What is it? It's my "go to" basket for the next few months. This is something I do to make sure I have a place to start when I'm stumped, and to make sure I use my stuff. I just got the order in for the next few months. Here's what it looks like:
It's cuter in person.
What's in it? The following Stampin' Up! supplies:
-Parisan Breeze specialty paper
-Friends 24/7 stamp set
-card stock to match the paper, and the ink pads, as well as neutral card stock
-filigree brads
-twill tape
-buttons, (both button bouquet and button latte collections)
-corduroy buttons in baja breeze (from the occasions mini catalog)
-Felt flowers (flower fusion too)
-ribbon originals - Valet
-various types of ribbon in chocolate chip and baja breeze, as well as one white and some linen thread
-Window sheets (occasions mini catalog)
So here's how I put together my inspiration station. First, the key is COORDINATION. I start with a pack of patterned papers I've been dying to buy. Then I find a coordinating stamp set that I've also been dying to get. I always have on hand all the colors of card stock and the ink pads as well. I guess that's a perk of being a demonstrator! I pull those out along with the best neutral choices. This ensures I have the everything I need for the bases of any projects.
Next, I go to my embellishment storage. I pull out anything I already have that coordinates. In this case, I had several ribbons and twill tape, not much else. I go through the catalog then and pick out a few embellishments I've been wanting and that coordinate. I don't normally get as many as I did this time, but I didn't have that much on hand in these colors yet, so I indulged myself. I got some felt flowers, I've been dying to have them. The cool thing about this collection of flowers, is that it has three colors (chocolate chip, baja breeze, and pretty in pink). So not only do I have flowers in both the main colors of the paper, but I will also have some pink flowers left over for another inspiration station down the road. That's why I love that so many of Stampin' Up!'s embellishments come in collections. I followed the same process with the valet ribbon and buttons. The filigree brads match the style and are neutral, so they'll go with other stations too. Do you see how my mind is working here?
This is also how I make myself try new things and ensure that I will. If I want to try a new tool, I put one in the station. When it comes to new things, like a punch or tool, I usually only put one in the station. If I put too many in it decreases the likelihood that I will use it a lot and get comfortable with it. In this station, I put window sheets. I love the look of them, but I don't have too much practice using them. I'm going to remedy that in the next few months.
A tip here: When you're looking at the patterned papers in the catalog, there are little boxes below each one that tell you what colors are in the papers. Very handy!
Also, I don't typically pull out my neutral embellishments for the inspiration station. I have so many (chipboard, metal brads and eyelets, tags, etc...) that I only pull out the color coordinating stuff, and I write out a short list of the neutrals and stick it in my basket to refer to.
You may think this is limiting, but it's actually liberating. By doing this, I have many options on hand that go together. I don't get caught with random stamp sets or papers and wishing I had some ribbon to go with it or that little something extra. Also, when I need to make something, I have a starting place. You'll see in the next few months, as I share projects with you from this inspiration station, that by putting these things together up front, I have what I need on hand to make just about anything. I can make cards, scrapbook pages, 3-D projects like the tall box (or the baked goodies box I'm dreaming up right now), etc... In addition, using the Stampin' Up! papers or stamps as a starting place, I find it a lot easier to pick and choose, and put together a very functional collection that's within my means. It focuses my money into a very usable format and makes it easier to choose what I'm going to buy out of the millions of things I want. I use all my supplies more, both old and new. And let's face it, we all have enough other things in our regular supplies that if I feel I need to break out of this station for a specific occasion or just for the day, I've got other things lying around. Unless you are BRAND NEW to stamping and scrapping, I'm willing to bet you do too!
That is a great idea. I often get stumped because I'm too tired and my brain cant seem to find anything that matches. I'm gonna have to try your trick and put it all in a basket so I don't have to go search for stuff. Thnx!
Posted by: Vanessa Hughes | 04/14/2009 at 10:00 PM
What a clever idea. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Diane | 05/18/2009 at 03:03 PM