Inspired by All the Little Things: October 2017

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp
Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow

Wanda Cullen

...and of course one from me!

Tracey McNeely

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, November 3rd 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, October 21, 2017

Inspired By All The Little Things #69 Featuring Meridith MacRitchie

Hello and welcome to Inspired By All The Little Things! Veronica here, with a big thanks to everyone who played along with our last challenge, your entries were fantastic! This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature a wonderful designer who inspires us as an artist! Here is the inspiration photo I chose for this weeks challenge:

I invited the talented Meridith MacRitchie to be this weeks guest designer. I have loved her beautiful card designs for many years. Meridith has an eye for handcrafted designs featuring quilts, florals, and perfectly placed embellishments and layers.

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

My blog is called A Delightful Waste of Time. When my first daughter was a baby, an older gentleman in a coffee shop once commented that children were "such a delightful waste of time..." and I loved it. It perfectly describes children - and my hobbies! I started blogging when I was pregnant with my second daughter, nearly 8 years ago. At the time, I wanted to join in on challenges, which a blog gave me platform to do, but very quickly I began to enjoy the blogging process and community as much as stamping itself!

2. What is your style of card making?

I would say I lean towards frilly and vintage, but I like to dabble in most styles! Since my kids are getting older and are drawn to more cutesy images, I am learning how to try and work with that style more and more... though I don't find it very easy!

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

Where do I start? Melissa Phillips has always been a major influence on me, which I think you can see in my work. I think pretty much anything Betsy Veldman produces is magical, and I want to be just like her when I grow up! I adore how Audrey Tokach and Elena Roussakis can make adorable scene cards (and they make it look so effortless!), and Debbie Hughes is perfect at combining art with cardmaking to produce some amazing creations! I still look back to the days when Michelle Wooderson created cards and tags, and try to learn from her old work.

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

Everything! Pinterest is my main source of inspiration; I often look for graphics or illustrations to help with a jumping off point. You can often find me snapping pictures with my phone while I am out shopping, if I see a bag or a set of sheets that look like they would be fun to stamp. Sometimes it will be someone else's work or a technique they shared. If I am really stuck, a sketch always helps. But I see the world in stamps and paper!

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

I have spent the last 4 years working side by side with my husband, completing a total DIY makeover of our entire 1969 house. I've learned how to use all the saws, lay floors, lay tile, build cabinets, do the electrical, plumbing and hang trim. I would say I am pretty handy, and am really proud of what we've accomplished together! And we're still married, which is the biggest success of the entire project! *wink*

Here is the card I created for this weeks challenge!

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

Silke Ledlow

Wanda Cullen

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday,October 27th 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

Inspiring Standouts for Challenge #68

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired By All the Little Things challenge #68! We loved seeing how the photo inspired your creativity!

I would like to thank Sandy Mathis for being our Creative Guest this week!

Sandy and I have chosen the submissions we feel have earned

a special Inspiring Stand Out badge this week!

Sandy's choice as Inspiring Standout is #11 ~ Teresa Kline

I thought Theresa captured the mood of the inspiration photo perfectly. I love those big blooms and her wonderful watercolor background!

***

My choice as Inspiring Standout is #10 ~ Melissa G.

Melisa captured the colors of the inspiration photo beautifully. Her dark blue background really sets off those gorgeous shaded blooms!

Congratulations, Teresa and Melissa!
Please display our 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, October 14, 2017

Inspired By All the Little Things #68 featuring Sandy Mathis

Hello and welcome to Inspired By All The Little Things! This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature a wonderful photograph and fabulous designers to inspire you!

Nance here, as your hostess, and this week I have invited a dear friend and wonderfully creative artist...Sandy Mathis! Sandy and I are DT mates on The Paper Players (another Lesley challenge blog!) and I've always admired her mad coloring skills and seemingly effortless style. She makes the most beautiful florals so I knew this photo would get her mojo running!

