My friend, Karley (author of the Chic and Green blog and expert in everything beautiful) had an interesting blog entry recently about inspiration. What inspires you, what gives you the freedom to create, and just in general what do you love?

My inspirations have changed thru my life. I can honestly say that when I was younger and in my 20's even, my inspiration was pulled from art and artist like Jackson Pollock. I liked graphic, abstract things. Bold colors and sharp contrasts. I pulled from what others were doing around me and tried to work it out in my mind to see things how they did and never really came into my own until recently.

Now, however, I find inspiration in simple things. I find it in my kids and their imagination. Besides patience, my kids have taught me to find the beauty in many mundane, everyday things like the joy of a frog, dragonfly or the perfection of Springs first tulip. I find it in the world around me in sunsets and trees, the sky and clouds. I could honestly spend all day just staring at the sky on a warm sunny day. Thinking.

I find it in simple lines like those of Frank Lloyd Wright, my all time favorite architect. I read his books and find inspiration. My color palette these days is very muted, earth tones, but I do love the occasional whimsy of polka dots and I love stripes. I find inspiration in the things we may take forgranted like health and wisdom. Things you can't really touch but they give me great peace and make me relaxed enough to enjoy the small wonders around me.

Fabric gives me great inspiration, so much so that I become overwhelmed by all the possibilities and need to remove myself from the store! lol I love all the combinations and textures and the colors! Color is such a wonderful thing!

On the walls of my corner of the world, I have pictures of my kids, my grandparents. A framed piece of fabric from my grandmother. 3 "party hats" made my kids for my last birthday. A tie that was my grandfathers and some marker drawings I did in college that I can't bear to part with.

Inspiration can really come from anything, Creativity has to come from within yourself and I feel it is a result of being inspired. Find what inspires you and see what you can create.