Each month, starting in January, I’ve put together an inspiration board and use it as a jumpstart for a project. This month, I included some of the images above to inspire an ombre painting effect on foam Thickers. Having this assignment has really stretched me creatively! I have also found that instead of just diving into a project I work well when I find inspiration first.

How to put together a mood board: I look at some of my favorite blogs and Pinterest for anything that catches my eye or makes me happy. Then I start to pull images that have the same color or feeling. Last I arrange them together with other elements I have around my stash.
This month’s mood board I was inspired by the color of the dishes, the ombre effect of the gradient painting and the circles with letters inside for my title. You can see how this sparked my layout here.

What do you do to spark your creativity? Some other things that work for me…
-Choose some photos first. If it’s scrapbooking you’re working on or a gallery wall of frames. Print out your photos and then approach it. They will inspire the direction whether it’s the color, title or layout of frames.
-Pick up your favorite magazine or online magazine. This one is pretty obvious but it one of my go-to for color, design, technique inspiration.
-Pinterest. Is another obvious one but there’s so much inspiration there it can be overwhelming. Don’t spend to much time and go there with a purpose so you stay on track of what inspiration you’re looking for.
-Try something new. When I think of or see a new technique this is a great way to get me out of a rut and to start creating.
-Be in a happy place. Sure, life isn’t always hunky dory but, for me, I have the hardest time creating if I am upset or down. Is anyone else this same way? When it’s nothing too serious and I am just in a bad mood I will turn on some of my favorite music. Seriously I’ve even been known to dance a little before to get excited. Or going back to the first example: I will print out photos that bring sunshine to my life or think of a specific joyful story I want to tell. This helps me focus on the good in my life and cheerful times that even naturally encourage me to feel more grateful.
What are your creative rut solutions?

Check out how my mood board inspired this page here…