Declutter, Recycle, and Inspire!

For the past few weeks I've really been trying to declutter my life, on all levels, and something I've been finding everywhere in my house are magazines... magazines... magazines!! Piles of them... Some from 2007! Really?? What was I thinking!? What's sad is that a few months ago I went through and put a bunch in the recycling, but I'm still finding them all over the place. I know I kept them because I liked one image, one article, any one thing about them and I couldn't let them go, in case I wanted to refer to those pages later.... haha! Yeah right ;)


SO...I've decided to make an inspiration journal with them. I took about 30 or so of the random mags... Went through page by page (who has this kind of time really...) and pulled out the images that struck a chord with me. Color combinations, images, articles... anything that sparked my interest. I cut them all up and I'm going to put them back together into ONE book that I can open up and will bring me into a world of color and imagery that will hopefully spark my imagination! (And take up less room around here!) :)
Here's a sampling of some of the pages that I'm keeping:




Better Homes and Gardens has a concept that I just love! Every month they focus on a different color set, and dedicate a few pages to just those colors...


I'm going to add this to the many other half-finished projects I have going on around here! Custom orders, regular orders, oil painting, paper mache, craft fairs... Put it on the list!! I'll let you know how this turns out ;)
P.S. DON'T FORGET TO RECYCLE YOUR OLD MAGAZINES!!!

What's Inspiring Me Today...

Every so often I get in a creative funk. I like to take my camera around and look for anything inspiring in and around the house! It really helps to get the artistic vibes flowing ;) (I recommend it... and its fun!)
Here are a few shots that have inspired me to get creative today:

This beautiful, handmade "witch ball" was given to me as a gift.. It came from a shop on Etsy called Molten Spirit. You should check out the shop to see the other gorgeous glass creations!!! I always wanted one of these balls, and I was so excited to get it! Its so pretty when the sun shines through...


This is a random shot from my bedroom... I love the polka dots, the dried hydrangea, and that mirrored star...


These are some random pieces of art that I laid out on my desk the other day. I just love the way they look all together! I haven't had the heart to pick them up... I just keep looking at them and smiling ;) I guess now that I've taken a photo, I can move them LOL


This is a bucket of bookmarks that I take with me to craft fairs... I just love the way the ribbons spill out of the top! Its endlessly fascinating to me...


My son's bucket of crayons...

My cup of colored pencils...

A set of polycarbonate glasses that are stacked up on my desk... I bring a cup of water with me everytime I come to my studio, and for some reason I never take them back down! They are actually so colorful in the light! :)


What do you do to get your creativity going?

Waiting...

...to get off my desk, and into the shop!

Here is another work in progress: