Inspiration All Around on a Thursday...

I've been working on making an altered book for this week's The Next Step prompt. I'm having so much fun! It's one of those multi-day projects tho, because of needing to let layers dry. It's my first project using the new Studio Calico kit, and I can't wait to share it with you!!! Are any of you working with the new Studio Calico kit? If so, it would be great if you put a link in the comments and I can come and visit your blog!

My awesome friend Marit gave me this super-cool "I Like Your Style" award! The image on this award is so magical! I love it! Thank you so much Marit! The idea is to pass it on to some people who inspire you! Right away it made me think of my very first post on this blog, which talks about this very thing! Click here to read it...


Marit also gave me this beautiful award awhile ago, and I'm so sorry I haven't posted it until now. I really appreciate it! This one asks that you give 7 facts about yourself!

I'm thinking it would be fun to combine these two awards. Lately I have been even more inspired by online challenges than ever, so I thought I would take a moment and share with you seven of my fave challenge blogs (in no particular order), and why I love them...

1. Scrapping The Music. This one probably seems obvious because I design for them; but even before I did, STM was my fave challenge blog. Music inspires so many things I do, and to me it just goes hand in hand with art. The thing I really love about Scrapping The Music is the variety of songs they feature. I love diversity and I've been introduced to a lot of new music through this blog.

2. The Next Step. I love a couple of things about this blog. First, I love that they focus on mixed media techniques. Second, I love the structure - one technique per month, with different ways to use it featured each week. It really gives you time to incorporate the new technique into your work.

3. Lotus Paperie. I love Lotus Paperie because of the variety of their challenges. You never know from week to week if it will be a sketch, a technique, a subject or just what this team will cook up! I also love that each month you have the opportunity to lift layouts of the guest designer of the month. That is always fun!

4. These are a Few of My Favorite Things. This new blog has a lot of potential and I love love love the fact that is so straight forward. Twice a month they have you do a project about your favorite something. They pick the topic and you get to go to town in any way you choose. No twists, no rules. It gives a person alot of creative freedom and I love that.

5. BASB. This group of talented women started a blog in honor of Aleida Franklin and that touches my heart. Aleida, as you may remember, was a member of the Scrapping the Music Design Team, and lost her life tragically in an auto accident in 2008. BASB is another blog where the challenges are different types every week.

6. Creative Therapy. This is a fun one because, for me, it lends itself so well to art journaling. The prompts are always about a topic. Alot of times they are a question, that you can answer thru your art - in whatever form you'd like. I love the fact that they call their weekly prompts "catalysts" rather than challenges; and they emphasize that all art is beautiful.

7. A Year In The Life of an Art Journal. This is more of a year-long project, but I am including it anyway because it's been a real inspiration for me this year. Every two weeks you are given a prompt based on a letter of the alphabet. It leaves it wide open to interpretation.

There are many more fantastic challenge blogs out there, but these are just a few that have come to be faves of mine. If you have any that you'd like to share, I'd love it if you leave a comment about them and/or a link so we can all check them out!

Whew, I am long-winded today! HA!

I am off to work on my altered book some more. I will leave you with the video for the song that I quoted at the top of my first blog post. It's one of the most achingly beautiful songs I've ever heard...



I will be back tomorrow with another update - thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Thursday!