Inspired By...YOU!

We are back with our 200th challenge over @  Inspired By  card challenges!  We are all so excited and thought it deserved a celebration....of YOU, the members who are inspiring all of us every week!  How incredibly fun and it was so special to revisit all the amazing cards posted in the Winner's Gallery HERE!

I will also be offering a prize for one random participant for this challenge (sorry I didn't get a picture before posting)

Details from the Inspired By blog

This is our 200th challenge, and our end-of-the-year post, which means you have until January 5th 11:55pm PST to create a card(s) for this challenge! And since it's our 200th challenge celebration, there WILL be prizes for RANDOM entries (you can enter as many cards as you are inspired to create).

 Unfortunately, for the prizes, we can only ship to US addresses, although we hope to have each DT pick a winner from the gallery designs and hope all of our members will inspire everyone!   

The challenge you ask?   

Choose a winner's card from the 2021 gallery.

 Create a card inspired by the winner's card.

Post a picture or link to the winner's card that inspired you and HOW you were inspired to create your card.

This challenge was SO special, I loved every minute of it and hope to do it every year!  I had such a HARD time picking one card, (it was awful) and I hope to have time to create again before the challenge ends because everyone is SO inspiring and TALENTED!

I still needed ONE more Christmas card and that's part of what helped me pick a card.  I needed a FUN, masculine card, so I decided to pick a card where I would try a fun technique and put a different theme than originally created by the talented member. 

 I chose this amazing card from Betty. 

I LOVE everything about her creative card and wanted to apply her techniques to the card I needed. While she used gorgeous flowers for her white embossing and water-coloring, I chose to use gingerbread men.  They were water-colored with Distress Inks after heat embossing with white embossing powder and they turned out SO fun, the embossing added so much to the water-coloring. I then incorporated her paint splatters, and to keep it masculine and relatively clean, I stamped candies to add "pops of color" where she used her amazing water colors. 

Merry Card 

Inspired By Warm Hugs Card from Betty

I LOVED her glittered/layered sentiment, so I chose a glittered silver to keep it more masculine, and it POPS (thank you Betty for such an amazing idea).

I do not paint-splatter often although I LOVE the look of it, so it was fun to jump out of my comfort zone and try it on this card (thank you Betty) and I LOVE the look against the Gingerbread men and glittered sentiment.

You, all, truly inspire all of us every week and we are so stunned at all the gorgeous creations and ideas from a photo/sketch.  We can't wait to see what YOUR creations will inspire during this challenge!

Please make sure to check out all the amazing Winner's Cards HERE, and all the DT designs and post links on the Inspired By Challenges blog.  

Thank you for visiting, it always means so much!  Have a very Merry Christmas and Holiday season with your loved ones!  

Warm Winter IB199

       We are back with a new challenge over @  Inspired By  card challenges.

This week we are playing with winter themes: warm coffee/cocoa, gingerbread men, pinecones, sweaters, and winter birds.  So much fun for Christmas/Holiday cards, tags, winter birthdays, or Holiday thank you cards.

Here is the photo for IB199

I needed a small gift tag card that I could attach to a bag of coffee I bought for a co-worker and decided to use IB199 this week for my inspiration.  

'tis the Season card 

 My card measures 3 x 3.5" and looks so cute attached to the bag of coffee.  

The fun stamps from SSS Pumpkin Spice Season were perfect to use, sweatered hands holding a latte...perfect.  I added a candy cane from an old set, cutting a slit in the coffee and poking it through (it added a fun dimension to the coffee, in-person).  SUPER easy yet putting our supplies to use this time of year to add the homemade touch, those are MY KIND of stamps...wink!

And there is always the sketch and we'd love to see your wintry interpretation!

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG! 

Inspired By IB197C Color Challenge

We are back with a new challenge over @  Inspired By  card challenges.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US friends, may today be filled with love and those that you are grateful for, whether that be family, friends, or our furry family.

  

This week we are playing with COLOR, Christmas, tags and the Holidays.  It is time to make sure the Christmas/Holiday cards are ready to go, so we will be presenting Christmas photo challenges and for the additional challenge each week, we will be presenting a Holiday tag photo.  And as always, there is a sketch that you can use ANY way you like!  Need a winter birthday card, thank you card, anniversary card....etc.?  We hope our sketch will inspire you and that you'll share with us!

Here is the photo for IB197C Color Challenge

Merry NOEL slimline card

I still need cards, so I used the tag colors to create a card this week.

I was inspired by IB197C this week.  I loved the colors and wanted to use some cardstock scraps so I got to work make a strip border to begin the foundation of my card.

After using my glue runner to adhere my leftover strips of cardstock inspired by all the colors in the reindeer photo, I hole punched and tied some of my favorite "Christmas string" right now.

I decided to incorporate the "brown reindeer" in my sentiment strip so as to allow my snowy reindeer to take center-stage.  Loved the white stamp against the brown with these colors, a combo I wouldn't normally pull out to begin a card, and boy do I love the outcome!

Here's the IB197 photo for the COLOR challenge

And, if you don't need a tag or card this week for the holidays, there is always the sketch and we'd love to see your wintry interpretation!

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG! 

IB195 White Christmas & Tag You're It

We are back with a new challenge over @ Inspired By  card challenges

  

This week we are playing with Snowflakes, Candles, Trees, Christmas, Reindeer, Christmas signs, Pillows, String of Lights, and the Holidays.  It is time to make sure the Christmas/Holiday cards are ready to go, so we will be presenting Christmas photo challenges and for the additional challenge each week, we will be presenting a Holiday tag photo.  And as always, there is a sketch that you can use ANY way you like!  Need a Thanksgiving card, fall card, birthday card, thank you card....etc.?  We hope our sketch will inspire you and that you'll share with us!

