It's FRIDAY I'm in LOVE/ Inspire Me Series #3

Follow the Bliss...
I am lucky. Charmed a bit. I was so lucky to be chosen as one of the Kirtsy editors at the beginning of the year (even way back when we were sk-rt editors for a second) I cannot tell you in words how cool these amazing women are!
I know it sounds crazy, but I have grown to love them. Love them.
I asked them to share what inspires them.
They are all so diverse and amazing and talented and interesting.
I can't wait to share. Please check them out! I know it is abit of an overload today- sorry- but I love them all so much!

Gabby of Design Mom fame and one of the four women who run Kirtsy.com says:

1) Tina Fey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Fey). Fo shizzle. Is it just me, or does every girl in America want Tina for their bff? Same goes for Beyoncé (http://www.beyonceonline.com/us). I'm inspired by strong, smart, talented, hardworking women.

2) Textile Designers. When I dream of a future career, it's always in textile design. I love the idea of making something beautiful, like fabric -- that could then be further used to make something beautiful, like throw pillows. The textiles of Lena Corwin (http://www.lenacorwin.com/), Joel Dewberry (http://www.joeldewberry.com/) and Ruby Red Rose (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5429379) make me smile.

3) Christmas! Making presents. Sparkly trees. Time with family. Baked goods. Beautiful displays in all the stores. Holiday parties. Music. Mulling spices. Wrapping paper and ribbon... It's inspiration overload. And the perfect excuse to fill my time doing everything I love.

Joslyn of SimpleLovely says:
1)My Hubby and His Hobbies:
My husband Bryan is the king of hobbies. He’s a woodworker, plays several instruments, is a history buff, loves organic gardening… He inspires me to do what I love in addition to what I get paid to do. In fact he’s better at what he gets paid to do because he’s also so adamant about doing what he loves. Anytime he’s stumped at work, he stops and plays guitar for a few minutes or goes into the garage and turns some wood on his lathe. Because of him, I’m re-embracing hobbies in 2009.
2)Art – Specifically Mondrian’s Composition No. 7 (Façade) 1914:
This is my all time favorite painting. I’ve been making regular pilgrimages to see it at the Kimbell’s permanent collection since I was a teenager and every. single. time. I lay eyes on it, I walk away inspired, awed, touched…Jazz: I love classic jazz…love it beyond words. My favorite recording is Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Like the Mondrian, it totally transports me. I listen to it whenever I’m doing something creative. One of my most important missions in life is to ensure my girlies love jazz as much as I do…I’m working on it. Hard.
3)My Girlies:
And speaking of, my girlies are my greatest inspiration. Watching them experience the world at 5 and 2 is amazing, awe inspiring, and sometimes even frustrating…which is a good thing, as it forces me to slow down and take it all in…to look at things in entirely different ways, which really is the ultimate inspiration, no?













Karey of mackink says:
three things that inspire me. hmmm.
my girlie grae was sitting next to me when i read amy's request.
"easy," she waved her hand dismissively. "lillie, me, and esme."
true, i thought. my space is full of let-me-count-the-ways my girlies three inspire me. but this isn't mackin ink. this is doobleh-vay. more pub than blog. where every post is a pint of strongbow. maybe more like two or three. and every word is dripping with the promise of "last call."
so here are three other things that inspire me...karey m.
1)airports. uncle sugar could sit in the first class lounge for hours. not me. i stroll, always on the lookout for the arrival of a fresh and covetable trend. i love an airport's pageantry; the runway rush and dressing room languor...inspiration lands with each and every flight. it's all just a never-ending sartorialist feast for style junkies like me.
2)paper and the written word. i adore a good story. without exception, it begins with the simplest of materials. even better? when paper somehow loses all traces of simplicity.
and words can be worn.
3)cool women. maybe it's because i'm trying to make three of my own, or maybe it's because i believe there's nothing more powerful than women who want to share the best of ourselves with the world, but i'm insanely inspired by cool women. i'm particularly besotted with the women of kirtsy. big brains, all, with genius spaces and even bigger ideas.
some of my twice-daily addictions? for crisp beauty and hushed elegance, i visit suann of simple song. for boundless generosity and bursts of color, it's always mary ruffle of pretty good {formerly south end blend}. for unabashed flair and unfiltered truth, it's amy. found right here. and for effortless perfection and endless cool, it's joslyn of simple lovely.
i always giggle about my imaginary friends. these four, though? nothing imaginary about 'em.

Mary Swenson of www.itsprettygood.com says:
1)My Love : My husband is my best friend and soul mate. He honestly thinks I can do anything; and, with him by my side, I really believe that I can.
2)The beach : I am happiest when I'm near the ocean. And whether it's a bright, sunny day or (even better!) a dark and stormy one, the beach is a sensory festival: the salty air, the roaring blue ocean, and the soft sand dunes are at once calming and invigorating. I can't imagine living anywhere else.
3)Flickr : Flickr taps into the budding photographer, the decorator, the romantic, the homemaker, and the artist that all live inside of me. If I'm in any sort of a rut, a quick browse through its endless batch of images has me seeing things in a new way in no time. The best thing of all? Flickr has taught me that taking beautiful pictures does not mean perfection, and inspired me to pick up a camera and give it a go. And it's changed the way I look at everything around me.

