Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 1:58PM Yesterday, on Facebook, the Barnes and Noble page asked, "Can you tell your life story in five books (from kids books to current reading)?"
I thought this question was fascinating. Here, without too much thinking about it, is my five (I can't think about it too much because I'll revise the list a zillion times):
Can you pick just five?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 9:57AM I love to find inspiration in the world around me, especially during the fall (everything about autumn inspires me), but sometimes I turn to the online world for inspiration.
So for today, Seven Sites That Inspire Me These Days:
1. Etsy - Every time I go on there, I find myself wanting to put more effort into my personal style and better personalize my home.
2. The Pioneer Woman - Duh, I know. But she really does inspire me to be more adventurous and more confident in the kitchen - two things I have not been for most of my life. I also find it inspirational that she manages her personal brand (even though I hate that phrase) while also homeschooling her children and helping run the ranch. Huge props to anyone who gets up at 4 or 5am on a regular basis (I can barely scrape my butt outta bed at 7).
3. Girl's Gone Child - I have adored Rebecca Woolf since I first stumbled upon her site (even claiming once that she's my Oprah). There's just so much to love about her site, though. She posts awesome healthy recipes (most as guest posts by her mother), writes beautifully about her children, captures marriage really truthfully, and tackles style in a way I haven't seen anyone else do. (And want to see a husband who's an incredibly good sport? Check out her Halloween post.)
4. Snappy and Savvy - Girl's Gone Child linked to this site as her first style blog of the week. I clicked over and my jaw fell. Awesome clothes! On a plus-sized gal? On a budget?? She wears so many things I would be nervous to try and she combines colors and patterns in a way that would make me feel silly, but actually look amazing. And, again, this is all on a budget (lots of thrifting). I need to start looking for thrift shops in my area and conquer my nerves about statement-making clothing. (I'm just not sure I could commit to her love for heels. I really just can't stand them, but would be willing to try to find comfortable ones.)
5. Chookooloonks - Karen Walrond is amazingly inspirational. She strives to live life positively, to put positive energy out into the world, and to appreciate the beauty that is everywhere. She has a second site connected to her book that just came out, The Beauty of Different, where she talks about just that - the beauty in difference. (And, right now, she's running a giveaway of her book and its accompanying press kit, which is amazing. I highly suggest you check it out.)
Even if I don't win the giveaway, I will be buying her book once I have a few extra cents to my name. Her book (again), The Beauty of Different, is available from Bright Sky Press and Amazon. (And how could you not love the book's subtitle: Observations of a Confident Misfit. LOVE IT.)
(Side note: I saw Karen at BlogHer but was too intimidated to go say hi. She is stunningly gorgeous and statuesque and was signing postcards - or was it people? - at the art party and was just simply a vision.)
6. Anthropologie - So totally not budget or plus-size friendly, but I love their styling. I have one item of clothing from them, a dress I wore to my undergrad graduation. I'm not sure it'll ever fit again but I will never throw it out just in case.
7. We Heart It - You may have notice a lot of the images I use on here come from this site. I absolutely love it. I just type in a keyword and a whole slew of varied images come up.
Where do you find inspiration?