Here is the photo for IB195 White Christmas

I have to admit, I couldn't wait to play with this photo because it allowed me room and inspiration to play with lots of retired stamp sets, and these are sets I truly love to create with but haven't for a LONG time.  I pulled out my Papertrey Ink In the Meadow, My Mind's Eye Mistletoe Magic stamp set,  October Afternoon Silent Nightand Papertrey Ink Button Boutique sets, I know retired and old but still absolute favorites of mine, that's why I still have them...smiling. 

Have A Very Merry Christmas card

I was inspired by: Christmas, the big sign (my sentiment), snowflakes, traditional Christmas color, and the shiplap.

The poinsettias on my tree are from My Mind's Eye Mistletoe Magic stamp set, another oldie but goodie.

And the adorable bell?  October Afternoon Silent Night stamp set.

After blending the ink onto the tree stamp, I paint splattered the snow onto the tree and adhered tinsel glitter to the poinsettias.

Shiplap was created using The Greetery Ship Lap Builder dies

For my second card (I still need so many cards, and am using the inspiration to create several) I chose to use the same big Christmas tree and sentiment, but this time I decided to play with the candy cane and present from October Afternoon Daily Flash Eggnog set

And this time, I chose to create in my other go-to Christmas Combo Blue and Red (I have three sons, and blue was always a favorite at Christmastime)

Have A Very Merry Christmas card--blue version

For this card, I was inspired by the potted blue Christmas tree next to the couch, the Christmas sign, the snowflakes, and the presents were inspired by the pillows on the couch.

I used Tim Holtz Faded Jeans Distress Oxide to blend the background and stamp the sentiment and stars.  

The bling on the tree is Little Things from Lucy's Cards: Crystal Collection Love in a Mist, perfect little ornaments.

I wanted some large snowflakes this time, so I used Papertrey Ink's Damask Snowflake dies and then embossed them with a script folder.

My border frame die is from Pinkfresh Essentials: Stitched Scallop Rectangle dies

AND, it's getting close to Christmas so....I was inspired to create a tag for IB195C Tag You're It!

I decided on a shaker tag, because they are just so fun and look wonderful adorning packages, cups, and bags.

The ink-blended snowflakes are adhered inside the shaker and the white snowflake is adhered to the outside.

And don’t forget, there’s always the sketch

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG! 

IB194 and IB194C Hello Friends

   We are back with a new challenge over @ Inspired By Card Challenges.  

This week we are playing with Wreaths, Welcoming Friends, Christmas, and the holidays. 

I chose IB194 and IB194C this week because I really need some more Christmas cards but couldn't resist the wheat wreath.

Here is the photo for IB194 Hello Friend

I loved all the different colors in the inspiration photo and was determined to use the Rustic Wreath Twigs Die from The Greetery and Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks to create it, and really love how the wreath came to life.  

Thankful Card

I chose to add a sentiment from Pretty Postmarks Stamp Set from The Greetery.  I loved the sweet sentiment for a Thanksgiving card.

The different colors of twigs pair so beautifully together against the Shiplap Die from the Greetery.

I added some buttons and a bow die from Papertrey Ink that I blended with Tim Holtz Oxide Ink: Weathered Wood  

My background panel is the Pinkfresh Diagonal Plaid Cover Plate

And here is the inspiration for IB194C

I was inspired by the wreath, colors and the white background.

Merry Card

To create the background panel, I stamped The Stamp Market's Fa La La Background Stamp and heat embossed it with white embossing powder.

And don’t forget, there’s always the sketch

 

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG! 

IB193 Friends "Fall" Together

    We are back with a new challenge over @ Inspired By Card Challenges.  

This week we are playing with Fall, Acorns, Leaves, Friends, "Joy", Christmas, animals, and, holidays. 

I chose IB193C this week because I really need some more Christmas cards and the IB challenges always help me get the inspiration to create them.

Here is the photo for IB193C 'Tis the Season for Friends'

I was inspired by the sled, Christmas theme, the snow, candy canes, and the word joy.

Christmas Joy card

I decided I wanted to use my Pinkfresh Holiday Botanical Stencils (I hadn’t been able to open them up yet and have been waiting to have time to play with them!  I fell in love with the Pinkfresh release stencils and boy they did not disappoint, again!) As I started to blend my inks, I decided I wanted it to be an edge to edge shaker card so I could add snow to the Christmas foliage.

Shaker Card Tutorial

I began layering the stencils and I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Weathered Wood, Candied Apple, Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, and Speckled Egg.  I also used some Papertrey Ink Spring Rain for the lighter shades.

Tip:  Before putting in my glitters, shaker mix, buttons and sequins, I rubbed the stamped card stock piece with my heat embossing anti-static pouch.  This helps all the shaker mix move more freely around in the pocket as you will see in my pictures.  The shaker mix even flows to the bottom easily, making it feel like a snow globe when you shake it.

The sentiment “Joy” was cut with my Silhouette and blended with Distress Oxide Candied Apple.

And if you want/need a fall-themed card, check out IB193 Friends “Fall” Together inspiration.

And don’t forget, there’s always the sketch

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG! 

IB192 Who's Your Boo?

  We are back with a new challenge over @ Inspired By Card Challenges.  

This week we are playing with Halloween, Trick or Treating, Ghosts, Vampires, Witches, mummies, witches, bats, pumpkins, "Boo" sentiment, "Trick or Treat sentiment", Christmas, animals, holidays.

Boo, Boo Halloween Card

I was inspired by the colors, windows, ghosts, "Boo", spiders, pumpkins, just about everything!

And here is IB192C

And here is the sketch for this week!

 Thank you so much for visiting and make sure to

 check what the amazing team created on THE BLOG!