Inspiration. It comes from anywhere and everywhere. You can be inspired by something as simple as a color scheme, something as small as a flower, or something as artistic as the way the light falls on a certain object. Lots of times inspiration can be found in the everyday… those little bits and pieces of our lives that are so easily passed over. Then there are those times when you see something so in-your-face bold, so cleverly cool that it can’t be ignored even if you tried. Enter : our inspiration piece.

Brilliant and wittingly funny at the same time. It makes me wonder what clever and creative mind came up with this concept. (And it makes me wish I could borrow his/her brain for a day). So how does this relate to scrapbooking? Good question. To be honest I’m not entirely sure. But I love it! It inspires me! It makes me want to drop what I’m doing and scrap! And to me, that is what this inspiration challenge is all about.

Still need a little push? Run with the paint theme. Let’s see the creative ways to use paint strokes, splatters or splotches on layouts. Or borrow that cool blue-green-yellow color scheme for your next layout. Or maybe the skyline against the clouds is an inspirational starting point for you. It’s all good. It all qualifies.

Just remember. This isn’t about trying to duplicate the billboard. It’s about pulling one piece of inspiration from the design (no matter how small) and using it to spark your own creativity and designing something uniquely yours! So go forth and create! Don’t forget to upload to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before October 19, 2009 to be in the running for a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!!!

I can’t wait to see how you are simply inspired!

It’s time for another Simply Inspired Contest!!! Come along as we delve a little deeper into the world of creative design inspiration! Then submit your own creation for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!

We’re turning once again to the amazing world of book covers. I came across this design gem the other day and thought it would be perfect for the contest.

Yum! This just about throws me into inspiration overload! SO many fun things here to jumpstart your next layout! Try taking the overall collage block design and fill each rectangle with a photo, paper, or text. Or use one of the individual book covers as inspiration! You could borrow the idea of filling your title with photos from the book cover Rome, create an illustrated whimsical layout based on the book cover The Pace of the World, or create a fun and colorful brick pattern as featured on the book cover The Girls of Slender Means. Take a closer look at some of the other titles and see what other inspiration you can uncover.

We want to see the creative ways this piece inspires your next layout! Don’t forget to upload it to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before October 5, 2009 to be in the running for a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!!! Yay!

And be on the lookout in the Forum for our latest contest winner! It could be you!

It’s time for another Simply Inspired Contest and your chance to win some free goodies from the Designer Digitals store!!! Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for some cool new design inspiration! This week we’re using this fun website to jumpstart your creativity: 

Singularity Concepts

I just love the freshness of this site! Don’t you? From the overall laid back feel to the fun graphics…there is SO MUCH design goodness here. Feel free to pull inspiration from the awesome background, the doodles on the photograph or the handcut text blocks. Or lift the fresh color scheme, the fun tabs or layering text over modern icons. It all qualifies! This is just about taking one piece of design and seeing all the different and unique ways each of us is inspired. To get your creative juices flowing, I’ve provided some fun simple icons for you.

So get cracking! And when your layout is complete, upload it to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before September 21, 2009 to be in the running for a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!!!

I can’t wait to see how you are simply inspired!

Wow! What a great response we had to our last challenge! It got me thinking that maybe you are all ready to step it up a notch. What do you think? Well, whether you’re ready or not we’re stepping out of the box this week and creating layouts based on this (yes THIS) vintage print ad:

Are you scratching your head? Try taking a closer look. What do you notice? Personally, I LOVE the cool mix of real and illustrated elements. What a playful concept to build into your layout. Think of placing a photo into a digitally created backdrop, placing a digital element directly in a photo or having the real and digital interact. Fun! Did you notice the shaped text block and how much interest it adds to the piece? Maybe that in itself is a starting point for a layout. Or pull inspiration from the interesting photo treatment, the subject matter, the monocromatic color scheme or the high contrast black and white shapes. Who knew there was so much inspiration packed in such a small vintage ad? It certainly goes to show that good design is truly timeless.
Have fun with the challenge and let whatever speaks to you guide your next page. Feel free to add photos, change the colors, etc. No rules. Just fun! Remember to upload to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before September 7, 2009 so we can all be inspired by your creations!!! The best part? One of you will win a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!

I can’t wait to see how you are simply inspired!

Time for another Simply Inspired contest!!! Your mission is simple. Take a look at the current inspiration piece and use it to jumpstart your next layout. Then simply upload it to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before August 24, 2009 to be in the running to win a $10 gift certificate to the Designer Digitals store!!! Simple. Fun. Inspiring! Let’s get started!

This week your challenge is to create a layout using this print ad as your inspiration:

Take a look at this piece. What’s the first thing that draws your eye? Is it the clean modern collage? The color palette? The subject matter? Look closer and you’ll notice the effective use of texture in the photography, the cool typography and the gorgeous outlined foliage brushes. Take whatever speaks to you and use it to jumpstart your next layout.

Remember to upload to the Simply Inspired gallery on or before August 24, 2009 so we can all be inspired by your creations!!!

I can’t wait to see how you are simply inspired!