inspired by stripes

For weeks I've been bored with the craft studio layout and needed to add something on a low budget. The first option was a wall of retro wallpaper, but the cost pulled the plug on that idea. If you type "craft studio" into a search engine, you will receive plenty of inspiring studio images. Where do I begin? The colors! The layouts! The organization methods! The designs!

So to be ready in time for September, I chose a challenge - stripes! This is not for the faint of heart. It takes time, patience, and (gasp) math! I spent one night measuring the wall, trying different equations, until finally I just went for it. The outcome, a more colorful - INSPIRING - room.  Just a plain yellow wall didn't do anything for me. (This used to be a nursery.)


Two coats of very light lavendar to start.


A bit of math, a level and a lot of painters tape to mark my lines.


Another lavendar color two shades darker.


And voila! I suggest making this a two day project to enjoy the process! I plan on trying a gray tone to replace the yellow, but that's for another day with more energy. Stay tuned!

inspired in september

Eight months have just flown by and we are staring at September straight in the face, and it looks good! I cut back my hours at my second job to spend more time blogging and planning a wedding, and it still seems that I never have enough time to create and post. After a wonderful night of creating inspiring work and being locked in Paper Source, I challenged my ever-creative friend Michelle to create something new every day in September and post it on our blogs. Mostly because I need the inspiration and a lot because Michelle drives my inspiration into full speed!

So please look out in September for a blog entry every single day, and make sure you stop by Michelle's blog and see what she's creating! We're inspired and I hope we can inspire you!

inspired by banners

Banners are all the rage now - circles, triangles, squares for birthdays, weddings, showers, parties. We hosted a baby shower for my best friend and the cute little details are always the best part of putting together a party. So the banner was clearly on the checklist. I purchased baby girl cardstock paper and cut the triangles at 8 inches across the top. The circles and letters were cut by the Cricut (4 inches). Some hemp string, glue and a few pieces of tape. Voila.

My inspiration ...


Welcome Baby B!

inspired by beautiful quilts

Today I spent some time making little projects for a baby shower I'm co-hosting next week for my best friend. While using some of the cutest paper I've used in some time, I put aside the scraps for a separate project. The mom-to-be is talented and makes beautiful quilts (see one of her creations below), and some of her nieces and nephews will grow up with the amazing pieces created by her and her mom.



Although I can do some fancy things with paper, I don't think I can ever have the patience to put together a detailed quilt. So with her inspiration and these leftover pieces of paper, I created a set of six cards to keep on hand for a gift ... inspired by the art of quiltmaking and my gifted friend.

inspired by lemonade labels

The best part of crafting is visiting blogs and finding free templates. In March 2010, Marry You Me posted a blog during Free Download Thursday with a template for lemonade labels. With the templates, I made a few simple cards to send along to friends and family. Simply cut and layer on cardstock paper. It's always nice to have a few blank cards on hand to cheer up a friend (and I know exactly who deserves one right now).