Editors' Corner

Four inspired ideas from readers

There’s a quote that we at Ella Publishing Co. use to soothe ourselves whenever we experience a creative existential crisis:

It’s true that everything you create is influenced by the things you see, hear, and experience. Rather than feel like certain ideas are off-limits simply because someone else discovered them first, why not acknowledge the things that inspire you and use them to fuel your own imaginative endeavors? No matter where you start, a project will become uniquely yours by the time you’re finished.

Following are four examples of Ella readers who found inspiration in an eBook, Scrapbook Ellaments article, or other Ella product. See if you’re inspired to take their ideas in a new direction of your own. Or just make a commitment that you’ll follow the sparks that strike your fancy, as these readers did.

Inspired Idea #1

Supplies:

patterned paper (American Crafts, Basic Grey) • foil paper (American Crafts) • punch (Martha Stewart) • journal spot (Anna Griffin) • sheer bird (Maya Road) • felt flower (Prima) • glitter (Stickles) • pen (Uniball) • vintage buttons • 12 x 12 page by Valerie Mangan

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Valerie says: "I was inspired to do this page by the layout on page 5 of Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts. What caught my eye was the unexpected treatment of the background. I often feel like I am in a rut, running strips of patterned paper in the background vertically or horizontally. The punched circles created a new background option I was anxious to try. It made me think of my current favorite punch, a small Martha Stewart flower punch, and how I could adapt it to this layout. I instantly thought of the photos from my daughter’s recital and the layout came together rather quickly."

The takeaway: If you see a project that speaks to you, take a minute to figure out why. Don’t dismiss it because it’s holiday-related and your pictures are from the summer, or because it looks too difficult, or because it just "isn’t you." You can take the essence of what inspires you and make it work in your style.

Inspired Idea #2

Supplies:

patterned paper, journal spot (Webster Pages) • patterned paper, border (Sassafrass Lass) • Kraft cardstock • flowers, stamp packaging, bling (Prima) • ribbon • brads (Bo Bunny and Making Memories) • note: all products are from scrapthiskit.com’s November main kit • 12 x 12 page by Amy Kingsford

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Amy says: "Celeste Smith's tips to 'Get In the Picture' in October's Scrapbook Ellaments were just the inspiration I needed to complete this layout. My biggest goal this year was to scrap myself more, and Celeste's tips helped with the hardest part—creating opportunities to step out from behind the camera and put myself in the spotlight!

“At the beginning of this year, I started sorting through my pages and realized that I’d created only five layouts about myself in the past 9 years! I began to wonder if my future family would think: ‘Who is this mystery scrapper who thought enough of her life to document it, but not enough of it to include herself in the memories?’ I figured if I want to be remembered, then I’d better start making myself a part of the memories!”

The takeaway: It’s just as true now as it was in October when Celeste wrote her article: you DO deserve a prominent place in your scrapbooks. Follow Amy’s lead and ask a friend to take some photos of you, then make a page. Amy recommends finding a friend that really puts you at ease. “Sometimes it’s difficult for your personality to shine through when you’re not comfortable with the person photographing you.”

Inspired Idea #3

Supplies:

Adobe Photoshop CS4 • digital paper (Michelle Martin at designerdigitals.com, Valorie Brown at valoriebrown.blogspot.com) • frames (Retro Digital Frames at ellapublishing.com) • stitches (Dani Mogstad) • Photoshop action (Kristen Rice’s Shadows Perfected) • Fling LET and Pea Annalee Script fonts • 12 x 12 digital layout by Cammy-Jo Plummer

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Cammy-Jo says: “I created this layout with the Retro Digital Frames. I love them! I wanted to create a layout about our Thanksgiving with the McMurchy family. While I was pregnant with my son, Jacob, I became very close to a coworker. Colette (pictured with her daughter Kaelei) supported me in my pregnancy by giving me clothes and advice, and even attending a birthing class with me. She was Jacob's first visitor and is his honorary aunt. My husband and I have come to see the McMurchy family as our own extended family. I love how the page turned out, with all the digital elements working together.”
[Note: Canada’s Thanksgiving is in October, so that explains the date on the layout!]

The takeaway: Products can be just as inspiring as the finished layouts you’ll find online and in magazines. If you’re ever in a rut, take some time to look through your favorite supplies, and see if any brilliant ideas come to mind.

Inspired Idea #4

Supplies:

basic edition digital kit by Tiffany Berman (Inspiredbydominicdesigns.blogspot.com) • 12 x 12 spread by Christy G.

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Christy says: “I was inspired by the Autumn Baldwin’s Super Spreads article in the December issue of Scrapbook Ellaments. I’ve been working on finishing up my 'project 365' album, and this article was really helpful. “My goal with project 365 was to take a photo each day for my blog and get all 52 weeks scrapped. So far, all photos have been taken, and I’m almost finished with the layouts for the year. I just finished week 41! I did the whole project digitally, working with sketches and templates to assist me. I used Creative Memories software (Storybook Creator), which has lots of features to design with, without a huge learning curve that I would have had with Photoshop or a similar program. I would highly recommend this software for this purpose!”

The takeaway: Large projects can get overwhelming at times, which makes it all the more important to look around for new and different ways to be inspired. You never know when you’ll encounter just the motivation you need to keep going.

Have you been inspired by something you’ve seen anywhere on the Ella website or in an eBook? Make our day and send it to us at submissions@ellapublishing.com, with “Ella Inspirations” in the subject line. And while you're out there searching for inspiration, keep one more quote in mind:

Now go forth and get inspired!