Awesome Lady Spotlight: Vanessa Cabrera

Hello friends! Welcome to a new feature here at the Awesome Ladies Project – the Awesome Lady Spotlight.

This will be a fun opportunity to learn more about our ALP members and take a look into their creative process and some things they are currently working on. We hope to make this a regular column so do please send me a message if you would like to participate @shannanmm – I hope everyone will!

For our very first spotlight, we have the wonderful Vanessa Cabrera @vcabrera77

Where are you from Vanessa?

I am from Puerto Rico, I live in Germantown Maryland.

What kinds of crafts do you do?

I like to do a little bit of everything!

If I see someone doing something I like, I try it! My favorite thing to do is art journaling, where I get to use acrylics mostly and watercolors too. I like abstract painting and real people/objects but nothing too detailed.

I don’t stress about being perfect!

I like scrapbooking to document my life and my family’s.

I see it as a way to leave my kids with memories of me and our life together when I am not here. I recently realized I like to do/have journals that have a theme. I don’t like to have one journal for a lot of different reasons.

Every journal has a purpose. 

Have you always been crafty?

Yes.

I always had coloring books, crayons, markers, paints. I made some scrapbooks when I was younger as well.

But no one around me was crafty so I didn’t pursue it as much as I do now!

What craft supplies could you not live without?

Acrylics, paper, stickers, markers.

I am in love with Tombow markers.

I feel I can do anything with markers!

Tell us about your craft space?

My woman-cave is my work office and my art space.

It’s the smallest room in my house and although I try to organize as much as I can, it’s messy because I spend about 90% of my days here. I workout here, I do yoga, I work here, I do art, watch TV and this is the place where I hide presents too.

But it’s all mine and I love it!!!

Tell us about a recent page or project you have made?

I finally finished my Schitt’s Creek journal.

I love the show and I wanted to document that. I started it last year and I love how it turned out!!! The Schitt’s Creek journal is mostly in order of the seasons/episodes then I highlighted some extra things like Rose Apothecary and the relationships.

I used Schitt’s Creek stickers that I bought online, some journaling cards and paper that I bought on Etsy (Schitt’s Creek themed), pictures from the internet (I had to research some scenes I wanted to add specifically that would go with the stickers or the journaling cards, etc.) and some stuff I made.

I made the journal with some white, thick paper that comes inside of some 8.5 x 11″ pocket pages (I had saved them).

I cut each page in half, then folded, then glued each folded page together to make the journal. So the final size is 4.25 x 5.5″ (my journals are not standard sizes!). I put fabric on the spine mostly to cover all the folded pages, but also because it looks pretty.

And I had a black fabric with roses!! So, very appropriate for this journal.

My Everyday Stories project is a composition notebook.

I prepare the pages by gluing two pages together throughout the whole notebook so the pages are a bit stronger if I use paint. I use photos, (mostly extras I didn’t use in my Project Life), some paint, but mostly markers. Making my own journals takes time but that’s what I love, the whole process of gluing, folding the papers.

I love the whole thing, that’s why it takes me so long to finish them!

What do you love about the Awesome Ladies Project?

Since the beginning and the reason I loved it, I always felt welcomed.

I felt I fit in. Then I saw how everyone has different styles and that was ok. I saw how it was ok to do a journal about a tv show or your favorite music and that opened a world of possibilities.

It’s like it gave me a voice that I never knew was silenced. But it was and now I can express myself more freely!

And finally, tell us what you are currently doing (using Kristin’s Currently Card)

https://theawesomeladiesproject.com/currently/

Watching: I always feel like I watch the shows that no one cares about. I am watching Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. I love feel-good shows!

Reading: Circe (for the book club) and Red, White, and Royal Blue. Two completely different books, so good both of them.

Listening: Podcasts – We Can Do Hard things (Glennon Doyle), Brene Brown and a few others

Making: Imagination Journal – a class from Alisa Burke. And I am using my extra photos and making an Everyday Stories journal.

Feeling: Like I’m getting back to feeling like myself again (after two years of world crisis)

Planning: Book of Me

Loving: These questions, the ALP. Really!! I feel very blessed to have found this group!

Thank you so much Vanessa! See you all back here soon.