Nichol *Day 2*

Feast your eyes on this inspiring scrapbook page by Nichol:I'm in butterfly heaven when I look at this page! How I love the unique color scheme and collection of butterflies flying up the left side of the page! The subtle title looks perfect against the dark woodgrain background. And Nichol's photos are soooo cute. The speech bubble embellishements add to this page's appeal and draws one's eyes to the photos. Finally, Nichol's pages are always full of the details that make them so special, for example, a subtle scallop along the pink and green/teal woodgrain papers, rounded corners, fun die cuts, and a great place for journaling.
Here's my take:Stamps: Vintage Butterflies (Purple Onion Designs), Hero Arts (CL380), Woodgrain (All Night Media)

Inspired by...Nichol Magouirk

I am pleased as punch to announce that this week's "Inspired by..." artist is none other than the AMAZING Nichol Magouirk. It is such an honor to be sharing her work on my blog as she is truly one of those top-notch stampers whose work is always spectacular. Nichol's BLOG is a treat as well-- always full of videos, Copic tutorials, links, and of course her cards and scrapbook pages. Well, are you ready for our first inspiration card by Nichol? Here you go. :) Too cute; right? To begin with, I love the design of this card- the green and yellow panels in the background, a central panel, and the fun colorful banner at the bottom. Nichol's coloring is out of this world. She is such a pro at shading and blending. I also love the way she has masked the image of the little boy so she could add those soft subtle clouds behind him. Finally, the twine and buttons are the perfect finishing touch!
Here is my take:Thanks soooo much for stopping by! :) See you tomorrow with another FAB card (hhmmm...or maybe a scrapbook page....) by Nichol!
All Stamps Hero Arts (CL389, CL272, CG125)

Inspired by... photography!

I have special edition of "Inspired by..." today. I can't tell you how much I enjoy flickr--especially when looking at beautiful, inspiring cards. But the other day I decided to do a search for photography in general and lets just say that I spent WAY too much time ooohing and aaahhhing over some awesome photos. So today's card is inspired by the awesome photography by "photoholic1." My inspiration photo for this card can be seen HERE.
Here is my card:
I used the following Purple Onion Designs stamps:
Indian Corn
Late 1800's Script Background

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you on Monday with our next "Inspired by..." stamper.

Natalie *Day 5*

Here is our last inspiration card by Natalie:

Happy. Happy. Happy. This card is just soooo HAPPY! I love it and it makes me smile. The bright fun colors are beautiful! I also love those little red butterflies. Stamping the bright flowers on white really makes them "pop" and is such a great design idea! Finally, I adore the delicate stitching on each side of the center panel- FAB touch!
Here is my take:
BIG thanks to Natalie for allowing me to share her truly stunning cards on my blog this week. It's been an honor for me! :) To see more of Natalie's awesome work, you can visit her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM.
Oh, and I hope you'll stop by tomorrow--I will be sharing my newest Purple Onion card inspired by some AWESOME photography I found over on flickr. :)

All Stamps Hero Arts: CL342, CG172

Natalie *Day 4*

Quick post today... :) I just know you'll love this card by Natalie:

And here's my take:

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for our last card with Natalie! :)
All Stamps Hero Arts ( K5388, K5313, CL272)

Natalie *Day 3*

I just love this card by Natalie:

The first thing that caught my eye about this card was the lovely mixture of stamps and colors. This is stamp layering at its best! I love the light blue text and small orange butterflies. And the pink hydrangea couldn't be prettier. Natalie has such an eye for details, too, like the stitching and pretty ribbon on this stunner!
Here's my take:

See you tomorrow, my friends!
Stamps: Text (Purple Onion Designs), Hero Arts (CG120, K5314)

Natalie *Day 2*

Here is our next inspiration card by Natalie:

This card has such a lovely layout/design. The images look so nice off to the left with a clean and simple space on the right for the sentiment. The orange poppies contrast perfectly with the blue sky. Natalie has done a great job cutting out the detailed flowers, too! And aren't those pearls by the sentiment the perfect finishing touch?
Here is my take:
Thanks again for visiting and leaving such awesome comments! :)
All Stamps Hero Arts (K5376, K5344, CL289)

Inspired by...Natalie

Welcome to another week of "Inspired by..." This week our featured artist is Natalie (luv2scrapnat on flickr)! Natalie's creations and lovely photography always catch my eye in the Hero Arts flickr gallery. Check out our first inspiration card by Natalie:

To begin with, isn't that photo beautiful? I love the outdoor background! Next, Natalie's card is so pretty and tender. I love the way she has positioned the birds on the branch. The music notes add a whimsical feeling and coordinate perfectly with the sentiment. Finally, the woodgrain background and neutral color scheme create such a charming, natural look!
Here is my take:And now if you haven't visited her blog before, HERE is a link to Natalie's blog where you can see lots more of her creations! See you tomorrow with another of Natalie's cards! HUGS!
Stamps: Hero Arts (K5344, CG125, CL272), Bird and Branch (Martha Stewart), Woodgrain (All Night Media)

