Inspiration: 10 Places to Find It, +1

Image Source: Notes on Design

I don't know about you, but it can be super difficult for me to think outside of the box like this poster says. It seems as though it has all been thought of or done before. Like the old saying goes, "there's nothing new under the sun." And while that's true, there are always ways to put a fresh spin on things. That is, if you can think up something fresh in the middle of a creative rut. Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, here are 10 places plus one that I like to go: 

   

1. Magazines

I love Real Simple and Domino (before it sadly ceased publication). Also, Elle Decor is pretty great for beautiful photographs and design inspiration.

 

2. Blogs/Websites

There's a zillion out there, too many to name, but I do love Apartment Therapy and Young House Love. Also, Cupcakes and Cashmere is a good one too.

3. Pinterest

I know you're aware of how lost you can get on Pinterest....but my, oh my, what a wonderful world of DIY, fashion, and home decorating inspiration. You'll find so much pinspiration, you might start pinspiring. ;)

4. Window Shopping

In-store or online, window shopping may help you get out of your creative rut. The displays and new seasonal lines may inspire you with a particular color scheme, pattern, or theme. Translate those ideas to whatever project you may be working on.

5. Books

I have several design books laying around that I like to look at for inspiration sometimes. In particular, I love Orla Kiely's Pattern and Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux.

6. The Great Outdoors

Sometimes you just need some fresh air to get a new perspective. Stop what you're doing and go outside for a bit!

Image Source: Me!

7. Etsy

There are so many creative people in this world and I think almost all of them have an Etsy shop. ;) Anyway... the aesthetic of how items are displayed and the pure genius of people's creativity will definitely help you get your creative juices flowing. Whenever I feel like I need a spark, Etsy is one of the first places I go. Both shop owners and handmade buyers really have a pulse on the latest trends and a keen eye for design.

8. Museums

If you're fortunate enough to live near a great museum, take advantage of it. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts here in Nashville is excellent. I've seen a couple exhibits there that were great including Chuck Close and a collection of Impressionists. Go take in some beautiful art and maybe it will inspire your next masterpiece.

9. Coffee shops

Your local coffee shop may give you the spark you need to get creative. Aside from the obvious dose of caffeine, you can do some great people watching. People watching is one of my favorite things to do. Not only is it entertaining, but it can be very inspiring too. I love to look at how people dress, try to figure out what they are working on and why they are there. I like to create background stories for people based on what I think they may do for a living, their hobbies, and of course by what they are drinking. ;) You may see someone carrying something or wearing something that's visually inspiring. You may overhear people talking and be inspired by something they say. Don't be too obvious with your eavesdropping though! You may notice a book someone is reading that ignites an idea. And there's never a lack of hipsters to make fun of. Wait...some may think I am one. Hold on...I need to hide my wayfarers and change out of my plaid shirt. ;)

Image Source: Emily Barrera

10. Instagram

I'm always impressed with what amateurs can do with this little app. I love looking at my friends photos and seeing what they are up to, where they are traveling, and what objects are meaningful enough to them to document through Instagram. If you're in a rut, take a little break and scroll through your Instagram feed to break up the monotony. 

+1. Travel

If you're fortunate enough to travel, I highly encourage it. Unlike anything else, these experiences are so rich and live on in your mind. They can provide inspiration to you ten, even twenty years down the road. I've documented a few of my travels from last year here on the blog that you can take a look at. They are some of my best memories and I hope to be able to continue to travel throughout my lifetime. Even if you can't hop a flight to Paris, day-trips in the car can be just as exciting and may do the trick to get your creativity flowing again.

Here's to inspired living!

               

                   

Goodnight

Well folks, I got the overhead lights mounted to our headboard and it didn't take a year like I feared it would. Thanks to the hubs for getting it done on his time off! As you might remember, I started working on this thing around this time last year. And, I had a baby along the way....so there were other priorities you know. Anyway, not only do we have an awesome headboard, but now we each have our own light for reading....alright, I'm not fooling anyone...I really mean for surfing on our phones. 

I'm also really happy with our new nightstands that we got on sale from Old Time Pottery. The distressed, white wood goes really well with the headboard. Yay! We can finally put this project to bed! 

Ok, I apologize for the pun, I couldn't help myself. 

