Inspired by All the Little Things: 2017

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp
Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow

off this week

Wanda Cullen

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, December 15th at 11:55am. (PST)

Some simple rules to keep things organized and enjoyable:

Please use the graphic for your post and link back to this post.
Any posts that are offensive will be removed.
Please comment on the submissions of others...we all love the support!
Yes you can combine with other challenges but NOT other inspiration challenges please.
Have fun and challenge yourself!

Inspiring Standouts Challenge #75

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired By All the Little Things
challenge #75! We loved seeing how you were inspired in all of your creative projects!

I would like to thank Bobby Hagen for being our Creative Guest this week!

Bobby and I have chosen the submissions we feel have earned
a special Inspiring Stand Out badge this week!
***

Bobby's choice:

#12 Marcia Hill

The wonderful die cut skate with the blue glitter blade, the soft blue inking on the wood background, and stars all stole my heart. All the elements of the photo were incorporated into Marcia's lovely clean and simple card.

***

My choice:

#2 Cat Luvs Paper

Cat's card is winter bliss with the beautiful white skates against that robin's egg blue! I especially liked how Cat brought out the paneled background of the inspiration photo!

Congratulations, Marcia and Cat!

Please go ahead and display the badge on your blog!

Thank you again to everyone who played along with us this week!

All the entries were lovely!

We will be back in one hour with a brand new challenge at 5:00 AM PST.

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Inspired By All the Little Things #75 Featuring Bobby Hagen

Hello, Darnell here to welcome you to Inspired By All The Little Things!

This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature a photo
inspiration and a wonderful designer who inspires us as an artist!

Here is this week's photo inspiration for you!

So many ways you can be inspired by this amazing photograph!!

***

This week I have invited my talented friend Bobby Hagen

of Bits & Pieces to be our featured designer.

I asked Bobby to share a bit about herself ...

1. What is the name of your blog? When and why did you start it?

The name of my blog is Bits & Pieces. Bits & Pieces Design Studio was the name I had been using when I was making mosaics, quilts and cards, all of which are made up of bits and pieces of china, fabric, and paper respectively. I just carried it over to my blog that I started in 2011 for probably the same reason everyone else did - to share my cards and enter challenges.

2. What is your style of card making?

That's a good question. My style has changed dramatically in the last 6 1/2 years from many layers and distressing to almost too clean and simple sometimes. I'm still evolving but I do find that I love to watercolor and try new techniques.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

Oh my. If I named names, I'd be afraid I'd leave someone out. Let's just say I'm inspired by those who do beautiful watercoloring, those who can make wonderful cards with mainly die cuts, those who do gorgeous background techniques, and those who can handle any medium (pencils, Zigs, watercolors, Copics).
If you see yourself in this group, you've inspired me.

4. What sort of things inspire you as a card maker? Photos? Sketches? Other designers?

See question number 3. 😊 What other designers have done can be a big influence on what I make, but I'm also inspired by nature, art, and textiles. I usually get too literal with photo challenges, but I'm trying to break that habit.

5. Share something about yourself that we may not know?

I play the hammered dulcimer. Not well, mind you, especially since I put it up for two years and now I'm having to learn the music all over again. I'm trying to set aside time each day for practice but something else keeps getting in the way.
Could it be card making?

Here is Bobby's beautiful card using this week's inspiration!

The challenge designers have also created cards for this week's inspiration!

These ladies just inspire me SO much!!!

Kimberly Lackenbach

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp
Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Wanda Cullen

and one from me:

djkardkreations.com

We hope you will play along with us this week!

The linky will close on Friday, December 8, 2017, at 11:55 a.m. (PST)

Some simple rules to keep things organized and enjoyable:

Please use the graphic for your post and link back to this post.
Any posts that are offensive will be removed.
Please comment on the submissions of others...we all love the support!
Yes you can combine with other challenges but NOT other inspiration challenges please.
Have fun and challenge yourself!

An InLinkz Link-up

Inspiring Stand Outs Challenge #74

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired by Challenge #74. We loved seeing how you were inspired in all of your creative projects.
Congratulations to the winners!

These are the submissions that have earned a special Inspiring Stand Out badge this week. Please go ahead and display the badge on your blog!

Thank you so much to Maria Fisher for being my creative guest this past week!

Maria's Choice:

#14 - Jenny Colacicco

I'm currently crushing on Flora and Fauna stamps so Jenny had me right outta the gate! But seriously, her CAS design with all that wonderful white space caught my eye. Her design exemplifies outside-the-box thinking. And I love the double heat embossing! If you haven't watched her video for this card you should.

Tracey's Choice:

#19 - Carol H

I was totally enamored by Carol's overall composition. The gorgeous embossed snowflake background and grey woodgrain star added so much texture and then topped off with the gold scripty sentiment and pretty green foliage to set the whole design off!

Congrautlations to our winners!

Challenge #75 goes live in one hour on the Inspired By All the Little Things Blog!

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Inspired By All the Little Things #74 Featuring Maria Fischer

Hello Tracey here and welcome to Inspired By All The Little Things! This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature a wonderful designer who inspires us as an artist!