Sweet Nancy

Hello, my friends! I have a special post today about my sweet friend, Nancy. I have had the pleasure of meeting Nancy through the Hero Arts flickr group and I feel blessed to call her a friend. (Be sure to check out Nancy's BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM for more of her awesome creations!!) Well, the other night I was looking through the cards in the group and I came across this card of Nancy's:Is your jaw still on the floor?? Mine is! This card is one of my all-time favs! Nancy has done an incredible job coloring the flowers. I love the soft, sweet tones she has used. The touch of lace is PERFECT. I also love the way she has added the sentiment. Seriously, I just can't get over how pretty this is!!

So after seeing this card of Nancy's I was inspired to create this set for my next class at my LSS. All three cards feature Hero Arts stamps and Distress Inks.

Thanks for popping by! See you tomorrow with our next featured stamper!
Card #1: CL380, CG118, K5344, CG170
Card #2: E5388, CG125, CL272
Card #3: S5316, CL380

Linda *Day 5*

This is our last day of inspiration with Linda. I want to take a moment to thank her for allowing me to share her AWESOME cards this week. You can see more of her work on her Flickr Photostream HERE. Here's Linda's card for today:

Isn't this pure elegance? To begin with, Linda has created a beautiful, distressed background with a subtle script and great brown distressing around the edges. Next, her dogwood stamp looks incredible stamped in that light, pale blue. PERFECTION! The delicate ribbon and scalloped sentiment finish of this delightful creation.

Here is my take: Thanks again to all of you who stop by to visit! You are ALL the best! Thanks again, Linda, for the wonderful inspiration! :)
All Stamps Hero Arts: S5362, CL389, K5344

Linda *Day 4*

This is going to be a quick post today, but I first wanted to thank you all for visiting this week. I am so sorry I haven't had a chance to do as much blog hopping and commenting as I normally do. I'm a teacher and the school year is just starting this week-- life is pretty busy for me right now, but I hope to catch up visiting all of your blogs and checking out your flickr creations this weekend. :) Now, on to this stunning card by Linda. It's such a fun color combo and awesome design:
And here is my take:

See you tomorrow for our last day of inspiration with Linda. HUGS!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL394, K5376, CG125, S5341

Linda *Day 3*

Check out this card by Linda:

This is so natural and appealing! Linda has done a fantastic job layering the beautiful fern stamps onto the subtle polka dot background! Her flower adds to the natural appeal of this card. I really love the touch of the pinkish peach color of the flower against the more masculine colors of the background. And the black string is the perfect finishing detail!
Here is my take: Thanks for popping by! HUGS!

Stamps: Hero Arts (K5344, K5313), Butterfly (Martha Stewart)

Linda *Day 2*

Here are our next cards by Linda:

This set is very beautiful. I love Linda's design choice to stamp the grass as if it is blowing onto the card front from the left. Her distressed background is especially eye catching as it includes great shades of blue, tan, and brown. Finally, I really, really, REALLY loved the touch of red she added on the card on the left. It is such an unexpected color and it really pops!
Here is my take: See you tomorrow! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL351, S5316

Inspired by...Linda!

Hello blogfriends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. :) I have been so anxious to introduce our next "Inspired by..." stamper.... it is......Linda W. (AKA ScrappinBari on flickr). I love the way Linda combines colors and a variety of stamps to create one-of-a-kind cards. You can see her AWESOME work on her flickr PHOTOSTREAM. I just know you'll want to check it out. Here is our first inspiration card by Linda:

This has to be one of the most clever cards EVER! Don't you love the way Linda has used the oranges to make a flower? WOW! The bright colors and green center are so cheery. I love the way Linda has layered the flower center and used a perfectly placed brad to finish it off. Finally, the big ribbon makes the perfect "leaves!"
Here is my take. I was especially inspired to make a big orange flower with bright green leaves and a green center.

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow with another FAB Linda card!
Oh and I nearly forgot, sweet Linda is hosting a giveaway HERE- check out out! :)
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL351, CG148, K5344, CG141

Anita *Day 5*

This is our last inspiration card by the talented Anita:

This card is such a little treasure! I really love the pairing of the natural flower with the graphic background text. The bright oranges and yellow of the flower really "pop" against the white/grey background. The orange border compliments the flower stamp, too! And the one rounded corner is a subtle, yet very effective detail.
Here is my take:

Thanks sooooo much to Anita for allowing me to share her truly innovative and special cards this week. I know you will be visiting her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM lots in the future to see more of her awesome creations!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL371, CG125, CG170

Anita *Day 4*

Here's another pretty card from Anita:

