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What Inspires Me?

This week on Spunky Scrappers the prompt is "what inspires you".  (Brianna, I apologize for posting a bit early.) 

I found this topic a bit intimidating but used the prompt over on Dreamgirls to help me out a bit: "List It!"...make a top 10 list.  OK, then, 10 things that inspire me it is!!

I had a lot of fun making this layout.  It's an amalgam of all the different things that inspire me. 

So, let's see:  1) "Them" - my family.  2) Sketches. (Bet you can't guess which sketches inspire me the most, LOL.)  3)  Texture - and I tried to add a TON of texture to this layout.  I really like a touchy-feely element to my layouts.  I want you to want to touch the layout, although heaven help you if you actually TRIED to touch one of my layouts, LOL.  The brads that say "texture", some fun, tactile trims, a soft, wispy feather, the bottom edge is heat embossed with rough silver embossing powder, curled and wrinkled masking tape, plus lots of other dimension throughout.   4)  My doodled, zebra stripe flourish says, "Let my mind wander..."  I swear my most favorite layouts and cards were all born either in those few minutes right before you drift off to sleep or in the shower. 

5)  Scrap crap - I often design a whole layout or card around a papercrafting element that caught my eye...patterned paper, a pretty flower or rhinestone flourish, ribbon, a stamp, etc.  6) STRESS - it's stamped several times on the clear acrylic clock face (another Dreamgirls challenge requirement - a clear element).  I've come to realize that no matter how much notice I have on my DT stuff, I'll always end up leaving it until the very last moment.  But it's sometimes that stress that frees my creativity.  I just go with the flow instead of agonizing over every little detail.

7) Popular culture, such as music lyrics or current fashions or even good ol' Miss Barbie herself, the epitome of current trends.  8)  Words - a quote, a prompt, a title, you get the picture. 

9)  Color!  Color plays a big part in my layouts.  It sets the mood on the layout and sets MY mood for how I approach making it.  If I'm not "feeling" the color combo, I have a very hard time working with it.  It blocks me, so to speak.  And, yes, these are real crayons.  Luckily they're not any thicker than some "normal" scrap elements so they shouldn't do too bad in the scrapbook itself. 

And, finally, #10 which is probably the most employed element of inspiration for me:  "...but mostly I just throw something at the paper and see what sticks."  (This is just killing me, too.  I meant to say "stuff" instead of "something" but under the influence of restless children the mind acts like a text messenging program sometimes and annoyingly fills in a word before you know what happened.)  This is represented by the hot pink paint splat, which was one of the first elements thrown down on this entire layout.  I am so jealous of those people (you know who YOU are :):):):):):):):):) ) who can instantly envision what their layout will look like, grab all the appropriate products, and get it all put together in under an hour.  That just doesn't happen for me!  I start with an idea and as I'm building the layout I grab items I think will work.  Probably 75% of them don't actually make it on the final layout.  (And 50% of those lately haven't made it back to their homes, either...my scrap area is a MESS!)  

You'll notice a bunch of different fonts on this layout, too.  A) THAT is so me, too, and B) that's the third element in the Dreamgirls challenge.

So, there you have it.  What inspires me.  And, yes, the layout is a giant mess of stuff but then again...that's so me. 

Jump on over to the Spunky site to show us what inspires you.  While you're there, take a look at what the team made for your inspiration. 

Have a great Monday!

Heidi

Cheers! (Who wants Copics??!!)

'Tis the season for holiday cheer (and cheers!). 

Holiday Sampler 2010

This is based on a card sketch by Diana!  Today over on the Sketchy Thursdays blog we're having a Second Chance Challenge using this sketch:

Can you tell that the square the martini is on is all shimmery?  I covered it in VersaMark Dazzle and clear embossing powder. 

We skipped our regular Sketchy Thursdays sketch this week due to turkey day but decided to do a card sketch Second Chance Challenge (SCC) instead...we figured 'tis the season for making holiday cards so we thought we'd give you a little extra incentive to get moving!  And how's THIS for incentive:

Yep, that there is a 12 pack of Copic Sketch markers brought to you by our awesome sponsor iCopic.com.  They're up for grabs to one lucky winner for this SCC.  Just hook up your creation (it doesn't have to be a card...just be based on the sketch) to Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar by 11:59pm EST Wednesday, 12/2 for your chance to win. 

And guess what??!!  If we get 60 or more players, we'll add this to the prize:

Another Copic set - this one the adorable atyou Spica glitter pens!!  That's a chance to win TWO Copic sets!!  TWENTY-FOUR Copic markers in all!!  That's some serious holiday yumminess!!

