Monday, June 2, 2014

Inspiration Station - When in doubt, find a map!

Hello, Let's Capture Our Memories fans!! Hope you had an awesome weekend and that the weather was just as beautiful as it was in our neck of the woods. Today, I'm here to talk to you about yet another favourite source of inspiration of mine - the card map. The card map? Yes, that's right, the card map - AKA the card sketch.

Now, I'll be the first to admit it: I do not consider myself to be a good cardmaker whatsoever. I don't know why, really. Cardmaking just doesn't come easy to me.  Honestly, it takes me as long if not longer to make a simple card than it does to make a full-fledged 12X12 layout. Weird! However, what does make my cardmaking evenings a bit more manageable are card maps. And I have two favourite spots to find inspiration - PageMaps (where you can find a new set of card maps every quarter right here) and my four volumes of Cardmaps Today via Scrapbook & Cards Today.  S&CT actually just released its fourth volume of Cardmaps Today and it's truly SO wonderful. Loaded with tons of eye candy created by a team of awesome designers, it not only inspired me to make some cards, but its contents are also totally user-friendly with layouts!! PERFECT!!  With this in mind, I decided to mesh my two favourite card map inspiration sources and make me a few cards. 


First up, an awesome sketch by Becky Fleck found at PageMaps.com:



Truth be told, cardmaking with this sketch is a whole lot more fun for me. Actually, I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't like cardmaking when using this sketch! It has truly become a staple inspiration source for me when I need to make a card in a jiffy. So, when I began to think about this week's inspiration post, I immediately thought of this map and how it would look great with Basic Grey's Highline collection. But I didn't stop there! I also wanted to incorporate a technique I saw in S&CT's Cardmaps Today, volume 4 (Can't tell you what that is... just yet!). And, voilà!



Next up, another Becky Fleck sketch found at PageMaps.com:



The simplicity of the sketch really spoke to me. And it's such a neat way to use a bolder piece of patterned paper, too, like those found in the Basic Grey Spice Market collection. No new technique for me, per say, except the clean lines. Don't you just love that Jillibean Soup wood flag embellishment? I'm so silly, though! My heart kind of still pitter patters a bit knowing how quickly this card came together and how simple it was.  And go figure - it's my husband's favourite!


And finally, a card that was inspired by a recent post over on the Scrapbook & Cards Today Facebook page - a card by Leena Girsa (see her blog post here), as well as a technique in volume 4 of S&CT's Cardmaps Today (can't spill the beans on that one, either!). So, so perfect for Basic Grey's Kelly Purkey Mon ami collection!



What's the big secret about the S&CT's techniques? WELL! I have a bit of a neat surprise for you. S&CT's very own Catherine has accepted to send a copy of Cardmaps Today, volume 4 to a lucky winner! Winner of what, you may ask? WELL! Throughout this post, I left some clues on where to find sketches, techniques and other inspiration sources. With this in mind, I invite you to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt and send me your answers for the following:

1. Which months were the two Becky Fleck card sketches I used today, revealed over at PageMaps? (Look here!)
2. Which techniques did I use on my cards come from S&CT's Cardmaps Today, volume 4? (Yes, I know! You'll have to scour the pages of this awesome resource! For those of you who don't have it, yet, you might just even have to borrow it from a friend! Or if you can't wait, you can buy it here and play to win another copy for a friend!)

WELL! Exciting, I know! Lots of time for this one, too! You have until 10 pm ADT, June 8th, 2014, to send me your answers at aureliecormierperreault@gmail.com. Please use Cardmaps as your e-mail subject.  The one with the most correct answers (four in all - two sketches and two techniques!) will win the prize! Good luck to everyone! And a huge shout out to Catherine over at S&CT! You're the best!!

Please join us again on Thursday when Jocelyne will shuffle it up once again for us!!

Happy scrapping!

1 comment:

Gisèle said...

Awesome card inspiration, thanks Aurélie :)