One of the first things I noticed when I looked at this beautiful card is those bold diagnal stripes. And then when you look closer you see they are made of ribbon. How creative and innovative is that?! Anita's flowers are layered perfectly and the button centers are a fabulous detail. Finally, I love the way Anita has added dimension to the sentiment to really make it stand out against her bold design.
Here is my take:

See you tomorrow with our last card by Anita!
All Stamps Hero Arts: K5344, CL351, CG118

Anita *Day 3*

I just love this card by Anita:

One of the first things that caught my attention about this card is the overall design. The stripes on top, the sentiment between the two thin pieces of colored paper, and the text on the bottom all adds up to such a balanced layout with limitless possibilities. Next, this card has such a bold and unique color scheme. I love the mix of brown, black and red. Finally, Anita has given this card a lovely shape by adding the scallops on the bottom!
Here is my take: (BTW- can you tell I finally got my hands on the Labels 8 Nestability Die Cut? Hope you aren't sick of it yet! LOL)Thanks for popping by!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL434, CG125, CG118, K5376

Anita *Day 2*

Here is our next card by Anita:

Anita has several cards using this stamp on her blog and I love them ALL! This one is the perfect example of how simple stamping and awesome color choices can come together to make quite an eye-catching creation! Anita hasn't forgotten any details either. Don't you just love the stripes above the leaves and the bold, black scallop below? And those polka dots stamped on half of the background make for a great background texture!

Here is my take:

Thanks again to all of you who stop by to visit and all who leave such sweet comments. Your encouragement is the BEST! HUGS!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL395

Inspired by... Anita!

I am sooo thrilled to announce that this week's "Inspired by..." artist is one of the sweetest stampers and bloggers---Anita (AnitaRex on flickr). Anita's cards have always caught my eye and I just LOVE reading her BLOG - her posts are always full of eye candy and fun stories, too. (BTW--she has the most ADORABLE kiddos). :) So without further ado, here is our first inspiration card from Anita:

You know I can't resist a card with butterflies--and this one is pure perfection! Anita's color scheme is sooo pretty! I love the pink, aqua, and craft together. I also really love the white stamping on kraft. Such a subtle, yet eye catching look. The coloring of Anita's butterflies shows off her talent at shading. Finally, Anita's choice to add a scallop at the bottom of this card is such a wonderful finishing touch!
Here is my take: Thanks again for stopping by! See you tomorrow with another one of Anita's awesome creations!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL395, K5344, K5376

My next class!

Happy weekend, my friends! I don't have any Purple Onion cards to share today (I'm working on some Autumn/Halloween inspired POD cards at the moment) BUT I do have some pictures of my next card class at my LSS, Mementos (who, by the way, has a pretty new blog HERE). We will be playing with Distress Inks and Hero Arts stamps. The technique is stamping on glossy paper with Versamark for a resist effect. Here are the samples.

This first card happens to be inspired by THIS lovely card by Jennifer McGuire:

Next up we have a floral card: And this last one is my personal favorite of the group. I have to thank my good friend, Suzz for sending me this lovely flourish stamp.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you on Monday with our next "Inspired by..." stamper.

All Stamps Hero Arts: CL320, CG172 (Card #1); K5339, CG125, CL351 (Card #2); CL351, CG187, K5344 (Card #3)

Kelly *Day 5*

Here is our last card by Kelly:

This card is just too adorable! I love the fun beach scene and equally fun sentiment. Once again, Kelly's coloring has blown me away. The bright colors of her card add to it's happy look. Finally, the torn paper makes a great textural beach!
Here is my take:

Thanks again for all of your visits and comments this week! And gracias to Kelly for letting me share a sampling of her AWESOME work this week. Remember, there's lots more of her awesome work to see on her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM!
Hugs!

Kelly *Day 4*

Not much time to write today- but I just know you'll love this stunner by Kelly:

And here is my take:

See you tomorrow with our last card by Kelly- it's another Copic masterpiece! :)
All Stamps Hero Arts: CG148, CL380

Kelly *Day 3*

Check out today's card by Kelly:

Look at that butterfly! How cool is that??!!! I love Kelly's pretty background on this shaped card. The colors are perfect with this stamp, too. And once again, this is another example of Kelly's diverse abilites and success at many styles!
Here is my take:

See you tomorrow! HUGS!
All Stamps Hero Arts: CL140, CG153

Kelly *Day 2*

Here is our next beautiful card by Kelly:

Kelly is very talented at sooo many different styles--this card is proof of that! Yesterday's card by Kelly was beyond cute and this one is beyond elegant! And her red coloring of that flower- WHOA! The little pearls add to the elegant effect, and look, Kelly even dotted the "i" of the word "special" with a tiny pearl!
Here is my take:Thanks again for popping by and leaving me such sweet, sweet comments!
Stamps: Hero Arts CL434