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