Beautiful photos and landscapes inspiring me.  When I saw this picture at Pretty Handy Girl from her trip to Keswick, England, I had to share it with you.  This picture moves me to create.

When I saw it, I immediately started searching my memory banks for stamps that would help me recreate this picture on a card and thinking about ways I could use the lines and the colors in my creations.  I even thought about painting  a stylized acrylic inspired by this photo.  If you want to see the rest of her amazing photos of this location you can find them here.

Another crafty friend has been touring Scotland.  She happened upon a quilt shop and took a picture of this amazing quilt the shop owner had crafted of her view out her window.

To see all her post on her Scotland visit you can visit a maiden hair fern.

What inspires your art?

Enjoy!  Julie

See that steep road in the center of the picture above.  This is the view off my back deck and that’s the hill I ride my bike up a couple of times a week!  Honestly, it’s steeper in person.  Something about the camera that flattens things and distorts it a bit.

I’m a Florida girl who has lived in Texas.  Bottom line – I’ve never learned how to negotiate hills on my bike or use my gears.  So this is what I’m learning, and that hill above is my ‘bunny slope’.  I actually climb that hill at least three times while I’m out riding….

Because this is what I have to do next!!!

And that’s just to get out of my neighborhood!

I started doing a cycling class three times a week at the beginning of the summer.  It’s hard work and the first week I got sick and almost passed out but now that I do it regularly I really enjoy the class.  And that’s when I got motivated to replace my bike and ride.

So when I’m in spin class, I visualize this hill, and I visualize climbing up the hill, and I crank up the resistance.  And one day soon I’ll make it up the hill!!!

And I’ll ask you to celebrate with me!!

What ‘hills’ are you climbing?

Tell us your story…

and let us celebrate with you when you reach the top of your hill!

Enjoy! Julie