Things that inspire me right now...*pics*

Well I haven't written in awhile, haven't had too much to say lately I guess...it's winter, what more is there? Just waiting for the sunshine to come out, and for it to get warm so that I can sit outside and eat, jog after work, go for drives on the weekend and take lots of pictures. Not much longer now...

Lately I've also been checking out a lot of different websites, blogs, and random stuff that has been inspiring me artistically. I'm not claiming to be an artist by any means; in fact, seeing all these different people and their talents has made me realize that I have a long way to go before I can officially call myself one, but I also feel like I have it all inside me, I just need to find a way to get it out. It's been brewing, and soon it will come out. Be an artsy chick, that's my new mantra.

Anyway, I've been inspired by many, many things lately, and I hope that I can be creative everyday with these things in mind.

1. Etsy: If you haven't heard of Etsy, go to http://www.etsy.com/ immediately. It's my new obsession. It's basically the same idea as Ebay, but everything on the site is handmade, so it's all these cool, quirky, eclectic pieces, and they have so many different things. I check it multiple times a day, and last week I bought my first item online (!), a chipboard album for scrapbooking. They also have super cute little goodies like these that I can't wait to eventually buy:


























And not to mention some super neat clothing, like this awesome little caplet thing that I think it totally quirky and cute:












Anyway, seeing all these creative people make so many different items just makes me want to try it out myself...my dream would be to have my own little Etsy shop, selling scrapbook kits or something like that...it might be something I will try in the near future.

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Speaking of which...
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2. Kits: I LOVE scrapbook kits. Basically all they are are monthly kits full of different scrapbooking supplies like paper, embellishments, ribbons, etc. The cool part is that it's usually stuff that you can't get around here (the funkier stuff that I'm looking for especially) and you get a lot for your money (usually around 30$) It arrives in the mail and you have everything you need to make a bunch of matching, awesome pages. I've been searching for the perfect kit for a few months now, and it's so hard to choose! Just seeing these kits makes me want to scrap all day, everyday. Here are a few I'm thinking about, not sure which one I'll get (since they are kinda pricey I've been trying to hold off, but it's so hard, I won't be able to much longer!)













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3. Camera: I've decided that with my taxes this year I am going to get myself a really nice camera. I've wanted one for so long and this will tie in perfectly with my scrapbooking, since I can't really scrap without some great photos. I LOVE taking pictures, and although I still need lots of practise, I never felt like I could take a class or anything since I didn't have a proper camera. Well, now I can because I've found it:

The Canon Rebel Xti. I'm not a camera expert but I checked around and this one seems to fit what I'm looking for (a mid-range digital SLR, that's easy to use but still has a good learning curve, with lots of options for photo styles, etc) I hope to have this new withing a month or two, and once I do, get ready to see lots and LOTS of pics!

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4. Blogs: I'm not quite sure how I came about finding these, but I've stumbled across some incredibly talented girls and their blogs...they are everything I wish I could be: fun, free, stylish, creative and especially artsy. They all scrapbook, but many of them do different things as well, and you can tell that they just love their art. My favourite lately has been Kristina Contes. She's quite famous in the scrapbooking world, and when you see her stuff, you can see why. Her mini books (another new obsession of mine), studio and inspiration galleries are just pure eye candy. I told Dan today that when we move I want to have a little scrapbooking space of my own, and I hope to incorporate some of her ideas into my life. Anyhoo, here are some pics from her blog:

http://kristinacontes.typepad.com/












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5. Sleeping Beauty: I watched this movie this morning and I love it every time I see it. It's my favourite Disney movie, not because of the story or music (even though they are awesome as well), but because of the visual distinction it has. It's a stylized, gothic kind of art, and that's right up my alley (more on my preference for dark, gothicky stuff later). I love how everything is square, neat, organized, yet still full and lush. The scenes in the woods are my favourite.

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6. Edward Gorey: Heather sent me a link once to a children's book called The Gashlycrumb Tinies. It's an ABC learning book, with rhyming couplets for each letter, but it's totally dark, twisted and awesome. I love the drawings in it as well. Here you can check it out:

http://comunidad.ciudad.com.ar/argentina/capital_federal/visualmix/vonzai/gorey.html













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Well that's all for now. As soon as I get my mini book later this week, I'll post it when I'm done. I also hope to start posting some more about my creative journey (cliched, I know), but I think that it will help me stay accountable, so...well, there you have it. Night all.