Hey Creative Girlfriends - you inspire me!

Maybe it's Winter ... the cold, short days with little time or decent temperatures for outdoor activities. Maybe it's the long nights where I just want to stay under the covers for as long as possible. Whatever it is, sometimes it takes outside elements (be they natural, human, whatever!) to get inspired.

My friend Penny was over for our Academy Awards party last night. She, as you can see in the picture (she's on the right), is still growing out her hair from shaving it in solidarity with her friend going through chemo. Penny is totally herself - she doesn't worry about what others think and loves to make a creative statement by wearing jewelry she made or fun clothing she found somewhere. And last night she came sporting a long, dark ponytail! It was a clip-on, of course, but it was also 'so Penny!'

I appreciate how Penny doesn't take herself seriously and has such a creative style. She always inspires me. I want to make random crazy earrings after being with her (Penny mixes and matches earrings!). I want to go thrift shopping and exploring like she does with her girl scouts.

Who inspires you? As a creative woman, I always learn so much from my creative girlfriends. I'm blessed with knowing some of the best ... Jill MacKay, my BFF and an amazingly talented jewelry designer; Katie Hacker, my entrepreneurial sister and beading author and expert; Marie Browning, my Canadian girlfriend with over 1/2 million craft books in print ... I could keep going and going with creative women who bless my life. But, I'd rather have you think about it, then share in the comments ... WHO inspires YOU?

If you're up for travel, check out our latest podcast with BETH WHITMAN. Author of WANDERLUST AND LIPSTICK: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, Beth inspired us all to travel and take adventures on our own. Listen in to our podcast interview with Beth and get inspired, by a traveling guru girlfriend! It may be cold outside, but what better time to get inspired to start planning a trip?!