On another note, I've been printing photos from my Instagram feed through this awesome app called Printicular and I've been clipping the photos to our headboard with clothespins. It gives it a real homey vibe and we have an ever-changing collection of family photos nearby. How sweet! There's nothing better than having family nearby, and the next best thing to having them in person is having them in photos. Ha. Or, depending on your family, it might be the other way around. ;)

Oh! The cute little 3x3 frame with the burlap mat is from Target and is part of their new Threshold line. Love! Be forewarned: don't go look unless you're prepared to spend some money. Or, maybe just lock your wallet in the car and go look just for inspiration. 

More New Uses for Old Shutters

Over a year ago my husband and I started a project with some old shutters we found in the garage of our house when we first bought it. I wrote a post about our project and added some inspiration photos I found on the web. To my surprise, that post gets more hits than anything else on my blog. So...I am happy to say we have finally finished our new headboard and I'm quite pleased with the results!

They were dirty, black, single shingles when we found them. Now, they are clean, freshly painted, and perfect as our nifty, yet thrifty, headboard. 

While I'm talking about shutters again, I wanted to share some more inspiration photos I found. I especially love the shutter armoire in the second photo. How cool would that be in a laundry room? 

Next, I would love to mount reading lamps to the headboard. Hopefully it won't be another year until I can make that happen! :)

                          

*We did it!! We mounted lights to the headboard. See them here.

Whimsical Woodland Creatures

I received February's Umba Box in the mail today and loved all the handmade items featured in this month's collection. The necklace and note cards pictured to the left have inspired me to write a post on woodland animals in design. If you haven't noticed, woodland animals are EVERYWHERE and on EVERYTHING lately. 

Here's a group of handmade items featuring sweet little woodland creatures. 

1. Ceramic Magnets by CariadClay
2. Handprinted Jersey Owl Scarf by ZenThreads
3. 12x18 Letterpress Print by HelloLuckyPress
4. Set of 10 Small Gift Tags by 3CreativeSisters
5. Rabbit Wax Seal Stamp by BackToZero
6. Forest Friends V-Neck T by GnomEnterprises
7. Plush Squirrel Pillow by LauraFrisk

                   

Gold Dots 'n Spots

Good afternoon everyone! Today I'm in the mood to write about another fun design trend I've been "spotting." Sorry. I couldn't help myself. ;) If you haven't noticed polka dots everywhere lately then you've been living under a rock, but I want to talk about the fairest of all the dots: the metallic gold ones!! Let's face it. Polka dots are just better when they're metallic and gold! Am I right? 

Here you are. Delicious dots in gold for home, crafting, partying, and for your wardrobe! 

1.  Gold Polka Dot Vinyl Wall Decals from UrbanWalls

2. Vintage Serving Bowl from HomeGirlGoods

3. Pair Of Polka Dot Ceramic Cups from VillarrealCeramics

4. Burlap Gold Polka Dot Pillow from HouseofPillows

5. Gold and White Polka Dot Washi Tape from ModernTape

6. Gold Metallic Dot Wrapping Paper from SupplyHouse27

7. 80's Vintage Polka Dot Blouse from KooKooKachooVintage

8. Metallic Stripes and Dots Wooden Utensils by SucreShop

9. Tissue Paper Pom Pom by PomLove

10. Linen Screen Print Polka Dot Clutch by MilkhausDesign

And last, another baby find to go with the theme! ;) Check out this adorable spotted bib for the babes. How cute. 

Gold Polka Dot Bib from IttyPrettyBird

                 

New Year - New Life - New Fun Finds

Hello and Happy New Year! It's been quite a while since my last post because my husband and I welcomed a beautiful little baby girl, Luci Jane Manix, on October 29, 2012. We have been adjusting to parenthood and are finally in the swing of things! And now I have been able to carve out some time to blog about the things I love! Yay!

First, of course I have to share a photo of our lovely Luci.

Now onto a fun little trend I've been noticing. It's something I would call "old lady cool." Ha! No offense if you consider yourself an old lady or if you know any! From succulent planters and doilies to mason jars and milk glass, these are all things you'd find at Grandma's house that are making homes everywhere oh so lovely.

1. Embroidery Hoop Wall Art at FlameLilyPhotos

2. Vintage Milk Glass Collection at JennasBeachRetreat

3. Mercury Tarnished Mason Jar Vase by TheCoralNest

4. DMX Hand Embroidery Hoop Art by OooohStitchy

5. Doily Imprinted Catchall Jewelry Dish by CakeandLace

6. Mason Jar Wall Organizer by OldNewAgain

7. Mason Jar Succulent Planters by LumberjackLad

8. Burlap Doily Pillow at LoveliesShop

And lastly, since I am now in full blown baby mode I had to include this adorable onesie with old lady reading glasses from kakabaka! So cute! 

