Inspired By..... basket

Hello crafty friends!

Back today with another Inspired By challenge :)

This week's theme - Inspired By... Basket

I was inspired by the basket, yellow elements, pillow pattern, and the pop of gold.

I was also inspired by the sketch, swapping out the circle for an arch shape.

And here is my floral arrangement.... I mean card ;)

For the focal point of my card, I used dies and stamps from The Stamp Market (basket and tulips).

Love how bright and cheery those tulips are!!

Looking forward to seeing what you will be inspired to create this week! Be sure to check out the rest of the design team's creations on the Inspired By blog!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ Rae

Supply List:

Stamps/Dies: tulips/sentiment (The Stamp Market); basket die (The Stamp Market); arch die (Pinkfresh Studio

Embossing Folder: Simon Says Stamp

Inks: Distress Oxide Inks; Altenew

Patterned paper: Echo Park; scrap

Embellishments: gold glitter drops (Pinkfresh Studio)

lucky

Top O’ the Mornin’ to ya ;)

Time for another Inspired By challenge!

Inspired By - Luck #IB279

Both the theme and the sketch were used as inspiration this week.

But before we get to my card, how about another fun little peek inside my creative mind, shall we?

So... when I first saw the inspiration photo, which we know so often drives my cards, I saw:

elegance, greenery, white space, muted gold, vellum, hues of grey

Then I sat down to create, with the above ideas floating in my head, and....

Complete. Creative. Block.

The ONLY original idea that made it into the final card was using heart dies to create a shamrock, lol.

The end result... 

a huge unexpected pivot from my original 'elegant/greenery/white space/muted gold' idea.

Behold my whimsical, shiny gold card that looks like it came free inside a box of Lucky Charms!!

Sooooo not the look I was going for when I started out, but hey, I just went with the flow and let the creative process take over after I die cut that 'shamrock' - and ended up with this festive little shaker card.

Supply list:

Cardstock: Concord & 9th

Dies: Hero Arts (hearts); My Favorite Things (rainbow); Avery Elle (pierced rounded frames)

Stamp/die: Pinkfresh Studios (sentiment)

Other: Spellbinders (embossing folder; gold sequins); Altenew (shiny metallic cardstock); twine; gold thread

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Design Team's cards on the Inspired By blog! Hope you will be inspired to play along with us this week!!

Thanks so much for stopping by...

xoxo ~ Rae

thanks a bunch

It's time for another Inspired By challenge!!

Here is this week's challenge....

Inspired By Challenge #278 - Happy Mail 

And here is my card…

I was inspired by the flower-filled envelope, the color of the flowers, and the table inspired the background panel of the card. 

Supplies used:

Pinkfresh Studio: Floral Envelope stamps/stencils/dies; Beyond Happy stamp/die; blanket stitched rectangle die; inks; glitter drop embellishments 

Other: LDRS background strip dies; patterned paper scraps; white cardstock; foam tape

Be sure to check out the rest of the design team's cards on the Inspired By blog, hope we inspire you to play along with us this week!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

hey there

hey there ;)

It's time for another Inspired By challenge!

This week we're being inspired by this fabulous image and sketch

Inspired By #IB277 Tray

I was inspired by the photo prompt, and specifically the following: 

• the white grid pattern of the wire tray base

• the bold black of the alarm clock

• the vase of flowers/greenery

• the hint of pale pink (tab on the box, small ceramic bowl)

• the wee bit of cork in the vase

And here is my card...

Rather simple design, but I just love how it turned out :)

I used some new supplies from The Stamp Market to create the majority of the card then dug through my vast stash of very old bits and pieces to embellish the rest (ie. BasicGrey chipboard envelope; unknown patterned papers used for die cutting the heart, sentiment layer, flower pot; corkboard).

Head to the Inspired By blog to see how the rest of the design team was inspired; hopefully you will be inspired to play along with us this week!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Cheerio!

Cheerio!

It's Inspired By day!! This week we are being inspired by London!

Inspired by... London #IB274

A little preface before I share my card.....

