Feeling Un-Inspired?

Hello everyone, Barb here. I want to take a moment to thank all of the participants of the SOC Breast Cancer Awareness Blog Hop! I hope everyone had a chance to visit all of the blogs, as there were some awesome projects being shared. I just love seeing all the pink things! A special thank you goes out to Cheryl for coordinating such a wonderful event. And also a big thank you to Tiare, for providing the platform for all things SOC!!

Okay, on to my blog post.  Do you ever have days when you feel, well, un-inspired? You have gorgeous paper in your stash, lots of stamp sets, wonderful embellishments, luscious ribbon…everything you need to create a beautiful project. Everything except motivation and inspiration, basically, you’ve lost your ‘MOJO’. Yeah, that happens to all of us…don’t fret…I have a solution!  If you think about it, inspiration is all around us. We can be inspired by colors, sounds, scents and photographs, the possibilities are endless. We just have to be open and receptive. One of my favorite go-to inspiration tools are card making or scrapbook themed magazines. I love browsing thru the pages and seeing all the wonderful submissions. I rarely copy the designs exactly as they are printed, but I do take bits and snippets from various projects and use them to create my own. Another tool I use frequently is the simple photograph. Pictures are great sources of inspiration and the Internet has millions of free images to browse thru. If you want to create a beach themed layout, search for beach pictures. If you would like to create a card using a rose stamp you have in your stash, and you want a fresh take on the color of roses, search for rose images. If you need to create a snow themed project, search for Winter pics…I think you get the idea. And don’t forget about all of the wonderful creative blogs out there. Visit them and make an Idea folder on your computer and start ‘collecting’ projects that you love. 

The inspiration for my card today comes from this photo on my Pinterest board.

(photo credit via Pinterest)

It also features a design I saw in a recent issue of Card Maker magazine. The card opens on the side, after lifting the flap.You see by browsing thru my pin boards, I came across the candy corn picture. And it reminded me of a stamp set. It also brought to mind, this candy themed patterned paper. Then, while thumbing thru a magazine, a unique card design caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. I was armed with inspiration and I was ready to get busy! Creating this card was not only fun, but easy.

Click to enlarge.

 Card Supplies:

 stamp sets: Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar Fillers(Papertrey Ink)

patterned papers: Matilda(Cosmo Cricket) 

card stock: Ivory Layering(GinaK. Designs), Dusty Durango(Stampin' Up!) 

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede(Stampin' Up!), Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress Inks(Ranger)

accessories: Copic markers, Clear Star Glitter pen, Rustic Twine(PTI), Oval, Oval Scallop Nestabilities, Friendship dies(PTI)

The next time you are feeling un-inspired, open up the recent issue of Scraps of Color magazine. You can download a copy for FREE. Just click on the link in the right side bar. You will find lots of seasonal inspiration there, everything from sketches to create awesome layouts, to card samples to step by step tutorials. The issues are jam packed with color photos, informative articles and freebies. The Creative Team always has wonderful projects showcased, as well. Now it’s your turn. What do you turn to when you're feeling un-inspired? Leave us a comment, we love hearing from you!

Has my blog post inspired you? GREAT! 

Go create something beautiful.