Inspired by All the Little Things: November 2017

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

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, November 24th 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 #72

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired By All the Little Things
challenge #72! We loved seeing how you were inspired in all of your creative projects!

I would like to thank Anne Marie Hile for being our Creative Guest this week!

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

Anne Marie's choice as Inspiring Standout is #33
Melissa Grant

Melissa created such a beautiful winter scene on her card! She added so many wonderful details like the delicate vellum and the sequin snowflakes. Such a great take on the inspiration photo and I’m so glad she shared her card this week.

My choice as Inspiring Standout is #9

Carol H.
Crafting by Carol

The shadow that Carol achieved on her card is amazing and really captures the soft light of the inspiration photo. The design is simple but perfect elegant and captures the mood of the inspiration photo perfectly.

Congratulations, Carol 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, November 11, 2017

Inspired by All the Little Things Challenge #72 featuring Anne Marie Hile

Hello friends! Nance here, welcoming you to Inspired By All The Little Things. We are a weekly inspiration challenge blog and each week we feature an inspiration photograph with a wonderful designer who inspires us as an artist!

This week I have invited...

Anne Marie Hile

Stampin' Anne

I asked Anne Marie 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 Stampin’ Anne. I started blogging on August 6, 2010. I started my blog to share my love of stamping and paper crafting with others. Never could I have imagined how many amazing people I would meet along the way. When I was thinking of starting a creative blog, I kept stressing over having the perfect name for it. Nothing seemed to fit. One day, I asked a friend for her input on the blog name. She simply said: “How about Stampin’ Anne? Because that is your name and that is what you love to do.” It sounded pretty good to me!

2. What is your style of card making?

When I think about my style, I suppose a few things tend to resonate with my projects. I tend to gravitate to bright/bold colors, patterns, textures and sparkly things. They just make me happy! I also love trying out different styles that are out of my creative comfort zone. I may not always master those styles, but I have a lot of fun in the process.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

I can’t answer this with one…or even a few names. ALL of my fellow stampers/paper crafters are an enormous source of inspiration to me every day. Thank you! That is what is amazing about this community. We all inspire each other and I think that is awesome!

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

I love the power of social media which delivers ongoing inspiration from fellow crafters. I really like to visit Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook regularly and am always amazed by the creativity that is out there. I also like to look for my inspiration in the everyday. Maybe it is a display in a local store, a color combo in a catalog, or simply taking a stroll with my dogs in the park. You just never know where you will find some creative motivation!

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

Over the past 4 years, I have been volunteering at local animal shelters and rescues to help homeless pets find loving homes.

Here is Anne Marie's lovely card using this week's inspiration!

The challenge designers have also created a card for this week's inspiration! I hope you will play along with us this week. We would love to have you join us!

Kimberly Lackenbach

LauraJane

Marcie Sharp

Sharp Designs

Sheri Gilson

Silke Ledlow

My Life

Wanda Cullen

We hope you will play along with us!

The linky will close on Friday, November 17th 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 #71!

Thank you all so much for joining us this week for the Inspired By All the Little Things
challenge #71! We loved seeing how you were inspired in all of your creative projects!

I would like to thank Colleen Foelker for being our Creative Guest this week!

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

Colleen's choice as Inspiring Standout is #3 Brenda in IN!

What stood out for me with Brenda's card was the red star...it shines on the inspiration piece and it shines on her card. I loved that she has a black staircase and used it for the chalkboard technique. She managed to add those stockings on her card also! It's a beautiful card and I'm so glad that she joined all of us at Inspired By!

***

My choice as Inspiring Standout is #5 Susie Moore!

I love how Susie made the white-on-black chalkboard sentiment the focal point of her card. Her bright red card base and white scallop frame bring in other major elements of the photo inspiration and that peek of candy cane striped paper adds a lot of fun to her beautiful design!

Congratulations, Brenda and Susie!
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, November 4, 2017

Inspired By All the Little Things Challenge #71 Featuring Colleen Foelker

Hello, Darnell here today and welcome 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 Colleen Foelker

of One Smile Lifts A Spirit to be our featured designer.

I asked Colleen 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 One Smile Lifts A Spirit. I started it in 2011 and when I was thinking of a name for my blog, I was thinking about the reasons we buy cards and send them to people. I think most of us do that to reconnect with someone, to spread a little sunshine, a smile, and maybe even to lift their spirits! AHA, that's it! A card can bring a smile to someone's face and that in itself can lift their spirits!

2. What is your style of card making?

I really like the clean and simple style with lots of white space. I do admire those that can layer and use patterned paper and believe me, I have a LOT of patterned paper!
I love it and have to buy it, but then I can't use it!

3. Who inspires you as a designer?

I love Kay Miller's work (My Joyful Moments) and when I sit down to make a card, I think to myself, "What would Kay do with this?" But there are others who I aspire to be like: Stephanie (Clearly Besotted), Marybeth (Marybeth's Time for Paper), and Loll (Stamping With Loll), just to name a few. There are many other designers out there that I wish I could grow up to be like! 😉

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

I think all of the above inspire me. Sometimes it is a photo and I am off and running. Other times when I am stumped and want something different, I will look for a sketch and that can get me going in a new direction. And, yes, designers can inspire me to think outside the box ... I will have an AHA moment thanks to them!

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

I had to ask my husband for help with this question and he said, "I bet most people don't know that you spend over 600 hours a year in the gym watching volleyball!" Well, yes, that is so true! We have been known to fly to Oklahoma (twice!), Colorado, California, Utah, and Washington! I guess you could say we are passionate about it and LOVE watching our granddaughters play ball! I also have an up-and-coming motocross star! He is only eight years old, but he is already being sponsored and given bikes to ride! I think I will have years ahead being involved with watching grandchildren do sporting activities!

Here is Colleen'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!!! 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

My Life

Wanda Cullen