P. Kelly Smith
Welcome to day two of our exciting Card Style Week! Today we’re spotlighting the Inspired Style section of our new special issue, Card Style, which is now officially on sale! If you’re a subscriber to our regular issues, then you’re probably familiar with our Get Inspired column. Essentially, we give a Paper Crafts designer a tangible item and they in turn create a project using this item as their inspiration.
We picked the “Inspired By” theme for the last round of our Gallery Idol competition this summer. Our summer image was given to our Top 5 finalists and each one interpreted it differently, but oh, so creatively!
We took this same approach with the Inspired By section of Card Style. We started with five inspirational items and then assigned each item to three different designers. The end result was three amazing cards in three different styles! The fun part…the inspirational items all came from the homes (and one bakery!) of the Paper Crafts editors!
First Item of Inspiration: Gerbera Daisy in Sleek Vase
Second Item of Inspiration: Vintage Typewriter
Third Item of Inspiration: Pretty Floral Purse
Fourth Item of Inspiration: Blue Flower Cupcake
Fifth Item of Inspiration: Wooden Mantle Clock
Fun inspirational items, right? Make sure you pick up a copy of Card Style to see how our designers interpreted them. Can you guess what item is mine? While I love yellow daisies, pretty purses, yummy cupcakes and cool clocks, the vintage typewriter is mine. It actually belonged to my grandmother. Long before e-mail and texting became the norm, my grandma would correspond via her typewriter. As a former secretary, she never gave up her love of typing up quick “memos” to her friends and family. When I went into journalism, she happily bequeathed her beloved typewriter to me, knowing it would be appreciated by the next “wordsmith” in the family.
Anyone up for a challenge? Today we’re launching our Inspired Style Challenge! And the item of inspiration is…my grandma’s typewriter! Using this vintage item, design a card in any style (fun & cute, clean & graphic, classy & elegant, or shabby & vintage) and upload it to our gallery HERE. This two-week challenge will end at midnight (MDT) on Tuesday, July 27. We’ll pick a winner in each style and spotlight them right here on Monday, August 2!
Wanna win a free copy of Card Style? Leave a comment telling me about an item in your home that you find inspirational. I’ll pick five random winners to each receive a copy of this stylish issue. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Wednesday, July 14.
Here’s to being inspired!
Kelly
P.S. There’s still time to play along in our July Gallery Challenge! Entitled “Matt, Brad and Chip: The Boys of Summer”, we’re looking for projects that incorporate mats, brads and chipboard. Upload your entries HERE before midnight (MDT) on Monday, July 19. Three winners will each receive a 1-year subscription (or special issue of their choice) and be spotlighted here on Monday, July 26!
I get inspired by all of the paintings and artwork that is hanging on my walls. Thanks for the chance to win!
I get inspired by things I see around me – a picture in the paper or a magazine; something on TV. I then try to adapt that to what suits me.
I absolutely love that typewriter…I learned to type on a similar one myself… how old am I anyway? Also love that Gerber daisy. I just bought some orange ones yesterday and am so enjoying them. My inspiration comes from my grandkids. I do scrapbooks mostly of them and I just love their little expressions, big eyes and smiles.
My inspiration would come mostly from the view from my windows. We have gorgeous colors, patterns and textures growing right outside.
I get inspired by the rustic surroundings of our cabin/home in the mountains, especially as I like to use a lot of jute twine and kraft paper in my cards…thanks for the opportunity to win one of the magazines…
I get inspired by many things but mostly the flowers in my garden. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the new magazine.
I will have to say an item that inspires me would have to be a little oval box that I am not sure what it is made out of, but I bought it in England and there were already beautiful flowers burned into it and colored so pretty, and they personalized right there for you and I had my first and middle name put on it, beautiful piece!
I have this monogrammed piece of artwork that has all these cool metal flourishes around it and behind it. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked at it and thought, “This would make an awesome monogrammed card.” I need to do that some day.
believe it or not, I was inspired just last week by my deodorant stick!
*points to first four photos in facebook album*
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=99374&id=603576848
My biggest source of inspiration is my garden!
We have a large paperweight collection, and I am inspired by the beautiful colors that swirl throughout the paperweights. And when the sun hits them—gorgeous!
All the potted plants hanging out on our back patio are really inspiring me!
What inspires me in my home is a photograph I have of my grandparents. They were both such godly people and their examples inspired all of their children and grandchildren.
I just walked into myliving room to look at what inspires me and found a coyote pelt that my hubby bought that contains all the colors and shades of black, brown and white that I like to use in vintage artwork. they are such natural colors and natural is what inspires me.
My colorful flowers inspire me, along with my kids and the things they say.
I love your items of inspiration.
Oh I love that typewriter. Right now I am inspired by a beautiful painting my 10 yo step-daughter painted. It is just BEAUTIFUL! Can’t wait to see the new mag.
We have an antique wooden desktop radio that is inspirational to me. I like the shape and design.
