Inspired by...Heather Maria!!

I am so excited to announce our next inspirational stamper for this week. (I just couldn't wait until Saturday!). Her cards are always cute and well designed! Whenever I look through her photostream on flickr, I am always inspired and ready to get crafting! :) Introducing...Heather Maria! I know you will enjoy seeing a sample of her cards this week.

Here is today's inspirational card by Heather:

I love the pretty pastel kite. Aren't those hearts the perfect touch for the tail of the kite?! I love the texture of the white scallop layered on the white background paper. Finally, Heather embossed the white cardstock to look like gusts of wind! So clever!

Here is my take on Heather's card:

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for more wonderful cards by Heather!

Supplies

Stamps: Flourish (Hero Arts K5285), Hot Air Balloon (Unity Stamp Co.), Sentiment (Making Memories); Ink: Black Ink (Stampin' Up), Tim Holtz Distress Inks; Other: Watercolor Pencils (Stampin' Up), Scallop Punch (Martha Stewart), Misc. Cardstock, Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket), Label Die Cut (ProvoCraft), Misc. Thread

TGIF!

Happy Friday! I just thought I'd stop by today to wish everyone a Happy Halloween this weekend. Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see who is the next featured stamper!

Susan- Day 6

Today is our last day of Susan's inspiration. I want to thank her for allowing me to feature her pretty cards on my blog this past week! Here is Susan's card for today:

I love the way Susan colored the rose image. Her highlights and shading are perfect. The purple "pops" against the blue background. And what a unique way Susan has attached the sentiment--tied around the stem of the rose!

Here is my take on Susan's card:

Thanks for coming by this week to check out Susan's cards. It has been my pleasure to share her work on my blog! Don't forget to come back to see who the next featured stamper will be... :)

Supplies
Stamps: Bird (Martha Stewart), Plaid Background (Martha Stewart), Sentiment (Hero Arts JS143), Text (Inkadinkado); Ink: Black Ink (Stampin' Up), VersaMagic Chalk Ink; Other: Joann's Craft Essentials White Embossing Powder, Watercolor Pencils (Stampin Up), Dimensional Adhesive, Misc. Cardstock, Stampin Up/Sizzix Top Note Die Cut, Scallop Punch (Fiskars)

Susan- Day 5

Today's card by Susan is gorgeous:

Look at that ribbon binding along the left-hand side of this card! Wow! I also love the color scheme on this card. The blues and yellows remind me of a pretty quilt. Finally, the pearls accent the patterned paper in a subtle, soft way. This card would brighten anyone's day who received it!

Here is my take on Susan's card:

This card is also a CASE (Copy And Selectively Edit) of this card by Jennifer McGuire.

Thanks for popping in! Don't forget to come by tomorrow for our last day of inspiration with Susan. I know you'll L-O-V-E her card!

Supplies

Stamps: Butterflies (Martha Stewart), Fern (Rubber Stampede), Sentiment (Hero Arts JS143); Ink: VersaMark, Black Ink (Stampin' Up), VersaMagic Chalk Ink; Other: Misc. Buttons and Pearls, Watercolor Pencils (Stampin' Up), JoAnn's Craft Essentials Clear Embossing Powder

Susan - Day 4

Check out Susan's beautiful card for today:

This card is so pretty and feminine. Susan's coloring is perfection! I love the varying shades of pink and green. I also love the simplicity of this one layer card. It reminds me of a botanical print.

Here is my take on Susan's card.

I am so glad you stopped by to visit today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another "stunner" by Susan!

Supplies

Stamps: Sentiment (Making Memories), Flower (Rubber Stampede), Text (Inkadinkado); Ink: VersaMark, Black Ink (Stampin' Up), Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Other: Misc. Cardstock, White Gel Pen, Watercolor Pencils (Stampin' Up), Perfect Pearls, Mini Mister, EK Slimline Punch

Susan- Day 3

Welcome to day three of inspiration by the fantastic Susan. If you are loving her creations (which I am sure you are!) be sure to stop by her blog as well. She frequently updates and shares her cards. I can't get enough! :)

Here is Susan's card for today:

The three panels are such a strong design choice. I love the colors, too! This card has such a natural, simple feeling. Each element comes together perfectly!!

Here is my take on Susan's creation:

See you tomorrow!

Supplies

Stamps: Butterfly (Martha Stewart), Text (Inkadinkado); Ink: Black Ink (Stampin' Up), VersaMagic Chalk Ink, Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Other: Gold Perfect Pearls, Watercolor Pencils (Stampin' Up), Dimensional Adhesive, Misc. Cardstock and Buttons

Susan - Day 2

Hi everyone! Here is today's card by Susan. This amazing card is really going to knock your socks off!

