Description: purple lilacs, kumquats, oranges, french countryside

Images from left to right, top to bottom: {Row 1} 1. Brian Doben 2. Miki Duisterhof 3. Meg Perotti {Row 2} 1. via This is Glamorous 2. Cooper Carras 3. Adrienne Page 4. Polly Wreford {Row 3}  1. & 2. Miki Duisterhof 3. Karen Wise 4. Cooke Studio

Description: blue, orange, aqua, springtime, relaxed elegance

Images from left to right: {Row 1} 1. Wendell T. Weber 2. Jose Villa 3. Stylist Kate French 4. Elizabeth Messina {Row 2} 1. & 2. Hector Sanchez 3. Kate Mathis {Row 3} 1. One Love Photo 2. Frances Janisch 3. Elizabeth Messina

I’m super excited to introduce our first inspirational guest blogger for the week, Kathryn from Snippet & Ink:

I’m so flattered that Kelly has invited me to share a little about my process for creating inspiration boards. The truth is, some days I feel very inspired, and I can see exactly what I want my inspiration board to look like, and all of the elements just fall into place. But other days – most days – finding that starting point can be tricky. The starting point can be anything: a season, a venue, a bouquet. It can even be something less obvious, like a children’s book or wallpaper pattern. I even have a file labeled “Inspiration” where I save images that really stand out to me, like this:

or this

Generally, the images that I save to my Inspiration file are images that make me think of a color palette or a venue – those things that weren’t coming so easily before. Sometimes, even when I get going on an inspiration board, it won’t come together exactly the way I want it to, and I’ll put it aside for a day or two, or scrap it altogether. But usually, once I have that initial image, I can create something I’m happy with.

I get questions from readers about how they can go about creating their own inspiration boards, so here is what I usually tell them:

Unless you’re already comfortable with Photoshop, or feel like taking the time to learn it, there are other, easier ways to pull images together. Polyvore is one method, or Mosaic Maker is another. An actual bulletin board is a great way to include not only tearsheets, but also fabric and paper samples, ticket stubs, and other ephemera. Once you’ve decided on your medium, here are some things to consider, that should help you pull your inspiration board together:

- What season is it? What colors, flowers, foods make sense in that season?
- What is the mood of the event? Is it formal, casual, or something in between? Is it grand or intimate? Sophisticated? Playful?
- What is the venue? Inside or outdoors? How can I play up regional or local elements? Does the architecture or scenery inspire me?
- What single element can tie everything together? Is it a theme? A certain flower or fruit? Color or pattern?
- How can I stretch this idea? What is unexpected but fits perfectly with all the other elements?

Don’t let specific colors or themes limit you – an inspiration board should help you figure out what kinds of things you like, what kind of look you’re going for, but you should not feel limited by colors you’ve chosen or a theme you’re working on. Let your inspiration board reflect your personality, reflect things you truly love and not those things you think other people want to see, and it will be a wonderful tool in the planning process. And if you’re not feeling especially inspired, stop by Snippet & Ink to see if anything strikes your fancy!

Images: 1. Inspiration Board 271 2. House & Garden via {this is glamorous} 3. Ngoc Minh Ngo 4. Inspiration Board 257 5. Inspiration Board 298

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