We love finding and discovering designers who love to create a wide variety of art, crafts, and fashion! This month, we are sharing with you the art of Missy Munday a.k.a. Boopsie Daisy as you will find her on Etsy and Flickr! Missy's style is whimsical, colorful, and ultra unique! As you will see, she creates adorable dolls with personalities and photographs them in wild and crazy vignettes that are beaming with color! We interviewed Missy and got more perspective on her creative passions and are so happy to share with you her signature style. Enjoy!
Tell us about your favorite iLoveToCreate product and why?
My favored products above all are the Aleene's® Tacky Glues® because, plain and simply, they get the job done. I can still remember the first time I used it, thinking to myself "there's no way this stuff is gonna hold" and to my surprise, voila! It did the trick! It hasn't let me down since, not even once. I've been in love with the stuff since the very first time I squeezed out a blob.
This is a little dolly Missy created posing with Aleene's® Fast Grab Tacky Glue®. Missy says she used the glue to adhere the little fur boots and vintage chenille hair.
Tell us what you love to create!
My 'thing' is hard to pin down. I like to create laughter above anything else. Whether it's in the form of a print or a doll or just some random odds and ends, I just love to make smiles happen.
What is involved in a typical photo shoot that you do?
When I shoot my images it's all very in the moment and sporadic. Sometimes I'll just grab a few props, they don't even have to necessarily 'go' together, and it's weird, it's almost like it creates itself. Or sometimes I'll make up a snappy title first and build a photo around it to match. I snap the majority of my pics against large colored props, and am heavy on upping the color in the editing program I use. As for the dolls, it's very much the same. Sometimes they're born out of an idea and other times they turn out to be something completely different than what they started out as. Patterns are constantly being adjusted and new materials are always being tried. It's unbelievable the rate the dolls evolve at, but there is always one common factor and that is that I've zero interest in producing anything that looks like it's been done before. That goes for my print work as well.
Missy's photo called 'Cafe Cute'.
We love your Halloween party table! Do you have any great holiday entertaining ideas that are easy and fun?
I do enjoy my Halloween party spread, yes. It's something I take great pride in laying out. If I'm going to entertain I usually like to get a feel for the crowd before I plan anything in particular, but I always ensure I have a good stash of ideas up my sleeve to pull from, no matter the sort of guests. I love to really involve people in things no matter what. For a spooky bash I'll hand toe tags out to partygoers, and prizes to those who wear them for the duration of the night. Once I whipped up simple paper tombstones for all attendees, including their name and how they 'died' (always humorous) and then plastered them on the wall where the majority of the socializing occurred. They got so many chuckles. People even asked if they could keep theirs. And loot bags to take home are a must! If I am truly stuck for an idea I'll raid my collection of Martha Stewart Living magazines and put my own crazy new spin on some neat project found within.
Ooh, spooky and fun! Our kind of party!
What is your favorite vignette/photo that you've taken?
My favorite photo I've ever taken is 'Backyard Bugs'. I never intended for it to come out so creepy, but it's just so disturbing and odd and it's all just the result of propping a giant stuffed bunny over a fence.
Name 5 things that inspire you (they can be people, places, things).
5 people/things that inspire me. Vintage children's books or 50's, 60's ephemera in general. Nostalgia. Food. Nightmares. My love affair with words.
It's obvious Missy loves food! This photo is called 'Junkfood Janie'. Love the candy sprinkles as hair!
Do you remember your first crafting experience? What did you make?
I don't know if this counts, but it wasn't abnormal to find me making faces on my toast every Saturday morning, using things like condiments and candy. I also made countless books as a kid, a lot of 3D ones, and wrote stories 'til all hours of the morning. Then I would fall asleep the next day in class.
Where does your kitschy and fun design style come from and why do you like Kewpie dolls so much?
My style derives from what I'm attracted to I suppose. Toys and dolls are capable of making almost any grown-up feel young again. Throw in a passion for food and color and it sort of all comes together. As for kewpie dolls, they seem almost instantly recognizable to most folks. Sometimes a person can't quite remember why they look familiar, or where they have seen one before, but their little faces cause delight in almost every living soul. They're a trigger to childhood memories, no matter how far in the past.
Missy is so good to all her fans and friends. She creates special photo creations for friends on their birthdays (like this one using Kewpie dolls).
Tell us about your crafty space and how you craft. Are you super organized or are super messy when you craft?
My craft space looks a lot like the inside of my head. Cluttered and crammed to the max with cute stuff. And even if all I do is enter my craft room to write out a card I always tend to leave it in a state of disarray. I don't even know how it happens. I get fuzz up my fingertips, bits of fabric in my hair, even find glitter on my toothbrush! I guess I inhale it amidst artistic frenzies? Oh and stickers on the bottom of my feet!
A look at Missy's eclectic and colorful art space!
You have a very successful Etsy shop. Can you share with others one of the secrets to your success?
Gratitude, gifts and good thoughts. If you exude a feeling of low self worth, you will only detract potential patrons. Glow and people will notice. Give it your all to ensure people know how thankful you are for their purchases. Be endlessly generous and surprise people with tiny tokens or even large quantities of appreciation whenever you can, even if it's just a handwritten note. Add new items as frequently as possible. Be warm and real in all outgoing mail. Try new things but stick to what's true to you. Remember that originality is key. Above all, and as cheesy as it sounds... believe in yourself. Go out and celebrate the fact that you have two able hands to create with even if you have a lousy month of sales. I don't know if that's what has made me successful, but I know it's what makes me happy. :)
Visit Missy's Boopsie Daisy shop here.
If you are looking for more inspiration from Missy, hop over to her Boopsie Daisy Flickr stream and check out the creative goodness. It truly is a feast for the eyes!
Thanks Missy for sharing with us! If you would like to be the iLoveToCreate Blog Designer of the Month, send us an e-mail at ilovetocreateblog@yahoo.com and share with us links or attachments of your work using iLoveToCreate products! We are looking for artists of all kinds from ceramicists to Chicano art lovers crafters who create in steampunk style!
