Katie, love your blog, your stories, and your art. From Inspired to now – and I am sure, beyond.  I don’t know how you feel about this, but you can choose to accept or no…so…I have awarded you the Brilliante Weblog Award.  Hope you are well – everyone looks GORGEOUS and life looks FULL.

WOW!  I had NO idea Kimberly was lurking about.  I have never received an email or a comment before now so was totally shocked (and giddy and WHOA MY HEAD IS INFLATING!  whoa  whooooooaaaaa…..pwwwwwwfffffffft.  okay.  better now.) when I received this.  I’m not sure how I wanted to continue the award so I decided instead I was just going to link to a bunch of places that inspire me and totally rock my socks off.  So visit them if you want.  Or not.  If you feel like leaving a comment about the places that rock your socks off, please do!  actually, I’m going to post the links at the end because first I have something sort of serious but rather important I’d like to post.  I promise to post something a little lighter and more fun tomorrow!  With “visual goodies” as Paolo says.  in the meantime, please consider this:

I will be participating in the Making StridesAgainstBreast Cancer walk on the 19th of October with a couple of my friends.  If any of you can provide any support, it would be GREATLY appreciated.  I have been so fortunate to not have had breast cancer, but I have had cancer so I am a huge proponent in supporting anything that helps fight it.  I realize times are tight, so no worries if you cannot make a donation.  However, if you could even give $5 it really adds up.  Also, if you are in the NH area and are interested in joining our team, there is information on the website.  When you go to my website, I found a “feel your boobies” image that I stuck up (I’m not sure if they’ll make me take it down.)  Although it is kind of funny, it is entirely true and I encourage all women to please check themselves.  Again, I did not have breast cancer, but *I*, not my doctor, was the one that found *my* cancer.  You know your own bodies better than anyone.  Take care of them!  Even if you cannot donate, take the time to “feel your boobies”.  And guys, this is NOT the greenlight to grope your wives, girlfriends, girl friends, or whatever.  You MUST ASK PERMISSION.

Alright, after you hit up that Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Link, try these ones on for some inspiration, humor, and life lessons.

Kal Barteski: Amazing artist, designer, author, writer, blogger, wife, and mom — Harmonious in life.

Cameron Yates:  Artist, photographer, blaghher extraordinairre.  Finder of all things fun and time-consuming on the web.  Superfun person.

Paolo Liloc:  Armchair philosopher, photographer, artist, author.  fun person.

Paulette Sarsfield:  Check out all you can of her posted scrap projects.  Follow all recipes.  Honeycrisp apple queen.  All around nice person (and maybe a wee bit crazy, eh Cameron?    That’s the way we like ‘em!)

Elsie Flannigan:  So very artistic in all that she does.  Great ideas for paintings, pictures, apartment furnishing, dress, etc.

The Black Apple:  Artist (painter, sewer), and finder of fun nick nacks and super books.

Dooce:  Pee your pants funny.  Quite the photographer.

Emily Falconbridge:  Super artist, super earth mumma — I love all that she does with her children.

Tara Whitney:  Photographer extraordinairre

Jennifer Jeffrey:  Fantastic writer

Donna Downey:  Runner of finest scrapbooking convention ever.  WHOO 2009!

Ali Edwards:  Life Artist

Tyler Gourley:  Holy crap if I could take a picture like him!  I’m so lame.

EDITED! I KNEW I was going to forget one and feel awful. Steph McAtee doesn’t post often, but it is worth the wait. She has such a rough, grunge style.  LOVE her stuff!

Alright, that is all the links I can post — I’m sure going to feel badly when I missed some.  But inspiration is an ever changing thing, so perhaps we’ll post links more often.  Again, if you have favorites, please feel free to drop them in the comments. 

I started this post this morning ten minutes before I was to pick Oliver up.  You will all be pleased to know that I STOPPED working on this and picked him up rather than ditching him to finish the post.  We hung with friends for like 9 hours and am just getting home to actually put in the links.  So, braindead and tired I *THINK* I finished this properly.  If it makes no sense, well then….hope for a better post tomorrow.  

I’m off to download pictures, go through Oliver’s school stuff, maybe get ahead on lunchbox notes (5 days a week is KILLING ME!), get some stuff together for two shows this week, and then hit the hay.  Sweet Dreams!