Kelly Purkey

Greetings from Valley Forge!

I'm down in Philadelphia to hang with Linda, both of my brothers, and some awesome students tomorrow at CKC Valley Forge.  A great way to spend the weekend.

Just a reminder that registration for Sketchbook 2 closes tomorrow on Friday, July 30.  If you've regsitered, please come join in the fun chat at Studio Calico before class starts on Monday!

Happy weekend.

Gastronome

I've mentioned before that I can never resist buying some Basic Grey every time I'm at a CKC and I brought home some good stuff when I was in Des Moines last month.  So I thought I'd share some BG lovin' with you...
Just a quick card for a friend... I used Hero Arts Sew Artsy stamps and my new favorite Fiskars border punch called Postage Stamp.  Obsessed with this one now.

This is a layout created just for me... I wrote this journaling down way back in December and finally got around to putting it on a page.  I save so much memorabilia that it was time some of it made it onto a layout.  I added a dessert menu, a coaster from the same MIA trip, and a cork from our wine bottle.  Some washi tape also went through my Binding Edge border punch and the results made me happy.
And here is the very tongue-in-cheek journaling:

"I did some quick math in my head - the best kind, I might add - and realized that the amount of money I’ve spent dining out in the past five weeks could have paid my rent for the month of December.  We’re talking a lot of food here.

However, in my defense, it does include two trips to miami.  The first trip I only paid for one dinner.  One that was well over $200.  Then I was pretty much tapped and let him pay for the rest, which only got more expensive.*  The second trip I convinced myself that eating light while on the beach during the day meant I could indulge at night.  And indulge I did, including bringing back some of those delicious Michael’s Genuine doughnuts and an apple charlotte that was to die for.

it includes a trip to London and Spain, where it was ok to splurge.  And cocktails every night with my best friend were a necessity, of course.  That’s what they do over there, so when in Rome and all that.  And not to mention my addiction to dairy milk.  As a last brilliant move in London, I put down the two measly bars I was considering buying and walked straight across the terminal to duty free.  And came home with two oversized bags of chocolate.

Two trips to Momofuku.  Where I could order everything on the menu and it would be delicious.  Because how could we go to Momofuku and not order pork buns, entrees, and try sweet potato ice cream or pbj pie?  A sacrilege, darling.

Trips to Chicago and Utah to taste the food I’d been homesick for.  Cafe Rio.  The Publican.  Potbelly’s.  Not to mention a couple bigger meals snuck in here in the Big Apple.  Complete with wine, because it is the holidays after all and dammit if that’s what it takes for me to be festive then pass me the pinot.

I don’t want to even think about going eight weeks back in my eating habits when we were apartment hunting and eating on the upper west side every night.  Then Sarah and Susan came to town and it was a weekend of pure indulgence.

So we will stop the reminiscing of each tasty bite and dollar gone now.  I will never be a girl who says no to food or spending money on good food.  But perhaps in the new year, I need to pass up one - just one, mind you - dinner out and use that money on a gym membership.

Life is too short.  Let it taste good.

Photo taken at Michael's Genuine where I have been lucky to have farm eggs, beef hearts, pig ears, homemade potato chips + dip, pork belly with kimchi, linguine with sugo, rabbit pate, duck confit, shrimp rice cakes, date + arugula pizza, ribeye cap steak, wood roasted cauliflower, bacon zucchini gratin, grassfed NY strip, warm pears, prawns, octopus, amazing wine, and four lemon pot de cremes with homeade doughnuts that I wish to wake up every morning to."

Truth be told, I didn't stick to my plan and have not joined a gym this year.  But I have taken up running and get out in the park as much as possible.  And the best part is it doesn't cut into my dining budget one bit.

*JR, if you happen to be reading this... thanks again for the best meals of my life.

Snapshots of My Weekend: 7.25.10

I was unexpectedly stuck in NYC this weekend and it was quite funny that I had no idea what to do.  It was like the possibilities were too overwhelming.  So I didn't do a whole lot but run around with some fabulous friends...




Friday afternoon I had my one + only Restaurant Week meal with Chloe at Gotham.  I'd made the reservation because Amanda swears that their flourless chocolate cake challenges our favorite ever at Diner.  And sure enough, I think it won me over.  On Saturday I took the ferry over to the BK and passed by Lady Liberty.  The weather, the view, the boat.  I loved every second.  Kyle drove me + my new bookcase back from IKEA (and carried it up five flights of stairs!!!) and since I'm rarely in the car I took the opportunity to take a Amy inspired selfie.  I hadn't planned it, but the timing was perfect since we were getting off the BK bridge and you can see it in the background.  Awesome.  That night D + I beat the heat with some Starbucks and funny conversation.  Sunday afternoon I met a friend down at Century 21, which is right across from Ground Zero.  This was the first time I've seen it since my NYC visit six years ago.  There's a lot I could say on this subject.  But I'll keep that to myself right now.

