Inspiration Day!

Let’s talk about an inspiration day! My husband and I have been on a road trip across Washington State in route to a work conference and since it was a beautiful day today, we decided to check out some local farmer’s markets. We even stumbled upon a festival so it turned out to be a really fun day! In one of my first blog posts I ever did, I listed my 10 Ways to Inspiration, and checking out local craft shows or farmer’s markets was #6 on that list. So let’s walk through my inspiration day!

Moses Lake Farmer’s Market

Today did not disappoint me! Our first stop was a farmer’s market in Moses Lake, Washington. The produce was incredible, and I wished I was heading home instead of a hotel so I could have bought some. However, we did grab some delicious blueberries for a snack, and they were great. As we walked through the market, I came to a booth that displayed signs with really cute sayings on them. But not your typical wood signs, these signs were made with 12×12 ceramic tiles. The ones you would pick up at Home Depot. I have used tiles before for my address signs, but I have never tried the 12×12 tiles. The crafter used permanent vinyl for the sayings/designs and then adhered it to the tile. These signs were for inside use she had told me, so there was no need to put a top coat on the tiles! After I had left the booth, I got to thinking with these types of signs you could add a wood frame to make a high focal point in your home. For an example, you could place them on a table, bookshelf, or plate display stand. There are lots of options available, and the sayings you add to the tiles are endless!

Spokane Farmer’s Market

The next stop was the Spokane Farmer’s Market. There weren’t many craft vendors at this market, but once again, the fresh produce was plentiful! There was one vendor that was from a Lavender Farm, and boy do I love the smell of lavender. Her booth smelt incredible! She had lots of cute ideas of what you can do with fresh lavender and one idea I loved were little sachets filled with lavender for putting around your home. You can tuck them in your drawer and in between your towels! I now do this in my home and I think lavender is such a soothing smell for a home!

Hillyard Festival

Next up was the festival we had stumbled across! My husband and I both love to check out local festivals and this one was the Hillyard Festival. It was at a beautiful park and had a variety of vendors — lots of food options and artisans. We sat and enjoyed some live music and watched some very talented ladies. They were from the Spokane Aerial Performers! These ladies were hoisting themselves high in the air and performing beautiful moves with only aerial silks supporting them! It was incredible to watch!

The vendor that inspired me most at this festival was upcycling wine bottles. I have my share of upcycling wine bottles but I haven’t tried her creation! I still have more wine bottles at home so I’m always looking for more great ideas on how to use them. This vendor was taking the wine bottles and adding a variety of vinyl designs to the front and then adding fairy lights into the bottles. The fairy lights were attached to a plastic cork and operated with batteries. The fairy lights are a very delicate light and add a beautiful touch to the bottles. And since the lights are battery operated, there is no need for electricity, so your options for displaying these bottle lights are endless! I can picture them on an entry table, an outside table, or displaying them at an evening event. The designs she had on the bottles ranged from butterflies and fireflies to your favorite sports team logo. What a great present these would make was all I could think! I will be doing a tutorial on making these in an upcoming blog post!

Pottery Place Plus

Once we had checked into our hotel, we decided to go for a walk around the local area, and I made a great discovery. Right across the street from the hotel was a local artisans gallery, named Pottery Place Plus. The plus is an understatement because there was such a wide variety of beautiful creations and the range was an inspiration in itself!! I had the opportunity to visit with one of the local artisans and she had some lovely photography displayed on wood coaster frames. The selection of pictures that she had on hand were so beautiful!! The glasswork that other artisan had on display were also amazing and inspiring. That is one craft that I would love to learn. Glass blowing and Glass Fusion is so beautiful.

This was such a fun inspiration day! I love coming across new ideas to create and to see some new techniques. What inspires you? Where do you go to get inspiration? I would love to hear from you! I will be working on some tutorials on some of the items that inspired me today. So until next time, remember, my goal is to inspire you to create!