Inspiration Challenge #1: Welcome!

I know I said yesterday that I'd probably start my challenges next week, but I finally had time to stamp today and realized that I had time to go ahead and kick it off today. So I hope you'll check back every Thursday for a new challenge! Here is today's inspiration piece, a Halloween throw from Coldwater Creek.



Now, I have to start with a disclaimer, because usually I'm pretty literal when it comes to ICs, and you may be scratching your head a little. I really did intend to make a Halloween card when I started, but nothing was coming together right. So I took a pumpkin stamp (yes, there are pumpkins on there!), and based on the shimmer in the throw, chose some Brilliance ink, and stamped the pumpkin multiple times, masking as needed. I wasn't sure what sentiment I'd end up using, but a Thanksgiving card seemed perfect since at least that's the next major holiday after Halloween! The color palette comes from the striped paper, which was also a choice inspired by the throw, and the green is hard to see in the original, but it's there. I sanded the edges of all the panels and mounted the pumpkins and sentiment with foam dots. Oh, and I also should mention that as I was making this I realized it was perfect for the SCS sketch challenge from yesterday, so that's where the layout came from.

So, if you're new to inspiration challenges, don't feel bound by any rules. Just be inspired by anything in the piece that catches your eye, and have fun! These are my favorite kinds of challenges and I hope you will enjoy playing along. Don't forget to post a link to your card with a comment so that everyone can see!

Technical details: Stamps from Stampin' Up! (Tag Time and Year-Round Cheer); Brilliance ink in ivy and rust; Bazzill cardstock; Die Cuts with a View paper from the fall mat stack; Creative Impressions brads; Lucky Squirrel sanding blocks; 3-D foam dots