Some Design Inspiration

a little card I made for my brother

January always seems to bring out the itch to do something different in my house or work on a craft project. Maybe it's the birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, or the bare house after taking Christmas decorations down, or that it's cold outside.   Or it could be that relief of not having anymore Christmas prep.  Whatever it is, reading these blogs give me a little design inspiration. 

Ali Edwards wrote about her scrap room and actually answered one of my questions today in "general room questions."  Love how she puts old things together.

The designer Tracy Porter has a video library on her blog that is updated frequently.  Although I am not stylish, skinny, or rich enough to buy anything from her catalog, I love her inspiration.   She is clearly doing something she loves.

Photographer Karen Russell lives in Portland which is a city I briefly visited and fell in love with.  Her photos and style have a warm, artistic quality.  Check out this photo, I can't forget it.

Heidi Swapp is just calm, cool and collected...and cute.  If you visit Heidi City check out the HKS Theatre.  She is a person I would like to sit and have coffee with.  She has a calm perspective.

Anna at Pleasant View Schoolhouse offers inspiration in the simple life.  I am nothing like her, because of that her simplicity, baking, sewing, and photography inspire me to want to do better.  

The last one I'll talk about today is Elsie.  Cee and I like to sit together and look at her site and marvel at her hair and her ungroomed boyfriend.  She couldn't be farther from the life I'm living but her quirkiness and colorful designs inspire us.  I think she would get a kick (or be horrified) from the fact that a middle aged housewife and her 9 year old daughter follow her blog.  I wonder if she thinks that her readers are all cool and 'indie" like herself?  :)

What does this say about me?  There's some contrast here.  Regardless, I love to visit these sites when I want a little inspiration.  Deep in my heart I think I'm a little bit country and a small bit rock and roll (or conservative but like some surprising things mixed in that are colorfully liberal - but clean-cut). ...or I'm just weird - that's probably it.