Kelly Purkey

Impressive, To Die For Tips & Tricks!

One last post as the Papertrey Ink Distinguished Guest Designer :)  I'm going to be so sad to relinquish the title... it's been a great two months.  I wanted to share my card using the new Giga Guidelines 1 Impressions Plate.
Design is just SO gorgeous! I don't have a die-cut machine to use these fabulous plates with, but no way was that going to stop me from trying out Giga.  So I came up with a solution of dry embossing with the plate and a stylus from a rub-on package.

I taped a piece of Hawaiian Shores to the plate and used the stylus to outline the image - just like you would if you were dry embossing.  By taping the paper on the sides, you can easily lift up the edges to see the die underneath and know where to rub.  Even if you rub outside the lines, you'll still get a crisp and clean image as long as you're making deep rubs right on top of the edges of the plate.  I finished off the card using Year of Flowers: Daffodils and Background Basics: Tin Types stamps.

Be sure to check out what the fabulous other PTI designers did with the fun dies and plates!!!

Michelle Wooderson
Betsy Veldman
Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols

Thanks again to Nichole for letting me guest... it was an amazing experience! :)

Don't Look, Mom!

This may be my busiest week ever. Creating and working and having fun with my fabulous Sketchbook students. And a lame attempt to have a social life as well.

Snapped this of my bedroom today...

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who lets it get this messy?  Please.

I once watched this episode of Oprah where they gave homes makeovers and organized everything.  Nate said that you can’t have an organized mind if you live in chaos.  Which I completely agree with because that's pretty much what I think the inside of my head looks like right now as well.

It's chaos, I tell you.  The other half of my room is covered with boxes and clothes.

What do I do when I live in a Manhattan apartment and work in the craft industry and my bedroom is my office and have an obsession with buying J.Crew clothes?

You may be hot without a shirt on but can you answer me that, Nate Berkus?

The Twenty-Eight List

 
After some failure with The 27 Things, it was hard - really hard - coming up with The Twenty-Eight List.  I kept writing things down and then thinking, no that's too easy or no that's really selfish.  I wanted them to be things that I would enjoy doing and were challenging at the same time.  No wimping out.  It was tough.  But I gave myself my birthday as a deadline to complete the list.  So it is what it is.  And what it is, is a list I'm looking forward to crossing every single thing off this year.  Let's hit it...

1. Walk the Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and GWB
2. Try yoga
3. Attend my HS reunion
4. Learn Spanish
5. Take a train ride instead of a flight
6. Visit all of my best friends
7. Visit three countries I've never been to
8. Take a cooking class
9. Create something amazing
10. See five plays
11. Have a picnic in Central Park
12. Go to Boston
13. Go on a helicopter ride
14. Explore the Cloisters
15. Fall in love
16. Eat the pop-tarts at Michael's Genuine
17. Read five non-fiction books
18. Spend an entire day enjoying nature
19. Bake a pastry from scratch
20. Make four new girlfriends
21. Go to a concert at Webster Hall, Radio City, the Bowery, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center
22. Eat at Momofuku Ko
23. Learn to let things go
24. Go inside the crown of Lady Liberty
25. Write everyday
26. Throw a cupcake tasting party
27. Shoot a roll of film
28. Take one selfie everyday for a month

How is your list? Share some updates with me! Hope you are crossing things off and enjoying the year! :)

Reflections

I'm SO thrilled to share that I've been invited to teach at Reflections 2010 next month!!!  This is such an amazing event held in Newport Beach, CA.  And I get to join my fabulous friends Liz Kartchner, Maggie Holmes, and Kelly Goree who are also teaching... along with the talented Katie Watson, Deebee Campos, and Danielle Flanders.  I can't believe I'm so lucky to included in that incredible line-up :)

Looking forward to heading to California in just a few weeks to play with all you fun Reflections ladies!  You know this city girl is a beach bum at heart ;)

BTW, I've had a lot of last minute requests so I've kept registration for my Sketchbook class open... you can still register right here.  Hope to see you in class on Monday!

Snapshots of My Weekend: 3.21.10

I love March Madness and am fully committed to the fact that my MSU Spartans are going to the Final Four again this year.  Woot.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and Saturday was spent shopping down in Chinatown + Soho with my roomie, Leslie, who took this photo.  Sunday morning I jet setted to Miami Beach, which has become an addiction of mine.  MIA means visiting my friend Michael at Scarpetta in Fountainebleau because he feeds me the most amazing pasta and never lets my wine glass go empty.  I made the mistake of telling him it was my birthday and the next thing I know he's setting an amazing dessert in front of me and all the people at the bar are singing to me. I had the most perfect unbirthday weekend (no big celebrations and just that one embarassing song... just how I wanted it!) on the beach under blue skies and a breeze coming in off the ocean.

And since all my recent scrappyness is going to mags or class, here's an older layout I wanted to share that was featured in the Scrapbook Trends Newsletter...

It's in the Quick & Easy Idea Book... which is full of fabulous ideas!!!

Don't forget that registration for Sketchbook ends on Friday.  Can't wait to start class on Monday! The layouts from the Studio Calico team are amazing... you will absolutely love them :)