Inspired Sympathy

I've mentioned before on my blog how much my friend Colleen of Dietrich Designs has inspired me to look for card inspiration in everyday places. I love seeing how she translates an eye-catching ad or catalog photo into one of her beautiful card creations! So I've consciously been keeping an eye open for inspiration for my own creations all around me.

I subscribe to an array of magazines that are perfect for keeping me distracted during my early morning stationary cycle workouts. I love reading the articles and seeing the photo layouts and ads, but I'm never quite ready to recycle them when I'm done. So they pile up. Well, I'm happy to report that in the past few weeks I've been making a point of picking up a magazine from my "finished" pile to flip through and rip pages from to keep. Then the issues are sent off to the recycling bin. I'm keeping an eye open for interesting recipes, hot tips, useful information, and most importantly--card inspiration. (Next up: organizing all of these clippings.) And I am so thrilled to say that I'm already putting my inspiration file to good use! I spotted this pendant lamp from Room&Board in the September 2010 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The orange botanical print reminded me of my new EK rock fern punch, and I knew that I could work up a card from there. Here it is:
Challenges:

• Lucy's Cards: Sketch Week, Day 6
• Play Date Cafe Challenge: PDCC65
• CropStop Challenge #3: square card + a die cut
• Wee Memories Challenge #40: Free Your Creativity--any creation goes
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge: sympathy card
• Cute Card Thursday: Recipe of 1, 2, 3 in any combo. I used 1 sentiment banner, 2 punch/die shapes, and 3 colors (gray, orange, olive)
• Stampin' B's DT: include a banner of some kind

In other news, my 12YO daughter has been invited to a birthday slumber party next weekend, so I was in search of a birthday present for DD to give her friend. DD requested that I look for something crafty as the gift, so I headed out to Michael's. I found a fantastic K&Company create-your-own monthly wall calendar with tons of embellishments and papers. It was marked down with the Christmas clearance items to 90% off, so I got it for $1.69. I couldn't believe it!! DD is sure her friend will flip for it. I found a small K&Company Valentine scrap kit (also marked down but not to 90% off. Darn.) and some packs of red and purple Studio G blank cards to give the birthday girl as well. She can make her own Valentines or do some scrapbooking, whatever. I'm so psyched that we have assembled a super birthday gift for not a lot of money at all. I'd love to drop the hint that if she doesn't like it, I'll take it!!

I must admit that while at Michael's I did a good deal of browsing in the 90% off clearance bins for myself as well. Found loads of awesome stuff for $0.10!! Love it. :) I also had to bring home this Martha Stewart French Scroll punch-around-the-page set that was on (regular) clearance. It needed a home!! Now to figure out where to store it . . .

Thanks for dropping by!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: {ippity} Burlap
Paper: SU old olive CS, SU tangerine tango CS
Ink: Palette charcoal
Accessories: EK rock fern punch, 2" and 2.25" circle punches, sewing machine, foam tape, string
Techniques: machine stitching