If you know my crafting style, you know I really enjoy taking somewhat 'literal' interpretations of photo prompts/inspirations. So of course to me that would mean stamping/using a red British telephone box or even some sort of window....

Ha! Easier said that done... even with, what, 20+ years of 'accumulated' supplies I have

• ZERO travel products

• ZERO window-ish products ?!?! 

So that leads to this card and a little 'peek' inside my brain and the creative process as to why I chose the elements I did :)

When I saw the inspiration photo, I knew I wanted to replicate the brick of the building (yay, I could do that with a brick stencil and grit paste!!), and the 'lines' I saw in the corner of the building architecture (which were achieved with black/white patterned paper). 

As for a nod to the telephone box, red patterned paper and a die cut frame (inked black) to the rescue! 

The branch idea was pulled from the upper right corner of the inspiration photo.

I chose to die cut the birds and crown in gold glitter cardstock, as a nod to 'royalty' :)

And of course the sentiment seemed fitting to a London theme....

Aren't you glad you don't live inside my brain?! Waaayyyyy too literal/detail-oriented!!! LOL

But alas, that's where I find my creative joy! :)

I hope you will check out the Inspired By Challenges blog for this week's challenge and check out the rest of the design team's amazing creations and feel inspired to play along!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate you!!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Cardstock: Concord and 9th (pebble - for the brick background); The Stamp Market (reds); Neenah (white)

Patterned Paper: The Stamp Market (red plaid); My Mind's Eye (black/white)

Dies: Pinkfresh Studio (Ornate frame); Spellbinders (Sealed Birds); The Stamp Market (crown; hearts)

Distress Oxide Inks: (hickory smoke, black soot, bundled sage, peeled paint, forest moss, gathered twigs)

Other: gold glitter cardstock; Tim Holtz idea-ology label letters; foam tape

XOXO ... and exciting news!

Hello hello!!

Thanks for stopping by today, as I have some pretty exciting news to share ....

I have joined the Inspired By design team!!!!!!!! I am SOOOO excited to be among such amazingly talented designers!! I just LOVE Inspired By challenges and have played along with them for as long as I can remember!! This is such an honor to be able to design with the team and hope you will find inspiration from me just as I have all these years!!!

On to the latest challenge, and my first as a DT member :)

Inspired By challenge #273 xoxo

Here is my card...

I was inspired by colors/theme of photo prompt and the sketch when designing my card. 

I did mention how much I LOVE Inspired By challenges, right?! LOL 

Seriously, I have ALWAYS found inspiration from either the photo or the sketch every single time, and am quite often inspired by both!!

Supplies used in making this card include:

• (New!) The Stamp Market - Sending Hearts cover die

• (new to me) The Stamp Market - cardstock

• Pinkfresh Studio - Julieta alpha dies

• Pinkfresh Studio - glitter drops (blush)

Hope that you will be inspired to raid your crafty stash and play along!! 

Thanks for stopping by, looking forward to many more amazing Inspired By challenges to come! 

Be sure to check out the Inspired By blog and Instagram to see the other designers creations!!

xoxo ~ rae

Inspired By Blue

 Back with another Inspired By challenge card, this time inspired by ... Blue!

Inspired By... Blue #IB272

I immediately fell in love with bright, bold blue in the inspiration photo, and the pattern screamed 'stencil' to me, so stencil I did...

I used Pinkfresh Studio Kaliedoscope stencils and two shades of Pinkfresh blue inks to create the pattern on the bottom of the card. The top of the card was ink blended in a light blue.

Another fun element inspired by the photo prompt was the background heart... I ink blended a panel in that yummy blue then die cut with narrow strip dies and adhered the strips to a die cut heart as a nod to the slats on the shutters :)

This was such a fun creative process!! Love Inspired By challenges :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Stencil: Pinkfresh Studio Kaleidoscope

Inks: Pinkfresh Studio sky blue, blue jay, sapphire

Stamp/Die: Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiments

Dies: Pinkfresh Studio Art Deco Frame; Hero Arts Nested Hearts Infinity dies; Simon Says Stamp Etched Linear Heart; LDRS Creative background strip dies

Other: heart embellishments

Techniques: stenciling, ink blending, die cutting, stamping

Inspired by Mittens

 Hello hello!

