Today I’m pleased to share with you some fashion inspiration from the young and wise Claire, of Stolen From Grandma. Thanks for participating, Claire! I think you are wonderfully adorable.

Images: Claire

For this Inspired By post, I'm absolutely delighted to introduce to you someone who has inspired me in my paper crafts for quite some time: Katie Licht. She is a professional graphic designer, a homemaker, a crafter, and a mother (of almost two) to boot! Every time I look at her work, I have the urge to dig into my paper supplies and have a crafting party.

Q. You are a graphic designer, and make things for your job. How do you still stay motivated to be creative in your downtime?

A: Most times, having a personal outlet for my creativity is actually a nice change of pace from my corporate-ish graphic design job. But it's easy to become overwhelmed with so many ideas and all the inspiring things I see online everyday, so I try to take it easy on myself. For the time being, my art is really something that is just for me and it's always better when I don't put too much pressure on myself to be perfect. Sometimes I want to make stuff every day, other times I just want to doodle, or take a break for a while, and I let projects slide. I'm pretty flexible in that way. 

Q: Being a mother, and a creative, do you find yourself wanting to encourage any creative aspirations in your young child (soon to be children)? What are some ways you let them express themselves creatively.

A: Yes, completely! I have been so excited lately because my son has been asking to paint, and I'm more than happy to get out the paints and play along with him. Since David is just barely 2, we haven't done too many organized art projects yet, but I think there is a lot that we do to encourage his curiosity about the world. Exploring the little details in nature, singing and dancing, building with play-doh or blocks, and reading lots of books are things I really enjoy with him. I try to keep it all pretty light because I'm not a huge believer in forcing little kids to learn something; it's better to let it happen organically and that's where the creativity will come from. And of course I'm excited to do all those things with Baby # 2, whenever he or she decides to come out and join us!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your own creative process when it comes to collage art.

A: Most times I start with a specific photo, scrap of paper, or a phrase I've written or cut out, and the rest of my collage builds from there. My small art journal is the main place I work, so I also have a feeling or event that I'm trying to record. Next, I take my time going through my stash of paper and fabric scraps, finding colors or images or patterns that I think would work well together. I tend to use a lot of vintage materials, because I love the feel of old paper, or papers that I've painted myself. Then it's all about cutting, pasting, arranging and re-arranging. That's the fun part! Letting the materials guide me and just following through with the work feels like magic sometimes. It's the best feeling.

Q: When do you feel most inspired to create?

A: The start of a new project or fleshing out a new idea is super fun. And collage is a pretty cheap thrill too, because a lot of times I get the most inspired by whatever dusty old book I found at a thrift store for 90 cents. To be totally honest though, whenever I can catch a quiet moment and I'm not already worn out from my work/house/family duties is when things really happen! I have to take advantage of those little pockets of time whenever I find them.

Be sure to check out Katie's flickr and tumblr for plenty more inspiration. Thanks for participating, Katie!

images: Katie Licht

After much thought, I've decided to change up Inspired By: Fridays to include not just interiors, but people, places, and things that inspire me as well. To kick off this newly vamped feature, I would really love to share with you the ways my March sponsors have been inspiring me.

I've been blog buddies with Michelle since I first started this journey and wrote mostly about scrapbooking. She has such a warm spirit and her creations are so full of life. Lately she has been creating some amazing home craft projects, like a granny square blanket, a quilt, and even some custom needlework pieces she designed! I'm so impressed. But most of all, I really want to find more time for scrapbooking after seeing this post she wrote!

Jenna and I are actually sort of neighbors, ya know! She lives in Columbus, Ohio, which is our state capitol. She is a graphic designer who blogs about lots of inspiring things, but this post really made me smile. In Ohio, we are finally experiencing warmer weather, but I've been cooped up in this house almost every day! I think Jenna has finally given me that extra push I need to be more purposeful about experiencing the great outdoors. I mean, come on, doesn't that look like so much fun?!

Kari is not only a blogger, but a fashion designer too! You may or may not know this, but I went to interior design school, and truly, truly loved being forced to draw sketches and come up with new, inspiring ideas on the daily. Kari does this on her own, and stays motivated in keeping up with her projects. Seeing this post by her has really motivated me to pick up my old pen set and start sketching out ideas. It's a great way to get the ideas flowing!

I really can't get over how generous Katrina is. She is really quite a brilliant web programmer and designer (a one woman band, so to speak!) who puts a lot of time and effort into helping those of us who are less knowledgeable and gifted in those departments. For instance, she has free downloadable graphics that she not only gives away to readers, but also teaches them how to customize them for their own purposes. What a swell gal. Makes you want to pay it forward, doesn't it?

I hope you enjoyed this little inspiring peek into my sponsor's blogging lives! If you would like to be featured on this blog, or would like to appear in a small ad, please check out this link (or click the image below) for information.

And don't forget to take a peek at my small sponsors for the month of March! They have a lot of fun things to offer as well.

• Whiskey Shores
• Lazy Hazel Vintage
• Romwe Vintage
• Pulp Vintage
• Kindsey Pape