So, go, hook up your creation and then tell all your friends to do the same so you can have your chance at winning BOTH sets!!

Have a great weekend!!

Heidi

17,000!!!

Well, would you lOOk at that!  I've had another 1,000 hits which means I need to add to the blog candy!!!

2 Epoxy Sticker Sets...I got these in a huge set and can't remember who made them.  They're so stinkin' cute!!!! 

I'm also getting close to 100 followers, too.  If I hit 100 before 11:59pm on Monday night, I'll add ANOTHER item to the pot, too!!!

Make sure you comment on THIS POST HERE for your chance to win and to see everything that's in the pot so far.  If you're a follower, you'll also get another chance.

Thank you so much to everyone who visits and comments and inspires me! 

- Heidi

Happy Birthday, Unity Freestyle

Hope all of you from the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving.  I'm STILL full.  Ugh!

So are you pro or anti Black Friday?  I'm mostly anti except there are a couple really good deals out there this year.  I'm writing this Thursday evening so I'm trying to decide if they're good enough deals to venture out and take my chances that what I want is going to be in stock by the time I get there (even if it's right at open, KWIM?). 

Well, today's Friday so it's Unity Friday Friends With Flair!!!!

This is from the Love Is In the Air set, one of my favorites:

The doodle-y surroundings are inspired by this card by Sleepless Imagination, this week's EtsyInspired shop on the EtsyInspired Challenge.  Only the hot air balloon and the "Birthday Wishes" are stamps.  The rest I doodled.  (And after reading some of the comments, I want to note that I did not notice it looked like the Pepsi symbol!  Completely unintentional.  I'm a Coke girl, all the way.  That's so funny!)

The EIC, incidentally, is being sponsored this week by Torendi!!  Don't forget to use coupon code THANKS for 20% off your Torendi orders starting tomorrow thru Sunday! Those orders also enter you in a chance to go to winter CHA! More info, HERE!

And speaking of sales...

Have you SEEN the deals going on over on the Unity site this weekend??!!!  O. M. G. they're spectacular!  Click HERE to check them out.

Hope you have a great Friday!!

Be sure to check back here tomorrow for a fun new Sketchy Thursdays challenge.  It's a great one just in time for the holidays.  I'm just sayin'!

- Heidi

Details:  Unity Stamp Co. stamps; StazOn ink; The Paper Company paper; Markers - Marvy, Stampin' Up!; Zig Millennium pen; Michaels ribbon.

Four - Design Dollies & Everything But the Kitchen Sink

four

I made this for two fun girlie's fun challenges.

Leah the Orange's color challenge on Design Dollies this week is baby pink and white.

And Kelly Marie is on the DT for Everything But the Kitchen Sink and they're having a sketch challenge:

Why is it so hard to get a good pic of white??!!  My base paper is white and the pinks are not as "hot" as they appear in these pics.  Most of the lighter pinks are definitely of the "baby" variety.

~hand detail!~

If you look real close ~squint a bit~, here you can see the title of the layout, "four":

~handprint detail~

 

Sorry for the poor pics.  I tried taking this pic in several different kinds of light and it just wouldn't come out.  Oh, well.

Details:  The Paper Company paper; Melissa Frances flat-back adhesive pearls; Michaels ribbons; DMC floss; Making Memories & Clean Colors paint; American Crafts rub ons; unknown pearl trim; thread

Have a great rest of the day. 

Heidi

Black Friday Deals AND Torendi Employee For a Day!!!!

Who's ready to shop!?!

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year and of course Torendi is going to be involved! Torendi is offering 20% off EVERYTHING in the store! That's right, ANYTHING! Imported items, stamps, paper packs, and even the new kawaii rub-ons!

Friday November 27th - Sunday November 29

Just use coupon code THANKS and the 20% off will automatically be taken off your purchase.

So who wants to go to CHA???

The Torendi girls need your help! We want to "hire" you to come and walk the floors of CHA with us in January and help us decide on what is "trendy" enough for Torendi to stock up on!

How do you apply?

SIMPLE!

Everyone who makes a purchase between NOW and December 21st will automatically be entered for a chance to go to CHA*. Make two purchases, double your chance and so on. It's just that easy! The new "employee" will be announced December 22nd, just in time for some extra holiday cheer!


*(Torendi is not covering airfare, hotel, meals or any other travel expenses. We are just providing you a pass to get into Winter CHA to have some fun with the torendi team!)*

The CHA "VIP" will also get a guest spot on the Torendi blog to tell everyone about the experience, new products, and all the Torendi fun!

