enJOY it

A common question : what are your favorite blogs & where do you get inspiration?

First, I spend a lot of time online. An embarrassing amount of time. I take in a lot of words and a lot of images all day long. But I have never, ever been sitting at my computer when a good idea strikes. I have ideas when I am doing anything but sitting at my desk. (Usually ideas come in the car, in the shower, on a treadmill or while watching TV. I often pause whatever we are watching so I can ask Paul's opinion on something I just thought of or so I can draw something out.)

Because I am finally realizing this, I have decided to majorly chop down the amount of blogs I read. I recently went from about 190 to 110. And I would like to get that down to about 50. Not a single personal blog is being "cut" from my list, but a lot of the design/life-style blogs are. Reasons for this : 1) my eyes glass over when I scroll through my "design" or "pretty" folders in my google reader. 2) I follow a lot of design bloggers on twitter so when they tweet about a post that interests me, I usually click through anyway. 3) Pinterest. I certainly don't think Pinterest will take the place of blogs, but it is an insane resource for image cataloging and I find that everything I love usually pops up there.

[sidenote : a few people asked about my favorite etsy shops & stores. If you follow my Pinterest boards, you will see my favorite products as I find them.]

Alright. Enough chatter. These are my Top Ten blogs because the content is original (meaning most or all of the photos are taken by the writer and the projects are usually created by them too) and every single time they update I am enthralled. I read the words, look at the pictures, and usually pin an image or get inspired. Those were my requirements for a blog to make this list.

Oh Happy Day / Jordan's party ideas are awesome. Her little family is adorable. And I want to decorate like her.

Soulemama / every morning, because of Amanda Soule, I decide Paul and I should start having kids yesterday and move to a farm. No joke.

Unruly Things / okay, this one is "life-style blog" but Alyson finds things that I haven't already seen on 100 other blogs. I enjoy her "voice" and am loving her baby blog too.

Emersonmade / emersonmade is a clothing company. And I want every single piece that they make (but can't really afford them yet). This blog makes me laugh and the photos make me swoon. This post of images is probably the best blog post I have seen all year.

wikstenmade / another clothing designer. Jenny is who I purchased my first dress pattern from. Her workspace photos and design process thoughts make me want to push myself harder. In fact, I think that is what all these blogs have in common. They make me want to take better photos. They make me want to write better. They make me want to grow my business.

lovely morning / this is a personal blog from Kristina, one of the creators of 100 Layer Cake. (Which by the way is my favorite wedding blog and the only one I still read now that I am done planning weddings for the rest of my life). I like her take on life, cute son and healthy eating ideas.

jamaica makes / Jamaica blogs good shit. That is the only way to describe it. Her mini books always inspire me and her quilt projects are amazing. Not a lot of words, but every post is solid.

3191 miles apart / remember when this was a photo project? Now it's a weekly "magazine." And I always love the posts.

hula seventy / the queen of the lists. Andrea inspired my birthday list project all those years ago and still inspires me whenever she posts. Love her photography so much too.

[i] LoveLife / Kal is my mentor. (Don't worry, she knows it.) She creates honesty through art. Love her and the blog.

Yikes. That was harder than I thought. I was hesitant to make this list because I didn't want to leave people out. But there you go. There are a million blogs out there and so many that inspire me. Pairing that list down is really difficult, but hopefully you'll find some new inspiration through the above links.

love, elise.