Sandy Mathis

Stamp with Sandy

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

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

I have always loved crafts of any sort, and when a good friend introduced me to card making I was instantly hooked. In addition to the joy of creating with paper and ink, I was amazed by how welcoming and supportive my fellow crafters would be. I started my blog, stampwithsandy.com, as a way to share my creations and connect with my new-found friends in the paper crafting community.

2. What is your style of card making?
Though my style is always evolving and I like to try different things, for the most part I would define my style as clean and layered. I love some ‘white space’ in a card, but I also love layers, patterned paper and enamel dots. I especially love to color, particularly florals.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?
All of you! My fellow paper crafters are an endless source of inspiration and I’m grateful for you all. I love to sip my tea early in the morning and visit your blogs (too many to list), watch You-Tube videos, and search Pinterest for ideas.

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

I love playing along with challenges, especially those that persuade me to try something new. I’m also inspired by textiles, such as the colors and patterns on a pretty silk scarf.

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

My parents owned a nursery, garden center and florist shop, so I grew up surrounded by plants and flowers, hence my love of florals. I even have a picture of myself in a baby seat in the greenhouse with my mom, and my dad used to call me his little petunia!

Here is Sandy's gorgeous card using this week's inspiration!

The challenge designers have also created a card for this week's inspiration. I love to see how they interpret the challenge prompt each week. I hope you will play along with us--we would love to have you join us!

Kimberly Lackenbach

LauraJane

Leigh Penner

To The Full

Marcie Sharp
Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow

Wanda Cullen

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, October 20th 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 for Challenge #67

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired By All the Little Things challenge #67! We loved seeing how you were inspired in all of your creative projects!

I would like to thank Bonnie Klass for being our Creative Guest this week!

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

Bonnie's choice as Inspiring Standout is #11 ~ Colleen Foelker

I'd love Colleen's arrangement on my table or mantle! I love the
white pumpkins with the fall leaves and how she put the candle in
the hurricane globe just like in the inspiration photo!

***

My choice as Inspiring Standout is #5 ~ Christine Miller

Christine used the colors of the inspiration photo in such a graceful way
with these finishes, patterns, and tones. I love the sweet flowers and
how she balanced the layers of her beautiful and inspiring tag card design!

Congratulations, Colleen and Christine!
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, October 7, 2017

Inspired By All The Little Things #67 Featuring Bonnie Klass

Hello, welcome to Challenge #67 of Inspired By All The Little Things!
This is a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week
we feature a wonderful photograph to inspire you!
This week we have a lovely fall theme!

Each week we also feature a designer who inspires us as an artist!

This week the guest and friend I have invited is the very talented

Bonnie Klass!

I asked Bonnie 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 Stamping With Klass.
My first blog post was November 14, 2009.

(I had to go back and look it up because I couldn’t remember.)

I had been posting and checking out cards at Splitcoaststampers and I’d wonder, “How’d she do that?” I was always excited to see a blog link and would visit and find out how. That made me want to share what I did too.

Incidentally, in looking back I can see a BIG difference from then to now! My photography skills have gotten a lot better IMHO!

2. What is your style of card making?

I’m pretty much a CAS (Clean And Simple) gal. But I like to add some layers, too. The past couple of years, I’ve been inspired to try new styles and techniques. I still stick to CAS, but I like to incorporate some new ideas too.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

I’m inspired by so many designers! I think I gather inspiration from every blog I visit and every card I see.

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

I never know what’s going to pop out and inspire me! Sometimes a picture in a magazine or catalog jumps to my attention. Or I might be totally inspired by something another card designer has done. And I’m always inspired by the beauty that God has placed around us!

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

I really had to think about this one! Here goes, my deepest, darkest secret ... when I start a card, I rarely have a completed design in mind. I start with a stamp, die, or technique in mind, decide on colors, and let the Spirit move me wherever it wants. The finished card is quite apt to be a total surprise!

Here is Bonnie's stunning card using this week's inspiration!

Thank you so much, Bonnie

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

Silke Ledlow

Wanda Cullen