Creativity Unleashed

I often get asked where I get my inspiration from. I would say that the number one source of inspiration is other demonstrators. There is so much talent out there and people post their work on Pinterest, on Facebook, Instagram and other groups as well as their own blogs. A quick Google search where you type the name of the stamp set and the word “Stampin’Up” and you will get lots of ideas. I try to always give credit if I copy someone else’s work, but the truth of the matter is that there is nothing new under the sun. We are constantly soaking up ideas and sometimes they combine to form a new idea. It could even be something we came across years ago. The nice thing is that you can make beautiful cards even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body. That is why I fell in love with card making. I wasn’t good at art, or at least I didn’t think I was, but the stamps are already beautiful and all you have to do is ink them up and stamp them on paper and the beauty has begun. The stamps unleash your creativity with their own beauty.  Let’s take a look at the rest of the swap cards.

This first card is by Mo Dickie. I am in awe of this fancy cutting on the front of the card. I will have to recreate it to see how she did it, but it looks great! It also uses one of my favourite bundles in the holiday catalog, the musical season bundle. I love the nostalgic feel of this stamp set, especially the drummer boy, but also the gorgeous instruments. Great sentiments too! “May the spirit of the season be the melody that plays in your heart all year long”.

Have you ever been to busy to get your Christmas cards out in time? I have, and that year I made New Year’s cards. It was so liberating! I had fun making the cards in that beautiful time between Christmas and New Year. The next card is perfect for that. Linda Yamamoto made this great card using the Cheers to the Year stamp set. Notice how perfectly it coordinates with the gorgeous Year of Cheer specialty paper? Do you see that sparkly strip in the middle? It is the coordinating washi tape. Wow, what a great suite this is.

Do you have a nativity set that you set up every year in its own special place? I got one when the kids were small so that we would all have a visual reminder of the true meaning of the season. The Night in Bethlehem bundle reminds me of that and I do love it so much. Genevieve Ko made this stunning card and she added some silver glimmer paper and silver-rimmed pearls to step it up. She also used the Starlight thinlets from the annual catalog.

One of the first “techniques” I learned as a card maker was heat embossing. Oh the magic of watching dry embossing powder turn into a raised shiny thing!! Clear embossing is also a beautiful yet subtle way to add interest to your card. Liane Binder used clear embossing on her tea cup in this lovely card. I love the tea bag!! Our linen thread is just the perfect thing to use to attach it as well. There is no substitute out there for Stampin’Up! linen thread. I hope they never stop making it. The stamp set used here is Merry Cafe and the embossing folder is called Winter Wonder.

The last of my swap cards was made by Karen Duke. I absolutely love this clean and crisp card. What a great bundle this Carols of Christmas is. I especially love that both the deer and the trees can be used entirely on their own without needing a stamped image. The gold embossed sentiment really makes it pop.