In Search of Inspiration

Like many of you, I'm constantly searching for inspiration. Sometimes it's artistic inspiration I seek; sometimes I am just looking for something to inspire me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Without further ado, here are a couple of my favorite places on the web to find inspiration:

My favorite Flickr photo stream belongs to Daily Poetics. She features all manner of beautiful graphic design and typography with a lean toward vintage stuff. Here are a few of my favorites:

Business card designed by Eric Kass

And also Keri Smith...

For a different kind of inspiration (the 'putting one foot in front of the other' kind), visit Keri Smith's web site. Keri is "an author/illustrator turned guerilla artist." I especially love her 100 Ideas and How to Feel Miserable as an Artist. Of the 10 ways she lists, I am guilty of at least four of them.

Sharon

Cigar Box Kits - sometimes it's ok to think inside the box

Here are some Cigar Box Kits Ann and I are working on. These contain everything you need to make your own journal, album or scrap book. A typical kit includes bits of vintage ephemera, old buttons, postage stamps, ribbon, twine, old-fashioned picture corners, tags, labels, mini envelopes, fancy fasteners and more, all housed in a beautiful cigar box. Kit also includes two book boards, pre-cut, pre-drilled and covered in vintage paper along with two antiqued binder rings.

I love the bit of ephemera that says "Nerves Ruin Pep and Sleep." Ain't that the truth!

Here is another one:

The book boards are covered in some gorgeous old handwritten ledger paper from the turn-of-the-century. I love this ledger paper and have been using it in lots of our handmade paper goods.

The endpapers on inside book boards in this kit are pretty.

This is what they look like all packaged up. If you are interested in Cigar Box Kits, email us at inquire@secretleaves.com.

Sharon