Inspiration
Finding Inspiration
There are so many lovely sets to choose from in the Stampin' Up! catalog. It can be overwhelming! The best cards, and the most fun to make, are the ones you are making for a specific person or reason. The love really shines through and you'll find the color scheme, layout, and overall design come together easily. Sometimes you might need to step away and come back to it the next morning. You will be amazed how that little break gives you a fresh mind to come back and add one little thing that ends up making it perfect!
My friend, Kim Cameron-Smith sent me a photograph of a fabric purse she had made and it happened to be sitting on top of a quilt also made by her. The colors were so interesting! Real Red, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Pear Pizazz, Blushing Bride....I just had to make a card! There was even a print in one of the fabrics that had cute little birds in those same colors and it happens to look like the little birdie from Swirly Scribbles! Using the actual quilt made it easier to create it in paper versus me trying to think of colors and prints for each layer. Also, if you think of the actual item as the inspiration, and not that it has to be an exact replica, you will find the end result to be very satisfying!
Spreading Cheer reaps Great Rewards!
Spreading love and joy through card making will give you greater rewards then you can imagine! I have gotten great pleasure from making something special for friends and thinking about how much it will brighten their day to receive something nice in the post. But what I didn't expect was the even greater happiness that was bounced back to me! My dear friend Kathleen at OpeningSage.com was so enthralled with my barn door card that she was inspired to create an entire section on her website called "Antiquated Notions." It has sparked her love of good paper, handwriting and sharing love through the post that she is continuing it forward and creating pen pal relationships for others! She also surprised me with a first edition book "As Always, Julia" which is the collection of letters between Julie Child and Avis DeVoto. Another friend, Peggy, was so tickled by the Apron of Love "I ❤️ Baking" card that she sent me a fabulous baking cookery book! This new hobby has already created new friends for me. I've needed to coordinate with our old school district to send my children's transcripts onto colleges. I was very appreciative of the kindness and efficiency of a wonderful lady named Lea in the district office that I sent her a "Bouquet Blooms" card to thank her more personally. This has sparked a wonderful pen pal relationship and we have discovered much in common. It's been such fun! Turns out she has a hobby of making jewelry and surprised me with the most beautiful necklace and earrings! I never imagined I'd have an opportunity to make a new friend in my old town even after I moved!
Do you have a similar story? Email me and let me know! I love hearing happy news. It's good for our health!
My brother brought his family to Disneyland and I got to join them!
We moved to Orange County this year and promptly bought annual passes knowing we would have several opportunities to meet up with friends and family. Spending the week seeing Disney through the eyes of my adorable niece and nephew was the perfect inspiration for these cards I'm sending them!
I just love how they turned out and they're just how I imagined! Sometimes it's a challenge, but sometimes a card turns out just right without much fuss. I think the new "Around the Corner" stamp set really gives it the professional touch!
