finding the creativity again...

I am on a new creative journey and it is makin' this girl a happy one!

So, for months I've been wanting to get back into the school scene and get this whole degree thing done, but the timing has been way off... aka: the Lord has other plans for me. :)

Anyone who truly knows me, knows this past year has been particularly difficult.  I've desperately needed something in my life to lift my spirits; and for me that typically comes through using creativity.  God created us and therefor is a creative being, so why would it never cross my mind that He created us to be creative beings as well!?  This is probably why I am my happiest when I am doing something creative with my time. {my light bulb moment} 

One evening while the house was completely quiet I began thinking about the future.  As I said before, this past year has been a tough one, and in all honesty my confidence has been shaken quite a lot.  I just wanted so badly to do something just for me that would not only lift my spirits, but also give me the creative confidence boost I need. Knowing that school isn't an option right now, I kept trying to focus on using the creative skills I already have, but as I mentioned, am lacking in the confidence department. Knowing my love for design I wanted to do something related to that field without having to take on clients, projects and major work loads.  The design field is not a place for someone lacking confidence... art and design are so completely subjective... and either your clients love your work or they hate it.  I'm just not sure I want my work criticized in any way right now... even a constructively criticized way.

So, this quiet evening as I thought about the future I kept getting this "nudge" to look into graphic design.  Honestly I had never thought about graphic design before.  In my mind graphic design was all about logos, branding and web design...and for what ever reason that didn't sound appealing in any way.  Months went by and this "nudge" just kept coming back, so I finally started looking up some programs some friends had mentioned... I instantly felt an excitement I hadn't felt in a really long time, and... I enrolled in the course the very next day.  So, it's not technically school.  It's just a month long online course learning the in's and out's of Illustrator.  I'm one week into it and completely in LOVE!!! I may have a new obsession. ;)

My first official design... a 16x20 adjectives poster for my little miss.

I didn't really think anything of it... the idea originally came from an assignment (design a poster using only text), but when little miss saw it her face immediately brightened up.  She began asking questions and I could tell she loved knowing that I know all of these things about her.

If I gain nothing else out of this experience, this little moment with little miss made this side journey completely worth it!

published...

One of my goals when I graduated from design school was to have my design work published.  So when a friend of mine contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to write an interior design article for a company that she is the social media manager for, I was over the top excited!  I had about 2 weeks to write it.  My mind was flooded with ideas... it was so much fun and inspiring, and so very fun to get the creative juices flowing again.  I haven't had a lot of time to devote to my design blog lately.  When I do find the means, time and energy to devote to writing about design, this is exactly the kind of design blogger/writer I want to be.  So here's a glimpse into the future possiblities...

New Year, New Look

{the decision...}

{the struggle}
I have struggled for months with this whole blogging thing. Actually I think I've been struggling with an identity thing.  I love writing about my family and keeping track of our journey throughout the year.  I love writing about interior design and have had a really strong desire to venture back into that world via blogging.  I was feeling like I was trying to mesh the family blog with a design blog and it just wasn't feeling right.  I love sharing my love for design with anyone and everyone, but sharing my family life with anyone and everyone just isn't for me.  I love my current following of close family and friends, but strangers... no.

{the solution}
Write another blog.  Duh... so simple.  I don't know why I have been so resistant to this idea.  I had a million excuses...  I just don't have time to maintain another blog, it takes me away from my family, I'm a mama right now not a designer, no one is interested in reading it, and on and on.  So, I sat down a few days ago & the inspiration just began to flow.  It came together incredibly quick.  I was so surprised.

{introducing...}
Imperfect Perfectionist {inspired design} Why start another blog completely devoted to inspiration and design?  Because it just makes me happy. :)  I need the creative outlet... desperately!  I also believe a lot of mamas out there get so caught up in being the wife and mom that they lose their identity without even noticing it's been lost.  There is nothing wrong with doing what you love while still being what you love to be {a wife and mama}.  It's funny how writing about your passion evokes a certain happiness.  Now I get to write about both passions... family & design.

