Putting a room together: day 1 {find inspiration}

25 April 2011


Putting a whole space together can seem very daunting: where on earth do you begin? The first step for me is to

find inspiration.
If you have some vision in mind of what you want your space to end up like, it gives you somewhere to begin.
This is my inspiration notebook I gather treasures from paper sources like magazines or catalogs. It is like a treasure box to me and when I find myself in a funk or not feeling very inspired, chances are a good 15 minutes with this can snap me right back out.
april 2011 039 1
 
You can subscribe to magazines, buy them at the Goodwill for 10 cents each, ask the receptionist if you can cut a page out at the drs office (or if they’ll make a copy for you) or ask for neighbors when they are finished.
Also, subscribe to Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs catalogs…they’re free and give some great ideas!
april 2011 041 1
I have different rooms/spaces divided with tabs
april 2011 043 1
some favorite paint colors are in the back in plastic pages
april 2011 055 1
or taped directly to pages with little notes to remind april 2011 054 1
   This way, I can tear a few little gems out of a magazine and then toss it to recycling without keeping stacks and stacks. I hole punch it, or cut it out and tape it to the page.
april 2011 048 1It seems to be that I go for 3-4 magazines without tearing out anything, and then all of a sudden it seems like I am tearing out every page of a single issue. This one is the one magazine I have entirely intact I love it so much. 
And of course, there is TONS of free online inspiration! If I see a picture online that I love, I just right click it and save as into a folder on my desktop I have labeled home ideas, or star it in my reader to be featured on an upcoming caught my eye. Some fabulous resources:
Blogs (start with a few favorite blogs, visit their blogrolls, and you will find more inspiration than you know what to do with!)
Houzz.com ~ tons of idea books and rooms
I’ve heard lots of talk about Pinterest!
I love this site.

I’m excited for this series..remember you can link up a favorite space you’ve created on Friday to give others inspiration!
Where is your favorite place to find inspiration?
signature

8 comments

  1. Pinterest is awesome! I too have a book with pages from magazines in it. I have folders in my hard drive and just started using Pinterest. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a great idea. We've been remodeling our home for the past two years and I'm so tired of choosing paint colors, light fixtures, etc... I think maybe a notebook would keep me on track!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Genius!!! I love this idea, and I think it's time to pull all my ripped out magazine pages out of the file and put them into a binder! Well that along with all my paint chips. Love this series all ready!

    Rachel :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. i have a 3 ring binder just like this, crack me up! i'm gonna add a cool pocket with a tape and a sharpie to mine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kristin at No Ordinary Cole1/16/14, 10:29 PM

    I have a notebook similar to this but have found that blogs like yours can provide some of the best inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I look for mine in the same places you do. Magazines are wonderful, and so are blogs!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Melissa,

    I've been visiting your blog for over a year now and am finally writing a comment! Just had to let you know that YOU are my inspiration for new ideas and decorating. Thank you for sharing all your creativity with us!

    Heather

    ReplyDelete
  8. melissa*320 sycamore1/16/14, 11:06 PM

    I have brought a stack many times on long car rides and do the same thing! I
    had files, but they were just jumbled. The notebook has been much better and
    I actually love to add things to my little treasure book :) It's a sad fact
    that most of my magazine time is a few minutes in the bathroom (MOM! what
    are you doing in there??) and I just rip out the things that catch my eye
    and put them on top of my inspiration folder to be added later.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave me a note!