Ritual Inspiration....

The favorites log
on my computer is full of the most amazing ideas, by the most amazing women. Some of them are business owners but others design and create for themselves, their family and/or their friends.

All of these women pull back the curtains on their lives for us to peek in. I for one am most grateful for their generosity of spirit, for I walk away from my laptop trusting in my instincts in all areas of my creative nature.

I grew up in nothern New Hampshire high in the White Mountains. Driving anywhere there was always a lengthy experience. Every Thursday evening my mother went grocery shopping and we all went. We would leave as soon as she reached home from work. It was a half hour drive to civilization(of sorts). We would dine at McDonalds, then shop for our groceries at the A&P. If my sister and I were truly lucky we would all walk the length of the plaza to the Globe Department Store, where we could peruse the isle of 45's displaying the latest top 100 songs that we could spend our 50 cents on. By the time we were finished and back in our VW bug for the ride home, the sky would have long since gone dark. This is when the evening got really good for my mother. All roads home were winding and slow, rocking my sister to sleep across from me as I listened to my parents talk in the front. My mother's face turned to and fro looking for homes with their lights on and the shades up. She kept up a steady stream of descriptions to my father about peoples curtains, paint colors used, dining room sets, pictures behind sofas, light fixtures and of course anything antique would send her voice an octave higher. With every year that passed I began to participate a little more in this ritual, pointing things out that my mother would miss.

By the time I grew up & moved away, I had become completely addicted.

Now ........
I live with my family in southern NH where people cover their windows more often in fear for their privacy. I no longer have that same luxury my mother had of peering through their windows for inspiration. In 2011 my husband would be bailing me out of jail if I kept up this practice. Magazines have always been a great source for me, but I was always limited to just a monthly boost of whatever the publisher thought was the latest trends in design.

In blogs I've found a true replacement for my old ritual.

Whenever I find myself stymied and drained of ingenuity I click into my favorites and chose a blog where a creative woman lives that is willing to keep her shades up and lights on so I can see in. This is my attempt to do the same