Susan R. Opel
Since becoming a scrapbooker and card maker, I’ve noticed that my eyes have literally been opened to the world around me. It’s as if I had spent years in a fog not really taking note of my surroundings. But, my how things have changed!
A billboard, a magazine ad, a store window display, a book cover, a frilly shirt, a fabulous necklace, a bag of pretzels – now absolutely EVERYTHING inspires me. I look at color combinations, design elements, and all of the little details that made me look twice. Sometimes I get so excited, I have to run home and create something immediately, like the time I spied this window display in Las Vegas and created this card!
Since orange is my favorite color, pairing it with white, yellow and royal blue certainly struck a chord with me.
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise then that one of my favorite things about my job at Paper Crafts magazine is the opportunity to write Get Inspired – that final little bit of dessert at the end of every issue. Here, one designer creates a project based on some sort of seasonal item. From winter scarves, to bridal bouquets, and mortar boards, the way that these designers have been able to create something beautiful, unique, and inspiring has been so much fun to share with you.
This project appears in the March/April 2009 issue of Paper Crafts magazine.
As a former floral designer, finding inspiration from a bridal bouquet was a perfect fit for Betsy Veldman. Fun fact: I ordered this bouquet from a local florist for photography in our studio.
Now it’s your turn! Find something unique that inspires you and get creating. And I’d love to see the results! Send me a link to your blog or shoot me an image via e-mail at sopel@ckmedia.com.
Susan
Beautiful! I love the orange/yellow/blue card! Great inspiration!
My youngest daughter just created a beautiful flower card for me for Mother’s Day. I posted it on my blog yesterday. She was inspired by a huge sunflower that she saw in a Lowe’s magazine! Gotta love that!
I am constantly inspired by cool color combinations in stores, in magazines, etc. I think of most things that I see in a “scrapbooking” way!
I love your inspired projects!! The bouquet is beautiful….I can see why it inspired you!!
I actually just blogged about some great inspiration I got from my recent JCrew catalog. I certainly helped create a new type of card for me:
http://courtbaker.blogspot.com/2009/05/rasberry-suite-color-challenge_09.html
Awesome cards!!
It’s great to find inspiration anywhere you can!!
Susan, Loved your piece [Get Inspired!] today! I can tell you that I am always on the look-out [whether I even realize it or not] for things that catch my eye–a ‘new’ color combination, a great quote, an interesting sketch. I always keep a little notebook in my purse for drawing or jotting. I also have been known to break out the camera-phone if I’m in a hurry! I have quite a collection of ideas now, and truly wonder if I’ll EVER get to use them all! But isn’t that half the fun of collecting?! Thanks, again!
You described the “fever” well!!! It doesn’t get better either or is that really the BEST way to see life!!!
Betsy’s card is gorgeous! I was also inspired to make a card based on a photo of some tulips in the garden. You can have a look at it here:
http://dana-scraps.blogspot.com/2009/05/cps-115.html