Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day and my kids who live far away sent me a tulip bouquet, in honor of them, I am posting a picture I took in Central Park one spring. Flowers are always inspiring to me!

I used to have a long list of blogs that I tried to keep up with daily in my RSS reader, but a few months ago, eliminated most of them from the list. Many of the ones I decided to stop following regularly of were business type blogs related to the job I had. Now I am trying to find and focus on blogs that inspire creativity, mental growth, and spiritual growth. Here are some that I like:

1. Kelly Rae Roberts– I first became interested in Kelly a couple of years ago because we carried some of her products in the store I managed. I decided to look her up online to find out more about her. Not long after making the change to pursue her heart and launch a creative business, she started seeing success. I decided to purchase her e-course, Flying Lessons, a few months ago, when my heart was longing to pursue creativity as a business. Her blog is filled with lots of fun inspiration as she shares not only her business adventures, but her life and family and heart with her readers.

2. Seth Godin- His blog is filled with posts to make you think- about marketing, about how ideas spread, about business ideas, about education. I also enjoy listening to his speeches and interviews, which can be found on You Tube.

3. Ann Voskamp- Ann is the author of the bestselling book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which focuses on her experiences of learning to be grateful in every little detail of her life. Her blog is a continuation of that theme. A quote I like from her book: “When we lay the soil of our hard lives open to the rain of grace and let joy penetrate our cracked and dry places, let joy soak into our broken skin and deep crevices, life grows. How can this not be the best thing for the world? For us?”  

4. How About Orange– This is a blog I just came across this week and think I will follow it a while and see where it leads. The author, Jessica Jones, is a graphic designer who loves crafts and all things creative. I found this in her FAQ, and it resonates with my heart:  “Everybody has creativity inside somewhere, and it’s gratifying to help people tap into it—especially if they don’t consider themselves artistic or creative. So I try to post simple projects that anyone could do, as well as useful tips or inspiring ideas or things that are delightful. Pretty much anything that’s fun.”

5. Design Sponge- This blog has a little bit of everything on it, from decorating living & working spaces, to places to visit, to transformations of furniture, rooms, floors, and so on, to DIY projects and entertaining. It’s a great place to wander through if you are looking for ideas and inspiration.

6. Just because the title says Jan’s 5 Favorite Inspiring Blogs, doesn’t mean I have to stick with that! So here are 3 more places to get inspired. They really are not blogs, but everyday you can get loads of information from them.

Pinterest- If you have not yet explored Pinterest, jump over there right now and take a peak. It is filled with images on about every topic. Each image links to a website with further information about that picture/topic. When I first started using Pinterest, I felt like I was thumbing through the pages of a magazine to get inspiration. If something caught my eye, I could read further. In A Tickle is now on Pinterest, so check it out!

TEDtalks- TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design which started in 1984 as a non-profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. On this site, you can find hundreds of videos of speeches on various topics. It’s a free site and you don’t have to join to listen. We posted a video by one of the favorite TED speakers, Sir Ken Robinson, on this post.

Houzz- If you like redecorating, remodeling, or just dreaming about new home ideas, this site will give you loads of inspiration. You will also find how-tos and gardening advice. I have always loved taking tours of houses and this is a way of doing it as often as you want, virtually (without having to pretend like you are in the market to buy a new house!)

What are some of your favorite blogs for inspiration?