The Bold and the Beautiful - Pink Candy, no I mean Ninja Shoppe, I mean, we're all mixed up here!

You all know I'm a loud and proud Pink Ninja!!! 

Well, this week, us Ninja Babies are taking over Candy Shopped Designs!!! 

For this week's challenge, the Pink Ninjas Design Team is swapping places with the Candy Shoppe Designs team.   So, when you hit up the Ninjas blog on Wednesday, don't be alarmed...the CSD girls will be posting their creations over there that day. 

And today, the CSD challenge is all Pink Ninjas.  Check it OUT!  We really rocked the challenge:  The Bold & the Beautiful.  Here's our inspiration:

We were to use at least 3 clashing patterned papers, with a BOLD title, and this color scheme:

Here's my interpretation:

Oh, Yeah!  Definitely MY Kids.

So, whadaya think?  I've got some rockin' skull-filled black, white, and silver DCWV Rock Star Stack paper, some vintage-y, beautiful pink & black Glitz Designs paper; and some sweeeeeeeeet, little girly, lacey, sparkly lollipop DCWV Sweet Stack paper. 

Of course, had to do some fussy cutting.  What day is complete without tedious, unnecessary OCD cutting?  I cut along the guitar border on the Rock Star paper, cut around some of the stars to frame the pics and the skull to disappear the lace border behind, and of course, around the lace border and lollipops.  Sheesh!  I'm obsessed, I tell ya! 

Details:  Paper - DCWV, Glitz Designs; Alpha Stickers - American Crafts, Paper Adventures; Stickles; my trusty Cutterbee scissors!!

So, you simply MUST check out the CSD blog to see what the other Ninjas did.  As expected, THEY ROCKED IT!! 

And I'd love to see you play along with this prompt this week.  Hook your creation up to the CSD blog by December 8 for your chance to win a Vintage Styled Apron from BOOJIBOO!  They're so cute, you just have to play along!!

Have a great day!!

Heidi

SPCC #25 "Home Sweet Home'

It's me again!  Monday's are so chock full of fun, eh?  At least in the virtual scrapping world. 

This week's SPCC color combo is a very unique one:

My initial reaction was, "COOL!"  And then I tried to make something with these colors...LOL.  I don't know why I had such a hard time because I really do absolutely LOVE this combo. 

Of course, my first instinct was to pull a piece of kraft paper as the base, but somewhere along the way I ran across the gorgeous Pink Paislee die cut paper I ended up using because it very closely matched the certainly celery and very vanilla colors.  (And how funny is this??!!!  Both Diana and I used this same piece of paper and posted it to our blogs at the same time!!  Great minds think alike, LOL!  WHY is she all the way across the country from me??)

The pic above better represents the actual color of the layout but this one better shows off the gorgeous die cut paper shape:

This pic also better shows the stitching along the edges of the paper, too.  My first attempt at the stitching resulted in this:

Apparently the first thread I attempted to use was too thick and stiff and it kept freezing my machine and ripped the paper.  Boohoo! 

The adorable house stamp is from jillibean soup.  Both the stamp and the Pink Paislee paper came with my Lil Scrappin Mama October kit which I so loved. 

Details:  Pink Paislee & Stampin' Up! paper; Jillibean Soup & Technique Tuesday stamps; Stampin' Up! ink & twill; Michaels ribbon; Bazzill chipboard; Fiskars border punch; thread; unknown string.

Come on over to the SPCC site to hook up your creation for a chance to win this week's prize from Memories Forever Scrapbooking:

Also, be sure to come on over to SPCC and check out our NEW Design Team Members!!!  We've added a few new ones to the mix!

Have a great day!!

Heidi

Spunky Scrappers "Thankful"

Happy Monday!

This week's prompt on Spunky Scrappers is to scrap what you're thankful for - BUT you can't use the word "thankful" in the title.

I'm thankful for my two little ankle-biters.

OK, yes, technically this is an Easter layout, but it works for this prompt!  I didn't use "thankful", LOL! 

This is a sketch from one of The Studio's charity:water challenges last weekend.  It's made by Scrapbook Calls magazine for Anam Stubbington:

Details:  Paper - DCWV, The Paper Co.; Basic Grey cardstock alpha & trim; SEI buttons; Dymo labeler.

Head on over to the Spunky Scrappers site to see what other members of the Design Team made.  

And check out our NEW MEMBERS of the Design Team!!!  Woohoo!  What a great expanded team! 

