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I am so happy to have Kelly Purkey joining us this month as Cocoa Daisy’s guest designer. I’ve worked with Kelly for a few years and always loved her innovative style and fun personality. I was so happy when Kelly quickly agreed to help us out in December. We did some moving around of kits so we’d have one that was perfect for Kelly’s bright and cheery style, we think we matched the two up perfectly! Then she and Christine worked together to bring you the exclusive Kelly Purkey stamps for the main kit, and I was over the moon. Those stamps are awesome! So playful and fun, just like KP.
Kelly Purkey is a graphic designer and scrapbooker living on the island of Manhattan. A former product designer & jack of all trades for American Crafts and Studio Calico, she recently launched a new boutique company under her name. Kelly Purkey stamps are now available in her shop (kellypurkey.bigcartel.com) and at Simon Says Stamp. Kelly loves good meals, photobooths, and time with her friends.
Get to know Kelly a little better by reading her answers to our questions, it’s always fun to see how these get answered by our different guests.
1. What is your most creative time?
I’m a total night owl so any time from 8 – 2am I’m in the zone
2. What is on your top 5 playlist right now?
Hold Onto What You Believe – Mumford + Sons
Call Your Girlfriend – Robyn
Pool Mashup: Just a Dream/Just the Way You Are from Pitch Perfect
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
Starships – Nicki Minaj
3. What’s next on your scrappy life list?
More products released under my own brand name
4. What is your favorite retreat?
Miami Beach
5. If your life was a movie, what actress would play you?
Lucy Liu?
6. Share one of your favorite quotes.
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans
We are so pleased to share with you the fabulous work of our November Guest Designer, Danielle Flanders.
True to her style, she did the most beautiful things with Navy Pier and even though she says layouts aren’t her strong suit, I have to say that she has me fooled with what she sent me this month! Please be sure to check out her Cocoa Daisy gallery and make sure to let her know what you think.
Here’s a little more about our guest designer in her own words:
I’ve been crafting and making things ever since I was little. I have always been “into” art of all sorts, drawing, painting, quilting, and when my first daughter was born, I began scrapbooking to make a baby book for her. That is when my true love of paper crafting began, 13 years ago! My style is girly, but with a more modern twist using brighter colors and adding a happy, clean feel to update the vintage look. I love working with color, pattern and trying new things and techniques – and dabble in everything from layouts to cards to mini albums. Currently, I am working as the design team coordinator for Pink Paislee and also designing for Papertrey Ink and Lily Bee Designs. Stop over to my blog and say hello: www.danielleflanders.blogspot.com!
We always ask our Guest Designers to answer some questions so we can get to know them better, here’s what Danielle said:
1. What is your most creative time?
I used to be a night owl and stay up late many nights, but since I started running again, I’m exhausted at night! During the day when my girls are at school, and I have a few hours of interrupted creative time, I’m at my best!
2. What is on your top 5 playlist right now?
Good Time by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen, What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, Drive By by Train, Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, Hey Soul Sister by Train.
3. What’s next on your scrappy life list?
I am actually working on an E-book, it’s almost finished and should be out soon! I can’t wait to share all of the hard work that I’ve put into it over the past couple of months!
4. What is your favorite retreat?
Probably in my basement at my scrap desk when it’s nice and quiet!
5. If your life was a movie, what actress would play you?
Oh wow. This is a really hard question! I guess I will say Kristian Alfonso, only because people tell me that I look like her!
6. Share one of your favorite quotes.
This is one I found recently and love it, it’s so true. “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. –Albert Einstein”
7. What are you known for on your pages?
Feminine elements, machine stitching, a mix of patterns, yet clean and bright.
8. What’s your favorite inspiration site?
I have so many favorites! I love visiting all of the manufacturers’ blogs and magazine blogs to see what their teams have made. You can find so much inspiration there.
9. What food would describe your style?
Ha. Well, I would describe my style as “fresh vintage” I think, but I am not sure what food that would be! How about a yummy Peppermint Patty? Fresh and minty, yet sweet and chocolatey!
