008: Cocoa Daisy

I’m delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast — the first of 2013!!  Today’s guest is Christine Drumheller:

Headshot-for-siggyHere are a few words from Christine:

I first joined Cocoa Daisy, as a subscriber, in 2007.  I later tried out when Cocoa Daisy had a Design Team call, and made the team. About 6 months later, Tricia (the owner then) asked me to start creating the project kits.  I loved coming up with ideas for the project kits and putting them together!  Soon, I was joining Tricia for her trips to CHA, so I got a good idea of how much work goes into putting together the main kit.

Well, fast forward to 2010. I found myself having to leave my marriage of 11 years, with no work history for the last 8 because I’d been a stay-at-home Mom.  At that time Tricia happened to be pregnant, moving to another state and planning to close things down here at Cocoa Daisy.  I approached her and said I wanted to do it!

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I was terrified… leaving a marriage, moving in with my parents and starting a business all at the same time.  That was the worst, most stressful summer of my life!  But I knew I had to give it a try because it was the perfect scenario for me. I’d be doing something I love and I’d also be home with the boys.

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My background in graphic design from before I became engaged, including 10 years’ experience as a Composition Manager, gave me the confidence to jump in and pray that God had placed this opportunity in front of me for a reason.

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It’s been an amazing two and a half years! Learning as I go, always trying to make changes and improvements, working to get the kits out on time and to give my 100% to customer service has been more than stressful at times, BUT I wouldn’t change a thing!

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Lately I have changed my focus from 12×12 layouts. I adore mini albums and I am addicted to instagram – so creating a mini album filled with instagram pictures from my phone seemed the perfect way to capture our daily lives.

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Links for Christine:

On today’s podcast we discuss Christine’s journey towards becoming the owner of Cocoa Daisy as well as the struggle for balance between work, home, and creative desires.  I hope you’ll listen in to our conversation and leave us your thoughts!

Find the show on iTunes here.

007: Points of Two

Today’s podcast features two very talented art journalers:

Roben-Marie Smith

Roben-MarieRoben-Marie is interested in a lot of craft and art forms, including mixed media, art journaling, sewing and more. She likes to laugh but sometimes take things too seriously. She doesn’t like wearing shoes, would rather give than receive, is afraid of heights, is an introvert who works hard to be an extrovert and one day would like to say “making things for others” is her job!

Roben-Marie shares her love of mixed-media art, handmade journals and more through her inspiring blog, Every Life Has a Story, offering video tutorials, step by step how-to’s and workshops.  She has been published in a number of magazines and books and most recently her art appears in Journal It! by Jenny Doh and published by Lark Crafts. She is also very involved with her church and has also traveled to Panama, El Salvador and Romania for mission work and is the owner of Paperbag Studios, LLC which offers a full line of rubber art stamps.  
Find Roben-Marie online:

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Samantha Kira Harding

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Samantha Kira is an artist, crafter, writer, and sometimes video producer in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona, where she lives with her two pups and an overflowing closet of art supplies.

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Her work has been featured in several Stampington publications, as well as Cloth Paper Scissors and the new book Photo Craft.

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She’s a self-taught mixed-media artist who loves teaching and that little gasp of surprise when someone who thought they couldn’t make art suddenly does. Her work is bright, colorful, and soulful, created during Deep Play and fueled by daily adventures and living with a chronic illness. You can visit her on the web at www.journalgirl.com.

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Find her online:

On today’s podcast we discuss each of the guests’ artistic journeys, the discipline of creating, the privacy line when blogging, and so much more!  I hope you’ll join us for an hour of arting conversation!

All podcasts are archived here.  Find the show on iTunes here.

006: Thinking Globally

Today’s podcast features three very talented ladies from around the world:

Nathalie Kalbach

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Nathalie Kalbach is an European Mixed Media Scrapbooker. Her layered work is an explosion of texture, dimension and jewel tone colors.

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In Nathalie’s workshops she shares her secrets for using paint and ink products to reveal texture, tips and tricks for embedding found objects and embellishments and how to unlock your personal creativity.  She has taught workshops in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Israel, Germany, France, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, The Netherlands and Norway. Also her Online Workshops are very well visited and a big hit.

Nathalie has been published in many Stampington Publications including her own column “Nathalie’s Studio” with Somerset Memories as well as in numerous magazines from around the world and several idea books.

You can read more about Nathalie and find her work on the n*Studio blog.

