Monday Inspiration Celebration: My world

In an average week, I do not really travel that far from my home. Well, I do commute into the city for work, but generally I hightail it right back home when I am finished. I have Fridays off and it is not uncommon for me to stay put all day puttering in the house until it is time to pick Cowgirl up from school. When she was quite little she once asked me "Can we not have such a busy day today?" So days off for both of us are often spent quietly engaged in favorite pursuits like painting, coloring, playing board games and exploring outdoors.

polaroid shot using The Impossible Project's PX 100 Silver Shade film

Sometimes my narrow perspective can feel a little stale or dull. I wonder how many shots of Cowgirl on her bike I can possibly take or whether my many flower, shrub, or tree shots of the neighborhood are really that different and noteworthy. Yet what I love about where I live is the rich variety and nuance that can be discovered when one takes the time to look really deeply and at length at a subject. So what has been inspiring me this past week is the world that is just blocks away from my golf course neighborhood: the farm land and the skies and the open spaces that still exist in this part of the country.

each of these locations is less than a mile from my house! in all three i played with textures by Kim Klassen

And now for some random inspiration:

bags inspired by project in The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole

A new tote bag made over the weekend (a gift for a friend's daughter) - I figured out how to do zigzag stitch on the sewing machine! (It required parts and setting changed - very nerve wracking!)






Cowgirl's art always inspires me! This is her and I with our friends celebrating under a rainbow.






Is there anything better than receiving some mail art? This is a postcard from one of the participants in 21 Secrets. I am organizing a mail art swap for my class - there is still plenty of time to sign up for the course. I am learning so much from the various presenters: traditional Chinese paper cutting; typography for art journaling; a cool technique utilizing tissue paper and clip art for layered journal pages and so much more.

So share links to your inspirations and/or creations. I am finding myself looking forward to Mondays just to see what everyone is up to!