The wait is over, the excitement is off the scale, the winners are finally revealed! This year's entries were incredible and the standard of the competition was exceptional. We had such a hard task choosing the final four from a shortlist of over twenty finalists, but this quality quartet simply shone in so many ways, with their range of styles, their composition skills, attention to detail and perfect finishing touches. So without further ado, let's meet them...

Lorraine Lowe

We loved how clean and well-finished all of Lorraine's makes were

How does it feel to be a Cardmaker of the Year 2022 winner?
Amazing! My family and friends have always enjoyed receiving my cards and given me lots of encouragement so I entered the competition on a whim, never expecting to win.

What has been your proudest moment as a papercrafter, bar becoming a winner of Cardmaker of the Year?
Starting my blog, as I’m not very computer savvy and receiving comments from people across the globe telling me that I’ve inspired them to have a go.

We loved the variety of styles showcased in your projects – what inspired your entries?
I went for the things I enjoy the most, fun folds and ink blending with silhouette stamping. The milk carton gift box was a remodel of ones I made for Easter gifts, which all got destroyed when they were opened. It seemed a shame for all that work to go to waste and not to be able to use the carton again so I remade it with a base and a lid.

Tracey Rogers

We absolutely adored Tracey's three fabulous creations showcasing a range of styles

We loved all of your projects – what inspired your entries?
I love shabby-chic, pretty things, so creating the shabby-chic card for my first entry was a must for me. For my second entry, I chose a mixed-media 3D item, as I have had the plain wooden box for a while waiting to be decorated and I thought it would be a fun project to do for my second entry. The third entry had to be a card, so I just had to include stamping and Distress Ink using my favourite AALL & create stamp set by Tracy Evans.

How does it feel to be a Cardmaker of the Year 2022 winner?
I have to say I honestly could not believe it when I got the call to say I was one of the lucky winners, I was quite speechless and anybody who knows me knows that doesn’t happen often! I am shocked, honoured and so excited about it, all at the same time.

Do you prefer crafting alone or as part of a group?
I love to craft with friends. I have a lot of friends that I have made online, we’ve also since met in person and we all get together regularly online and craft and chat via video calls. We all live so far apart it’s great to be able to do this regularly.

Ann-Marie Sinfield

Ann-Marie's attention to detail took her projects to the next level

How does it feel to be a Cardmaker of the Year 2022 winner?
To receive that phone call to say I was one of the winners of Cardmaker of the Year 2022 was just amazing - it will be forever etched in my brain. That feeling of amazement and happiness, I really don’t think it’s actually sunk in yet. I feel incredibly grateful to my friends and family for pushing me to enter.

We loved your attention to detail on all three of your projects – what inspired your entries?
My entries were inspired by so many things, I think. I love anything magical and mystical, so fairies were always going to be a feature somewhere on my entries. I draw a lot of inspiration from nature too and love the colours. I also wanted to show a variety of styles and abilities, so that played a part in my choice of entries.

What are your crafting aspirations, on our DT and beyond?
To receive commissions, which will now become a reality thanks to winning CMTY, and to be published in a magazine. I want to inspire others to create or have a go at a craft and to have my dream job in the craft industry, but I think all of us crafters wish for that one!

Monika Weclewska

Monika's colouring skills and different techniques instantly caught our eye!

What are your favourite papercraft techniques?
I like all papercraft techniques, but my favourites are definitely die-cutting and mixed-media. Both techniques give opportunities to play with textures and colours which I love to use in my projects.

We loved the variety of styles showcased in your projects – what inspired your entries?
I really wanted to showcase the variety of techniques, but wasn’t sure if the panel will like it as all my three entries were so different. Nature is the one thing that ties it all together. The mixed-media heart and iris card represents freedom and kindness, both were made without any preparation, I just sat down and let my creativity take me on a journey. The DL card was inspired by a beautiful paper collection and that luscious green colour. I just picked my three favourite projects and hoped that someone will like them the same way as I do and I’m so pleased they came across well.

How does it feel to be a Cardmaker of the Year 2022 winner?
I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s scary to think it might be just a dream. This is such a great opportunity which I’m so grateful for. It feels amazing to know that my projects were picked from so many other entries. And I didn’t believe I could win it!

Please join us in congratulating four very worthy winners. The Papercrafting team is really looking forward to working with these talented designers who will each be receiving their share of £24,000-worth of crafty prizes to keep themselves busy in the meantime!
Look out for their crafty creations in future papercraft magazines and who knows, next year, it could be you!

Find Out More!

To see the full winning interviews, download the digital version of issue 231 of Simply Cards & Papercraft. CraftWorld Premium members can read this issue FREE here.

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