Another week has flown by and we are in for a wet and wild weekend which here means a crafty weekend, who I am kidding? Every weekend is a crafty weekend! It’s time for another fun TGIF challenge and it’s a great inspiration challenge this week and inspired I was!
It got me thinking about inspiration and specifically card making inspiration and. where I find it.
Where do you go for inspiration? Do you struggle with finding inspiration sometimes? Or have specific places that you go to find your inspiration? Or do you want some tips on places to go or things to do for finding inspiration? At the bottom of this post I have shared my top tips for “How To Get Inspiration For Your Card Making Projects” I hope that you enjoy seeing this week’s challenge and my project that I was inspired to create.

TGIF challenge #TGIFC443 – inspiration challenge

I love it when we have an inspiration challenge. The idea of these challenges is to be inspired by anything in the above picture. Maybe it’s the colours, the books, the owl, the banner of stars, the moon, the textures – anything. We love to see how you get inspired.

To see what the rest of the team have created and to enter this week’s challenge, click here.

my finished card – what was i inspired by?

Here is my finished card. I took the inspiration from the owl in the inspiration picture. Full disclosure: the Winter Owls is my favourite bundle from the new Stampin’ Up! Mini Catalogue and so any excuse to take that inspiration was going to be had! When I saw the owl my brain was not going to be swayed from the owls. It’s funny how card making inspiration works though, it’s sort of internal. You see something and your brain starts storing information in a hard drive for that card and for this one I knew that I wanted to use the owls and I also captured that gold in both the stars and the tiny borders of the inspiration picture. I have always referred to myself as a bit of a bower bird and I will grasp on to anything shiny! Owls & gold glimmer it was!

I also haven’t had a chance to use the Winter Owls bundle using the stamped images with Stampin’ Blends and that beautiful hollowed out tree trunk die, so this was a good excuse! I loved colouring the beautiful birds in a variety of light and medium toned blends and they turned out beautifully.

a close up look at the finished card

Here is a look at some of the detail. You can see here where I have incorporated that gold. I am loving the new gold glimmer paper (and love that it is adhesive backed!) I also added a couple of my favourite things right now…

1. Swiping my ink pad lightly across the card base to add texture. I just love how this looks.
2. Folding back a corner on my base layer. A little bit addicted to this and really always have been.
3. Fraying and adding that beautiful Natural Ribbon from the All About Autumn suite.
4. A heat embossed sentiment – would it really be a Kayla card without one?

Underneath my sentiment I also added a touch of the Natural Wavy Trim. This stuff is beautiful! I have finished up the card with some of the gorgeous Adhesive Backed Sparkle Gems in the coppery colour.

a look at the inside of the card

Here is a little look at the inside. I have added some blending with some Pecan Pie and Copper Clay and some of those gorgeous branches from the Winter Owls Stamp Set stamped in Copper Clay. Another little owl stamped and die cut in the corner for good measure and I have used some of the left over Designer Series Paper (which P.S. if you are using 6×6″ Designer Series Paper on the front of the card there is always left over and it is a great idea to use some at least for the inside – never let anything go to waste).

Add some spritzing with some Pecan Pie Stampin’ Write Marker and add some Gold Glimmer Specialty Paper- always gotta add the sparkle!

I had so much fun with this card and bringing that inspiration to life.

Now do you want those tips…

my top tips for how to get card making inspiration

1. Pinterest: Explore endless inspiration by searching for keywords related to your project, such as “card making,” “stamping,” or “paper crafts”.
2. Instagram: Follow crafters, stamp companies, and hashtags like #cardmaking and #papercrafts to discover new techniques, colour combinations, and designs.
3. YouTube: There is a whole load of YouTube channels that dedicate many hours to amazing card making inspiration and free tutorials.
4. Blogs: Find inspiration from fellow crafters who share their creative process, techniques, and tutorials. Subscribe to your favourite blogs for regular updates.
5. Card Challenges: Participate in card challenges to push your creative boundaries and find inspiration from the themes, colour palettes, and sketch layouts they provide.
6. Online Communities: Join creative communities and forums dedicated to card making and paper crafting. Engage in discussions, ask for advice, and share your work to gain inspiration and feedback from fellow crafters. Splitcoaststampers is free and a great place to start.
7. Colour Palettes: Explore websites, such as Design Seeds or Coolors, that provide curated colour palettes for inspiration. Use these colour schemes as a starting point to create visually appealing and harmonious cards.
8. Craft Magazines: Get inspired by browsing through the pages of craft magazines that feature card making and paper crafting projects, along with tips and techniques.
9. Craft Classes and Workshops: Attend local craft classes or workshops that focus on card making and paper crafting. Learn new techniques, interact with other crafters, and gain inspiration from the projects and instruction provided. I have a whole tutorial store with lots of great tutorials. You can check them out here.
10. Everyday Life: Take notice of everyday objects, such as patterns in packaging, greeting cards, or even a beautiful sunset. These small details can inspire unique elements for your projects.

I hope that you got some inspiration from my project today and my top tips.

Make sure to pop over and check out the challenge and join in!

Until next time, crafty hugs. xx

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER suite card extravaganza open for bookings!

I am so excited to be joining forces with the lovely Donna Gray for an amazing new venture for monthly Stamp Camp events! You can see all the details and what it is all about, what it entails and what you get in the link below!
P.S. – it is open for international registration!

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LAST CHANCE PRODUCTS SALE – AVAILABLE NOW!

The sale is now on as we make way for the new products & say goodbye to the old!
Shop all the retiring products as we say goodbye to some trusty all favourites – grab a bargain with some products being marked down with us to 60% off some prices!

Check out all the amazing prices by clicking below…

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Product List

Winter Owls Bundle Bundle (English) [162157] $91.75	All About Autumn 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [162178] $27.00	Copper & Natural Ribbon Combo Pack [162192] $16.75	Stampin’ Blends Medium Deep Combo [159461] $17.50	Stampin’ Blends Medium Combo [159462] $17.50
Stampin’ Blends Light Combo Pack [159465] $17.50	Stampin' Blends Color Lifter [144608] $8.75	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $14.00	Adhesive Backed Sparkle Gems [161288] $15.00	Natural 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Wavy Trim [161517] $12.25
Silver & Gold 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Adhesive Backed Glimmer Paper [162288] $12.25	Versamark Pad [102283] $16.75	Metallics Embossing Powders [155555] $32.00	Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers [161697] $62.50	Pecan Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [161665] $15.75
Copper Clay Classic Stampin' Pad [161647] $15.75	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $11.50	Pecan Pie A4 Cardstock [161726] $17.50	Copper Clay A4 Cardstock [161730] $17.50	Basic White A4 Thick Cardstock [159230] $15.75