April 2023 Designer Spotlight - Joy D'Souza

Joy D’Souza

Card Designer

I am Joylita D’Souza—fondly called Joy by my family and friends—a cardmaker and an Altenew Certified Educator. ]I have lived in Mumbai, India, for a major part of my life, and in 2014, I moved to Hong Kong with my husband, which is where I began my crafting journey. Since I was a kid, I have always admired the beauty of nature, especially flowers; they can always brighten my day! My love for flowers is also evident in my cards, as I use floral stamps for most of my cards. I love traveling and trying out various cuisines as I believe it helps me learn more about the local culture. And when I travel, I make it a point to visit the craft store in that country because what’s a trip without a visit to the local craft store? Haha.

I am a certified Fashion Photographer, but with my love for flowers, they are a subject that I mostly click pictures of. In addition to this, I am a Pilates instructor, and I teach Mat, Reformer, Barrels, Cadillac, and Chair Pilates.

Cooking and experimenting with different ingredients to create allergy-friendly recipes is something I really enjoy. I am a very curious person and love learning about new things; some of my topics of interest are botany, space, psychology, and human anatomy. I do occasionally enjoy making handmade bead jewelry and embroidery.

I live by the philosophy that we need to be kind and helpful to everyone as each one is fighting a battle of their own, and a little act of kindness goes a long way. Making handmade cards is my way of bringing a smile to people’s faces and letting them know that they are not alone in their journey.

Q & A

with Joy D’Souza

1. What is your crafting story?

Drawing and painting have been my passion since I was a kid. I made handmade cards to give my loved ones for any occasion, or I should probably say I created occasions to give people handmade cards, haha. But, as I grew up and got busy with work, card making took a backseat. I did, however, enjoy the occasional doodles in my diaries.

Moving to Hong Kong was perhaps one of the best things that happened to me because once I moved here in 2014 since I quit my job, I had the chance to rekindle my crafty spark. I started making bead earrings and, at the same time, began watching Jennifer McGuire’s videos. Her videos reminded me of how I loved crafting as a kid, and encouraged me to get my first stamp set. From there, there was no turning back; it’s been over nine years since I began card making again. It has helped me in all aspects of my life, and I am glad I got this opportunity.

The card making community has been really kind and helpful in my journey, especially in the initial years when I needed all the help I could get, and this is what I love about being a part of this always welcoming and helpful community.

In April 2018, touched by the lovely comments I received from my fellow crafters, I started my blog, with the intention of helping others in their crafting journey. On my blog, I try to include even minute details as I believe even if it helps one person, I have achieved my purpose. I am really excited to be celebrating the 5th anniversary of my blog this month, on April 2nd, and when I look back, it has been such a fulfilling journey.

I enjoy learning and trying new techniques and mediums, and I have tried my hands at alcohol markers, watercolors, inks, and gouache, to name a few. In recent years, I have started teaching private classes and hosting Altenew workshops as I want to share the knowledge I have gained over the years through my experience, from Altenew courses, and from all the kind crafters I have met in my crafting journey, with others.

Overall, my crafting journey has been a fun one, and I look forward to what is in store in the future.

Q & A

with Joy D’Souza

3. What is your “why”?

Crafting has helped me get through some of the most difficult phases of my life and has brought me so much joy. It’s always my rock and anchor on tough days, and it helps me relax as well as channel my creativity. Also, seeing the delighted faces of people when they receive my cards or other handmade projects is truly so fulfilling, and this keeps me going on days when I need motivation. I am passionate about teaching, and I hope in the coming years, I can share my knowledge and skills with my crafty friends.

4. Which project has been your favorite, or what was the most meaningful to make?

I can’t pick a favorite as I love them all, and each one has a special place in my heart.

5. How would you describe your personal crafting style?

I love using a lot of bright and vibrant colors. Of late, I have been enjoying making cards using darker backgrounds. I prefer pre-planning my cards, though, on some days, I enjoy experimenting and making something impromptu.

