“My mother was a seamstress and taught me how to sew when I was in elementary school. I stitched my first pair of trousers when I was in second grade. I dabbled in all sorts of crafts through high school and that’s when I began scrapbooking. I’ve never known life without crafts!”
Catherine Pooler’s story will no doubt be a familiar one to many – started crafting young and never stopped. And while we’re not all workshop masters or ink aficionados, it’s a happy fact that the rest of her journey, and even the craft personality herself, is just as relatable. Displaying an unbridled passion for all things making, her list of priorities will quite likely mirror yours: family, crafting, and the incomparable community that has grown around it.
“After graduating with a degree in Psychology, I taught second grade and just loved it! Once I started a family, my crafting continued and I spent a lot of time scrapbooking and documenting our lives. I was at home with the little ones from that point and discovered I could incorporate my love for teaching and scrapbooking into a work-from-home gig. I spent my days with the kids, then teaching papercrafting classes filled my nights. What a match made in heaven.”
As the eponymous owner of Catherine Pooler Ink, we were more than interested to find out exactly what spurred her to create one of the most lauded ink ranges in the craft world. “Before I started developing the ink line, I was struggling with several issues in my craft room that I really wanted to solve. After years of using various products, I finally decided to take the plunge and try to create an ink that was, for me, just right. What we came up with is an ink line that makes it easy to coordinate colours for projects, stamps beautiful, solid images, and is great for various stamping techniques.”
Pen pals
While Catherine’s inky empire is a cornerstone of her life, a different sort of excitement comes over her when she speaks about workshopping. “Once they get their hands on inks or stamps, crafters get so excited about what they create. I love watching them experience that joy. Now, I get to teach a wider audience online and still get so excited seeing their responses. And then we also have StampNation, which is our online community that I started nearly ten years ago!” An online membership site that allows crafty interactions on a global scale, it’s a must visit for any passionate papercrafter. “It was really the kick-off point for what my company is today. Over the years we have filled it with classes and challenges and other content, as well as members’ contributions and shares.”
We asked Catherine what sort of advice she gives to any beginners stepping foot (online or otherwise) into her workshops. “Keep it simple! Start with stamps, inks and paper, and maybe just add some sequins. Gradually grow your stash from there. When I was a new stamper, I sought out every chance I could get to watch other stampers stamp and I learned from them and through that developed my own style. It brings me so much joy. This hobby has played such an important part in my life and I am thrilled to be able to pass that forward. What an amazing privilege.”
For details on Catherine’s inks, workshops and StampNation, head to catherinepooler.com.
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