Aaaaand, we also have a Spunky blog now!  AND flikr site for YOU to PLAY ALONG WITH US!!!  Aw, come on!  Come play along.  :o)

On another note...do "little things" ever get you just all riled up and you have a hard time moving past them?   I'm just so irritated right now about a message someone wrote on my wall on a ning site that I'm a member.  Someone I don't know.  It said, "Thanks for being a jerk in that chat room."  I've not been on that site's chat room, EVER, nor have I been in a chat room anywhere in ages.  I know that shouldn't bother me, right?  But it just does.  Which irritates me more. 

OK, well, there's my rant for the day.  Grrrrrr.

Here's looking forward to a better rest-of-the-day.

:o)

Heidi

Use What You Have Challenge

I made quite a few layouts last weekend for The Studio's charity:water event that I haven't shared yet.  Here's one of them.

March 2011 issue

This was for a challenge by Jen Jockish to "Use What You Have" on your craft table.  I could make TONS of layouts with just what I have on my table!  Besides a tray of current fave papers and a bucket of fave stamps, I have a little tray where "extra" stickers, stamped images, ribbon fragments, diecuts, etc. land.  It's overflowing! 

Every embellie you see here except for the letter stickers in "discover" were in this tray:  a couple of Silhouette diecuts I'd painted and heated a while back, some flowers used as masks for mist on my "I Collect Dust" layout, a fragment of my stamp blotter, a ribbon fragment, and a Dymo word that just didn't work out.

These are some die cut "center" pieces (the parts you're supposed to throw away) and a little mirror (in which you can see my camera reflected).

Details:  DCWV paper, Diecuts - Silhouette, Cricut; Michaels ribbon, Dymo tape; Prima flowers; Paint - Ranger, Making Memories ; Stampin' Up! blotter; Hero Arts stamp; StazOn ink; Darice mirror; Glimmer Mist; AdornIt letter stickers; staples.

Thanks for stopping by!

Heidi

It's Saturday...a few things...

Happy Saturday, all! 

Torendi is sponsoring this week's EtsyInspired Challenge #63! 

This week's EtsyInspired shop is Sleepless Imagination.  All you have to do is check out the store and make a project inspired by any item in the Sleepless Imagination shop. 

Not only is Sleepless Imagination offering up a $15 g/c for any cards or prints in her shop but Torendi is giving away this adorable Japanese cupcake stamp to one random winner:

Just link up your creation to the Mr. Linky on HERE by noon Pacific time on Friday 11/27 for your chance to win!

Speaking of deadlines...

Wanna be Sketchy Thursdays' December Guest Design Team Member???

You need to hook up your layout to the comment on THIS POST before 11:59p EST TONIGHT (Saturday, 11/21) to be entered in the voting poll which goes up tomorrow. 

Your LAYOUT (it must be a layout) must be based on the prompt "Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend" AND  on this sketch:

As if being a GDT on Sketchy Thursdays isn't enough incentive, December's GDT will also be the lucky recipient of a kit from Lil Scrappin Mama!! 

Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!  Hope to see your there!

Gotta go get ready for the boy's baseball game. 

- Heidi

New Torendi EXCLUSIVE Rub Ons

O.

M.

G.

Torendi has just revealed their very own, EXCLUSIVE Rub Ons and they are so stinkin' ADORABLE!! 

All have a Kawaii theme, of course:

Deliciously Kawaii

I Heart Kawaii

A Kawaii Day

Kawaii Phrases

They're available in the Torendi store now!!  (Click on the name to go directly to the item in the store.)  I've already put my order in!

Clowning Around with Sketchy Thursdays

IT'S THURSDAY!!!

Time for Sketchy Thursdays!

Here's my take:

Last year my kids had fun with Daddy painting their faces like clowns.  Today, I had fun with paint!!

If you happen to view this post before I've updated it with detail shots, please come back a little later today...I wanted to get pics in natural light.

Details:  Paper - American Crafts, The Paper Company; Making Memories paint; Cricut die cut; Colorbox ink; Stickopotamus alpha stickers; Michaels ribbon; unknown brads and paint brushes. 

This week's sketch is brought to you by Scrapbook Kit Club.  They're offering up their December Kit of the Month to our lucky winner.  Here's a sneak peek to entice you:

You have until next Wednesday evening (Thanksgiving Eve...you know you'll be up cooking anyway...) to hook up your project to Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar for your chance to win this yumminess!

Have a great rest of your day.  It's almost Friday!

Heidi