So I am always looking around me for inspiration.  It’s what I do, I love to hoard ideas and make plans.  Sometimes I need help in the getting it done, partly because of so many ideas and plans I do make.  But when I do finally move into action I know with out a doubt it is what I want and I am usually pleased with the results.  So this post I am going to share with you some of my favorite places to look for inspiration, and my resolution to finish the unfinished.

       First place I look for is of course Pinterest, but ideas can get over used there so if you are unsure what you are specifically looking for I feel it can be over whelming at times and I have wasted many hours on Pinterest.  Another place that is full of great ideas is etsy.  Even if you don’t plan on buying or making sometime to sell, it is fun to see what other people are actually making.  It inspires me to make something myself and put my own twist on it.  Magazines, they are always fun to flip through or look at on your tablet, because the magazine has put the best of the best in and you don’t have to sift through a lot of ok ideas to find that one great one. My favorite magazine is Country Living, and Better homes and gardens because they have a great variety of ideas for all kinds of projects.  If you don’t subscribe to them you can look at their websites or your local library.  Which brings me to my next big inspiration go to.

 The Library!  I love checking out loads of books on quilts, and home renovation, gardening, sewing, cooking, canning, photography, and crafting you name it your library probably has it.  And if your library is like ours if they don’t have it, your library can get it from another that does.  I love our library we go there once a week and I always have stacks and stacks of books around the house. 

Get out and about.  So much inspiration is around us we just have to open our eyes and see it!  Our family went on vacation recently to Texas and we loved it.  It has inspired me to make a quilt this year with some southwest designs and colors.  I’m obsessed now.  Or going to an antique mall or flea market.  My favorite is in the fall is going to craft fairs.  Craft fairs are like pinterest and etsy in person.  I get to touch and feel all the cool items and designs.  And if you don’t know where a craft fair or flea market is near you, just go to a store!  Sometimes store displays are all we need for inspiration. What ever you love to do, go and do it and you will feel inspiried to create something you love.

Recently I discovered those adult coloring books with all those super cool detailed designs you can color.  Coloring in those really help me feel inspired and feel like I am doing something more than just reading or looking at a tablet for inspiration.  I am actually playing with designs and colors.  Which in turn gives me inspiration for my next projects, I am able to see what color schemes I like and how they work together and all I had to do was pull out the markers.  And not to mention it is a fun activity to do, my kids love it too.

            So many ways to get inspired. But with that being said sometimes it is hard to find the motivation to act on inspiration.  I am a busy mom of 4 and I don’t have a lot of time for what I want to do.  So when I do start a project I try to keep it simple.  I try to have a clean work space because it is hard to feel creative in chaos, the rest of the house might be a different story though.  Have a area set a side for your workspace,  even if it’s a table in the corner.  It’s not motivating to do a project when you have to allot time for set up and clean up at the dinner table.  Also it is easier to keep the kids out of my stuff if I have my own work area and I’m not fighting for space at the family table with them. 

Finish projects!  I am more saying this for my benefit.  I get an idea, I start my project, then half way through I get distracted by other things to do, or find another awesome project to start, and before I know it I have 10 unfinished projects  Pretty soon I am not feeling very productive and I feel very overwhelmed by projects. 

So my #1 New Years resolution this year is to finish the unfinished.  So January and quite possibly Feb 2017 will be devoted to finishing all my unfinished projects.  My goal is to pick one for two a week, depending on the size and scope of the project.  And go from there.  My other resolution is to NOT beat myself up about not getting everything done when I want to get it done.  I am super hard on myself when it comes to accomplishing my goals.  I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes.  'Goals are stars to steer by not sticks to beat yourself with.' I heard this a long time ago, so I’m not sure who came up with it, but they are words of wisdom.
So with all that being said my next post will be all about a project I have finished!  Until then happy crafting.

This November I was able to visit the Mecca of all quilting stores , at least in the Midwest. The Missouri Star Quilt Company is based out of Hamilton, Missouri.  I didn't realize how close I was to this luscious quilt store until recently.  So I planned a day trip and I couldn't have been more thrilled.  I discovered MSQ through the many youtube video tutorials they do, in fact they have an app you can now download with all their tutorials right at your fingertips ( it's awesome). Now I love quilts and fabrics and designs of all sorts and my next favorite things are all things rustic and old anything that tells a story.  Old historic buildings (especially old barns) are my favorite!!! So upon my discovery of MSQ I was even more delighted see that they have revamped most of the older buildings in 'downtown' Hamilton, MO.  I love it when something old is brought back to life.  And not only do you get to experience one shop,  you get to experience 12!!!! Yup they all have a different theme of fabric.  You have the main store but then it branches out from there to florals, vintage, kids, holiday, solids, etc!!! They even have a man cave just for those husbands that's get dragged along but don't want to shop for fabric till they drop.  This is seriously and awesome store.   You also earn MSQ points while you shop and each little store.  So many points will translate back to cash in your pocket!   They also have super cute little charms you can earn at each store depending on what you spend.  Fabric, jewelry, rewards?! What didn't they think of?  I felt like all my dreams of owning a store one day had been pulled from my head and was what I was seeing right before my eyes.  So fun and if you are ever close to Hamilton, MO it is so worth the stop.  Can't make it in ?  They have an awesome online store too and catalog!! It's pretty awesome and the coolest thing about it all is it all started with one quilting machine, and a woman who loved to get together with friends and do crafts and sew.  My kind of story😀.  So check out the Missouri Star Quilt Company you won't be disappointed.