We also saw Inception on Saturday night.  I know there's been tons of talk and hype around this movie but let me just say that I was riveted.  And that's not a word I use lightly.  Or at all.  But riveted I was, my friends.  Amazing movie.  Still thinking about it all.  Have you seen it yet?  Go go go.

Tonight Chloe and I were walking after dinner and she kept saying "I love New York!  I just love this city!" which made laugh.  This is the fourth conversation on being in love with living in NYC that I've had in the past few days.  Sometimes I get so caught up in traveling and being anywhere-but-here that I forget that I live in the best city in the world.  It was nice to have those conversations to remind me how lucky I am to be a New Yorker.  I need to stop taking it for granted.  Do a little reveling myself.

It also reminded me of a line from Let the Great World Spin that I thought was brilliant...


So true.

Sketchbook Peeks

Just a reminder that registration for Sketchbook 2 ends on Friday.  Can I just say that I'm getting really, really excited!  I've got a few sneak peeks from the awesome Studio Calico gals to share with you.  Drool away...
Those lovely looking layouts are from Sasha, Kelly, Stephanie H, April, Waleska, and Tina. 
I love, I love.  This team is amazing.

You can find giveaways for spots in the class on many of the team's blogs this week:
April Foster, Celine Navarro, Davinie Fiero, Emily Pitts, Jenn Olson, Joy Madison, Kelly Noel, Lisa Truesdell, Maggie Holmes, Nicole Harper, Nicole Samuels, Sasha Farina, Stephanie Howell, Stephanie Wheeler, Tina Aszmus, Waleska Nerris

Hip hip hooray for giveaways!  More info about the class and registration is right here.

I'll tell you a secret.
Sometimes I just don't want to make anything.  Sometimes I just don't want to make anything for like three months.  Sometimes I just don't want to make anything for like three months and would rather take a nap in the middle of the day.

Ok so that was three secrets. 
But they're all true. 
And I'm certainly well rested.

After I was working non-stop in April and had just finished creating my classes for Reflections in California, I hit a wall.  There were other things going on in life that weren't feeding me any motivation and I was just creatively stuck.  Have you ever been there?  What's your key to getting back on track?

But right now?  I'm back, babydoll!  I'm scrapping and making a mess and coming home from a late Saturday night out and whipping up layouts that I love at 3 a.m.  I think we all need those breaks where we step away for a bit... it helps to make you realize what you're missing and really enjoy it again.

Reunited.  And it feels so good.

Friday Randoms

Dude.  How is it already Friday again already?!  And how is it that now I only blog Friday Randoms and Snapshots of My Weekend.  Hmm.  I need to beef up the bloggo.

1. I was going through my Photo Booth folder and found this pic from February 2009...
Who is that chick?! I don't even recognize myself.  But damn, I had good hair in 2009.

2. I also have this one that I snapped last week to send to a friend...
People, this is what happens when you work from home with too much time on your hands and are an expert at eating Mr. Softee ice cream cones while procrastinating on being productive.  Now this girl?  This girl I recognize.

3. How excited am I to see Eat Pray Love?  Very very very.

Right now I'm currently on what I call my "Escape Route."  Travel.  Experience.  Ignore reality a bit.  Enjoy what's out there.  Figure things out.  I relate to Eat Pray Love in a big way.  And the film just looks gorgeous.  Who wants to be my movie buddy?

4. I have a layout for the challenge up on the American Crafts blog today.  Hope you'll come play along!

5. Last night I was told that I say a lot on my blog but I don't talk very much in person.  This is true.  I am an Introvert with a capital I.  A listener, not a talker.  I've always been more of a writer... even though I try to be very brief on here because I feel that too much text in this little space looks overwhelming.  Moleskines are my friend.  But it's funny because I have no hesitation about teaching classes with 100 people staring at me or striking up a conversation with any perfect stranger.  I just am a quiet, more private person.  Would you guess that about me?

6. This weekend I had plans to go to the Dominican Republic but they fell through.  So now I've got a whole New York weekend on my hands.  I'm kind of excited.  But I will still be dreaming about being on the beach...
Photo taken by my BFF Erin while home in Michigan.  One night at the Mets game a man said to me that I looked like I was a beach girl.  I wonder how he knew?

I've got sneak peeks from the Sketchbook 2 layouts to share on Sunday.  See you later, alligator.