Playing along with the latest Inspired by Challenge... Inspired by Mittens

I guess it's pretty obvious I was inspired by the mittens... lol.... but also the texture.

I used an old chipboard mitten to trace the mitten shape on an embossed piece of cardstock that I fussy cut then ink blended in grey distress oxide ink colors.

Another great Inspired By challenge!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Distress Oxide Inks: lost shadow, hickory smoke, black soot, lumberjack plaid

Embossing Folders: Spellbinders - sweater weather, sparkling snow

Stamp/Die: Pinkfresh Studio folk snowflake 

Other Supplies: Ranger diamond Stickles; white pompom trim; wood heart embellishments; Cosmo Cricket chipboard mitten; Tsukineko onyx black ink; white cardstock; foam tape

winter greetings

 hello hello!!

Playing along with the latest Inspired By challenge - Inspired by - Snowman

I was inspired by the blue and the snowflake pattern on the jacket, and took a loose interpretation of the sketch.

Totally stepped outside of my comfort zone with this card, as I typically don't gravitate toward bold colored cards.... so I challenged myself with some distress oxide ink blending in an attempt to create a wintery sky.

The snowflakes were created with opaque grit paste and layering stencils.

I really enjoyed the ink blending here, I'm going to have to try this more often :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Dies: Pinkfresh Studio large snowflakes

Stencils: Honeybee Stamps snowflakes background stencils

Stamp: Pinkfresh Studio Folk Snowflake set

Distress Oxide Inks: salty ocean, faded jeans, wilted violet, black soot

Mediums: Ranger Distress opaque grit paste

Embellishments: Pinkfresh Studio ice clear drops

Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe alabaster

Other supplies: white glitter cardstock; white, black cardstock

Let It Snow - Inspired By challenge

Greetings!!!

Today I am sharing a card created for the latest Inspired By challenge

 

I was inspired by the sketch and the colors when designing my card....

I was inspired by the colors in the inspiration photo when ink blending my unconventional snowflake, aiming for a vintage vibe. I used Ranger distress oxide inks (old paper, pumice stone) and Pinkfresh Studio (warm buff) ink. I added some Ranger mercury glass stickles and Pinkfresh champagne glitter drops for sparkle.

The ink blended snowflake was matted with a vellum die cut snowflake for added dimension/interest before being adhered to the die cut black circle with foam tape. 

The background panel was die cut with Pinkfresh Studio snowflakes coverplate die.

The sentiment was embossed in white on black cardstock, and matted with vellum before being adhered to the card.

Fun challenge!! Check it out and play along!!

I was also inspired by the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge theme "Let It Snow"

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Inspired By Pillows - #IB261

 Playing along with the latest Inspired By Challenge - #IB261

 

I was inspired by both the inspiration photo and the sketch...

The chair in the photo inspired the background, the pillows inspired the patterned paper scraps, and the fall foliage on the table inspired the die cut leaves! I was also inspired by the sketch! I just love these challenges!!

Supply List:

Pinkfresh Studio: dies: elongated lattice cover plate, leafy branch 

Honey Bee Stamps: Fall for you stamp and die

Other supplies: patterned paper scraps; jute twine; kraft cardstock; very old brad!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo - rae

thanks for your love and care - Inspired By Challenge #239

hey crafty friends!

Here today to share a card I made for the latest Inspired By challenge #IB239

I used both the sketch and the photo prompt as inspiration, although had to substitute a different stamp for the lilacs, no lilac stamp in my arsenal ;)

So for my inspiration...

• the black table inspired me to use the Altenew 3D deck planks embossing folder on black cardstock (although it's hard to see in the photo, the black card base is woodgrain!)