10. What is “dressed up” for you?
As a stay-at-home mom, I don’t get to dress up that often, but I love to get girly and wear a casual dress and my tall boots when I get a chance!
Danielle, thank you for creating with us this month, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you, and stay safe as the hurricane heads your way!
When I asked Melissa if she’d be interested in joining us as our Guest Designer in October, I knew she’d do a bang up job with the kit, Aspen Grove. She’s fabulous with bright happy colors and I love how she uses patterned papers so adeptly. What I didn’t know is just how fast her turn around time would be. She is absolutely amazing! Not only does she do gorgeous things with patterned paper and embellishments, but she can do it FAST! I’d love to be a fly on her wall and learn a few of her secrets. She didn’t disappoint this month and she has been delightful to work with, two things that make a guest designer tops in my book. Here’s a little about Melissa in her own words:
Hey there! My name is Melissa Mann and I live on the beautiful Gulf Coast in Pensacola, FL. I am married to a great guy named Troy and we have two dogs and one cat. My day job is being team lead for the reservation desk at a condo in Perdido Key, FL – definitely not a boring job by any stretch of the imagination! I started scrapbooking in 2005 and have come to love this hobby. I am currently on the design teams for American Crafts, Lily Bee Design, Lawn Fawn, & The Green Frog Studio. I have been privileged to be published in Scrapbook Trends, Create, & Cards magazines. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the team for the month of October here at Cocoa Daisy!
Well Melissa, we are happy to have you as part of our team this month too! Thanks for all you have done to make Aspen Grove sparkle!
I always ask our Guest Designers to fill out a questionnaire, here’s Melissa’s answers:
1. What is your most creative time? My most creative time is usually on one of my days off while the hubby is working a day shift. I have the house to myself and usually put on a season of “Friends” or “Dexter” and get a good 5-6 hours of scrapping done at a time. I can usually pump out about 5 layouts and a couple of cards during that time. 2. What is on your top 5 playlist right now? Don’t judge ”Another Brick in the Wall”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Love is a Battlefield”, & “Livin’ on a Prayer”. 3. What’s next on your scrappy life list? I would love to learn how to actually use Photoshop and I would love to take a photography class! I really need to understand how to use more manual settings on my camera 4. What is your favorite retreat? Either playing the piano or reading – and if it’s possible – head out to the beach and just listen to the pounding waves on the sand.
5. If your life was a movie, what actress would play you? Ha! I have no idea! I’m a very shy person but have learned how to be a “fake” extrovert with my current job. I am NOT a risk taker in the least and I usually lay awake at night for at least an hour going through different things in my head. It’s just hard for me to turn the brain off and sleep
6. Who are the important people in your life? My family, hands down! My husband, parents, siblings, grandparents, and my puppies
7. What are you known for on your pages? I guess how colorful they tend to be! I love bright colors and love to incorporate that into my projects.
8. What’s your favorite inspiration site? Pinterest, magazines, scrapbook galleries
9. What food would describe your style? Mexican!
10. What is “dressed up” for you? I abhor dressing up. I work in an environment that requires business casual. If I had to define “dressed up”, my answer would be a nice pair of jeans, a top, and a pair of strappy sandals!
Check out Melissa’s blog I [heart] Penguins and her guest designer gallery here at Cocoa Daisy.
We’re happy to introduce our lovely guest designer for our September kit, He Said She Said, Michelle Hernandez.
Michelle’s got a fun artsy style, bursting with happy energy. We love how she adds lots of layers and captures her family life it such artistically moving photos. We’re so thankful she said yes!
Here’s a bit more about Michelle:
Hello from Brooklyn, New York! I’m Michelle- Mom, distracted wife and massive paper lover. My paper crush started at age 12 with my first origami book and moved on to photography, collages, comic books and art journals. 4 years ago I learned I was pregnant with my first child and that she would most likely be severely disabled. Instead of giving in to fear, I took to the internet to learn more and to prepare myself for the biggest challenge of my life.
In my meanderings I also discovered online scrapbook blogs. I was searching for stencils to draw birds for the baby’s room- ’cause girlfriend over here CANNOT draw to save her life.
Then Miss Lola was born and although she spent 6 weeks in the intensive care unit the doctors could not find anything wrong with her. No genetic defects, No physical defects. Whatever caused her fetal distress has thankfully resolved itself entirely.
So I started a blog (My Analog Life) to tell my wacky stories, ideas, photography and paper crafts projects. I also vowed I would start taking my own creative pursuits seriously so I could be a proper “role model”.
It’s been an amazing journey so far. I’m meeting incredibly kind and talented people every day. Learning new things about myself and developing skills I never would have before. I don’t have a scrapbook “style” yet- I think I could be a modern/graphic scrapper but I also love flowers and scribbles and paint so anything goes. I do know this- each page is a learning experience and a chance to learn something new. If I truly hate something I made I “redo” it and keep the old version so I can laugh myself silly later on.
Being asked to be a guest for Cocoa Daisy is a HUGE deal for me and I’m very grateful for the chance to share my story and have some crafty fun with you. Thank you!!!!
Here’s my favorite layout of her’s this month, I just love the feeling in that photo!
I asked Michelle to answer 10 questions and here are her answers:
1. What is your most creative time?
10pm to 2am which is CRAYYYZEE but I work at a store so my schedule is constantly changing.
2. What is your 5 playlist?
I’m gonna sound like an ultra nerd here but I listen to NPR 24 hours a day. I’m obsessed with “This American Life” and “Radiolab”. When I get bored I switch to U2 and 70′s era salsa- the good stuff with mixed horn sections, poetic lyrics and actual melodies.
3. What’s next on your scrappy life list?
Right now it’s a tie between upgrading my entire computer system which is giving me the willies and taking a graphic design course so I have a better grasp on the basics (and ignore them better.)
4. What is your favorite retreat?
On my bike- always. Moving forward on my bike just makes everything clear- like running is for other people.
5. If your life was a movie, what actress would play you?
Michelle Rodriguez- she’s the total bad *** I wish I was. Man, that would be a boring movie! Michelle would demand to have a few car chases added to the script.
6. Who are the important people in your life?
My husband, Miss Lola (the kiddo), my Mom and my sister.
7. What are you known for on your pages?
I think I’m known for using lots of vellum, tiny details, stars, kraft paper backgrounds and neon. I tend to flow from bright and modern to messy and spur of the moment styles. I’m a huge sucker for trends- for me scrapping is more about playing and exploring than recording specific life events. I really admire designers who do both with ease.
8. What’s your favorite inspiration site?
Instagram hands down! I’m on that jammie at least 5 times a day! I LOVE looking at what’s up visually in other people’s lives. I also love Design Milk for the latest on art/design trends and naturally Pinterest but I rarely have time to visit it.
9. What food would describe your style?
Ummm… chopped chicken salad with more veggies than chicken and just enough dressing? I hate when they add too much dressing! I like to actually taste my greens.
10. What is “dressed up” for you?
Right now work requires I dress professionally so I wear lots of dresses so I don’t over-think accessorizing. On days off I wear t-shirts, jeans, Birkenstock and one of my newsboy caps (getting my hair to curl nicely is a pain, I mean, a process).
I admit i am into backgrounds. I love building up slow layers of color and texture. This cool technique falls right into that love. Today i am sharing how to use distress inks, stamps, and water to create this uber fun layer.
Here’s the final piece. After completing the background, i stamped the awesome leaf stamp again in citrus ink. It is a Cocoa Daisy stamp that is sold out. I have heard “rumors” that they just may be bringing it back for a second release. I then stamped the word grow in archival black ink and placed the die cut under it. I added in some cream butterflies and journaled around the edges. You can see the “ghosted” stamp in the background creating beautiful depth in the layers. I hope you have fun trying out this technique. Please share if you create something, I would love to see it!
Thank you Ronda for sharing this great tutorial with us! You can see more of Ronda’s great ideas by visiting her blog Help [ME] Ronda
”Another Brick in the Wall”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Love is a Battlefield”, & “Livin’ on a Prayer”.
