Things I Love #1 Flowers

I have been thinking for a while about this series that my sister started. As a crafter I'm always looking for inspiration, not always finding it, but the process usually yields good results. As Ralph says; "Life is a journey, not a destination."

With this new series I will be looking for inspiration, and in the process maybe, hopefully I'll get to inspire you.

These are some of the things I'm usually looking for:

• patterns-  like the above flower
• blue skies - a rare occurrence in this country
• paper - old and new
• flowers - like these ones in my home, apart from making me happy, they fascinate me
• the perfect poem
• handkerchiefs
• shells
• old fabrics (preferably white)
• the right words (I know this sounds vague, but usually the right words trigger something in me)

These are my go to places to find inspiration:

• walks, either in nature or in the city
• nice stores
• blogs
• magazines
• books
• pinterest
• lists
• alone time (if possible)
• trips
• the treasures I have in my home - like above
• workshops
• music

I think more than anything else, inspiration is being in the right state of mind. In my own experience lots of moods work, like for example; being sad, bored, or happy are really helpful to me. Being tired on the other hand or exhausted never helps me, in fact it is when I'm the least productive. This of course is no big news, especially to new parents.

The daffodils above, grew in my balcony. The whole process was completely inspiring and grounding. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of tulips I planted.

I hope you like this series, and I would really like it if you let me know what sort of things you expect to see here, or want me to share more of?

Have an amazing weekend,
Giova

Mood Boards (attempts)

Apparently this is a week of first attempts. Unplanned, go with the flow!  I woke up yesterday thinking about mood boards, they seem to be everywhere and must have gotten into my unconscious that way, I think.

I did a tiny bit of research (mostly the top 2 results from google) and this is what the second said a mood board was:

  "A mood board is typically a combination of images, fonts, colors, and textures that define the style of the project. It is a tool for creatives and clients to come to an agreement about style. They come in many forms and they might even be called something different depending on the industry that you’re in. I’ve seen mood boards show up in fashion, film, photography, branding, web design, wedding planning, interior decorating etc. and they all have different ways of laying out their graphics." -Creative Mood board

Here I was thinking a mood board had everything to do with your mood. I was about to do an all grey and depressive mood board. It is a good thing I did my research first.

I went looking for things that I like, that have personal meaning to me, and this is what I came up with. I'm not planning a wedding or remodeling my home or for that matter anything. Just playing with things to see if they look right together or not.

This is actually my real mood board. The one I look at every single day. The one that makes me super happy!

Are you a mood board maker?? Does it keep you inspired or do you make them for a purpose only?

Have a great day,
Giova

To Craft or not to Craft?

This past sunday I had to ask myself this question. Then I proceeded to ask the same question on Instagram. Many answered with craft. Others said go out now and craft later. Which is what I did because here where I live, the beautiful days are few and far in between.

I was doing some rubber stamps when my husband said; "Do you want to stay in?" And this is a question that is also asked very few times and quite far in between. Oh, to be able to stay in with the blissful silence of an empty place for a few hours.

But the sound and sights of the beautiful forest was what I really needed.

And boy was it magical and inspiring. The only thing missing were the gnomes. But I'm pretty certain they were somewhere around.

 Dark mushrooms in a dark place, with the rays of the sun just coming in.

 We walked, and walked, and looked and looked.

 We also sat on a bench, and stared at the big KLM plane flying to who knows where.

And then discovered more varieties of mushrooms.

This one is a coral mushroom, I think.

Beautiful, tiny things were every where. Every stone, leaf, or an abandoned shell is another chance to stop and take a look. I didn't miss my crafting time. I think I spend too much of my time crafting and I need to go out, just to breathe a different type of air.

I guess it is pretty obvious what I did when I got back.

So tell me, if you are not too busy crafting, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set time for crafting, or do you simply go with the flow, taking advantage when inspiration strikes?

Have a lovely day.
Giova