As I travel around blogland, I frequently save images of cards and layouts I love to vi.sualize.us. I started using it long before Pinterest arrived, and although I also save to Pinterest, I use vi.sualize.us a lot more. One of the best things about it is tagging the images so they are easier to use. Recently I've started adding tags for the specific stamp set as well as manufacturers, design, and occasion.
Before either of those internet resources appeared, I clipped ideas for projects from magazines and put them into binders. I realized recently that I never use those binders anymore so I emptied two huge binders and combined two binders that housed articles and class notes from photography classes and blogs. I kept the photography inspiration binder because I want to start making better use of that. Several online photography classes I've taken suggest that keeping an inspiration folder is a great way to help you identify what images draw you in, and suggest possible projects. Going through mine is one of next week's projects.
All of this to say, I used two images from my vi.sualize.us collection to make three cards this week. Two are nearly identical. I needed a couple of retirement cards, one for a man and another for a woman. I was pleased with how they came out. You can see the original inspiration piece here.
Both cards use the "Celebration" stamps from Papertrey Ink. The blue cardstock came from my stash (I'm guessing it's Bazzill), and the patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket, Lime Twist (MME), Martha Stewart, and Papertrey Ink (Pretty Pastels, Vintage Holiday).
The next card is for dear friends of ours who are celebrating their 60+ anniversary next week. I loved this card by Debby, and used the white on white and cluster of leaves and flowers from her design.
I never purchased the Turning a New Leaf dies from Papertrey Ink, but found both the leaves and the flowers in my Silhouette files. The frame is an embossing plate from Lil Inkers which turned out to be a bit more difficult to use than I thought. I still like it a lot, and hopefully next time I'll find it a little easier to use. The sentiment came from Fillable Frames (Papertrey Ink)
Today is another busy day, but both little blocks for Saturday and Sunday are empty on our calendar. I'm hoping to get a lot of crafting and computer cleaning-out done. Hope yours is a good one!
