Inspire

in-spire/ v / to infuse; influence; arouse; give cause

What do you do when your muse is on holidays? Some times it happens, a normally creative person gets too caught up in everyday living and you can't find that magic spark. Then what do you do?

With the internet there are millions of options, thought I would share some with you that popped up recently.

Category Stories
is a new blog starting the provides themes to inspire.

Check Deanna Thompson or LaLaLee for more information including raks of paper products to get you started to kick off the Category Stories.

Or if you are more of a visual person Anam Stubbington & Altered Pencil Lines a group taking sketches to different art forms.

Bring on the weekend, so I can get my hands on nice paper - not the office laser printer kind.

Cape Cod

‘After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that we live in a material world.’
Pam Shaw

For those who like to collect pretty things Beachy’s Cape Cod Cupboard is the place to go for shells and more. Stroll through her Etsy shop or blog where there is a little rak action going on over there if you leave a comment.


Lots of great things to see on her blog, and not just the things with sand. picture with permission from Beachy’s Cape Cod Cupboard (because I promised her lots of folks would check out the links)

Refueled

Have you tapped into Chris Brown and the Urban Prairie yet? He describes his style as not your aunt’s country.

Chris and friends are capturing those every day cast offs and bringing them back to life with a very modern, urban, super cool twist & giving away a copy of Amy Bulter’s book for those who leave a comment on their blog.

http://urbanprairierefueled.blogspot.com/

Scents

Jill who has a delicious hand made soap and personal luxuries on line store called Bittersweet http://bittersweetsoap.typepad.com/bittersweet/
Is hosting a little RAK for those who stop by her blog and on line store http://www.bittersweetsoap.com/ and leave a comment.

Bittersweet product lists include lavender bags, scented soaps and special creams in the most tempting range of scents, all decoratively packaged. Stop by and have a look, you will not be disappointed as there is even more in her range of household products to get you thinking about that special date now only 16 weeks away.

Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains. Diane Ackerman

My favourite scents:
angel perfume, apple butter, baby talc, cedar, fresh bread, hugo boss aftershave, johnson’s baby bath, jonquils, lemon curd, maple sugar cookie dough, vanilla flavoured hot chocolate, old books, pine balsam, salty winds straight off the ocean and summer rain

Cootamundra Wattle

It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see. Henry David Thoreau

A Cootamundra Wattle tree in flower near the river.

Altered Canvas

Possible new blog banner, what do you think?
Not quite ‘altered’ enough but could do for now.

Dreams At Daybreak

Some men see things as they are and say,
"Why?"
I dream of things that never were and say,
"Why not?" George Benard Shaw

frequently attributed to Robert F. Kennedy, who used it in a speech and his brother, Edward Kennedy who quoted it again at RFK's funeral.

I am lucky to live in an area where the local town has preserved the beach fronts and edges of rivers as public walkways. If you have to go out and exercise this is not a bad place to do it in and always leaves me inspired with great dreams of possibilities.

If each sunrise marks a beginning of a bright sparkling new day, what are you doing with yours?

Apronista

Found Apronista a collaborative project between two women who met through the crafty housewife blogging community who are doing the coolest things with aprons. Gosh who would have ever thought aprons would become a trendy fashion item.



You know I love altered art because it is about recycling the cast offs of everyday into something special and unique so had to share with you news of a RAK / giveway challenge for these fun little postcards check out their site and leave a comment. http://www.apronista.com

Tag

A friend who blogs as MilkCan http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/ tagged me asking me to post random pieces of information that not everyone might know, so in the spirit of sharing here you go.

1)my daughter introduced me to modern scrapbooking and papercrafts, after a long absence the muse returned and we have had the best fun since
2)my mum is my biggest fan
3)my favourite color is red but it does not show up very often in things that get posted to the gallery or blog
4)will take a nice dark crisp navy over black any day
5)the first thing I remember altering (age 9) was a grocery carton into a Barbie house, Santa must have missed that item on the list so I made I myself
6)the biggest thing I have altered was an old steamer trunk, a gift from friends when I started travelling, although large was surprisingly practical as my closet was always packed and ready to roll
7)today I worked on a new blog banner and signage for classes, it is taking forever to finish and wishing the weekends were one day longer

Being tagged is a good excuse to share a picture of a tag gifted to me from a nice lady by the name of Judy in California. Now off in search of some other friends to pass the tag onto.

Games

In the Game of Life you have to learn the rules of the game

and then play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein

Way to go Albert but am pretty sure a little dose of Gratitude goes a long way too.

Somerset Studio - Nature Edition

"Let yourself be nurtured by all that is beautiful in the world."

Somerset Studio’s July edition on the theme of Nature, page 104

Rockin Blogger

Have been nominated as a Rockin Blogger by a few people this week,

www.paperclipping.com Noell from Paperclipping http://prolix.typepad.fr Prolix from France www.theartsook.blogspot.com Linda from the Art Sook

Such an honour to be selected and more than once by such lovely folks. Now I have to go off to find some nice bloggers to share the experience with.

Have you seen www.bella-enchanted.blogspot.com Genevieve of Bella Enchanted has created a “Nice Matters” Blog Award, not only is the award cute but what a lovely concept. Today there is an common belief that being sassy is cool but it is so easy for your sassy to drift into brassy and before you know it plain old nasty. Now I am off to celebrate being a Rockin Blogger and spread some good cheer

Beyond The Garden Gate

Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on during the creation process, the birds who dropped feathers, friends with postage stamps, Ewan Gardam for all ways luring me with more ribbon and buttons, Kaizer Crafts for the little tabbed album (joy to work with), Papier Valise for the little garden gate that started it all and most of all Lady Edith Holden and her Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady from where all the wonderful illustrations came.

Resources:

www.ewangardam.com.au www.papiervalise.com/

www.catslifepress.com www.amazingarts.biz

A little more of the newest Altered Book

Tropical Flowers

More photos from trip to Sydney - beautiful tropical flowers

Sydney Australia

Posting some photos of a recent trip to the city of Sydney. Did not get much time to go outside to play but got a couple of quick pictures of interesting buildings near the conference centre.

Queen Victoria Building built in 1898.

Am waiting for the glue to dry on the next page of the altered book, check back tomorrow !