My Creative Space: More inspiration and the creative process

As I wrote last week, inspiration can come from many places. I also mentioned how inspiring nature and especially flowers are for me. Pattern on china is something I really enjoy. When I was in my early twenties I was especially drawn to geometric borders on plain white plates. I like the food to be the starring attraction so most dishes are best served by presentation on plain white china. Maybe as a reaction to the long winters in Ottawa or as a throwback to the Bunnykins of my childhood, I now enjoy pattern on my china. A simple cup of tea gives even more reward when I drink from a beautiful cup and saucer like the one here.

A single cookie is more satisfying on a lovely plate. Both china patterns are predominately pink and are beautiful in the sitting area of our bedroom. As I wrote last week, translating flowers to felt benefits from help in seeing artists renderings. It may be obvious by now that I am very inspired by blossoming trees. That love may come from my father's appreciation of Japanese gardens. Many family day trips as a child were spent enjoying the Japanese gardens in and around Victoria, B.C.

Sometimes we were able to visit the world renowned Butchart Gardens. It was expensive to visit even in the seventies so we tended to go only when we brought out of town guests. While many people think of the sunken garden or the Italianate rose garden when referring to Butchart's, I remember the Japanese Garden and the plantings of azaleas and rhododendrons most fondly. While thrifting I came across a souvenir book of the gardens that was published in the mid-seventies. Memories of Butcharts is also a memory in my husbands childhood. His love of gardens did play a small part in the development of our relationship and he is quite delighted that I have inherited some of my skills and love of gardening.
In Ottawa spring takes a long time to really arrive and then suddenly it is summer. In Victoria spring is a long season that gradually unfolds. The cherry blossoms are first and there is one street that sometimes has them blooming in February. Usually the colours and texture of the felted sweaters inspire what sort of surface decoration I create. Possibly because of the faint spring green stripe(between the thick brown stripes) is what suggested the cherry blossoms on this purse. I apologize for the poor quality of the colour in this photo. It was a commissioned bag that I presented to its new owner without taking a digital shot. Another person had a film camera and this is the photo scanned into my computer. The pussy-willows I had in a large pitcher in my dining room when I started this bag likely inspired much of the design.

My domestic surroundings seem to have a huge effect on what I create. Spring seems to suggest little tweaks to refresh our home. The two pieces of pottery are both Denby that I found at the Salvation Army, the ceramic bird is Danish and I bought it at the garage sale of a friend of my grandmother when I was a child. The pillowcase in the background was picked out by my husband (at a great discount) is the only new object in the photo as even the pillow form is an unused Ikea feather pillow form that I thrifted last year.
Be sure to check out what inspires others in there creative space at Kristy's

blog.