We live in a 200+ year old farm house and it, in and of itself, inspires me – but mostly the textures. We have a fieldstone wall, brick fireplace, scarred soft pine floors and beadboard. These all speak to me in many things I make both with paper and fabric.
my inspiration board of course! I find all sort of wonderfull little pretties to post up there…some stay up for montsh other, jsut long enough to get the creative idea/thought into a project!
I think the thing that’s most inspiring to me, at my home, is the land itself. We are lucky enough to live on a few acres of very wooded land. When walking our dogs, I have lots of opportunity to be inspired just by watching the nature around me unfold. Lots of colors, textures, dimensions abound. It’s really hard not to be able to come up with something great after being out there.
I have a pair of wooden elephants from my grandparents and I love looking at them. the curves, the texture, the shapes – it just encourages me to to doodle and to add more curves and play to my art!
I find a lot of color inspiration in my bathroom, from the towels carelessly piled on the floor to the plastic coat hangers on the shower rod that were used for hang drying shirts. Every day I see new color combos that make me want to get to my stamp room and create!
I get lots of inspiration from the many quilts in our home. The colors, the design, the stitching all combine for great inspiration. Thanks for the chance to win.
I am inspired by the gardenias growing in my backyard: sweet scent, creamy petals, glossy leaves, tangle of branches bobbing in the tradewinds…
My house is decorated with bold colors and fun graphic patterns — they inspire me to share my love of color with everyone else through my cards and paper crafted projects!
I have some ceramic blue and white plates from times ago in my kitchen that I love to look at! French inspired, I would say.
Most of my inspiration comes from the person I’m sending the card to, their favorite color, favorite activities, their style, their life!
I have my favorite painting in my home called “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt. It is bright and fun and a bit sensual. It is very inspiring when decorating, creating, etc.
My family room/kitchen is decorated with Americana – what I call old red, white and blue. Love this feel of sophisticated country.
I definitely find inspiration in my backyard. Whether it be the trees, the flowers, the birds, the kids playing, the pool…I always find inspiration by just taking a walk around out there.
My inspiration comes usually from my twin daughters outfits if I look for girlish modern style and from my own jewelry if I am looking for shabby vintage style
Sometimes I take it from flowers..
My sons room inspires me most. I know silly right? but the mess and clutter of toys and games makes it that much more interesting.
I hope this counts…I use my yard as inspiration. I love stamping leaves, trees, and flowers.
my livingroom coffee and end tables! they are oversized, stacked vintage books! The coffee table is approx 2′x5′ with drawers to hold favorite magazines and movies
I love vintage!
It may sound weird, but I am getting inspiration from my teen daughter’s clothes. We have been shopping for school clothes this week and she is surprising me and picking out beautiful florals.
There is a HUGE wattle tree just outside my front door that inspires me year round. Right now it is full on sweet smelling pom-pom like flowers and riddled with bees that make the most amazing humming sound. Nature inspires my cards on a regular basis.
My inspirational item is a wooden plaque that my grandfather carved which says “Home is Best” in Danish. I love looking at that piece and being reminded of what is important in my life — home and family.
wow, these are all fabulous photos & i love that old time typewriter. i’m already thinking what i can do! this is going to sound funny but my sons bright cloth diapers are inspiring – i love the funky prints & the bright colors. so fun! it’s sad to say that most everything inspiring has been taken down as we are trying to sell our home. we had to depersonalize it!
I find I get most inspired by fabrics such as unique tablecloths, bedspreads, curtains and throws. Texture, pattern and color gets my juices flowing.
My geometric patterned curtains in the dining room. Shiney aqua, grey, and cream. Love them!
I’m inspired by an yellow and blue vase I have with hand painted leaves.
Besides paper crafting, I also quilt and have quite a collection of fabric. I get so much inspiration from my quilting fabrics full of color, beautiful floral patterns and geometrics.
Carol B
The item I at home that inspires me is my dresser that is filled with fabrics.
I have a blue cat piggy bank with flowers in various shades of blue painted on it.. I get inspired every day!
The calendar with birthdays written on it inspires me to create NOW…but I also love the colors in my house–maroon and taupe, gold and woodgrain, stone-timbled tile and copper accents.
I find inspiration from my children’s toys. One of my favorites is the Perlor beads. I love to create with them and use the designs on a layout, especially ones they made.
It’s always easy for me to find inspiration with my little boy around. Babies have the cutest little things whether it’s his clothes, his toys or just some of the decor in his room, I can always find something that gets me excited about a new card!
I love your typewriter. I’m inspired by a photo I took of flowers from my garden and a terra cotta pot of dried lavender.
My inspiration piece is my white long haired blue eyed cat. I am dying to make a Christmas card with white fluff trim on top of white glittery snowflakes with a touch of blue. The heat must be getting to me
Right now my inspiration comes from the Pottery Barn catalog sitting on my coffee table…love the colors and designs in it!