Inspiration

Where do you find yours?

I love to hop through different blogs.  I love to walk around when I'm at a crop and see what other scrappers are creating.  I love to look at Etsy and Ebay to see the different designs.  Sometimes inspiration comes from another place.  For instance . . . one day I was flipping through a copy of Arizona Highways.  For those of you not familiar with the magazine, it is a publication put out by the State of Arizona which helps fund their state parks.  It is chock full of beautiful images of various places in and around the state.  Anyway, I was flipping through the magazine, when I came across this quote:

The butterfly counts not months, but moments

and has time enough.  - Tagore

It inspired me to create this card.

I sometimes use pre-made card bases from Michaels and enhance from there.  This is a 5x7 card base, inked with Weathered Wood Distress ink.  The purple background was made using the Faux Torn Mosaic technique from Splitcoast Stampers.  Found Here  I actually created this quite a while ago and then never used it the way I had intended.  I used Spellbinders Labels 8 to trim it to the size and shape you see.  The quote was printed using my Xyron Design Runner.  I then cut it out using Spellbinders Labels 10.  The butterfly is from Gypsy Wanderings.  The DP was from the bargain bin at Michaels.  I used Star Dust stickles in the cutouts on the butterfly.  The base layer was cut on plain white cardstock.  I don't remember the sizes of any of the cuts. I made this card long before I started this blog, and before I realized such details are important!  That's also the reason for the not so great photo.

If you are so inclined, leave me a comment and let me know what inspires you!

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                        `v´  Darlene 

My Creative Time Design Team Call

Emma at My Creative Time announced her first ever design team call on Sunday, October 23, 2011.  Found Here.  I was excited to hear this, as I've been a fan of her stamps since the first day I stumbled across her blog.  Her requirements were to create a brand new project just for this call.  After lots of thought about whether to create a card, a scrapbook layout, or an altered item, I decided on a card using Emma's All Around Christmas stamps.

It is a swing card, made using Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Squares.  Here it is partially open.

The stamp is Heartfelt Creations Holly Leaves Precut set from the Christmas collection.  I stamped on Bazzil using Memento Ink in black, then embossed with clear embossing powder.  The leaves are cut using the matching Spellbinders dies, and stamped with the matching Heartfelt Creations stamp with Versamark.  They are also embossed with clear embossing powder.  I'm usually not a fan of glitter - bling yes - but glitter, not so much.  However, the holly berries were screaming for something, so I dug through my stash and found some glitter I had been given (thank goodness I had red).  I used my Helmar 450 Quick Dry glue to fill in the stamped areas, sprinkled with glitter - and voilá, pretty holly berries!

Here it is fully open.

I left the inside mostly blank to write a Christmas greeting to the recipient.  The Merry Christmas on the lower right corner is from Emma's All Around Christmas stamp set. The green cardstock is Bazzil.  The patterned paper, ribbon and white cardstock base are all from my Michael's and part of my stash.

Hope you like it!

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     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene 

My Creative Time Throwback Thursday Challenge

YEA!!  It's Throwback Thursday at My Creative Time!!!  This time the challenge is to use an "older" Cricut cartridge with a card feature, but the project must be Halloween themed!!!  You can check out the challenge here!
For my card I used Stretch Your Imagination.  I used the card frame feature on page 43.  I used my Gypsy to hide the window before making the cut.  I had lots of thought running through my head for this card.  I first wanted to use the cut with the window and put a black cat in the window, but ultimately did not like how it looked.  While flipping through my paper stash I came across Halloween paper that had an image of a witch on her broomstick in front of the moon.  The card came together from there!

The fun part of this card (IMHO) is the cat!  He is from CTMH SOM.  After cutting him out I colored him with a black embossing marker and added black embossing powder.  His tail was a bit long so I had to cut it to make it fit.  That is not the best part though - the cat is adhered to the card using Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots.  If you've never used these before run to the Helmar site Found here figure out which retailer to use, and buy them!  I saw them on a video and thought they looked cool.  Then I got my hands on them and WOW!!!  The beauty of these is that because they are liquid you can build them, or shape them to give anything dimension.  I used a toothpick to spread the adhesive on the cat's tail so that it too has dimension off the page (and not just the body of the cat).  Could you imagine trying to trim foam tape to fit under the tail?  NIGHTMARE!!!

Other points of interest on the card - the fence is inked with Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge and Frayed Burlap distress inks. The orange paper and white cardstock are from my stash.  The straw colored patterned paper is from the same stack that I cut the witch from.  I've had it forever, so I can't tell you the manufacturer (the cover is missing).
Hope you like it!!

