Hello there! Welcome to Pinned & Penned, a place for my paper crafting, literary and fabric creations as well as inspirations from around the web.

I’m Kate and I work as an independent educator in Seattle specializing in literacy and study skills for dyslexic, dysgraphic, ADHD, and typically developing students.  You can learn more about my teaching and educational interests here!

I am also a writer of poetry!  My work has been published in small journals, such as Haz-Mat Review, included at the 2001 National Poetry Therapy Conference in Washington, D.C., and awarded, most recently through Ithaca College’s IC View: Arts & Literary Issue, 2009.  You can find that poem linked up in my Writing tab on the home page and other poems scattered about this site.

One of my favorite poets, Adrienne Rich, states in her poem “Cartographies of Silence,” “Language cannot do everything”, an apt sentiment for this point in my creative life.  Over the past few years, my writing mind has given way to the visual and kinesthetic realms, and while color, texture, and image have always inspired my writing, I now find myself turning toward them as my preferred mode of expression.  Hence my return to stamping and paper crafting (after almost 20 years!), which began last October with a trip to Portland and a stop at Collage, in the fabulous Alberta Arts District, where I was compelled to pick up the thread once again!  In the last year my stamp, paper, and tool collection has grown exponentially, as have my ideas, thanks to all the great products and inspiring fellow crafters out there.

In addition to writing and stamping, I have been sewing since 2007, and I will soon upload images of the clothing I have made over the years!

I am excited to share my work with you and join this community of crafters! Your emails and comments are always welcome.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I look forward to connecting with you!