Featured Artisan of Handmade Treasures: Diane MacNaughtan of Dianie Mac Designs

Do you have any favorite medium?
CLAY! Any kind of clay, I would be lost without it!

Is there anything you eventually want to get in to and master?
I am always curious and love to try new mediums. But, there is one thing I have always wanted to do, that is learn to sew. I would love to make those wonderful cloth dolls.

What kinds of artistic projects do you like to work on?
Most of my designs are Halloween or Christmas themed. Ornaments are always a favorite of mine to create.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you're not creating art?
In my spare time I love to spend time with family on weekend outings such as camping and fishing. I also love going to garage sales, finding junk and re-purposing it!

How long have you been crafting?
I have been creating ever since I can remember.

When did you first start selling your handmade items?
Well, if cake decorating counts, I was selling homemade and decorated cakes at the age of 11.

What inspired you to do so?
My Dad! lol.. He saw that I had talent in my decorating and he started keeping me busy decorating cakes for his friends and co-workers. I became too busy for a pre-teen and burned out. lol...

What style do you decorate your home in?
I love many styles.. my home is an eclectic mix of antiques, Tuscan, Prim and what I call Granny style.

Were you artistic as a child?
Extremely!

Did anyone inspire you as a child or when you were starting to become artistic?
When I was about 5 or 6, my mom gave me a book on Leonardo Da Vincci.. I was so fascinated with his work.

I was also inspired by a local artist, then in his teen years he was locally famous. Now he is a world renowned artist. His Name is Ned Young. When I was young, I would walk right past Ned's house on my way to school. He had a studio in his back yard that his parents had built for him and I would daydream about having my own studio in which to create my art in, one day.

Was there a point when you realized "Wow, I'm an artist/artisan!"
I knew when I was very, very young that I was an artist. I also felt very different from the other kids.

Confession time: What does your craft room/studio really look like?
It is YELLOW.. too yellow..lol. However, it is in the middle of a transformation. I am giving my studio a re-do in a French shabby chic style.

Is it organized?
Yes, it is organized, I have a place for everything, but it gets messy. It is an organized mess!

Please list the urls to your blog(s) and shop(s).
Dianie Mac Designs
Etsy shop
Arts A Flutter
Queens Castle Bootique
Ebay shop