EK Success Brands' Creative Artist Team is made up of talented designers throughout the United States with all different backgrounds in different crafts! The Creative Artist Team (or CAT) creates projects with our products in creative, innovative ways that will educate and inspire you! This team works with all the crafting divisions under the EK Success Brands umbrella.
Ali Gripp: Kansas
When not out photographing families, weddings or her own children, Ali loves to craft. She loves all types of crafting but her passion
is jewelry and paper-crafting. Ali has been creating jewelry whether it is soldering or beading for three years and paper-crafting since she was a little girl. Along with crafting she loves to travel with her husband Thomas, and children Nolan and Skylar. They have a goal to take their children to all of the National Parks. As a family they never travel by plane they love to hit the open road and see what this country has to offer. Ali received her formal degree in Elementary Education and uses that teaching skill to teach soldering, beading and paper-crafting workshops locally. Ali lives in Kansas with her Husband, children, four kitties and dog Tashi.
Althea A. Reetz: Wisconsin
Althea grew up with creative family members around her, so crafting began at an early age. She had no idea it could be a full-time profession until she got her dream job as editor-in-chief for a national craft magazine in 2001. Since then, Althea has served in numerous roles for the craft industry – writer, designer, teacher, demonstrator, store manager, publicist, and consultant. She is happy to share her knowledge of the creative arts with others. While beading and jewelry-making are her favorite hobbies, she also enjoys all types of paper-crafting, sewing, embroidery, and anything involving the Great Outdoors! Her jewelry designs have been published in three magazines and two books; she has also had pieces on exhibit at bead shows. Althea works out of her home studio and lives in Wisconsin with her crazy cat, Calliope, who loves beads almost as much as she does!
Becky Cates: Indiana
Becky's background as an elementary teacher and decorative painting instructor has prepared her well for creating and teaching in the scrapbooking industry. She loves the creative aspect of scrapbooking and has a real passion for teaching others. Becky began designing for EK Success as a freelance artist for the SDU program back in 2003 and joined the Creative Artist Team in 2005. Becky lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana with her husband Jim, and has two grown daughters, a son-in-law, and one grandchild.
Brenna Weatherby: California
Brenna has been dabbling in jewelry making since high school, but started becoming more obsessed in 2006, when she made jewelry for all of the bridesmaids in her wedding. Growing up near the beach, she gets her inspiration from the ocean and the laid back lifestyle she has known all her life. She loves walking through bead stores and hunting for unique beads and findings to incorporate into her designs. Brenna lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband, Dan, baby girl, Kendall, and overly spoiled dog, Lani.
Catherine Cray Gelaude: Colorado
Catherine's passion for people, paper, travel and education created the perfect personal and imaginative outlet - scrapbooking. She has been a rubber stamp, mixed media and paper enthusiast for approximately ten years. Catherine loves to share her "all things paper" passion and has taught at a local scrapbook store for six years. She has been part of the Inkadinkado Creative Artist Team for the past several years. She describes her creative style as traditional with a touch of whimsy. Catherine lives in Lakewood, Colorado with her husband, Jim; has two grown sons, Jonathan and Joshua, and a daughter-in-law, Lisa.
Catherine Matthews-Scanlon: Maine
Catherine has been scrapbooking for approximately 11 years now (over 6 of them with EK Success) and loves every minute that she is able to spend documenting her memories. She is in love with sewing on her scrapbook pages and has written two books: Scrapbooking Techniques: Sewing on Paper and Art from the Heart. Her latest passion is merging scrapbooking products with mixed media and vintage items for unique and fun scrapbook pages, cards and mixed media projects. Catherine lives in Maine with her son, husband and their rat terrier, Guinness.
Christy Minnis: Texas
Christy began creating artwork at an early age because everyone in her family enjoyed crafting! She scrapbooks, cross stitches, and sews, but she began making jewelry in 2004 and it is still her favorite pastime. In addition to designing jewelry and creating with polymer clay, she teaches 3rd through 5th grade science and keeps up with her husband Rob, busy, almost-teenaged daughter Elle, and their menagerie--a dog named "Riley," a black cat called "Pinkle Purr," and a parakeet that answers to "Savanna."
Corrine Mihlek-Brzys: Connecticut
Corrine has been a paper-crafter since childhood and enjoys sharing her love of scrapbooking, stamping, and all of paper crafting in general with everyone she meets. She also loves to write, take photos, and hike new trails from Connecticut to Maine with her family of men. In addition to all that busy stuff, Corrine is a homeschooling mom of a teenager and hoards pretty papers by the pound in her craft closet. Shhhh...don't tell her husband.