              

Luci's Lovely Little Nest

Well...I think it's complete. Luci's nursery is finally finished. All that's left is for her to get here in roughly two and half weeks. Oh my goodness!

I wanted to thank some folks for their contribution to the nursery project:

- My sister and brother-in-law for the crib. It's so sweet that Luci will slumber in the same crib that both of my nieces slept in.

- My awesomely handy husband for helping me put together the rocker and ottoman and being willing to help me move stuff around multiple times. :)

- My mom for helping me figure out some better ways to get organized and helping me wash all her linens and clothes.

- Linda Niles for the handmade diaper bag and adorable "I Love Luci" burp cloth seen hanging in her room. This is just a couple of the many wonderful things Linda made for me.

- Tina Dulaney for the monogrammed pillow in Luci's crib.

I'm so happy that all the art hanging in her room was created by and purchased from small home-based businesses and crafters. Support small businesses people! Not that I'm biased or anything. ;) The only exception are the initial canvases behind the chair and ottoman. I covered both in adorable Parisian inspired fabric from Hobby Lobby. Then my husband painted the wooden initials (also from Hobby Lobby) in the same green as the walls and we glued them to the canvases. Voila!

The chair and ottoman were purchased from Walmart online. Considering how much overstuffed rockers usually go for- I got quite a bargain. I'm really happy with how it looks in the room and it's surprisingly comfortable. The blush flower pillow is from TJ Maxx.

The pennant banner was made by me as well from simple scrapbook paper. The paper lanterns were purchased from Hobby Lobby for roughly two dollars a piece. Cha-ching! Decor on a budget!

The dresser is from the 1920s and was purchased from an awesome shop on the square called Simply Southern Marketplace. It's fantastic! I could spend so much time and money in there.

I love how peaceful the room feels. I've sat down in the chair a couple times now and almost fallen asleep. Hopefully Luci will feel the sleepy, peaceful vibes too. :) It's minimal and clean, but beautiful. The green is light and airy, but there's just enough pink to know this is a little girl's room.

                              

More baby blogging! A nursery sneak peek!

There's little more than 8 weeks to go until we meet little Luci and her nursery is coming along quite nicely. I wanted to share a few photos with those of you following our progress. There will be more as soon as we get all the final details in place. I promise! But for now, here are just a couple sneak peeks!

My Office Redo Hits the Big Time

My office redo I wrote about back in July has been picked up by The Office Stylist!! I love their site so being included is super exciting for me! If you love office spaces and supplies and looking at how other people work, you'll love it too.

Here's a little snippet of the interview....

Describe your office space to us.

Clean, classic, clutter-free. Bright and cheery. Definitely multi-purpose!!

Where did the inspiration for your office space design come from?

I love looking at design blogs, Pinterest, magazines, etc. I get a lot of ideas that way. Being that my office is a sunroom turned office/dining room, I carefully selected what went into the room knowing that at night the “office” needed to be put away in time for dinner. Each piece that went into the room had to be either beautiful, inspirational, or super-functional. When I have guests over for dinner, I don’t want them to look over and see a messy desk, so storage was important too. I lucked out because the overhead cabinets were already in place when we moved in. They help tremendously.

What is your favorite part/design of your office space and why?

It’s hard to choose just one. I love that you can turn my desk chair around and it becomes part of the “dining room”. Whether I’m using the chair at my desk or at the dining table, it’s comfortable and visually appealing. Also, the many windows are beautiful and let in so much light. When I am crafting with paper and photographing product, the natural light is perfection.

I also love my word art from Wordle. Looking up at those words inspires me to work even harder. And it’s a super easy way to make art for your desk.

Do you feel that having a well designed and inspiring office has changed the way you and your employees work?

I definitely find myself spending many more hours in my office. If it’s a comfortable space, it’s amazing how time will fly by while you’re working. A comfy chair is sooo important too. This new one is definitely an upgrade from the last. My back is better supported and I don’t feel the need to take as many breaks to walk around. Wherever you get your work done, I believe it has to be comfortable and suitable to your personality and work style. I also think it’s important to be patient and willing to switch things up, it may take a few tries to get it right. Be flexible and willing to reconfigure things if something’s not working. your work done, I believe it has to be comfortable and suitable to your unique personality and work style.