Kyran of Notes to Self says:
1.2.3.)They are nine, seven and four, and everything that happened to me before they came along was mere prologue. I know that it is possible for people to grow up without ever having children, but I don't think it would have been for me. They bring perspective and purpose to my life. Everything matters more because of them.









Laurie Smithwick of Leap Design and one of the four women who run Kirtsy.com says:

1) My sleeping children.
No matter what kind of day I've had, no matter how tired I am, no matter how much I want to trade my life for another, a visit with my sleeping children restores my faith in the world and my belief in perfection. I could sit for hours and get drunk on all the hope and potential that is just lying there in those two beds. And it just makes me want to be a better person.

2) Vacation. I love the way any getaway -- a quick weekend escape or a 2 week adventure -- enables me to look at my life from afar. I find myself making grand plans for starting over, fixing bad habits, motivating to do those things that were so back burner they fell off the stove. I can do anything with my life when I'm away from it! And I'll start the minute I get back home!

3) Simple beauty. When I see something -- a photo, a painting, something in an etsy store, great writing, etc -- that is perfectly beautiful in a simple and intuitive way, I sit and stare at it for what feels like hours. I don't know if I'm trying to unlock its secrets or if I just want to figure out how to do it myself. Like, if I stared at it long enough, I would suddenly become the kind of person who could create something like that, on my own, without having seen it before. But alas, as soon as I look away, I return to my own self. The one who can only create what *I* create.

Laura Mayes of thequeso.com and one of the four women who run Kirtsy.com says:

1. Good music always inspires my brain to think better, know better, do better, feel better, be better. I'm particularly loving: Belle and Sebastian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwDLpFqyxz8), The Cribs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCNTYi9fHuo), The Dears (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0zRxxBKZ1A), Devotchka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbZM6ZSlvvY), and Divine Comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXP1oLtPyDA) right about now.

2. My son consistently inspires me to be more flexible, patient, creative and open-minded. He's a force of energy, and I learn something from him everyday.

3. New York City always inspires me. Everything about it. The air is simply electric, and it wakes up every cell in my body. I feel like I can breathe deeper every second I'm located there.

Katie of Motherbumper says:
Three things that inspire me? Edie Sedgwick, graffiti, and my ever present cup of coffee. Edie reminds me to stay true to myself in style, graffiti can be a beautiful rebellion, and coffee keeps me going when I've run out of energy.

Tracey Gaughran-Perez of Sweetney says:
Things That Inspire Me:

1. The unbelievably talented writers of MamaPop.com http://www.mamapop.com

2. The supremely inspired awesome of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog http://drhorrible.com/

3. The collective stream-of-consciousness hive-mind-y goodness that is Twitter http://www.twitter.com

Karen of Chookooloonks says:
Three things that inspire me:
1)Really well-written books
2)Watching my daughter's face when she realizes she's just learnt something new
3)The Thames River in London at nighttime!!
A blog that I find myself loving these days: www.urbansketchers.com
I love the thought of all of these artists all over the world collaborating to make a beautiful site, and giving us all a glimpse into their worlds.

Emily of Chere-amie says:

1. Dance Company: Ballet X

http://www.balletx.org/

2. Blog: Suffix.Abuse

http://www.suffixabuse.com/

3. Nonprofit: Project H.O.M.E.

http://www.projecthome.org/

Gwen Bell the social media maven and one of the four women who run Kirtsy.com says:
3 things that inspire me:
1. sunsets in mexico
2. spending time w/the kirtsy chicks
3. red shoes

Amie of mammaloves says:
My three things:

1)Watching my boys do what they love
2)Catching the little moments
3)The beach

Robyn says:
3 things that inspire me:

1)our inner strength
2)faith, and all that is good in us
3)our earth

Heather of OMSH says:
There are three things that inspire me - all others are inconsequential by comparison. First, my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. This has been with me from as far back as I can remember and though I did question some of my beliefs here and there - and had to 'find' Him again in my own way, I have always known - the Lord as my inspiration. With Him, all things are possible. Without Him, even if something is possible, it isn't worth it. He is a light in the darkness. He IS inspiration at its very foundation. Next, is my husband, Jeff. There was a time, early on, when I wasn't sure we'd make it. My own selfishness nearly led me away, but Jeff - he isn't selfish; he is a servant. He loves me completely and inspires me daily with the simple ways he shows me his unconditional love. His love inspires me to be the wife he wants and needs. Finally, my children. It was amazing when I had my first child. I looked for me in her. I looked for Jeff in her. We watched in awe as she became her own person, even as she was such a huge part of us. Then, the second child - and the third. To sit and watch them is a daily inspiration. To sit and watch them with Jeff - gathering up that joy in our hearts - the joy from OUR children, is bliss. With those three things alone my life is complete. I'm blessed to have so many other inspirations - my parents, the beauty of morning light shining in the window, illustrations in children's books, a truly good pen, memories of a blessed childhood...the list goes on. But those three - they are enough inspiration for a lifetime
Kelby of Typeamom says:
--my family
--other moms and the kickass things they accomplish
--new experiences (travel) and new tastes (food)

Angela of mommybytes, Sarah of lemon pie, Stephanie, Monica, Suann, Lisa, Kate, & Betsy You all inspire us too! xoxoox

I hope you visit their blogs and sites and find loads of inspiration!
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