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     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene 

Link Up For Pink - Project 2

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  From October 1 -  October 14 some very talented ladies will be sharing their stories and/or showcasing some very special projects.
When I posted the layout I made for this special event I said a coworker requested another one and I hoped to have it completed before the link party was over.  I managed to complete the layout in time!!  I apologize in advance as I took a shortcut with the picture and as a result it isn't all that great.

Some design elements might look familiar if you saw the previous layout.  The scroll was repeated by request.  I used the wrinkled distress technique with Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet.  The font for the team name is Cricut Blackletter, and the ribbon is from Cindy Loo.  I covered it in Glossy Accents to make it shine.  The scales are another Pazzles cut that I purchased from my local scrapbooking store.  The photo frames are something I purchased on Ebay well over a year ago.


Don't forget to visit the Link Up For Pink hostesses:
Celeste - http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
Gaby - http://www.gabycreates.com/
Yolie - http://www.justyolie.com/

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     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene 

Link Up For Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  From October 1 -  October 14 some very talented ladies will be sharing their stories and/or showcasing some very special projects.  A few months ago I was fortunate enough to cyber-meet Lynne of Her Craftiness.  As a result of that meeting I participated as a designer on my very first blog hop, and have created projects just for Lynne's blog.  Now, as a result of this meeting, I am participating in this very special Link Up For Pink event.  

Cancer touches us all in one way or another.  For me, I lost my mother to lung cancer 19 months ago.  My father-in-law succumbed to cancer before I ever had the privilege of meeting him.  My brother was diagnosed with liver cancer 4 months ago, and on September 19, 2011 my grandmother died of stomach cancer.


This a layout is a tribute a colleague who is a survivor, and the colleagues who participate in the Race For a Cure event in New York City's Central Park.  In the scroll is a “Motion to Make a Difference,” a “legal motion” on behalf of Team Legally Pink against “the defendant,” Breast Cancer. Originally printed on pink paper, and distributed to all staff it provides information on why staffers should join the team and how to do so. It also encourages staff members to “serve” their friends and family members with the “Motion.”

 
Here is a close-up of the motion:

I made a copy of the original, and shrunk it on the office copy machine.  I found the scroll image online, and fit the motion into it to create the image for the layout.  I used Spun Sugar and Vintage Photo distress ink on white cardstock.   The base of the layout is pink parchment cardstock from AC Moore.

I purchased the scales from my local scrapbooking store.  She has a Pazzles, and cut the image at 3 inches at my request.  I also purchased a single sheet of the paper it is cut from.  I don't know what brand it is.  The team name "Legally Pink" is cut from the same paper using Tim Holtz' Vintage Market on my Cuttlebug.  The ribbon is from my stash.

I'm happy to say that this layout is framed and hanging in my office.  I have been asked to create another one.  I hope to have it finished and posted before the Link Up For Pink event is over.  Don't forget to visit the Link Up For Pink hostesses:

Celeste - http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
Gaby - http://www.gabycreates.com/
Yolie - http://www.justyolie.com/

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      ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   -:¦:-
     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene 

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Me Monday # 80

Fantabulous Cricut (found here) has another challenge going this week.  The requirement is to use a pumpkin on your project.  I chose to use more than one!

The vines are created using a gypsy cut file found at 217 Creations that I fell in love with the moment I saw it.  I used Create a Critter, Everyday Paper Dolls and Paper Doll Dress Up for the various pumpkins around the page.  I heat embossed the green vines on the pumpkins, and used glitter for the stems.  The background paper I had hanging around.  I created a double mat for a 4x6 photo.  The cardstock to create the mat is from my stash.  The cream cardstock is embossed with leaves and vines.  
I have a great picture of my daughter in a pumpkin patch that will go on the mat.  Hope you like it!


REMEMBER from October 1 -  October 14 some very talented ladies will be sharing their stories and/or showcasing some very special projects in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.   You can visit their blogs during this time.  They are:

Celeste at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
Gaby at  http://www.gabycreates.com/ 
and
Yolie at http://www.justyolie.com/

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      ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   -:¦:-
     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Have you had a mammogram lately?

From October 1 -  October 14 some very talented ladies will be sharing their stories and/or showcasing some very special projects.   You can visit their blogs during this time.  They are:

Celeste at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
Gaby at  http://www.gabycreates.com/
and
Yolie at http://www.justyolie.com/

Stop by and give them some blog love.  Check back here for my Link for Pink project on October 6.


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          ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
      ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   -:¦:-
     -:¦:-   ((¸¸.· (¨`v´¨)
                        `v´  Darlene