July 2010 - Matthew Mead

I am sure you have heard of Christmas in July. Well, here at The Craft Map we are celebrating Christmas in July with the feature of Matthew Mead from Holiday with Matthew Mead. Help us celebrate and enjoy getting to know Matthew. 

 

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am a lifestyle and entertaining expert and have authored numerous books including Entertaining Simple and Matthew Mead’s Halloween. As a former style editor with Country Home, I now contribute to numerous shelter publications including Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, In Style Weddings, Victoria, Celebrate,  Do it Yourself, and Country Living and have produced images for Pottery Barn, Dove Chocolate, Target and Stonewall Kitchen. I co-edited the 2010 issue of Flea Market Style and am currently editor-in-chief of Holiday with Matthew Mead.

How long have you been crafting?

Design and styling has been a part of my life since early childhood, although obviously in a natural and inherent way. I love being inspired by vintage objects... color, shape, design... I love finding quality style throughout the ages... and I love great things from every era. There must be a curator in me somewhere and I think perhaps that if I wasn't doing this, I would probably work at acquiring and curating items for a museum. I have been a serious collector for over 20 years and have dabbled in selling antiques... a roving dealer might also be in the cards.

Which came first the blog or the book idea?

The book. Holiday with Matthew Mead is a book-azine that encompasses all that I love about the holiday season: the traditions, celebrations and magic that is the holiday season. The pages of Holiday with Matthew Mead are filled with fresh, easy ideas that can be achieved in two or three steps. With 144 pages of holiday inspiration - featuring well-known and admired designers, bloggers and top-notch stories - and printed on beautiful paper (while not drowning in ads!), we consider Holiday with Matthew Mead part book/part magazine - a publication that you will keep from year to year and add to your collection of Holiday decorating, crafting and cooking magazines and books. We started the blog to share the behind-the-scenes process of the making of the magazine and as a way to involve readers and include them in the magazine via cookie recipe contest, whole home tour contests and more!

How did you decide to focus on the holiday theme?

I have always loved the holidays and all of the traditions and joy associated with them. It was a natural desire for me to share what I love about the holidays, so I published my first HOLIDAY issue in 2006, and am now answering the yearning within me to share more of my

ideas and inspirations. Readers have been asking me to put out another issue for years, so I decided that although my schedule is crazy busy right now, it was time to deliver!

What is your favorite holiday?

I love them all, I really do. But right now, I am focused on Christmas...I have to be!

Do you have a favorite medium or medium of the moment?

Well, not in the sense that you are referring to, but I am loving the blogging process. Bloggers are so engaging and current and just out there doing it and doing it well. Its inspiring to me because never before has there been such community connectivity than through blogs. I read many and respond often just to be part of such a great circle... I am awed by the medium and the talent.

One tool you can’t live without?

My camera. It is always with me and I love capturing beauty to share with my readers.

If you have a creative block, is there anything that works to motivate you in a positive direction?

I don`t ever really suffer from creative block. I have so many things to inspire myself... and a talented staff that works hard to embellish and grow my vision... we do so many different things as well that I often change gears and take a whole new direction based on the medium

or season I am working in... Life is like a candy store with not enough time to try it all...

Is there anything craft related that you would like to try or learn?

I am always learning and trying new things. Currently, I am loving creating beautiful things with my computer...digital media is so exciting and so many wonderful things can be created with it!

Your favorite magazine?

Holiday with Matthew Mead, of course! But I love to look through and draw inspiration from Australian design mags and I love Donna Hay`s aesthetic.

Please visit me at my two websites: www.matthewmeadstyle.com and www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com (where you can pre-purchase the magazine, distributed only via the website and straight to the readers` mailboxes).

You can find Matthew at the following links:

Website:   http://www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com                

Twitter:   http://twitter.com/HolidayMagazine   

Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holiday-with-MatthewMead/104753842892248?v=wall