5 Places I Find Inspiration
Inspiration can come upon me at any time, from almost anything. I can be walking somewhere, and immediately find something that inspires me to create a whole kit. Today, I wanted to share a few places where I usually find inspiration.
- Target – Their holiday site/decor is truly unparalleled. I am amazed at how well they carry out a theme through everything – the store, the flyers, the website. I am always looking to see what they will have next.
- Knock Knock – These notepads and other goodies are absolutely hysterical. I love their slightly retro feel, and love how easy they make getting some things down in writing! Some of their products are a little on the colorful side, but for the most part, these people know how to make fun stuff!
- Children’s Books – As you can imagine, with a reading teacher wife and two young girls, there are plenty of fun kids books around the joint. I like to look at them and find inspiration for children kits, or even just from the colors sometimes.
- Mrs. Lilien Styling House blog – Now these are some high class, pulled together, inspiration boards. I have never seen more beautiful, fantastic, over the top things than I have on this blog, and yet they all make sense and work in perfect harmony. Great place to find inspiration for colors, theme, or general “feel” of a new kit.
- iTunes – Music Music Music!! I cannot tell you how many times a song has influenced what I was working on. Many times, it’s just by chance, depending on what is on the playlist I am listening too, but music plays an important part in my process everytime.
Where are you finding inspiration these days?
Read More
My Top 10 Guilty Pleasures
Everyone has them right? The things that you are sometimes embarrassed to say you love…that you almost wish no one knew about you. I thought it’d be fun today to share with you the Top 10 Guilty Pleasures I have right now.
- Real Housewives of ANYWHERE – come on, it doesn’t get much crazier than this…I would be hardpressed to pick a favorite “locale” but I’ll tell ya, these ladies from ATL right now are bringing the crazy.
- Peppermint White Mocha from Starbucks – Hello dear, I’ve missed you the last 11 months.
- Online Shopping – Great deals AND I don’t have to go to the mall…Christmas shopping just got way easier to finish.
- Disney – I am a self procclaimed Disney freak, and I have been following all of their changes and updates in preparation for our trip in June.
- Holly Holiday – quite possibly the best substitute teacher ever. Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee was AWESOME.
- Harry Potter – I’ve been a Potter-head since the first book arrived, so the fact that the last movie is finally here is bittersweet. I’ve spent the last few weeks catching up and getting ready. Now I just have to find my “I’m a Neville” tshirt from when the last book was released.
- Raise Your Glass by Pink – another awesome catchy song by Pink, this time celebrating the “underdogs” in life.
- Merona Sweaters from Target – I can’t lie…I have about six of these sweaters now. They are my favorite by far. Good quality and lightweight enough to wear in school (which is hotter than the tropics most days), these sweaters are making my fall/winter wardrobe.
- Skating with the Stars - basically, I love anything “with the Stars.” You could do Cow Milking with the Stars and I would watch and love it.
- Christmas – I love this time of year. So many people get bogged down in it, but it’s truly one of my favorite times of year.
What are your guilty pleasures right now?
Read More
Thankful…
Read More
What I Do When I’m Frustrated
- Take a step back – it seems so simple, but really I find this to be the most effective technique. Sometimes it means stopping where I am and moving on to something else, and sometimes it means that I physically have to walk away. Stepping back gives me time to recollect my thoughts and breathe again.
- Do something different – I use this one a lot in my classroom. Often, when my students are having trouble grasping a concept or are just generally driving me bonkers, I try to change gears completely. It helps them to refocus, and it helps me to get a fresh start on something new.
- Accept it, and make a plan – This tip, seemingly the most simple, is often the most difficult to deal with. Being able to say, “I’m frustrated right now” and accepting that you are is hard. The thing is, frustration is an emotion, and we have control over our emotions. We can say, “I’m not going to feel like this.” What I usually say to myself is, “I’m frustrated right now. What can I do to change that?” By acknowledging the emotion, I am keeping it from taking over me, and I am able to start to make a plan.
Read More
Creating and Printing Holiday Cards
It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are once again right around the corner. Last week, I went to Target mere days after Halloween and found it fully decked out for Christmas. I’ll admit, this doesn’t make me sad. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I truly LOVE the holiday season. What really freaks me out about the holiday season, however, is getting everything done! This year I’ve vowed to be better about getting everything done in a timely manner. That’s why today, on November 10th, I’m bringing you a post about creating and printing holiday cards.
For the past few years, I’ve created and printed Christmas cards to share with my family and friends. I find it to be a fun and personal way to say “Happy Holidays” and document your family at the same time. It’s not always easy though. Creating a card, finding a place to print it, pleasing your mother who doesn’t like the card because “it’s of the girls’ backs” (true story…lesson: don’t use an artistic photo to create a profound card) and then having to get the cards out on time, all make the idea of Christmas cards so daunting.
Luckily, there are TONS of resources out there for creating and printing Christmas cards. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you today.
Many digi scrap designers are now creating pre-made Christmas cards that you just pop your pictures into, much like a quick page. Take a look at a few of my favorites right now.
Of course, you can always use your favorite digi kit and design your own card too. Also, many printing sites offer pre-made cards for you to put your pictures in as well.
There are a few different places that I like for printing cards.
VistaPrint – I’ve used VistaPrint a few times, and I was happy with the quality and the price. They offer cards in various sizes, and have an array of pre-designed cards if you wanted to use one of them. They also have an option for printing a card you designed or created using a product like those above. For a set of 10 4×8 photo cards, it’s $7.99 (and on sale for $3.99 as I am writing this).
Shutterfly – I’ve also used Shutterfly and been pleased with their products. They also have an array of pre-designed cards, many of which are very attractive and fun. From what I found, Shutterfly does not currently offer an option for printing your own cards (I may be wrong, but it’s not easily found if there is one). Their cards are priced separately, and start at $0.40.
Persnickety Prints – This year, I am planning on using Persnickety Prints. I’ve documented here on the blog many times how pleased I am with the quality and customer service I’ve received from Persnickety Prints. Like the other sites, they have a variety of pre-designed cards to choose from, they offer an option for printing your own card, and have a variety of sizes. Their cards are available in sets of 25. A set of 25 Flat Photo Cards starts at $14.99.
There are tons of great options out there to pick from. I hope that you find the options that fit best for you, and helps you get your cards printed and enjoy the holiday season!!
Read More
Find Us Online