• the linen table runner inspired the panel - off white with a stitched die (a clean take on the frayed edge of the table runner)

• the glassware inspired the vellum leaf die cuts

• the place setting inspired the sentiment piece - the white plate, and the silver frame frame was inspired by the silverware

This was a fun one to create!

Supply List:

Altenew: Handpicked bouquet stamps/die

Altenew: 3D embossing folder - deck planks

Altenew Inks: wisteria, lavender fields, hydrangea, deep iris, ultraviolet, frayed leaf, fresh leaf, forest glades

Pink Fresh Studio: Around the Shape: Circles

Pink Fresh Studio: diagonal stitched circle

Pink Fresh Studio: champagne glitter drops

Ranger Distress mica spray - brushed pewter

Other: cardstock: off white, black; vellum; foam tape

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

You are strong

Hello there!

Playing along with the latest sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches #586

and was inspired by the photo prompt at Inspired By

Here is what I came up with....

I started by heat embossing the floral image on vellum, layered some yellow patterned paper over an embossed white panel, and another yellow layer. I added the bold embossed sentiment and the black butterfly from my ancient stash of embellishments.

Love how bright and cheery this one turned out :)

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

think happy, be happy

 I immediately fell in love with the color scheme of the latest challenge over on the Inspired By blog...

and made a card based on both the inspiration photo and the sketch - here is my card...

Here is where having a patterned paper hoard comes in handy... lol... I was able to find a woodgrain patterned paper that matches the inspiration photo and some small pattern papers that reminded me of those sweet shoes from the photo. I knew I wanted to keep my image simple, so I just stamped the large floral design on white cardstock with black ink and placed it over the pattern paper strips to draw attention to that element of the sketch.

Supply List:

Altenew: Handpicked Bouquet stamp and die set

MFT: Wonky Stitched rectangle dies

CZ Design: 'happy' sentiment strip

Other supplies: white cardstock, patterned paper, twine, foam tape

The simple, clean design let me play with the patterns and texture to create interest ... love how this one turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo- rae

good friends

two great challenges, one card...

I used the sketch from the latest Fusion challenge

and the quote concept from the latest Inspired By challenge

And here is my card....

Just a simple, sassy card... used spun sugar distress ink to create the watercolor background panel onto which I stamped the main image. Stamped the quote sentiment with StazOn ink onto vellum and wrapped it around the card front. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

you are loved

 rainy days are the perfect days for card making, no??

today I tackled two challenges with one card - a sketch challenge and a photo inspiration challenge

Freshly Made Sketches #456

and

Inspired By: pumpkin spice

I love working from a sketch, and it's always easy to be inspired by a great photo...

this is what I came up with

So I took a rather loose interpretation of the sketch, but I love how it turned out! 

I die cut the two hearts from patterned paper, inked the edges for definition, and adhered them to the card front with foam tape. I die cut the sentiment from white cardstock and colored it by blending several shades of Altenew gray inks, mat the sentiment with another die cut from black cardstock, and adhered to the hearts with foam tape. The flower embellishment rounds out the sketch.

All of the colors were inspired by the inspiration photo... I don't have any pumpkins in my crafting arsenal, so I went with the heart shape instead.

This was a fun one to work on!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

sending hugs and happy thoughts

 I absolutely fell in LOVE with the inspiration photo at Inspired By this week... and just had to play along with their latest challenge 'beauty fall'

Here is my interpretation of the fabulous inspiration...

I just fell in love with the cozy color palette... the creams, and whites... the textures.... the blanket, the wood.... aahhhhh...

thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

inspired by challenge

 played along with the latest challenge over at Inspired By - colors of fall

I feel that I reallyy stepped outside of my comfort zone with this challenge, as I am not always very adventurous with stamping and color.... but was eager to take on the challenge!

This is what I came up with...

I was inspired by the colors as well as the sketch, flipped. This was a great challenge for me to practice my stamping, which is definitely not my forte LOL, and the clean and simple style, also not my strong suit! I enjoyed digging through my inks looking for the hues which could work for the color challenge.

Grateful for the inspiration this challenge provided!!

thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae