Eskmo – Cloudlight (Official Video) from mc707 on Vimeo.

very now and then I find a song that puts me into what I can only describe as a trance-like state; a heightened level of creativity. It’s so beautiful and awesome that while I’m there I wish I could just plug my brain into some kind of recording device to capture what I’m seeing. Imagining. Feeling. Experiencing.

It’s kind of sad in a way because everything moves so rapidly I almost can’t keep up. My thoughts become very fluid; suddenly I’m riding a crashing wave and just as I’m taking in one idea, another wave of inspiration comes crashing down on top of me.

And when the song is done and fading out, I find myself feeling like I’m trying to hang on to the remnants of a half-remembered dream. Or like an aged-grandparent trying to grasp whatever memory they have left speaking aloud to no one in particular, “I knew something once, if only I could remember…”

What puts you in a creative mood? Does music have a similar effect on you?

So I decided to go through it and use up the stuff that’s sitting there waiting to expire and build a meal around said items. So far I’ve found a bag of Vietnamese rice noodles, brown rice lasagna noodles (and I don’t even like lasagna!) and a bottle of clam juice.

First ingredient to use up: Vietnamese Rice Noodles.

I decided to try making Pho and if I do say so myself, I think it turned out pretty good. I adapted the recipe from thekitchn.com. I was a little dissapointed that the recipe wanted me to only use the broth and discard all the yummy carrots and onions and ginger that gave it flavor (so I didn’t listen and added the carrots, however the onion and ginger were in huge chunks which didn’t exactly lend themselves to being eaten easily). I’ve never had Pho I liked in any restaurant before, but I have to say, I would totally make this again.

How do you get creative in the kitchen? And what do you do to keep from getting bored?

So what is it? It’s a social cataloging service. Imagine a virtual inspiration board. Instead of littering my desktop I can now organize all my random inspirational imagery, wish lists, design ideas, etc. on to different “boards” and access them from anywhere. And because other awesome people are using it, I can see what everyone else is pinning and be inspired by their pins too!

There is a great article over at RealSimple about using Pinterest to organize all of your decorating ideas. So far I’ve got lists for recipes I want to make, inspiring spaces, beautiful artwork, hairstyles I love, and things I aspire to DIY. It’s kind of interesting to see patterns emerge in your preferences once you start pinning a lot of items.

Does anyone else use Pinterest? And if so what do you use it for?

A living wall at Flora Grubb

Another one of these things that took me a while to truly appreciate are succulents. Now I’m loving the exotic, other-worldy, almost alien look of cacti, succulents and air plants. I’ve fallen in love with the living art walls and centerpieces I’ve seen from Flora Grubb and Sunset magazine.

A terrarium I covet from litill.com

I’m also digging the revival of terrariums. And I’ve seen some really awesome ones. I love the lush mossy secret garden type terrariums as well as these great Dr. Seussian ones from Lítill that really take the idea to a completely different level. But most of us can’t really afford to spend $500 decorating your home with one of these.

So I decided to try my hand at making my own versions:

Making the succulent centerpiece was super easy. I found these great wooden boxes in the outdoor section from IKEA. Then I got pumice (for drainage) and cactus potting mix as well as an assortment of 2″ succulents from my local nursery.

The terrarium took a little more work. One of the pieces I really admired from the more expensive versions were the little “brick” retaining walls. I’m not sure what lítill uses for theirs but I chose FIMO clay which I purchased at Michael’s as well as the white floral sand and the fishbowl-type container I put it in. The purple reindeer moss and the air plant came from the nursery. The bright blue stones were another IKEA purchase in the floral section. And the yellow craspedia I found online at Nettleton Hollow. If I ever make any more of these I plan on using some more interesting dried floral elements like painted bell cups and lotus pods.

Do you have a project you’ve recreated on the cheap? Or something you’d love to make more affordable but haven’t yet? What is it? Do tell!

A beautiful quote I wanted to share with you:

“There are only three colors, ten digits, and seven notes. It’s what we do with them that’s important.” – Ruth Ross

y first blog post! How daunting.

This is going to work both ways. Hopefully with my posts I will inspire you, create an artistic community for you and encourage you to be creative and make your art. And hopefully you’ll do the same for me.