This card is a perfect example of Susan's innovation! I just love the way she used strips of ribbon to create her ornaments! What a great way to mix patterns and use up those little scraps of ribbon that we all have. The color scheme on this card is also great- I love the blues on the ornaments paired with the green pine needles. This Christmas card would definitely become an annual holiday decoration for anyone who received it!!

Here is my take on Susan's card. I was inspired by her use of the negative space behind a punched shape. Instead of ribbon, I used alcohol inks to create my background.

Thanks again for stopping by! See you tomorrow with more eye candy by Susan!

Supplies

Stamps: Geometric Circles (Martha Stewart); Ink: Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink, VersaMark, Making Memories; Other: Misc. Buttons and Cardstock, Kodak Photo Paper, Star Punch (EK Success), Scallop Punch (Fiskars), JoAnn's Craft Essentials White Embossing Powder

Inspired by... Stampin Sue!!

Hi everyone! And welcome to another week of stamping inspired by one fabulous artist--Susan McRae, also known as Stampin Sue on flickr. I just love checking out Susan's blog and her amazing photostream. One word that describes her cards is INNOVATIVE. Where Susan gets her ideas, I don't know, but she seems to have an endless reserve of creativity! Here is today's card by Susan:

First of all, check out that beautiful, woven background. Her flowers, which are the perfect shades of pink and yellow, are blended and appear so dimensional. Speaking of dimension, I love the cluster of flowers and leaves. All the elements on this card are positioned in such an appealing way!

Here is my take on Susan's card:

Thanks for stopping by! We'll see you tomorrow with more inspiration from Susan!

Supplies

Stamps: Leaves (Hero Arts CL298), Butterflies (Martha Stewart); Ink: Black Ink (Stampin' Up), Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Moss Green (ColorBox Moss Green), VersaMagic Chalk Ink; Other: Patterned Paper (October Afternoon), Misc. Cardstock, Pearls (Kaiser Scrapbook), Dimensional Adhesive, Flower Layers (Sizzix Die Cut)

Thank You

Thanks again for everyone who has stopped by this week to check out Karen's cards! Your comments truly mean so much! It has been my pleasure to feature such a sweet and talented stamper on my blog!!

Make sure to stop by tomorrow to see who the next featured stamper will be... I'm excited to share her cards with you!

Karen - Day 6

Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience and for stopping by on our final day of inspiration with Karen. Even though this is her last day here on "Inspired by..." I know her cards will continue to inspire me every time I check out her photostream! Here is Karen's inspiration card--it is pure eye candy!! :)

I love the warm, rich colors on this photo card! All of the beautiful distressing makes this card seem like a little treasure. The mix of patterns and textures all come together perfectly!! Finally, the picture takes center stage and could not be any cuter!

Here is my card:

Again, thanks for coming by and checking out Karen's marvelous cards this week! Your kind comments have meant so much. Be sure to check back to see who the next inspirational stamper will be!

Supplies
Stamps: Sentiments (Making Memories), Text (Inkadinkado); Ink: Black Ink (Stampin' Up), Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink; Other: Misc. Cardstock and Button, Perfect Pearls, Mini Mister, Staples, Circle Punch (Martha Stewart), Kraft Cardstock (Stampin' Up)

Coming Soon

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by. I am running a little behind on posting my last card inspired by Karen. Please stay tuned-- hopefully I will have it up later today. Thanks for your patience! :)

Karen's Inspiration - Day 5

Hi everyone-- ready for another fabulous card by Karen? Here you go:

I think it is impossible to look at Karen's cards and not feel cheery! This card is no exception. I love the bright colors and fun flowers. The little owl and birds are the perfect touch of whimsy. Finally, isn't that the coolest tree?? Love the punched circle--so unique!

Here is my card-- I was especially inspired by Karen's color combo--purple/pink, orange, and green. I created the background using this cool technique from Jennifer McGuire.

Thanks for visiting--make sure you come back tomorrow for our last day with Karen!

Stamps: Text (Inkadinkado), Plaid (Great Impressions), Text (Papertrey Ink.)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Versamark, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: Misc. Cardstock, Thread, Buttons and Gems, Fiskar's Butterfly Punch, JoAnn's Craft Essentials Clear Embossing Powder

Karen's Inspiration- Day 4

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming by again today. Check out this gorgeous plaque of Karen's:

This shabby chic plaque feels so warm and sweet. Karen incorporated so many techniques and tied them all together with soft yellows, oranges, whites, and tans. The white paint is the perfect touch of distressing! I love the emboss/resist technique she did on polka dot paper- I've got to try that sometime soon. Finally, what a beautiful sentiment. Wouldn't this make a fabulous gift for a graduate?

