Interview with Jellypark Creator - Claire Keay

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Posted on 17th February 2014 by Lisa Sumpter
Filed under Design Team

Hello, Lisa here bringing you today's blog post. If you are a card maker or paper crafter who likes using digital stamps on your projects then you may well have spotted the cute and fun Jellypark digital stamps around blog land but if you haven't or want to know more then this is the post for you. I have an interview with the brains behind the stamps, Claire Keay.

Tell us about yourself

I work as a freelance illustrator, mostly illustrating children's books. I had many jobs after leaving school, insurance clerk, shop worker, Nursery Nurse, working in an advertising agency to name a few - I never really expected to make a career out of art! It was always just my much loved hobby but when my boys were little, and money was very tight, I was looking for a way to make money while still be at home with my kids. I started selling a few original watercolours on eBay and then took a chance one day when I sent an email to a London illustrating agency to see if they thought I could get some work...I had my first book commission from them within a couple of weeks!

I still have to pinch myself sometimes to think that I get to draw and paint as my full time job, I know I am very lucky. I love illustrating but this year I am putting more time into building up my craft business Jellypark as I really enjoy creating digital craft images and love the crafting community!

Tell us about Jellypark

I can't remember now how I stumbled upon digital stamps but I loved the idea straight away, that I could create images for other people to craft with. It started off with a very basic website with just a handful of stamps and has just grown bigger and bigger over the last couple of years. We have a lovely Design Team, some of these ladies have been with me right from the start and held my hand as I learnt all about the crafting world. We have had our stamps featured in leading crafting magazines and on Create and Craft TV and we have a thriving Jellypark Club where members get freebies and exclusive offers and competitions. Now the shiny new website is up and running I can start to concentrate on growing Jellypark. As well as lots of new digistamp images that are on their way, we are going to add lots of tutorials and new lines of digital papercrafting supplies - it's very exciting. What is the best thing about being a part of the crafty community? I had no idea until a couple of years ago there was such a huge and thriving crafting community - especially online. I love the fact that I can draw a stamp one morning, pop it up for sale on the website and by the afternoon somebody on the other side of the world has posted up a card they have made with it on their blog. How cool is that?! I feel like it is a collaboration, I create the image and then crafters breathe life into it with their own style of crafting. I have been inspired by the lovely people I have met, the enjoyment they get out of their crafting and the lively community of crafters out there! How does it feel when you stumble across something you've drawn on a card that someone else has made? I love it! I always love seeing what people make with the digital stamps, it never fails to amaze me what creative ideas people have and that there are so many different way in which one image can be coloured.

Jellypark sells stamps for charity. Which charity are you supporting this year and why?

We are supporting the Willow Foundation this year, we are selling charity digital stamps in the store, I am doing a sponsored walk and also selling original paintings on eBay to raise money. I am also taking part in their Stars on Canvas this year which is a bi-annual charity auction of original artwork created by artists and illustrators as well as well known names from sport, music and popular culture. Willow provide special days out for seriously ill young adults in the UK, it was created by the ex Arsenal and Scottish goalkeeper, and now TV presenter, Bob Wilson in memory of his daughter who died at a young age from cancer. He says the special days out they spent as a family during her illness brought so much happiness and respite from the difficult time they were all facing that he wanted it to be her legacy that it was carried on in her name for other young people. A brilliant charity.

Which stamp are you most proud of?

That's a hard question! I have a few favourites but I guess it has to be dinosaur costume boy, just because he is rather cute and it is the one I have had the most people comment on.


You can also find Jellypark on Twitter @Jellypark_Team , on their Facebook Group and they have a fortnightly challenge blog.

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