'Inspired' flowers

Do you ever find yourself saying something like, "The color of that shirt would be great in my kitchen,"  or "The pattern on that beach towel would make a cute card"? I do that fairly often, especially with the clothes of the toddlers in my class. They always seem to have great color combos and images. Occasionally during nap time when I've (finally!) managed to get everyone to sleep, I'll sit down with a notepad and try to sketch out a cute pattern from a sweater or jot down the colors of a skirt. You get the idea -- you can find inspiration and creative ideas pretty much anywhere.

Yesterday I made a card for Inspiration Challenge 296 on SplitCoastStampers (SCS). (I know, look at me! Two challenges in a row!) The place to look for inspiration this week was the online store Modern Lola. It's a fun site with lots of bright colors, funky patterns and beautiful items. The specific piece I picked for my inspiration was a floral plate. I was drawn to the combination of black and white with the bright colors and the bold flowers. So here's my take on my inspiration item:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!®):
Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Ginormous Flowers, Circle Circus
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Jet Black StazOn®, Basic Black marker
Card stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Daisy punch, Dimensionals

I have to say that I really love the way this card turned out, and it might be one of my most favorite cards ever! It was a little bit of a stretch for me because it's very different from any flower card I've made before (and I've made a lot!). I think I usually focus more on having symmetry or balance (that's the left side of my brain trying to worm it's way into all the creativity), and this feels more free and "flowy."

It's a relatively simple card in terms of construction: a lot of the stamping is right on the card base, and there aren't many layers or embellishments. The yellow flower and dark pink circle inside the black flower, as well as the three layers of the pink flower, are stamped on separate card stock and cut out. Some of the flowers are attached to the card with Dimensionals so they stand out a little more. I used a black marker to doodle a frame around the outside edges. A couple of punches and a few pearls are really the only embellishments, but I didn't want to detract from the graphic, bold images with a lot of frilly stuff. There you go: simple, bright and fun.

So that's my inspiration for the week. What's inspiring you?