in search of inspiration

Hello and Happy Tuesday! There is so much to cover in this post. I have been so busy. I can not believe it is March 23 and I have had a constant stream of work since January. Last year it seemed there was much more time to network, focus and dream. This year all that dreaming and networking have paid off-this is good. I keep thinking next month is going to be slow and then the next month comes and it is just as busy as the month before. I just got the show schedule from my rep and it looks like things are going to stay busy til June.

With all this work and designing I have to actually schedule time to research trends and gather inspiration. Without days when I can sketch, read and search for magazine tears there is no designing. My imagination pot dries up and there is nothing left. So, last week I put aside a pile of magazines and started cutting, sorting and taping. Working on new pages for my book of inspiration.

my print & pattern bible

Ironically my friend Josephine just blogged about her method of gathering tears and making notebooks. We have the same process!

After tearing up a bunch of magazines I went out and spent some money buying new ones. And they are great! Below are the three April editions I bought. Funny, I bought "Homes & Gardens" and "House & Garden". They are actually different magazines. Vogue Living Australia-a must buy!

from Vogue Living Australia I have never been a fan of traditional ikat. But, this is another story! The colors are fantastic.

from Homes & Gardens
love the colors and the floralsfrom House & Garden
The photographer is Sabina Rüber. I highly recommend checking out her website. Click here.

Her photos are beautiful. The colors and composition make me think they are paintings.And there is more...I told you I had allot to cover today. I was looking at Fiona Richards blog and saw her post about the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. This is the coolest site for viewing archived images! Tons of inspiration all at your finger tips. Check out the images below.

That is it for now. Enjoy the sites and links. I hope you will find them as inspiring as I have.