Inspiration Wall

Ever since Christmas my nesting has hit hyperdrive. I’ve had a million and one projects lined up patiently waiting for me to finish up construction and painting and Christmas, and I was trying to race through and finish them before the Rookie arrived to demand all of my attention. Of course, he kind of thwarted my plans in about five different ways, but I’m still doing my best to make dents in my plans here and there.

Last summer I was at Urban Outfitters and came across a collection of 10 matching frames in a variety of sizes, just perfect for doing a great grouping (what do you know, they still carry them!). I snapped them up and immediately had plans to fill a wall with them. I imagined filling them with great fabrics or scrapbook papers, something really colorful and graphic. Then I proceeded to set them in a corner of my studio and ignore them for six months. That turned out to be a happy accident, because over those six months I completely changed plans and came up with something I am just wild about.

I decided to use them on a wall in my studio, which made me think of using them as an inspiration wall. I love reading craft blogs and seeing magazine clippings and paint swatches and fabric samples all over the walls as one big gorgeous creative mess, but I’ve never really been successful in using one. Mainly because I don’t seem to have enough hard copies of what inspires me. I usually just use my bookmarks folder as my inspiration wall. But thinking on the topic of inspiration walls got me thinking about a different form of inspiration, so I began collecting quotes that really moved me in a creative direction.

Once I selected all my quotes, I braved my limited Photoshop skills and made jpegs of the quotes all decorated up, then had them printed as photos at Costco.

I cut pieces of paper to the sizes of the frames, and taped them up on the wall until I found the magic grouping that made me happy.

I just love it. Instead of sewing when I’m sitting at my desk, I find myself staring at it. And every quote is so meaningful to me, it totally kicks my butt in all the best ways.

Here you go. My gift to you. Feel free to download for personal use, but please credit me if you use them online. I hope you find them inspirational.

I am not afraid. I was born to do this. – Joan of Arc.

Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality. – Dalai Lama

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. – Steve Prefontaine

I am not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down. – Henry B. Eyring

One hour devoted to the pursuit of beauty and love is worth a full century of glory. – Kahil Gibran

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. – Scott Adams

If you want to move the world, you first have to move yourself. – Deiter F. Uchtdorf

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. – Marianne Williamson

We don’t have an eternity to realize our dreams, only the time we are here. – Susan Taylor

I believe that what we want to write wants to be written. I believe as I have an impulse to create, the something I want to create has an impulse to want to be born. – Julia Cameron