How do you capture YOUR inspirations?

I use sketchbooks and notebooks myself.  I always have lots of both handy and ready to add anything to them.  Some are handmade, some are store bought, etc.  I have been doing it since 2001, as a way to have everything all in one place.  I made a video HERE of some of my sketchbook & notebooks back in February 2011.  I really should do another one as I have more now…..LOL!

My friend, Mark Lipinski, featured one of my sketcbooks/journals  in his January/February 2009 issue of Quilter’s Home magazine.

I always have one beside the computer, one on my night table, several around my studio because you just never know when INSPIRATION will hit me!  I have to be honest – I get my BESTEST ideas in my sleep/dreams.  I am unable to just sit still when on the phone (rather be off), so I am always doodling or in some cases, flipping through a magazine or catalogue.

I have been known to dedicate one sketchbook/journal to one subject.

An internet friend, Dede (known as Inkwell on Ustream) is challenging followers to make what looks like a FUN Idea Collector Project all year in 2012.

Another internet friend, Felicia, made an AWESOME book for her ideas & inspirations – you can see her VIDEO HERE.

I’d LOVE to hear how YOU collect your inspirations and ideas.  Comment below so others may enjoy them as well – THANKS!

In order to access your creativity, you must validate and capture your inspirations.  These inspirations are precious seedlings awaiting nurturance……Gail McMeekin

THANK YOU for reading!

I wanted to use up a piece of my soy wax batik fabrics, (a workshop I will teach) that I did earlier this year.  I decided to make myself a sketchbook of sorts with watercolour paper inside and some regular cardstock tip-ins.  I also wanted to warm up on my quilting.

Don’t mind the ribbon in the centre, I have to look for something else next time I go to the city….its what I had on hand and will do for now.

My favourite season is almost upon us and this fabric made me feel like Autumn, so I went with multi-coloured leaves – first quilted and then painted with the Lumiere paints.

There are lines of quilting back and forth between the leaves.  I used a yellow variegated thread, so it doesn’t show up too well.  The leaves were quilted with a rust variegated thread.

I found an old button in my stash that has a leaf on it, so will sew that on.

This photo above is the true colours of the sketchbook, the ones below are not – don’t know why.  Its been pretty cloudy lately (and alot of rain) so barely any natural light.

All photos are clickable for a larger view.

So, my challenge to YOU is to go pull out some fabric, make up a sandwich and play with some free motion quilting designs.  Can be anything….try something new!

ENJOY!

THANK YOU for reading!

Today is a full day of Olympics – sports I don’t want to miss so have been purging through papers and magazines that have been piling up.  I got alot of decorating magazines from Mom as she purged and from the local library magazines like Real Simple, House & Home that they purge after a few years.

I go through the magazines and tear out anything the strikes me…..

Here is a wallpaper page – that I can use as inspiration for a quilting or a stencil design.  The eagle – I want to get better at drawing them and it would be great for a quilting design as well.

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Here are some more items I cut and/or tore out.

The eye – I want to practise drawing a better eye.

Architectural elements that spoke to me….for quilting or stencil designs….even that light fixture has a neat design on the globe.

And, of course a tree….

So 15 magazines, I have the pile down to about an inch or even less high pile of tear sheets.  Full pages go into sheet protectors (note to self, buy another box at Staples soon) and the cut pieces I’ll glue into my sketchbooks where I’ll make a couple notes beside them.

Sometimes I tear out a page just for the colour combinations, but this time none popped out at me.

THANK YOU for reading!