Inspiration is everywhere!

Alexandra Otte
Alexandra Otte

And that is why I love the current ScrapHappy series “Unexpected Inspiration”! Right now, it’s all about store window displays and Alison and Laurie already showed us some absolutely awesome store window inspired Layouts here on the blog!

I tend to take challenges quite literally, so my page is about that same store window that I choose for inspiration. But let me take you on a little trip to my store window inspiration. 

About a year ago I visited a friend in Berlin and on a little evening walk we discovered this shop with some really beautiful window displays. The photo is waiting to be scrapped since then. So, this is the perfect challenge for that!

For me this picture is so full of inspiration! The hats and shoes, the green umbrella, the fabric and pattern of the dress, the big blue flowers on the scarf on the right, the white fabric in the background, the colour scheme … So many possibilities! Maybe a picture of puddle jumping on a rainy day with lots of umbrellas? Or pictures from trying on fancy dresses? Or something about the sea or a lake due to the flowing colours of the dress?
Well, at least I knew that I wanted to scrap this little window shopping tour with my friend, so that decision was made! Phew!

The flowing colours of the dress reminded me a lot of marbled paper so I decided to do that! I haven’t done it in a very long time and wanted to do it for years now. So again, the perfect opportunity.
Yeah, well, I totally went down the rabbit hole and created a LOT of marbled paper and even some doilies! I couldn’t stop for at least three hours. This is what I love most about mixed media, this process of creating just for the sake of it, for fun, just because the inspiration leads from one to the other and the next and the next… But see for yourself. (More info about the paints and the process if you click on the images)

So, what to do now with all that paper? What to choose for my layout? I printed the photo and played around a bit to realize I want a neutral background that is inspired by the white embroidered fabric in the backgound. And I found the absolut perfect piece of structured paper in my stash!

Enough babbling, finally wanna see the finished page? Here it is!

I used four different pieces of my marbling spree: One doily, two pieces of marbled cardstock for the umbrellas and parts of a marbled pattern paper (black and white newspaper design) by Vicki Boutin.
Wanna see some details? Just click on the images to enlarge.

Thank you for taking this little journey with me! I had so much fun with this challenge. Maybe you will find your own unexpected window inspiration when you go for a little walk. 🙂

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