Here is my take on Karen's beauty:

Thanks for popping in! See you tomorrow. :)

Stamps: Floral/Leaves (Amy Butler Lotus Floral), Sentiment (Hero Arts)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, VersaMark

Other: Perfect Pearls with H2O in a Mini Mister, Misc. Plain Cardstock, MME Patterned Paper, JoAnn Craft Essentials Embossing Powder, Dimensional Adhesive, EK Success Corner Rounder Punch, Fiskars Butterfly Punch, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Misc. Pearls and Thread

Karen's Inspiration - Day 3

If you haven't seen this card by Karen get ready because your jaw is going to drop!

I just love the colors, blending, textured flowers, scallops, sentiment, yes- everything. And I haven't even gotten to the envelope yet! The flower on the envelope reminds me of a beautiful collage. The stitching ties everything together. So clever and unique! I'm telling you, if you need some inspiration you've got to take a peek at Karen's photostream on flickr.

On my card, I tried to recreate some of Karen's textured flowers and stitching.

Thanks so much for stopping by! See you tomorrow with more of Karen's fabulous cards!

Stamps: Sentiment (Hero Arts), Background Plaid (Martha Stewart), Leaves (Hero Arts)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, VersaMark
Other: Misc. cardstock and thread, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, JoAnn Craft Essentials Embossing Powder, Misc. Button and Pearls

Karen's Inspiration- Day 2

Welcome back! Here is Karen's beautiful card for today's inspiration:

I love the teal, orange, and brown colors. When looking at her photostream in flickr--this card caught my eye immediately! One things I love about Karen's cards are her flowers that are full of texture!!! They seem to pop right off the page and make the best focal points. I just had to try to recreate a couple on my card:

Thanks again for stopping by! See you tomorrow!

Stamps: Sentiment (Making Memories), Leaves (Hero Arts)

Ink: Memories Chestnut Dye Ink Pad

Other: Twine (Darice, Ink.), Misc. Button and Cardstock, Teal Cardstock (My Mind's Eye)

A New Featured Stamper....Karen

I am thrilled to announce my next featured stamper. You know her best as karenmp56 on flickr. Karen's encouragement and kind comments have boosted all of us who post cards and share our creations. Not only is she sweet supporter of her fellow stampers, but she is an accomplished stamper, too! The words I think best describe her cards are.... FUN and BRIGHT! Looking at her cards is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Here is the first inspiration card:

Don't you just love the bright colors?? The paper flower is perfection--it reminds me of a fresh daisy. Her pearl embellisments are the perfect finishing touch! I love the way she put the pearls right on the button in the center of the flower.

Here is my take on Karen's fantastic creation:

Note: The flower is created by punching small circles and then rolling them in on the sides.

Again, thanks so much for looking-- stay tuned over the next five days for more of Karen's fantastic cards!

Stamps: Text (Inkadinkado), Geometric Background and Dots (Martha Stewart), Leaves (Hero Arts), Sentiment (SavvyStamps)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: Martha Stewart Cardstock, Misc. Plain Cardstock, Pearl Embellishment (Kaiser Scrapbook), Misc. Button and Thread, Small Circle Punch (Martha Stewart), Large Circle Punch (Paper Shapers)

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a great week. Thanks to everyone who has made my first week of blogging so fantastic! I would also like to extend a special thanks to Deborah for playing along and for all she does on the Hero Arts flickr site and through her blog.

Please stop by tomorrow to check out the next featured stamper! You're going to L-O-V-E her cards!

Deborah's Inspiration - Day 6

Today is my last day of inspiration with Deborah. Here is her awesome card!

I love the balance on this pretty card. The metal ring around the center embellishment draws your eyes to the focal point of the card. Another aspect of this card that is simple but great is the rounded corners on the small squares. Finally, I love how Deborah used the negative of the punched heart--what a great idea with so many endless possibilities. This card is so sweet and I can imagine it being a lovely handmade valentine!

Here is my take:

I used lots of distress ink, water splotches, and UTEE to create the texture on my card.

Many thanks to Deborah for all of the inspiration this week and for being my first victim on the blog! :) Don't forget to check back Saturday to see who the next "Inspired by" stamper will be!

