Thursday 13: Thirteen recent inspirations

ome weeks you (and by you, I mean, me) just need a little inspiration... a little bright spark to cheer in the midst of winter blues (fog) and rejuvenate the creative juices...

And, you'll notice, my little bright sparks have a great deal to do with color. I'm not complaining about the mild-ish January we've had, but I am ready for some SERIOUS color.

Here are 13 things I've found inspiring, lately...

1. Flowers by Bornay
Love these arrangements. So sunny and beautiful!

2. Stairs!
Continuing with the yellow theme... wouldn't these just be a pick-me-up to climb?

3. Crazy fun wedding cakes
This dotty one is rather tame compared to some others at this link. I could *totally* get into having this rainbow-ish cake at a party...

4. Pretty Valentine illustrations

5. A worthwhile motto via heavenishere

 
6. More ah-love-heart pictures...
These are but a couple of examples of hearts in nature... do go check the others out.

7. Colorful cookies!
These I'm posting especially for my Pantone-loving mother! Aren't these just adorable?

8. A clever way of getting kids to do chores. Quite clever... I think my son would have a heart attack to see a glass jar of chores just for him! This must be best for kids with siblings, right?

9. A colorful collage of photos that makes me smile!
I especially want to crochet something super-colorful this year. Of all my crafty things that have been put away for a few months, it's the crochet I've missed the most. 

10. A post with some very colorful and flavorful sounding exotic foodstuffs!

11. Same blog, but a different post with some pretty pretties for a tropical vacation. Obviously I'm not the only one looking for sun and the ocean...

12. And how about these shoes?

13. Lastly, because words bring inspiration so frequently to me:

I found the image above a while ago, with no attribution as to who wrote it, where it came from. So I did a little research, found the whole poem, and think it's a sweet one.

You are the trip I did not take;
You are the pearls I could not buy;
You are my blue Italian lake;
You are my piece of foreign sky.

You are my Honolulu moon;
You are the book I did not write;
You are my heart's unuttered tune;
You are a candle in my night.

You are the flower beneath the snow,
In my dark sky a bit of blue,
Answering Disappointment's blow
With "I am happy! I have you!"
-Anne Campbell

I hope you have a lovely Thursday and have been at least a little bit inspired by some of the pretties that inspire me! Now, off to create a little something of my own...

Here are the other Thursday 13 participants. Check them out!