Street Art

I recently found this website full of street art and I was amazed! I choose a few of my favorites to share and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

I wish I could see this art in real life. I don't know if I could just walk past them without examining every detail. Want to see more check out Street Art Utopia.

What would you do if you saw one of these pieces of art while you were walking down the street?

Be Inspired - An Autumn full of Orange

Word to Inspire

“Orange is the happiest color.”
Frank Sinatra

Idea to Inspire

Be inspired by the color orange. Use only the color orange for one day and enjoy a boost in your creativity.

Photos to Inspire

The color orange is one of my favorite autumn colors. I found a nice collection of orange on Flicker today. I hope you enjoy all the different shades of orange, shapes, and textures.


Orange Ranonkel in Macro by JenvanW


Orange sunset by doug88888


Orange Leaves by Billingham


Pumpkins by John-Morgan

Unplug

The season is starting to get busy and finding down time is a little harder.  Since my daughter went to college I seem to work all the time, even forgetting to take a day off.

When I do turn off my computer and unplug I like to read magazines and watch a little TV.  Lately my husband and I have gotten hooked on Mad Men and anytime I watch TV we watch another episode (really good show, easy to get addicted).

I also like cooking and hanging out with friends, but when I really want to unplug a little light reading and TV is all I need. 

What do you do when you want to unplug?

Motivation Monday

It's that time of year where you are setting goals for yourself to get through the holidays. You may be setting sales goals for your shop, personal goals for your holiday planning, even goals for gift shopping, what ever kind of goal you are setting it's time to get started.

Want to stay motivated and achieve success? Share your goal

Easy ways to share your Goal:

Tell all your family and friends - the more people you tell, the more success you will have.

Announce your goal to a networking group - having people outside of your family and friends circle is even more motivation.

The forums are another great way to put your goal out there - participate in Etsy Holiday Boot Camp and share your goal in the forums.

Write about your goals in a blog posts - that's what I did when I started 100 Days 100 Sales, I put my goal out there and now I am working hard to achieve that goal. My plan is to share my success at the end of my 100 days.

However you choose to share your goal, getting it out their will only motivate you more to achieve success. So tell everyone about your goal and have a great holiday season.

Have you shared your goal?

Streamlining: Everyday solutions to simplify

De-cluttering small spaces

Do you have junk drawer? How often are you trying to find something that should be at your fingertips?

The task of removing clutter can be overwhelming. Starting with a small space can help decrease feeling overwhelmed. Once you have conquered a small space move up to larger spaces. Try the steps below for instant gratification:

Step 1: Choose a space to de-clutter

Step 2: Take a picture and print the image (having a before shot will be a good reminder of what to avoid in the future)

Step 3: Remove EVERYTHING

Step 4: Create 3 piles

• Items to put back
• Items that belong somewhere else (put away or give away right away – don’t start new clutter)
• Items to throw away or recycle (dispose of)

Step 5: Determine the best method of organization, for example:

• Junk drawer – divide drawer into sections with a jewelry tray, cardboard cut to size, silverware tray or purchase draw divider
• Bookshelf – magazine boxes, book ends or storage boxes
• Car trunk – milk create, plastic bins, reusable bags or purchase a trunk organizer

Step 6: Using your new method of organization, replace items and take a picture!

Simplify your life by following the above steps to increase productivity and effeciency.

What ways will simplifying help you?

What Type of Procrastinator are You?

Is procrastination a problem for you?

Their are two types of personality types that are prone to procrastination:

Idealists - want to do everything perfectly or not at all

Enthusiasts - tend to take on too many things at once

I am definitely an enthusiast. I am big on working on several project at once.  I read a couple of books at the same time usually a chapter of each every night. I work on a few projects at the same time and call it multi tasking, but not always getting as much done as I would like.

Knowing this about myself has made me cut back on trying to work on several projects at once. I still need to do more, but it does help for planning my day.

Knowing which personality trait you are will make it easier to recognize whats holding you back from getting things done, and figuring out the steps you need to take to achieving your goals.

Are you a procrastinator? Which personality trait are you?

Be Inspired - A View from Above

Words to Inspire

“Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold. Think truly to the future and make those dreams come true.”

Idea to Inspire

Inspiration comes from unlikely places. Check aerial shots on Flickr and discover new and interesting shapes and combination of shape, interesting textures, and exciting colors. You will be amazed at all their is to see.

Photos to Inspire

Aerial shots have always inspired me, I found some great options to share with you from Flickr.


from JFK to SFO by sgoralnick


Pittsburgh fog aerial by press1


aerial abstraction 5 by ezippe


Aerials 01 by friedpixphoto


Aerial by WSDOT

Artist Inspiration - Pthalo Azul

When I saw Rachel's work I loved the detail and texture of her unique designs.  I was thrilled when she decided to be a guest blogger on Everyday Inspired, and share what inspires her to create her amazing work. 
Thanks Rachel for sharing today!

Circle Floral Pattern Brooch

Pthalo Azul

My name is Rachel Anne Jones, which is why I often go by Raj--which I use as my artist pen name. I graduated with a BFA in Illustration from BYU, and so a majority of my work is in graphic design and illustration, yet I also run my Etsy shop, Pthalo Azul, which sells my designs and illustrations in cute little brooches, prints, and wall hangings.

Victorian Skeleton Key Black Acrylic

My shop, Pthalo Azul (Th-Eh-Low Az-ool), is named after my favorite color to paint with: Pthalocyanine blue (sometimes spelled Thalo or Phthalo depending on the brand) and it is the warmest blue that comes in a bottle--painting with it is like eating chocolate without the calories--it's an incredible color. It's also very strong and intimidating to use, since it can easily overwhelm your painting.

Red Riding Hood Art Nouveau Style Paint

I started my shop to sell the experiments I do on my own time. Most of the materials I use are ones that I wasn't trained in, but I decided to learn because I've always had an interest in how things are made, and actually making them yourself is the best way to find out. So, I decided to name the shop after my favorite blue, an intimidating and risky color with unexpected results. When I started to sell things (which took several months of tweaking my items), I realized how I could serve clients in a different way with a different medium, and it's fueled me to promote my shop professionally.

Brooch Typography Question Mark Etched into birch wood

While laser cuts might not involve paint, it does help me with my paintings. I'm a firm believer that the more that you learn and know about any talent and any skill, the more it will benefit every facet of your life. So I would say that aggressively learning new and old mediums inspires me to create, and I try to keep track of what I learn and create at my blog (thisisnotacraft.blogspot.com) and that also keeps me learning since I have pressure to update the blog.

Brooch pin black acrylic snowflake sillhouette

Artists from the Victorian Era also inspire me, and I don't know if its because of my proximity to San Fransisco (which is heavily Victorian in style) or if its because those artist did things that we have difficulty doing today even with all of our technology, but I find them endlessly inspiring.

Visit Pthalo Azul's Etsy shop and Blog.