6. Where do you find inspiration?

Nature, with its abundant beauty, has always been my inspiration. I also find inspiration from traditional Indian clothing, as they are so bright and gorgeously colorful.

Q & A

with Joy D’Souza

7. What advice would you give newbie cardmakers and paper crafters out there?

Please give at least three.

• When making your cards, focus on what makes you happy and not what is popular. It took me a while to realize this.

• Don’t worry much about your project being perfect, just keep practicing, and you will get better every time you do. I try to remind myself that “done” is better than perfect.

• Do not compare yourself to a card maker or paper crafter who has been crafting for years, as you will definitely get to their level eventually. Instead, compare your current projects with your past ones. This will help you realize how far you have come and how much you have progressed. Occasionally, I go back to my past projects as they help me see how much better I have gotten with time, and with each card/project.

• As a beginner, it is tempting to buy all the available products, but it helps to shortlist a technique you want to try and then buy the products that are necessary for it. This will help you to invest in products you like and also not get too overwhelmed with the unopened products lying in your craft space.

8. If you could only do one cardmaking technique for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

I think I would go with ink blending as it is a versatile medium. You can make gorgeous backgrounds as well as color images / die cuts using this technique. Galaxy backgrounds are one of my favorite backgrounds to make using the Altenew Crisp Dye Inks.

9. How do you deal with “crafter’s block” or being stuck in a rut?

I usually plan and sketch ideas for most products in my book when I purchase them. I also keep making notes of any ideas that come to mind either on my phone or in a notebook. When I hit a creative rut, I refer to this book. Though it is helpful on most days, there are some days when even the sketches don’t help. On such days, I either go for a walk or do something else that is unrelated to crafting, and try not to think about it at all. This has always helped me to get my crafty mojo back.

Q & A

with Joy D’Souza

10. How do you deal with crafting mistakes? Do you get rid of the card and work on a new one or try to salvage it?

When I had just started using stamped images, I used to get rid of the cards that weren’t as per what I had imagined or planned. But now, when something unplanned happens, I take it as a challenge and try my best to fix the card either by adding a sentiment/ splatter/ or anything that can save the card.

11. What is your Altenew story? How did you first learn about Altenew, your first Altenew product, blog hop, etc.?

My reply may be similar to other crafters as I am sure most of us were inspired by Jennifer McGuire’s videos to buy Altenew products. But yes, it was her videos that helped me channel my creativity and since I am crazy about flowers, Altenew stamp sets were perfect for me. The Label Love and Painted Flowers Stamp Sets were the first Altenew products I purchased. I remember how delighted I was when I used the Vintage Flowers Layering Stamp Set as the images were so gorgeous and realistic; this had me hooked to Altenew stamps. My first blog hop as a guest designer with Altenew was in March 2021 and I was over the moon. It was a dream come true for me.

12. What is your all-time favorite Altenew product? Pick one!

I love all my Altenew products, but if I had to choose one (which is an extremely difficult choice), I would go with Artist Markers. Since I started using Alcohol Markers, I have always loved how amazingly they blended and how vibrant the colors are. When Altenew released their Artist Markers, I was super thrilled. They blend so beautifully, and I love that they come in groups of four; perfect to create the lightest highlights and the darkest shadows.

All-time Favorite

Product: artist Markers

Q & A

with Joy D’Souza

13. Please tell us a fun/quirky/interesting fact about you that most people don’t know about.

Even though my cards/projects are bright and colorful, most of my clothes are black or neutral.

14. Bonus Question: If you could create your “dream craft room,” what would it look like?

In one of my workshops, we had discussed having an Altenew village where all we did was craft and chat, but since this may not be possible, I would love to have a big enough craft room in which I can craft and chat with all my crafting buddies.

Average 150 Cards made per year

9

years of being a cardmaker

70+

Altenew blog hops/ Instagram hops joined

2014 year discovered Altenew

1000 Number of cards sent out in card drives +

Social Media Accounts

handcraftedbyjoy

@handcraftedbyjoy

handcraftedbyjoy

handcraftedbyjoy