What's with the imperfect perfectionist stuff?  I feel like it describes me perfectly.  I'm not only a perfectionist when it comes to being a mom.  I also get super caught up in the little details in design.  Sometimes that can be a good thing, but more often than not, I spend a lot of time focused on stuff that truthfully doesn't matter.  Realizing that perfection isn't realistic or necessary has been my saving grace!  I feel like there are a lot of imperfect perfectionists out there in the world... we tend to be creative people, with grand ideas & good intentions, who are insanely hard on ourselves all the time... when all we want is the best for our family.  So I guess this is my way of saying it's completely okay to be perfectly imperfect.  There, did you feel that?  ...I don't know about you, but I feel a little lighter somehow.

Anyway, thanks for following along as I recreate, reorganize and venture in new directions.

my newest obsession...

I am in designer heaven right now!
I recently stumbled across this website and I am completely in love.
One of my favorite things about design school and working for a design firm was the opportunity I had to make color boards {or mood boards} ALL the time.  There is just something so satisfying about putting together a board.  It's where the idea in my head becomes a real life vision, and it was one of my favorite parts of the design process.

This was my first attempt... {the Vintage Inspired bedroom}


...followed shortly by a second attempt... {the Shabby Southern room}


I am completely obsessed!!!  The program is a work of layering genius and I can't seem to get enough.  I honestly wish this would have been around back while I was in design school.

What I love {and think my design loving friends will love too} is this:

• every item you find and "pin" to your board keeps the link back to the original site where you found it... making it super easy to reference for a client.
• the program itself is super easy to learn and use.
• you can make 2D and 3D boards, which makes your design concept very easy for a client to envision.
• it gets the creative juices flowing... or at least it does for me.
• it's FREE {and who doesn't love free}!
• and finally... you can download the jpg file of your board and send it to a client. {absolute perfection!}

So there you have it... I confess to having a major obsession.  The fact that I walked away from the site long enough to blog about it is a major feat!

Check it out... go do it... now!

i'm back...

I love to write...
some of my favorite classes in college were the writing classes.  My love affair with writing keeps me coming back to the world of blogging over and over again. Does anyone actually read this... I don't know, but I do it because it's something I love to do, which is what really matters after all, right!?

Anyway, these pasts few months I've spent on hiatus have been renewing, refreshing and rehabilitating all in one.  It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, but in hindsight, a bumpy ride worth taking.

I rediscovered the joys of laughing as I took a lesson from this little guy as he took his first ride on a swing alone.  He laughed and laughed {one of those deep belly laughs} like it was the greatest thing he had ever experienced.  I just can't get enough of this little boy!
I need to laugh a lot more, just like this...

Then I rediscovered my love for beautiful places on a recent trip with my family to see the Brigham City temple.  This is probably one of the prettiest temples I have ever visited.  I was amazed by the intricate interior details mixed with the simplicity of the architecture.  The over all design, inside and out, was incredible.

I also rediscovered the joys of family as I spent an afternoon in Park City with my dad.  Lunch, Main Street and the outlet stores shopping for biking gear... yes, you read that right... shopping for biking gear.  Now this is when I wish I had remembered to take a camera with me, but my dad has taken up biking, so we went to the Izumi outlet store in PC so he could find a pair of riding shorts.  All was well until he burst from his dressing room wearing said shorts, while skipping around and singing a song about "men in tights".  $#!*&@#!!!  ...and of course there were other people in the store at the time.  I almost died.

And most recently I rediscovered my love for creating.  I'm not so much a crafter, but I do love creativity and artistry.  I found this lovely project and tutorial on a favorite site and decided to try it out.  I rediscovered why I love making things with my hands... it's incredibly therapeutic and it's always fun to learn a new technique.