If you could use one word to describe the feel of the office space, what would it be?

Lovely!

Tell us about your company and what it means to you to have a well-designed office space.

DipDaDip Design is a handmade paper goods company that I started after I couldn’t find the kind of hip, stylish, and customizable notebooks I wanted to buy myself. After making them for myself and as gifts for friends, DipDaDip evolved into a full line of handmade paper goods including personalized notebooks, note cards, mini jotters, and journals. Building a small business is a tough and challenging endeavor. Having a workspace that is inviting and motivates me to get some work done is essential! I love what I am doing and now I love the space I do it in too.

Thanks to Sayeh and The Office Stylist team for featuring my office!!

Savvy's Bachelorette Party

My friend Savannah is getting married this coming week and we just threw her bachelorette shindig at my house. It was a low-key shindig, but totally fun!! I think the entire bridal party just needed a night to relax and catch up with each other. Between working, wedding planning, and gestating (well...just me), we all needed a little down time. ;)

Savvy's wedding colors are red, gray, and black; very classic and romantic colors. I used her color scheme and created a little ice cream bar for our after dinner treat. (We went to a hibachi grill in town beforehand.)

Savvy decided she wanted our nails in gray for the wedding, so I supplied everyone with their own polish and nail file. We drank sparkling cider, painted our nails, and inhaled ice cream. Good times. 

I also created "Wedding Day Survival Kits" as party favors complete with essentials for the big day. The kits included a travel size hairspray, a lint roller, breath mints, trail mix, and a mini gatorade to stay hydrated! And just for fun, I threw in a ring pop. 

 We had a great time just being together! Congrats Savvy!!

"L" is for Luci

In a previous post I blogged about nursery inspiration for our little girl due in October. Now here's round 2 of happy nursery ideas for our little Luci Jane. That's right, I officially let her name out of the bag. ;)

I just put this print up in her room to get inspired and get the process going....

From MayDetails at Etsy.com.

Now, to the inspiration....

I really love the color choices in this nursery and the feel of it works with the color scheme I already have going in Luci's room. 

I'd like to use this yellow chevron rug from Urban Outfitters, instead of a solid one. It's more interesting and playful!! 

Next, I need a good chair for feeding and rocking. I'm torn between these two IKEA options:

POÄNG ROCKING 

CHAIR

PELLO CHAIR

I'm leaning more towards the first option because it's an actual rocking chair, but it is significantly more expensive than the Pello chair. We'll see....What do you readers think? Should I stick with a traditional rocker? Will I regret it if I just purchase the chair? 

And last for today is an adorable handmade mobile...I'm thinking this would be really sweet above her crib. 

That's it for now. More to come....

Office Makeover - Round 2

Recently I blogged about clean and understated workspaces. This really inspired me to clear out the clutter in my own space and attempt to create a visually clean and sophisticated office. Since I work from home running my little handmade business, DipDaDip Design, I desperately need a place that is inviting and motivates me to get some work done. There's nothing more overwhelming than building a small business...and wherever you get your work done, I believe it has to be comfortable and suitable to your unique personality and work style. Working in a dining room/sunroom/office like I do makes this even more of a challenge. The space has to be conducive to a lot of activities!

Sorry I don't have many before pictures, but if you're curious as to what it looked liked before, this post has a glimpse. It was cute and colorful, but not as clean and sophisticated as I am now aiming for. 

My New Space! 

Pens, notepads, notecards, and other essentials are easy to get to. Acrylic storage container and flower vase from Walmart. Business card holder is a demitasse saucer I already owned! :) Flowers from local farmer's market! Lovely! 

"Metropolitain" canvas sign from Hobby Lobby. Screensaver is Fliqlo clock and can be downloaded here. 

This fun word cloud art is something I made online at Wordle.net. Paste text from anywhere into their generator and you get easy, printable art for your home. I took text from DipDaDip's website and I must say, just looking at those words is pretty inspiring to me. 

Here I've got shipping supplies and finished product at the ready. Wire basket from TJ Maxx.

The Big Picture!

Larger pieces are from the following retailers:

Desk: World Market  Dining Table: IKEA Lamp: IKEA Chairs: IKEA  Pillows: IKEA
Rug: Target

As always, I'm sure this office will be a "design in progress"...;) Stay tuned for what else I might do to it!!

 - Kelly