Inspiration Is a Process: Part 1

Have you ever noticed that most of the really important things in life are processes? Marriage, for instance. You say, "I do," and that makes you married, but marriage is a process of growing and nurturing love for your spouse over the long haul...even when you want to smack him upside the head with a toilet brush.

Y'all know what I'm talkin' about.

And parenthood. Somebody places that tiny, helpless infant in your arms and trusts you not to drop it. Are they stupid? I've been a mom for going on 15 years now, and I've metaphorically dropped my children so many times they've learned to bounce. All part of the process.

And inspiration. Something utterly cool and wonderful comes your way and you just have to play with the ideas it sparks, even if some of them look like you smacked the card with a toilet brush.

Here's the inspiration piece, taken from my Pure Inspiration board on Pinterest.

Source

Honestly, I tried to post the first card I made from this inspiration piece, but I just couldn't. It's a collage, but it's too busy. So disorganized. And it has a spacing problem. That's just unforgiveable. Looking at the photo of it on my computer screen made my skin itch. So I deleted it and will instead post the next card I made, the second step in the process, which took me a bit too far in the opposite direction of super-simple.

A Bit Too Simple

See what I mean? I love this color combination. But the three-leaf arrangement, though nice, needs a little something-something to pull it all together, to give it a reason for being...in design parlance, to unify it. As it is, it's just three oddly-colored leaves in the sweet spot of a landscape-oriented card.

What does it mean?!?!

So I tried to place a sentiment on it. Y'all would not believe how hard it was, how many different sentiments I tried, how many times I re-stamped these same three leaves because I ruined them.

If anyone tries to tell me Clean and Simple is also Quick and Easy, I'll smack them upside the head with a toilet brush.

(I'm hostile and have raging PMS, both of which bring out the Southern in me. Y'all.)

Soooo, in a fit of pique, I triple-stamped that sweet sentiment from Clear and Simple Stamps, and lo, there was joy once again in the process.

Just Right

Cute, isn't it?

We get there in the end. Most of the time.

But this isn't the end of the inspiration. This color combination of Soft Pool, Orange Soda, and Soft Granite makes me so very happy. So you'll be seeing a few more cards made with this terrific trio, cards inspired by a quilt, cards that came out of this process we call inspiration.

No matter how PMS-y I am, I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy knowing today is little Willy Shakespeare's 450th birthday! In honor of the Bard, I'll share one of my (many) favorite lines from his talented quill:

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

Isn't that right, y'all?



Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts, Clear and Simple Stamps (both discontinued)
ink: Hero Arts
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: nary a one that I can see