color palette blog walk!

It's Color Palette Blog Walk time! I told you it was coming this week.

This event is hosted by Brandi of Brandi Girl Blog (who is awesome with color, by the way), and here's the deal: Brandi challenged a group of 20 bloggers to create color palettes from our own photography. Preferably the photos were to be of things that inspire us. So, here we go:

The beach/ocean
I can't bring up inspiration without mentioning the beach. It truly is my happy place. Whether East Coast, West Coast or somewhere in the Mediterranean, the beach always puts me in a creative (and relaxed) state of mind.


la jolla, ca

ocean city, nj

California
What? You thought you'd get through this post without reading about how I love California? Sorry. No matter what city I've visited there, I've always felt a certain energy that just doesn't happen here in PA. Plus the scenery is beautiful. I need a vacation there. Soon.

(PS- The San Diego and San Francisco pics were just quick snapshots I took with the point-and-shoot, so they aren't the most artistic photos, but I think they still capture the California spirit.)


san diego, ca

santa monica pier

fisherman's wharf, san francisco

Lampwork beads
Of course, like so many other participants in this blog walk, I love art beads. My favorites are boro lampwork glass. We may have discussed this before. Anyway, these are a pair of earrings I made and I just love the rich colors. How can you not be inspired by these little works of art?



Fashion
Obviously, this blog is a style/fashion blog of sorts, so fashion is a big inspiration to me as well. Sometimes colors will just pop out at me from my closet. Like these dresses. I saw them hanging together and decided I just had to take a picture of them. And remember when I said "Paris in Winter" was my inspiration for my studio? Yeah, nevermind. This picture is my new inspiration. Pink! Sequins! Ruffles! YES!



Beagles!
Yep. Beagles. They are just awesome. And their coats are just so pretty, don't you think?




I have thoroughly enjoyed this blog walk. It's been so much fun. And I think it's safe to say that the things I love are the very same things that inspire me. I probably should have put food on this list, too.

All photos by me.

Check out the rest of today's Color Palette peeps:
Rachel at TatterBeans
Brittany at The Home Ground
Cindy at Sweet Bead Studio

Fashion:: Design Star, Emily Henderson

Does anyone else watch HGTV Design Star? What did you think of last night's finale? I was happy Emily Henderson won because I really like her overall aesthetic and she just seems like a nice person, too. And isn't it nice when a nice person wins? But I'm not really here to talk about the finale. I'm here to talk about the outfit Emily wore in the second to last episode.

Specifically, this outfit:

Image sources: Left | Right

I'm obsessed. I just love the blue ruffled dress with the tan, heeled menswear-style shoes. So, I went hunting for some similar styles. And here's what I found:


I'm on Sapphire dress from Modcloth | Tissue v-neck T from J. Crew | Hammered NuGold Cuff by Cyndie Smith Designs | Double-lock leather belt from Madewell | Sueded opaque control top tights from Hue | Canyon messenger bag from Madewell | Langford platform high-heel oxfords from J. Crew

The dress isn't identical (*cry!*), but I added a long-sleeve gray t-shirt to give it some interest (and seasonal mileage, since summer is fading fast!). I think I like it! What do you think?

PS- Emily has a pretty cool design blog call The Brass Petal. Check it out!

Objects of desire :: "I'm an artist, not a ..." custom-made rings

Sometimes we all need a little reminder of where we're going and who we want to be. And that the current situation is. not. permanent.

I recently stumbled across these custom-made rings by Kathryn Riechert, and I found them nothing short of inspiring. And I love the story behind them, too- how Kathryn first thought to make them when she spent her days waitressing instead of creating. I'm sure most of us can relate to this on some level. Maybe you're not a full-time waitress with the soul of an artist, but you've got to be working toward something, right? Most of are, whether it's career-related or not. We all have goals and dreams. Why not keep a reminder of them right at your finger tips?


My mind is already in idea overload with possibilities for my own set of rings from Kathryn. ("I'm a creative spirit...not a corporate drone" is sort of amusing to me.)

So, what about you? What would your rings say?

Oh, and Kathryn? She's now a full-time artist who spends her days creating cool jewelry like this.

dream location // found

I was perusing the San Diego listings on craigslist, as I often do, and I came across this awesome retail location listing. If I were in San Diego, finished with grad school, and had everything ready to go, this would be it. Everything about it is perfect- the front window, the awning, the exposed brick (okay, the awning and paint on the front might need to change colors, but other than that, it's perfect!).

Sigh. Someday.


image source

Creativity mapping

Last semester one of my first assignments for one of my classes was to visually demonstrate my creative process for a particular project from start to finish. I chose making a piece of jewelry, a bracelet to be specific. And since this is my inspiration board blog, I thought I'd share my creative process with you here.








*The studio pictured is no longer my studio. We moved in January and now I have a much bigger space (with a skylight!) that I'm still trying to organize. Someday I will and then I'll take pics to share it with you.