About Me

Hi! I’m Dina Kowal. You might know me simply as “dini” or “Mama Dini” from other stamping spaces on the internet. Where did the nickname "Mama Dini" come from? Well, I'm sort of famous for my homemade pizza, and I'd brought pizza to a staff potluck when we were living in Missouri...someone commented, "That pizza's pretty good, is that Papa Johns?" The first words out of my mouth were, "Nope, that's Mama Dini's!" and the name stuck.

I moved overseas in 2005 with my family, where we are involved in full-time ministry. We have 4 children, Evan, Emmaleigh, Benjamin, and Elliot. We started homeschooling in 2006.

I’ve been stamping since about 1993. My style has evolved over the years, and I get a lot of inspiration on the internet. Some of my stamp ‘collections’ include lighthouses, butterflies, teacups, beach scenes, Winnie the Pooh, and birds. I’ve always loved art, and stamping has been a wonderful escape from the pressures of cross-cultural living… I love winding down after a long day with my markers, watercolors, pencils, stamps, and cardstock all in reach.  Besides stamping, I enjoy cooking and baking, playing the piano, and singing.

I started doing freelance design in 2002, blogging in 2006, joined my first design team in 2007, and found that I truly love creating one-of-a-kind cards, pushing my limits, and thinking outside the box. I enjoy finding products that can be a catalyst for my love of coloring.  In addition to freelance work with ShinHan Art Materials, Impression Obsession and Inchie Arts, I also design rubber stamp artwork for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, and create custom watermarks for photos posted online. I was also honored to be a "Dirty Girl," a member of the Dirty Dozen design team at Splitcoaststampers.com. I stamp mainly for my own personal sanity and to stretch my creative limits, but also with the hope that I will be able to encourage others with the work and time that I put into a card just for them.

Thank you so much for visiting my site! I hope you find something useful!