Finally, I rediscovered authenticity.  Friends, family, neighbors {basically everybody} are always telling me that I should blog about tutorials, open an Etsy shop or do design work on the side {which is so sweet, kind and flattering btw}.  Maybe someday... but for now I'm enjoying life as a wife, mama, sister, daughter and friend.  My love for design and beautiful creations will take me somewhere wonderful someday, I know that, but for right now I'm loving right where I'm at. 

I recently discovered this wonderful creation by a friend of mine {she always makes the cutest things} and I wanted to share.  Words of wisdom for sure and something I need to read every day.  Now to find a frame and a spot to display it...

xo, Heather

the 'bachelor pad' table gets a makeover...

When Brad and I got married I 'inherited' this super fabulous coffee table.  I'll admit, I wasn't a fan.  I love wood furniture, but I'm a bit on the picky side.  If it isn't finished in a deep espresso finish I don't really want it in my house. {even if it's free!} :)  I do however love to get my hands on a great piece of furniture and transform it with my favorite medium... paint.  Paint seems to make everything better.  So once my husband relinquished his kung-fu grip on this blessed table, the design wheels began to turn.

The Plan:  something simple and inexpensive... bead board panels, bonding primer, a quart of honey colored paint, dark brown glaze {my own concoction}, and a polycrylic finish.
And the bachelor pad table gets a total overhaul makeover!  And in 2 days no less... which is pretty good with a newly walking, 14mo. old running around the house getting into everything.

in process

Ta-Da!  I am very happy with the finished look.  {it is the same table, I promise}

love the blue knobs

I paneled the three sides and left the front with the drawers open as a bookshelf.

 And added a little distressed effect for texture and dimension.

I've painted furniture for other people for years, but never for myself {I have no idea why}... well, here's to the first of many projects.  Maybe Brad has some more furniture in storage that I can paint!

cataloging inspiration...

One of my favorite things about design school was creating resource binders. I LOVED resource binders because it was a system of cataloging and organizing things I loved to look at. If I was ever in need of design inspiration I cracked open one of my many binders. I love to inspire and be inspired... then add organization to the mix and I am in heaven! I was elated when I found a way to catalog and organize online. I am completely obsessed with this website... and if you are looking for a way to get organized, whether it's recipes you find online, books you want to read or craft projects you want to try, I highly recommend checking it out. What I love about it is this... say you find a recipe online that you'd love to try sometime... rather than print it out and file it in a recipe binder, you "pin" a photo of the recipe to your very own recipe board on the site. When you are ready to use that recipe, simply click on your "pin" and you'll be linked to the original recipe. As I said... I'm pretty much obsessed with it!

Here's what has been inspiring me lately...
(the someday when I get my pre-baby body back outfit)

Source: polyvore.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And this...
(yummy rug)

Source: thenester.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

Oh and this...
(drooling over this cinnamon roll cupcake)

Source: foodfolksandfun.blogspot.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And this adorable thing...
(if only I knew how to knit... sigh)

Source: flickr.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And someday I want to do this to little Zachary's room...

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

I could go on and on. Get inspired...

My niche...

It felt so good to find my niche again. A design friend of mine called to have me consult on a job for her. It's been so long since I've done any design work I had forgotten how much I LOVE it! What I love is this... I spent 2 hours with the client and didn't even realize that 2 whole hours had past. You know you love something when it doesn't feel like work, and time passes without you even noticing. It felt so good!

So, it's just a small job... space planning, shopping for new furniture, some custom drapery, and a little redesign of the space. She had lots of furniture that was just too big for the space, so it was fun to teach her about scale and proportion. Usually I'll find a client with a HUGE space and tiny pieces of furniture arranged neatly around the edges of the room, so it was refreshing to have the opposite problem for once. So, here's to finding my niche again...

And just because a post is better with pictures... here's a project from several years ago. Some of my favorite spaces to completely redesign are childrens' rooms...