Bored? Try an inspiration board!

Inspiration can come from anywhere. That's why I think it's so important to have a convenient place to store it... A blog can do that, but sometimes there's nothing like a good old fashioned cork board.

Here are a few of my favorite images of inspiration boards.

Here's a variation where you forgo the board all together. Clusters of inspiring images work wonders as well.

Polly Wreford interiors photography found on Decorpad.

Who says you can only pin up paper?

Image from Diva of Linea Carta's Sneak Peek on Design Sponge. All photos of her beautiful home.

A favorite fabric within an oversize gilt frame now anchors a small desk and holds photos and art.

Found on Elements of Style, originally from Lonny.

I've created a few of my own.... Here's a small one that perches on my desk. I bought the framed cork board at Michael's and recovered it in a great fabric I found in the bargain bin at Old Time Pottery. It features a sparkly broach, beautiful pictures, and some motivating words!

I had some help for another one that lives in the kitchen. It is made out of real wine corks amassed over many months. My mom and dad helped me out on this project. We started with a big (and I mean BIG, final product is 44" x 28") piece of plywood my dad had in his workshop and some molding. We mitered the edges to make a frame, which we affixed to the plywood with a nail gun and wood glue. Then, since we wanted the corks to lie flat, we sliced the corks in half the long way with a band saw. For additional flair, we also sliced off the round ends that were wine-stained or had a cool label. You can see the circle-corks sprinkled in with the others. I think it makes it uniquely mine. And I absolutely love that my folks helped me create it. Now not only is it cool AND functional, it makes me think of them.

Here's a couple images of the corks close up.





And to tie in the "theme" of wine and corks, I have a few vessels in varying heights but similar style filled with the remainder of the collection. (Also, no need to schedule an AA meeting for me or my family members. We started this collection to help out a family friend who was going to make her own set of creations with them, but never got around to it. I said they were collected over many months, but it might have been more like years.) The corks filled drawers in my poor parents' kitchen for so long... It was like they doubled their drawer space after this project!

The last I wanted to share of my own is a recent creation, made from an old gilt frame that Ryan and I found at a yard sale a couple of years ago. It has been in my attic, collecting dust for a long time. I decided to make use of it but stringing up some colorful twine for clothes-pinning inspiration to. So far, the twine that I stapled gunned to the back has been holding fast, with minimal sagging. How do you like it?