A Little Inspiration

I think I see the world through a crafter's eyes. I was at a MOPS retreat this past Saturday, and they had decorated the whole place in black, white, and a touch of deep pink. I looked at it and though, wow, I really need to make some cards with that color combo. I've even been carrying around a tote bag in these colors for a month now. Today I have 3 cards. I'll post a picture of the item that inspired me, then the card, and then a little info on the card. All materials, stamps, ink, etc. are from Stampin' Up! today, unless otherwise noted.

The first card was inspired by this paper clip:


I used my Silhouette SD machine to cut out the damask image. I used Rose Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock. I used my curly label punch to punch the background for my stamp. I then covered the paper in Shimmerz paint, which gives it (as the name implies) a shimmery finish. An added bonus is that this stuff dries super fast. Less than a minute and it was ready for me to stamp my greeting from the Warm Words set in Basic Black right on top.

The second is a Birthday card inspired by this folder:


It's a bit hard to tell, but the folder is actually black and cream, so on this card I used Very Vanilla, Basic Black, and Rose Red. I used a stamp from the Circle Circus set to stamp the circles in the background, and a stamp from Sincere Salutations for the Birthday greeting. I embossed the black paper with Stampin' Up! Finial Press Sizzix Embossing Folder, and then sponged Very Vanilla craft ink over the top of it. It really makes the embossing pop. The label that "Birthday Wishes" is stamped on was cut using my Silhouette SD. I stamped the greeting in Basic Black and sponged on a bit of Basic Black ink as well. The card is finished off with a Rose Red button, Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, and some Rose Red brads.

The final card is inspired by this beautiful bag my cousin made for me and all of her bridesmaids as a thank you gift. It's quickly become my favorite bag and is a source of inspiration now too!


I used a number of stamp sets to get just the look I wanted for this card. I stamped in Basic Black on Whisper White with a stamp from Thoughts and Prayers. I stamped in Whisper White on Basic Black with stamps from Always and A Beautiful Thing stamp sets. Finally, I stamped the greeting with a stamp from All Holidays. I again used shimmerz paint to paint the card stock that the "thank you" greeting is stamped on. In person, the "thank you" isn't hard to read, but it photographed a bit cloudy due to the shimmer. The ribbon is Double Stitched Rose Red grosgrain.
Thanks for sticking with me today, I know this post was a little extra long. I hope you find some color inspiration around you this week too!