Dana DeCarlo: Kansas
Dana began scrapbooking in high school, but became truly passionate about it after the birth of her daughter in 1999. She has taught at local scrapbook stores since 2001, and still loves every minute of it. Her favorite "must-have" supplies are patterned papers, punches and buttons - no page seems complete without them! She lives in Olathe, Kansas, with her husband, Michael, children Christina, Alex, Addie, and Charlie, and two crazy Chihuahuas, Zoey and Lola.
Diana Jorge: Florida
Diana has been in love with jewelry-making since she was an elementary school student. She majored in Creative Writing in college, though to be honest she spent a great deal of time sketching design ideas when she should have been taking notes during lectures. Diana’s design style is primarily “pretty”; she loves floral motifs, crystals and pearls. When she is not beading or sketching ideas, Diana enjoys playing with polymer clay, stamping, watching anime and keeping in touch with international pen pals. She lives with her mom and a demanding tuxedo cat.
Donna Marie Hanna: Arizona
Donna has been doing hand work of one kind or another since the age of five. Along the way she’s dabbled in needlepoint, embroidery, crewel work, and counted cross stitch (as well as quilting and sewing). She discovered her passion approximately twenty two years ago in a beaded earring class. She’s been beading ever since. She continues to expand her jewelry making skills to include metal work and wire wrapping. She enjoys creating pieces that incorporate several techniques and mediums. Donna has recently relocated to Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, Gary.
Holly Craft: Georgia
Holly loves crafting so much that she married a "Craft"! She has been creating with paper all her life, from drawing and making greeting cards to creating her own paper dolls. Having scrapbooked for twenty years, Holly discovered rubberstamping ten years later and it also became a passion. As a teacher, she has taught art to both children and adults for twenty years. Holly enjoys all types of crafting including sewing, knitting, painting as well photography. Her two children are grown and married, so it is just Holly and her husband and her crafting supplies now living in Atlanta!
Jary Riolo: Oregon
Jary has been crafting all her life but just picked up the “beading bug” 5 years ago. Since then she has delighted in teaching others how to create their own beaded treasures! Jary was an elementary school teacher for 17 years before retiring. Now she has time to play in her studio with all her toys! Jary lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon with her husband, Roger. Their two children, Robert and Katie, are grown and off pursuing their own dreams.
Kara Ward: Missouri
Kara has been crafting and scrapbooking for 6 years. A highlight of her life was being selected for the K and Company design team and traveling to teach at scrapbook expos and Creative Keepsake events. Before scrapbooking came into Kara's life, she was an elementary school teacher with a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education. Kara taught elementary school for 11 years. Staying home with her own children has brought her the greatest joy in life. She is happiest, when she is in her studio playing with paper and glitter. She looks forward to new adventures and new friends with her exciting spot on the EK Success Brands Team.
Karen Bulmahn: Indiana
Karen began scrapbooking eleven years ago, and had enjoyed being on the EK Success Brands Creative Artist Team for five years. Pushing her creativity to the limit through techniques and visual balance is what Karen loves most about crafting. Happiness for Karen is the ability to share her creativity, incorporate her fine art/graphic design education into her pages, and use her God-given talents to bring inspiration to others. Karen lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana with her husband, Greg and their three children, Abigail, Nolan, and Kalyn. In her spare time, Karen serves as a PTA Board Member at the elementary school where her children attend, and tries her best to keep up with the daily schedule of having a family of five!
Kelly Keller: Ohio
When not designing with flowers at her part time floral design job, Kelly enjoys creating with paper. She has been instructing and designing for over ten years, many of those with K & Company. She is thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of the EK Success Brands Team. Kelly especially enjoys making cards, home décor projects and small scrapbooks. For creative inspiration, she loves antiquing and collects vintage buttons and ribbons to embellish her projects. Kelly lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.
Leslie Boyer: Texas
Leslie has always been crafting. It all started with paper and scrapbooking and then moved on to fabric and quilting.
Her latest endeavor is bead and jewelry making. Beads are smaller and take up less storage space at least that is what she tells her husband. In the time not spent teaching, housekeeping, and crafting, she enjoys reading and training for the next marathon. Leslie lives in the Great State of Texas with her husband, two children, and one very mean, fat cat.
Nicole Ratzlaff: Kansas
Creative since childhood, Nicole cannot remember a time that she was without a crafty outlet. From stamping and jewelry making to card making and beyond she enjoys it all. Her scrapbooking obsession began like many others, after the birth of her first child. Now with three little ones there is much less time to devote to it but the obsession still remains. Nicole lives in Kansas with her wonderfully supportive husband and their three wild and crazy kids.