This week I have invited my friend, the very talented Maria Fischer to be my guest!

I asked Maria to share a bit about herself...

1. What is the name of your blog? When and why did you start it?

My blog is named rieslingmama in a nod to the winemaking area I live in - Rheinhessen, Germany. "Riesling" is king on our Rhine River Valley slopes. And I was fully in "mama" mode back in 2012 when I started my blog, driving my kids here and there, but I didn't think "rieslingtaxi" sounded good.

I had been making cards for a bit before then, but I was so inspired by a challenge over at Moxie Fab that I felt the need to tell the story of my card. So I started blogging.

2. What is your style of card making?

I think I tend to be all over the place with my style, but I love CAS best of all. I'm a very practical person so it's usually about keeping the weight down on my cards so they're easy to mail! But techniques make me happy so I like to throw artsy fartsy into the mix too. And "quirky" (as a nicer form of "weird") probably suits me too.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

Great question. Well, anytime I see that Aga (Just made from Paper) or Julie E (Papert Trufflez) posted something I get really excited ;) I love Hannelie's (Desert Diva) CAS style and Silke B's (Silly's Paper Design) elegant CAS style. And Kate's (Pinned & Penned) layered goodness. I think I watch Yana S, Loll T and Kristina W's videos most cuz I love me a good technique. And I like Laura B's videos for a good dose of humor. Speaking of which, you all visit Darnell's blog regularly I hope?!?

4. What sort of things inspire you as a card maker? Photos? Sketches? Other designers?

Ha. What doesn't inspire me? IRL... magazines, catalogs, art on doctor's office walls, fabric patterns, trees, skies, shop windows, pretty much anything. Just ask my family ;) Online... inspiration photos most likely get me to create a card. I am often inspired by cards I see from other designers and certain aspects of them make their way onto my cards. Lately I've been challenging myself to actually create using images I've pinned!

5. Share something about yourself that we may not know?

When I was young I wanted to be a cruise director when I grew up. Like Julie on The Love Boat!

Here is Maria's card using this week's inspiration!

The challenge designers have also created a card for this week's inspiration! These ladies just inspire me SO much!!! I hope you will play along with us this week! We would love to have you join us!

Kimberly Lackenbach

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp

Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Wanda Cullen

...and one from me.

Tracey McNeely

In My Creative Opinion

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, Decembe 1 at 11:55am. (PST)

Some simple rules to keep things organized and enjoyable:

Please use the graphic for your post and link back to this post.
Any posts that are offensive will be removed.
Please comment on the submissions of others...we all love the support!
Yes you can combine with other challenges but NOT other inspiration challenges please.
Have fun and challenge yourself!

An InLinkz Link-up

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Inspired By All The Little Things #73 Featuring Susan Opel

Hello, Veronica here, and welcome to Inspired By All The Little Things! This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature a wonderful designer who inspires us as an artist!

This week I have invited someone that has been inspiring me since I began my journey into card making, Susan Opel.

I asked Susan to share a bit about herself with us:

What is the name of your blog? When and why did you start it?

o I don’t have a blog anymore. I blogged from 2006-2010, but then I found that I was no longer finding joy in blogging. With the advent of Facebook and then Instagram, I was able to share things more quickly that way, and due to the nature of my involvement in the industry, I found that having a blog was no longer a necessity. I share my projects publicly on Facebook here and on Instagram here.

· What is your style of card making?

o My card making style has evolved a lot over the years, and I’d say that my cards are colorful, often graphic, with a clever twist. Though I do love a good patterned paper and a black satin bow.

· Who inspires you as a designer?

o I look at pretty cards all day long (and scrapbook layouts, too, as the Editor-in-Chief of Scrapbook & Cards Todaymagazine!), so I’m never short on inspiration. I am in awe of Laura Bassen, Yana Smakula, Yoonsun Hur, Keisha Campbell, and Shari Carroll. These ladies always take the product to the next level. Clever, creative, and soooo talented!

· What sort of things inspire you as a card maker? Photos? Sketches? Other designers?

o Color is definitely my biggest inspiration! I recently snapped a photo of a friend’s floral top and used the colors of it to create a graphic card. And of course, looking at beautiful card designs all day long inspires me as well. Sometimes I want to run down to my craft room to create, but there is work to do!

· Share something about yourself that we may not know?

o I was a classroom teacher for over 16 years.

o I have a Lutheran teaching degree and a BA in English and Communication

o I taught art with absolutely zero training.

o I was first chair trombone in my high school band and the Varsity cheer captain.

o I lived in Las Vegas in my 20s, and it was so much fun!

o I got kicked out of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, with my college choir. We were told not to sing, but we just HAD to. The acoustics are amazing in that building.

o I quit teaching in 2008 to pursue a career in the craft industry. Not one single regret!

Here is the BEAUTIFUL card Susan created for this weeks challenge:

Here is the card I created for this weeks challenge:

Here are the cards our fantastic design team created for this weeks Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge:

Kimberly Lackenbach

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp
Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow

My Life

Wanda Cullen