Inspiration

The question has been asked (on Calamity Kim's blog), What inspires you to create? I like this question because I have a lot to say about it!

First of all, I create many different kinds of things. I quilt, I paint, I craft, I photograph, I redo furniture... I pretty much do anything that catches my fancy!

As for where my inspiration comes from, it really comes from everywhere and anywhere. I might see a blog with fantastic photography, lovely paintings, or whimsical stories. I might see a pattern in a photograph I took. I love looking through coffee table books; you know, the kind that have glossy pages and interesting pictures, about subjects like traveling, home decorating or the life and works of an artist.
I also find lots of fun projects that I want to try from quilting magazines, like Quilting Arts or Quilts and More. Sometimes, when I look at fabric stores (online or in person), there is a wonderful fabric that jumps out at me and I know I just have to buy it and make something wonderful with it. I like looking at lots of photos to find new and interesting colour combinations. Traveling, or doing something new also inspires me because I am outside my normal routine and I find the creative juices tend to flow more freely during these times.

I really am a visual person and so many of the things I see contain beauty and interesting shapes or patterns. I love nature and organic forms. There are so many ideas that I have inside my head, all fighting to get out! One day, I hope to be able to express them all.

(Photos are of some small quilting projects that I have completed in the last month or so. Top: a cute little quilt with some wonderful fabrics. Middle: a table runner wedding gift made for my friends Ashley and Sean. Bottom: Two file and paper holders that I made for the two fantastic teachers I worked with last year.)

Happy inspiration to you all.

xo Nicole