Hi this is Digital Creative Team member Janell (janello). I am here to introduce you to our designer of the month: Hot Flash Designs by Marci Parmeley, known to us on the boards as m1218p. The creative team used her products to create their beautiful layouts this week, but before we look at those, I asked Marci a few questions to help us get to know her better.
1.How long have you been designing digital scrapbooking materials?
I have been designing for about a year and a half now.
2. How did you get your start in designing?
My husband, having NO idea of the time involved, encouraged me to design. At first, I think he deeply regretted it; it got to be pretty boring for him, staring at the back of my head as I stared at my computer screen. Then he took a job where he sleeps til at least noon and leaves for work at 3PM and doesn’t come home til 4AM. Now he’s grateful I’m designing as it keeps me busy and happy while he’s gone.
3. What inspires you to create?
Darn near everything! Sometimes it’s a new photo of my grandsons. For example, I know there’s a Train kit in my future; my youngest grandson is fascinated with them and I have a fist full of unscrapped photos of the family on trains—at Disney World, at Christmas here locally, etc. Sometimes it’s my little 6 month old granddaughter’s dress. Sometimes it’s a post on someone’s blog or …..well, the list is limitless. Not long ago, my husband and I were jokingly fooling around with a “bucket list”. High on my list was a trip to Paris. That got me exploring photos of Paris on Flick’r and other sites. And, my newest release is called what? Parisienne…(check it out).
4. What program(s) or tools do you use to design with?
I create with PSE 6. I would love to plunk down the money for PSCS5, but Mr. Budget says no for right now. I can accomplish almost everything someone using PSCS can do, it’s just harder. I have to think up work arounds to get the result I want. The other problem is that more and more of the professional use products are not tested in PSE. I find that a good many of them just do not work in anything but PSCS, no matter what the advertising says!
5. Can you tell us about your design style and what are your favorite things to create (alphas, papers, etc.)?
I think my design style is eclectic. For me, a kit is designed to go with the photos I envision being scrapped with it, with the mood I’m trying to create. In general, I prefer pure colors. No grays added. Give me a bright happy red or turquoise or orange, or even a bright happy pink, aqua, or peach. But, please don’t mix any gray into the colors!
I’m working on a kit right now that could come right out of the beginner 8-pack of Crayolas. Fisher-Price colors, LOL. Those are my kinda colors most of the time. In general, I think of my market as young, mid 20’s to mid 30’s, women who are all about preserving memories of their children and the other things one experiences during that time of life. I try to design for that market most of the time. I also love a little whimsy in a kit.
My favorite thing to design is papers. I could do papers forever. But elements offer a challenge and keep my interest up. I don’t mind designing alphas, but while I think they add value to a kit, they do not seem to sell well on their own. So, no matter how I feel about designing alphas, no more stand-alone alphas for me! I’ve taken the pledge!
6. What other hobbies or interests do you have other than digital scrapbooking designs?
I LOVE photography. It totally fascinates me. I wouldn’t mind at all being a photographer. I used to do a LOT of counted cross stitch. But since I started scrapbooking and then designing, my interest in anything not related to scrapbooking and designing seems to have waned. Primarily, I am happiest at my computer designing. I never knew how true it was when other designers said design was addicting. It REALLY is!
7. What is your favorite kit you have created? or layout you have created with a kit of your own design?
For months now, my camera has been desperately in need of a good cleaning and maybe even some repairs, but Mr Budget said no to that too; he's a real drag, that Mr. Budget. So, I have been dependent on others for photos. My son-in-law has been good about sharing his photos, but generally either his hands shake due to an injury he had several years ago (and he forgets the Image Stabilization button), or my youngest DGS has smeared the lens of SIL’s camera with peanut butter and jelly and it has gone undetected until I am looking for a photo to scrap. (In self-defense, I now clean his camera lens whenever I visit, LOL.) However, not long ago, I got my hands on a photo of my daughter and the three kids. It was in focus, there was no blur and to beat everything, they were all wearing the same color!!!! My gosh, a scrapper’s dream! It was this photo I had in mind when I designed my “mother’s day” kit, Hugs n Kisses.
Here’s the layout I created:
8. What is your favorite color combination at the moment?
I honestly don’t know if I HAVE a favorite color combination. I LOVE color. I LOVE color in just about any combination I can imagine. I love to watch how colors play together. And, I am not the least bit afraid of high contrast—you’ll see what I mean if you take a look at my Cinco de Mayo kit, LOL, which was a perfect kit for scrapping some of my photos from Mexico. I have a few ideas for kits I want to do in the near future. I want to do a kit in neutrals. And, I’m itching to do one in shades of gray, either with yellow or pink or blue or.........But, most any color (except mustard yellow) is pretty much a turn on for me. If you look at my layout gallery, you’ll see very few black and white or sepia photos. I don’t scrap in chronological order and I’ll hold photos for a LONG time til just the right kit comes along rather than sacrifice the color! It was Eastman Kodak that invented color photography and those guys are my heroes!
9. What is your favorite snack? Do you snack while you design?
Snacking is something I try never to do. I don’t want the empty calories. But you’ll seldom find me without a cup of coffee nearby. If I were to snack, it would most likely be chocolate or chips.
10. Lastly, just for fun....if you could live one day in the life of someone else who would it be and why?
There are a number of people whose minds fascinate me and who I would happily follow around for 5 years or so, just to watch them “operate”, to learn to think like they do. But change lives with someone? Okay, well, since it’s only for one day………Turn me into Bill Gates. While I’m being Bill, I will write a check to Marci. It will be a check for scazillion dollars and DH and I, my daughter, and my grandkids will benefit from that one day for 80 years to come! How’s that for a “rich” fantasy life?
As you can read, Marci is so much fun and I think that really comes through in her colorful designs. Here are some layouts be the Digital Creative Team featuring designs from Hot Flash Designs:
"Skating" by janello
Janell says, "Marci's designs comes in colors I can relate too, I love scrapping with rich bold colors!"
"In Bloom" by sarahwhithers
Jennifer adds, "Marci's kits are always so vibrant and fun and always make for some very striking pages!"
"Paris France" by Keling
Sara explains, "Here is my layout using Hot Flash Design's new kit, "Parisienne". When I first looked through this kit, I was totally taken by this background paper in particular, and just knew I had to scrap this photo of the Paris skyline that we took when we went to Disney Paris last Fall. Marci clearly puts her heart into her designs, which is so visible in the quality of her work!"
Here are three fabulous layouts created by our Digital Guest CT member Carol!! Carol is really on a roll. Her mojo works wonders with Marci's designs!
"Memoires de Paris" by JDs Mom
"Going, Going, Gone"
and the last one from JDs Mom "Lafitte's"
"My Tongue" by Art_Teacher
Laura says, "One of the things I love best about Marci's designs is how easy they are to mix and match! I used several pieces from various kits to create this layout."
And a beautiful card called "Lovely Lady" by Anna1972/MC-Designs
"Summer Fun" by nun69
"Turkey Crossing" by MamaK321
"Jump, Jump Rope" by Smiley-Scrap8 (Ronny)
Here are some of the great products used in this reveal:
