Happy 1st Anniversary Inspiration Elevator!

Welcome to another Inspiration Elevator reveal! We are thrilled to celebrate the end of our first year of Inspiration Elevator challenges and are anticipating that the second year will see that creative growth continue to go UP! To celebrate our first anniversary and our fabulous designers, Christa and Ann decided to challenge our designers to take an in-depth look at a fellow designer's artistic portfolio via her blog, choose elements from that designers creations,and incorporate them into her own work. In other words, we are encouraging a scrapLIFT! Rather than a mere copy of someone else’s work, this is a stylistic scraplift that should inspire each designer to grow creatively as she is inspired, yet remain true to her own style.
As the second year of this creative journey begins, and as the popularity of Inspiration Elevator increases, we have created a new blog for our Inspiration Elevator Challenges. So, if you want to play along you can find the challenges and links to the inspiration all in one place! To celebrate our first year, our hopping will incorporate RAKs along the way – how exciting! Now, before you go hopping along, we want to let you know of a few personnel changes.

While, we are so excited to welcome back most of our original design team members for year two, we are saddened to be saying goodbye to Audrey Yeager. Audrey has creatively embraced every challenge over the past year, and has been a super part of our design team over the past 12 months. We hope your will continue to stop by her blog and see her gorgeous creations. Thank you Audrey for sharing our journey – we are grateful for you!

We are very pleased to announce a new member to our design team. Join us as we welcome Jodi Wilton. Jodi's design style is happy and whimsical and we are looking forward to sharing this new year of growth with her and seeing how her creative muse is tickled by our challenges.

We mentioned RAKs or giveaways at each designer’s blog this month,since we’re celebrating our first year. Please read each designer’s instructions regarding the giveaway as they will vary. We will post a final list of winners on April 24^th on the Inspiration Elevator blog, so be sure to pop back, and if you create something based on this month’s challenge, please link it up on the blog!

My "scraplift" partner for this challenge is the very talented Lisa Moen. I spent many hours (days) getting happily lost in Lisa's blog and I discovered a few things:
1. Lisa and I have a similar style (whoda thunk?)
2. She does so many things well (if I do say so!)
3. She likes layers, bright colours, clusters, as well as all photo types and sizes.

All things I like too!

I decided to use several of her designs as inspiration for my challenge. I have always been inspired by Lisa's use of mists and her real affinity for flowers, and clusters of embellishments. I was also inspired  when I noticed she often uses a patterned paper background. I almost NEVER use a patterned paper background and when I do it's so very subtle it's almost like its not there.

So, I had my challenge:

1. Use a stronger background.
2. Use a liquid (mist/paint) colour to alter some aspect of my design (other than background splatters).
3. Attempt a cluster.
4. Use more flowers.

I was inspired to alter three doilies with a water colour wash in lieu of the beautiful mists Lisa used.

I was challenged to create some custom colours with my paint and I think it turned out really well!

Here's my take on Lisa's design.

Notice the powerful background and use of flowers:

Notice my cluster work:

 I also added handwritten journalling like Lisa does on almost all her designs.

Here's Lisa's design that inspired me!

 I really loved this challenge. It helped me to really look in-depth at a fellow artists work and to see how I can be inspired everyday. I loved the opportunity to add the handwriiten journalling, the altered doilies and the flowers. Thanks Lisa Moen for being so AWESOME!

If you leave me here I will be awarding one lucky commenter an awesome prize: an Echo Park HELLO SUMMER paper pack! (be sure to leave me your email address or have an up to date email address on your own blog so I can contact you!)

Stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Jodi Wilton

Inspiration Elevator