Top 5 of 2013 Inspirations

I know this post is a bit tardy,
but it was such a great idea to share what inspired me last year,
that I just had to bend the rules and bit and share this post.
 

Inspirations

5. My dear friend, Allyson

I hope she doesn't mind me gushing about her on my blog,
but I couldn't exclude her from my list of what inspired me this past year.
We are kindred spirits, her and I, so honestly,
I have a happiness gauge that is directly related to how she is doing!
This year she made a big step in pursuing a dream, and honestly, a God-given talent.
She leaves me speechless at times, with the pure beauty emanating from her person,
and that beauty comes through all of most when we are functioning in what we do best.
It made my heart so happy, and has inspired me to try and the do the same...
ever pursuing God's best.
I love you Ally!

4. Kristina from Eccentric Owl

I found Kristina's blog while working my way through The Thriftaholics Directory.
There she was, number 191...yes, actually, I checked out all previous 190 listings...it is a long list...I'm still working my way through it when I have time.



At first it was her vintage charm and cute outfits that caught my eye,
but I've come to value her quirky and darling posts,
with her relatable ramblings more than anything else.
She has a beautiful heart and a much needed honestly to her words that I so appreciate.
She is real, funny, sweet and just weeks away from having her first baby!
Who wouldn't want to be friends with a person like that?
And then there is the fact that she can pull off colored tights splendidly...and I hate tights,
so I live vicariously through her. :)



3. The Renegade Seamstress & The Refashionista
I know, I know, these are two separate blogs, shouldn't they have their own number?
Yes and no.
If you do your math you will see that I would more than five points,
and that just won't do, but I couldn't possibly leave either of them out.

 Besides, these ladies took an equal share towards inspiring me to enter the world of refashioning!
They were the two very first blogs I found when looking for a way to refashion some
bulky sweaters left over from my northern wardrobe.
Exactly a year ago, I found and started following their blogs,
and have been a faithful reader ever since.

Furthermore, it was my supreme honor to be selected by Beth (aka Renegade Seamstress)
to participate in her second installment of Refashion Runway!
She was kind of like, oh you know, a hero...
so that most certainly made my year!
 

2. Kristi Yamaguchi

"Why should a dream have some part of it that was so scary?
Why would I have to do something I feared in pursuing something I loved?"
 -Kristi Yamaguchi-


I used to have a fear of sewing,
but it was this very quote from Kristi, childhood hero and my absolute favorite female figure skater
(I have a Christmas ornament of her, for Pete's sake!),
that lit the fuse to my explosive year of sewing.
She really played a pivotal role in the outcome of my year
and continues to inspire me.
You can read all about it in this post.

Now, one of the most recent sources of inspiration for me,
which I know will carry into the new year, has been..

1. Tom Hiddleston

 

“We all have two lives. 
The second one starts when we realize that we only have one”  

-Tom Hiddleston-

 Like millions of other women the world over,
I have to admit I'm quite star struck with Mr. Hiddleston.
Aside from being a great actor,
I'm captivated by his classic Hollywood charm, gentlemanly conduct,
deep intense personality, and the way he speaks...honestly, have you listened to this man?
His sentence structure and vocabulary has me swooning...no one talks that beautifully
in this modern era, and it comes from a cultivated, refined place in a person.
And, sop my puddled self off the floor, he can dance.
*sigh*
All that aside,
much of what he utters is poetically quote worthy,
 the above quote being one that has been reverberating in my head since first I read it.
I think this year marks the beginning of my second life.
Or at any rate, at least the awakening of it.

So really, I discovered that words are what inspire me most.

I have always been drawn to them, and my heart speaks best and deepest when

flowing through ink and pen...or keys and screens, as it were.

I'm not much for resolutions,
but I have determined this year to indulge more in words...
not just any words, mind you,
but strong words...
deep words...
rich words.


Words are such a beautifully powerful tool of expression,
yet we use the same few hundred over and over,
and those which we do use often aren't the clearest or most expressive.

It is my aim to read more classic literature and poems
this year-- something I have always enjoyed, but
stopped doing once out of school.
I always feel much smarter and richer for having read
Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, or a well crafted poem.

If I could only do one thing great,
I believe I would choose to be a master of words.
An all encompassing medium with can reach out and touch people everywhere.
They can be the the steely sword delivering the fatal blow to an army of lies
or a healing balm which brings life to fractured, shriveled souls.

Yes,
I think I shall aim to be a master of words.

What about you?
I would love to know what inspired you this past year,
and what is propelling you into the new one.