My inspiration board encompasses all the elements that come into my own personal style, from fashion and accessories to make-up and women who inspire me. From Eva Green to Deborah Mitford, it’s a pretty eclectic group, but when I look at the pictures it seems like the thing that radiates to me from each one is confidence. I used it as something of an experiment, going through the big box of magazine clippings I occasionally add to and picking out the pictures that catch my attention without thinking about the reasons. Then when it was all put together I stepped back, examined, and pondered what the selection said about me.
This image – and shamefully I can’t remember the photographer, but I know it was from an issue of Elle last year – caught my eye for the contrast of the military-style jacket and the pleated, ultra-feminine skirt. I just loved how they looked together, and the fact that they had nothing in common yet worked together to create a striking effect. On reflection I think I was also drawn to it because it represents a component of my personality: feminine and romantic, strong and substantial.
Tips for building your own inspiration board
- For pages you’d like to save as wholes (if it’s an editorial you’re extra fond of, has another image on the opposing page you want to keep, etc.) put them in a separate pile and pin them on the board first. Then work your cut-outs around them.
- Don’t skip over the adverts! Cover Girl to Chanel No. 5, they’re on my inspiration board – whatever resonates with you, go with it.
- Go beyond the fashion magazines. If you happen upon a roughed-up copy of a favorite book at a bookstore use it to cut out your favorite passages and quotes. Yes, I’m telling you to deface a book. But only if it’s really, really important to you!
- Work in personal things that inspire you. The girl and Eiffel Tower on my board is a post card Karen of A Simple Cup of Tea sent me from Paris; it made me so happy that I wanted to make sure I kept it in a place where I’d see every day.
- Be true to yourself. It just won’t work and it’ll be completely beside the purpose if you cut out pictures that remind you of a style not your own.
If you endeavor to create your own inspiration board – or if you already have one – share a photo of it on Facebook or tweet me!
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Audrey Tatou in the Chanel No.5 ads is one of my favourites too. This reminds me that I need to go buy a board (haven’t had one in a couple of years!).
Is that yankee candle I spy?
Good eye, it is Yankee Candle! (“Home Sweet Home”, particularly, one of my favorites.) The board I used is actually the one I had growing up, I had just kept it stored away for years – that made the project all the more easier to do!
You put my postcard on your inspiration board!! Oh my dear Lord. This has made me all sniffly and happy and all kinds of emotional. All in the very best of ways of course.
Aww, you’re such a sweetie! Of course I did! I see it everyday and it makes me so, so happy.
You have some bad a$$ mamas on your board. You go girl!
Hahaha! Definitely some serious ladies up there.
How funny, I recently watched a video about creating your own inspiration board and just yesterday I was thinking I should make one sometime! I love what you did with yours. I like that you used push-pins too! I don’t really like the idea of using glue or tape like some people do because whenever you want to update the board it makes it more difficult and your clippings might not be worth saving anymore.
Ohh, you should! And then take pictures so I can see.
I’ve had this bulletin board since I was little so it was a completely free project to do, which is a bonus. I wish I had used flat push-pins instead of the stick-out ones like that, but on the plus side I started hanging jewelry on a few of them. lol!
This is something I want to make for myself, soon. I am collecting the images (some on Pinterest) and then plan to print them out and cut them up later!
Oh, lovely! I hope you’ll share pictures when you do it. I love seeing inspiration through other peoples’ eyes!
I love inspirations boards!! They really do say a lot about a person. I actually used a bunch of magazine clippings the other day to decorate a couple of old storage boxes that were a little hard on the eyes. My boyfriend and I are planning on doing side by side inspiration boards in our office so I’ll be keeping your great tips in mind! XO
Oh, how cute! I hope you take pictures when you do your inspiration boards. I couldn’t agree more, they can really clue you in to the depth of a person’s creative spirit and personality. And they’re just so interesting as a result! (:
I should start keeping magazine clippings. But I never think to really! I have an inspiration board on a memo board with ribbons I got from ROSS a while back. The only clipping I currently have on it is the car I want: A VW Jetta. I also have quotes, scriptures, business cards from others, letters and inspiring things like that. But more pictures is definitely a must!
I used to subscribe to Elle and InStyle and I typically put the issues out in the recycling bin when I finished them, so I really wanted to find a way to make them useful instead. That was when I started ripping out pages of the issues I wanted to save and I just stuck them in a shoebox until I put the inspiration board together. (: I’d love to include more quotes and personal things – I have a few on here that happened to be in advertisements, but there are so many other things I’d like to include!
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