Stamps: Sentiment (Making Memories)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel), Black Twine, EK Success Corner Rounder, Paper Shapers Square Punch, Marvy Uchida Heart Punch, Misc. Cardstock

Deborah's Inspiration - Day 5

Hi everyone! Welcome to day 5 of inspiration by Deborah! I decided to make another card based on the inspiration card in this post. Her card was so amazing I just couldn't stop at one! :)

Here is my second take. I tried to stay with the warm background colors from Deborah's card and I added in the teal as an accent.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit tomorrow for our last day with Deborah!

Stamps: Trees (Unity Stamp Company), Sentiment (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: Embroidery Floss, Misc. Button, VersaMarker, Clear Embossing Powder, Fiskar's Border Punch, Misc. Cardstock

Deborah's Inspiration - - Day 4

Welcome back! Thanks again for all of your kind comments and for stopping by!

Here is Deborah's inspiration card:

This card is stamping at its best! I love that pale blue background with the surrounding white border. I think of blue skies and summer when I look at this card. The butterflies are great and what a fun design idea to have the butterfly wings extend past the blue background. Finally, the sentiment on this card is perfecto!

This card is so great I just had to make a twin! Besides changing a couple of stamps, I owe all the creative thinking on this card to to Deborah.

Speaking of creative thinking- did you know Deborah makes demo videos?? Here is her latest on youtube--a must see!

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to come back tomorrow for another day inspired by Deborah.

Stamps: Sentiment (Hero Arts), Butterflies (Martha Stewart), Text (Inkadinkado)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: Dimensional Adhesive, Adhesive Rhinestones (K & Co.), EK Success Corner Rounder, Misc. Thread and Cardstock

Deborah's Inspiration - Day 3

Welcome back! This is Day 3 of inspiration by Deborah Nolan!

Check out her spectacular, one-of-a-kind card!





Right away this card caught my eye. Check out that beautiful background! The reds and oranges blend together perfectly and remind me of a beautiful sunset. What a unique fish, too! The texture on the fish adds so much. And Deborah never forgets the little details--I love the twine wrapped at the bottom of the tag and at the top. This little fish swam by just to say "Hi!" So fun!

Here is my take on her card:

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Sentiment (Inkadinkado)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink

Other: Martha Stewart Circle Punch, Black Twine, Misc. Sewing Thread, Misc. Cardstock

Deborah's Inspiration - Day 2

Hi everyone! Thanks for all of the sweet comments yesterday! Here is Deborah's card for today's inspiration:

This is such a soft, tranquil card. I love the stitching on the leaves and the beautifully inked flowers. The flowers are arranged perfectly and the heart shaped buttons make fabulous embellishments. Finally, the scalloped border ties all of the colors together, and adds another beautiful, feminine detail. I'm sure that receiving this would make anyone smile!

Here is my take on Deborah's card:

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Butterfly (Martha Stewart), Fern (Rubber Stampede), Text (Inkadinkado), Sentiment (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, ColorBox Chalk Ink, Black Stampin' Up

Other: Stampin' Up Watercolor Pencils, EK Success Slimline Punch, White Gel Pen, Misc. Cardstock

Welcome!

Hi everyone- thanks for stopping by! The purpose of this blog is to feature some of the amazing stampers from the Hero Arts flickr group from whom I draw so much inspiration. Each week I will choose a stamper to showcase. Each day I plan to show one of their cards as well as the card I made using theirs as inspiration. If you feel like joining in and making a card inspired by the featured stamper, please leave a link in the comments section as I would love to see your work, too! I will post a new featured stamper on Saturdays.


Okay, on to the featured stamper this week. It is none other than... Deborah Nolan! This entire blog is inspired by Deborah and her Wednesday Wonders. You must check out her blog !



It was near impossible to decide which cards I wanted to use of Deborah's- her flickr gallery is packed with inspiration. I finally settled on this card for today:

There are so many things I love about this card-- I don't know where to begin! First of all, the gorgeous blue background is so striking. The ribbon looks as if it is tied around the stem of the flowers and is blowing in the wind. That crackled butterfly adds the perfect distressed touch. And you can't forget those perfectly placed buttons!

Here is my take on Deborah's card:

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow!

Stamps: Text (Hero Arts), Butterfly (Amy Butler Lotus Floral), Flourish (Inkadinkado)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Black Ink, Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks and Blending Solution, Jet Black StazOn

Other: Dimensional Adhesive, EK Success Corner Rounder, Martha Stewart Circle Punch, Fiskars Circle Cutter, Kodak Photo Paper, Making Memories Paper Piercer, Misc. Cardstock