Sometimes it feels like you’ve maxed out your creativity. You might find yourself staring at your supplies with nothing but crickets chirping in your head. Or maybe you find yourself busily crafting away before realizing that you’ve made yet another variation of the same design.
When a case of “the blahs” strikes, it’s time to take a step back and observe the world around you. There is inspiration everywhere! Here are two ideas you can incorporate into your scrapbooking to freshen it up.
First, take time to smell the roses. No, really! Step into your backyard, walk to your local park, or take a drive up the canyon. Look at the simple yet beautiful objects around you—the veins in a leaf, the shine of an acorn, the shading of a flower petal. Find something that inspires you and take a picture of it, or better yet, arrange several items together. Our studio artists recently took a field trip to inspire themselves in just this way, and they photographed this beauty:
True to their poetic selves, our artists noticed just how beautifully each of these simple items enhanced the colors, shapes, and textures of the others. Once back at the studio, one artist created this scrapbook page from her photo inspiration:
The greens, blues, browns, and reds from the photograph inspired the color scheme of the page. The vivid tones of the Brushed Complements flowers mimic the red cherry, and the leaf shading mirrors the multi-colored leaves in the photograph. The artist also took inspiration from the textures in the photograph: the organic, recycled look of the kraft cardstock resembles the bark.
Here’s a second idea for getting more inspiration: listen to your favorite song or playlist, then take the lyrics that suit your fancy most and incorporate them into your design. Here’s a page inspired by Colbie Caillat’s song, “Try.”
In scrapbooking, there are only so many words you can put onto one page, but lyrics really pack a punch. They capture the emotions of a memorable day or the emotions you feel toward a loved one. You might also interpret the meaning of a song and then express your interpretation in your design through colors, shapes, or patterns. The possibilities are endless!
Now you have the remedy for your creative slump. Plug in those headphones, take a stroll, and get inspired!
Recipe
12″ x 12″ What a Beautiful Day Page
B1463 My Acrylix® Thankful Heart, Z2022 Picture My Life™ For Always Scrapbooking Program, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2032 Paper Fundamentals Adventure Assortment, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, Z2463 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Sap Green Marker, Z2454 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Leaf Green Marker, X7190C Brushed Complements, Z1853 Aqua Dots, Z3017 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection
Cricut® Shapes:
Artfully Sent
9″ Shift+Scene (p. 34)
12″ x 12″ You Page
B1432 My Acrylix® Love This, E1029 My Acrylix® Marquee Uppercase, E1030 My Acrylix® Handwritten Alphabet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5772 Canary Cardstock, X5770 Glacier Cardstock, X5751 Sorbet Cardstock, 1386 Black Cardstock, Z2033 Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment, Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2164 Sorbet Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3013 Brushed Assortment, Z3009 Chalk It Up Assortment, Z3010 Wanderful Assortment, Z1809 Black Shimmer Trim, Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Thread
Cricut® Shapes:
Artbooking
1″ Shift+Border (p. 40)
½” Border (p. 79)
Great ideas! 🙂
Love this! I can hear the birds chirping when I am at home working. Sometimes I turn off the radio – I LOVE listening to music when I’m working – and just listen to them chirp. I always feel better and it just settles and centers me.
Reblogged this on Inky Fingers and commented:
It can be a struggle – there are times when a stamp set or pretty papers will sit in front of me & I just draw a blank. Then I see what other people have done with them & wonder why I did not think of that! Time to stop & take some inspiration.
Those are both beautiful pages. I love the message and the result. Thanks! I needed a little lift!