to share my other crafty endeavors as well as my life as a mom.



I've been scrapbooking since the beginning of 2005, and I have grown to love it! It provides a strong creative outlet for me and makes me feel like I belong in Relief Society (a Latter-Day Saint Organization for Women). Sometimes I even dream about the perfect scrapbook layout.


Along with scrapbooking, I enjoy blogging, reading, playing games, and baking. I want to learn how to cook more, grocery shop on a budget and sew. Plus I love learning how to do it yourself to make your home beautiful and seeing how creative people are.


I have a degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University-Idaho thus teaching is in my blood. I love helping people and sharing with others what I know.

When did you start getting into crafts?
I started scrapbooking shortly after I was married almost 7 years ago. Then after I had my son almost 3 years ago, I wanted some other hobbies so I started blogging a lot more and discovered many craft blogs that inspired me to try out other crafts. I think that when you have kids, you have a lot less money so crafting really helps with decorating your home and making it beautiful on a budget!

What do you like about it?
I love being able to use my mind and think creatively. I loved art as a child and was even in some Advanced Art Classes, but as I became older there was little time for that plus my husband is way more talented with drawing, painting, etc than I am. Crafting helps my creativity come out again and helps me feel talented again.
What are your favorite things to make or create?
Well scrapbooking is definitely my passion because it involves my love of taking pictures, and it incorporates some journal writing as well. I love looking back at my memories.

I went to Prom with the man who later became my husband =D

My favorite things to make though are my Scrappy Canvases, basically a scrapbook page on a canvas. They're simple, quick and a perfect gift for weddings and showers.

I also love making those Rosette Flowers. I put some on the canvas above and made some headbands with others too!

I loved making these fabric pumpkins last year too. I can't wait to get them out for this year!

I am excited about being more creative and learning more about altering other things and I would love to do more crafts with vinyl. I have to wait to play with more vinyl though until I can get my hands on a Silhouette machine so I can create my own vinyl. I've been dying to have one! Check out my Crafty Inspiration board on Pinterest to see what other crafts I'd like to do someday.
What advice do you have or people who are interested in starting to be crafty?

• Think outside of the box! You find something you really love, but it's not the right color - paint it, cover it up with scrapbook paper or fabric!
• Mod Podge is a crafter's best friend! I made my Bow Holders and altered my son's Lego bins for storage with this stuff.

• The Dollar Store is awesome for finding things to craft with or alter! I've found wreaths, frames, kids' crafts, etc.
• Worried about your kids getting into your stuff, craft with them! My son loves to paint. Just make sure your kids are wearing something that can get dirty and then cover your floor or table with a big towel, tarp, plastic that can get dirty too.

What is your Crafty website all about? What can people find when they go to the blog?
Crafty Mommy Diva was created to share my other crafty endeavors as well as life as a mom and wife. Currently I have three weekly themes each week: Mommy Mondays, Work-out Wednesdays and Fashionable Fridays. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I share about my crafts and other projects when I have the chance to do them.
For Mommy Mondays, I'll share some of my joys, struggles and experiences from being a Mommy. For Fashionable Fridays, I'll share mostly what I wear in attempt to not be in my pajamas all day and to actually do my hair and make-up. Work-out Wednesdays is my newest weekly theme where I share my progress on losing the baby weight aftering having my big baby girl in April 2011.
Hope to see you on my blog! You can also find me on Facebook, Blog Frog, Twitter and Pinterest.