Louise Nelson

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Louise currently lives in an inner city suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. She has a day job working full time as a Perioperative Nurse [RN] for an agency; working mostly evening and night shifts in public hospital emergency/trauma operating theatres in and around Adelaide.

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Louise has always had creative hobbies, before taking up scrapbooking 6 years ago she loved to restore furniture. Since she started scrapbooking she has also devloped a love for portrait photography, and recently she has begun to dabble in painting.

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During the last 6 years Louise has been fortunate to have been a Creative Design Team member for Scrapbooking Memories Magazine [AUS] in 2009 and currently a Scrapbooking Memories Master for 2011-12. Also fortunate to be invited to be on the Creative Design Team for UK based scrapbooking magazine; Scrap365. Currently she creates for Aussie Scrap Source, Jenni Bowlin Studio, Imaginarium Designs, Tattered Angels and 7 Dots Studio. She has been blessed to be published in Scrapbooking Memories [AUS], and have also been featured in the last 4 editions of Somerset Memories, with technique articles and layouts in the reader gallery.

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You can read more about Louise and find her work on An Uninterrupted View.

Birgit Koopsen

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Birgit is married to Erik and mom of 3 beautiful kids. She lives in a little village called Winsum in the north of the Netherlands.

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Birgit started scrapbooking officially when her youngest child was one year old, in 2003, but actually she has been doing it since she was a teenager. Birgit always enjoyed photography and ”pimped” her photo albums, just didn’t know there was a name for it and special products. She loves how scrapbooking keeps all the beautiful memories of special events and everyday life alive. Especially for her children! But she also loves the creative outlet it gives her! She just loves to get her hands dirty! Be creative, play, experiment!

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Birgit loves color! Bright, happy and bold colors are her favorites to work with. Lime Green, turquoise, pink, orange, yellow and red. Her style goes from clean and geometric to “busy” layouts with lots of details and colors.  Birgit loves to play with paints and inks and use non-scrapbooking products! In the last few years she fell in love with mixed media and very much enjoys creating “off-the-page” projects like canvases and Art Journal style mini albums.

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In the last 8 years scrapbooking slowly turned into a job for Birgit. She teaches and demonstrate in her own studio at home as well as in scrapbook stores and at (international) scrapbook events, shows and conventions. She also does freelance work for magazines. She was given the privilege to work on a couple of wonderful DT’s like in the past for Infocrea, MyStampBOX and until last year Prima. Currently she’s a DT-member for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, a certified Tattered Angels Designer, an endorsed educator for WOW! Embossing Powders and designing for Sizzix and Craft Stampers Magazine.

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You can read more about Birgit and find her work on her blog.

As you might have guessed, today’s episode includes our first ever (and certainly not our last) roundtable.  On the episode there’s a lot of laughter (a lot) as we discuss working in the very U.S.A.-based craft industry when you don’t live in the U.S.A.  We discuss economics, cultural differences, personal journeys, shipping costs, and so much more!  You won’t want to miss this one!

005: A Conversation with Kelly Purkey

I’m delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast!  Today’s guest is Kelly Purkey:

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Kelly 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
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…she recently launched a new boutique company under her name.  Kelly Purkey stamps are now available in her shop and at Simon Says Stamp.
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Kelly loves good meals, photobooths, and time with her friends.

On the podcast we discuss Kelly’s career story, her new adventures — including an upcoming book — and food, of course!

Find Kelly online:

Thanks for stopping by!

Find the show on iTunes here.

004: Changing Your Mind About Weeds

On today’s episode of The Adventures in Arting Podcast, we’re talking to Peter DelTredici about landscape design and spontaneous urban vegetation.

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Peter Del Tredici is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, where he teaches courses on plants, soils and ecology. He has also worked at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University since 1979, as Plant Propagator, Editor of Arnoldia, Director of Living Collections, and currently as Senior Research Scientist. Peter’s education includes a BA in Zoology from UC, Berkeley in 1968, an MA in Biology from the University of Oregon, and a PhD in Plant Ecology from Boston University in 1991. His most recent book, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide (2010, Cornell University Press), focuses on urban ecology and the identification of plants that grow spontaneously in cities.

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The photo above was sent to me by Peter with the caption “Monet with Weeds.”

For reference, here is a quick video from MoMA.org on Monet’s painting, Agapanthus, which discusses Monet’s obsessive gardening:

On this episode we discuss aesthetics vs. sustainability and design vs. practicality — all through the lens of landscape design, where choosing aesthetics over practicality is a (plant) life and death issue.

Find Peter online at http://www.peterdeltredici.com/.

Find the podcast on iTunes here.