Inspiration in the Place

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens
                   - William Carlos Williams

My daughter has been riding since she was 4, so we have always gone out to her barn on Sundays to help with chores.  As much as we might not want to crawl out of bed when its zero or below (not a problem this year!), we pile outselves into layer upon layer of clothing and head out.  Horses expect their hay no matter what the weather.  But once we're out there and moving horses, mucking stalls, and loading hay, its actually a great place to be.  Though I only occasionally get on a horse, I like being around them. They have a peaceful quality to them (at least most of the time).  But mostly, I love being in a different space.  Its hands on work...no phones, no computers...and it gives me time to think, to be inspired.  On top of being around these magnificiant animals, I am always taken by the beauty that is my own backyard.  The morning sun rising over the Bridger Mountains looming large just behind me, the snow-covered Spanish Peaks to the South, the Tobacco Roots to the West, all remind me of just what an incredible place this is.  Its easy to take your 'place' for granted as life whizzes by, but when you are standing out in it, the cold of a Montana morning biting at you, the horse you are leading covered in frost, its hard to not to realize how blessed we are in Montana.  One of the reasons I originally started planning weddings was my love for the beauty Montana offered and my belief it could be a top wedding destination.  So no matter how cold, I head out on Sunday to feed the horses and to be reminded of just how lucky I am.

Inspiration on the Road

One of my favorite aspects of my job is getting to travel around Montana to scout locations, meet with couples and their familes,  and visit venues and vendors.  Along the way I get to explore some very cool places and meet a lot of wonderful people.  One of my all time favorite places is Philipsburg.  I spent my last anniversary at the The Broadway Hotel, located smack dab in the middle of town and loved everything about it from the room to the proprietor.  And if you have a sweet-tooth, here's a secret...heaven is in Philipsburg!  The Sweet Palace is one of my families favorite places. There are buckets upon buckets of every kind of candy you can imagine.  That favorite candy from childhood...odds are they have it! And the handmade fudge....well lets just say we never have any left when we get back home.

I always find something inspiring in this little town, and on my most recent trip, we stopped in at Doe Brothers restaurant before heading over to the venue.  Our waitress, Mandy, was wonderful!  Another reason I love Montana, the people i get to meet on my travels around the state.   A real old fashioned soda fountain and restaurant, it is the kind of place many towns and cities have unfortunately lost, a place for locals and visitors to gather and spend a little time chatting over coffee or lunch.  I loved the color palette as well as the form so I snapped a few pics on the iphone and straight to pinterest!  Not sure where I will use it yet, but rest assured its on the inspiration board and when the occasion arises, it will be there. 

But ultimately, my inspiration is about so much more than color and form.  The real inspiration I get from towns like Philipsburg is deeper than that.  Its hard to say exactly, but they encompass the spirit of Montana, the can do perseverance, the celebration of the past with an eye to future, and the welcoming nature of the state.  Its about people that love a place and put their all into that place, letting it shine for others.  That is the true inspiration I take from Philipsburg.

Inspiration Found!

We are lucky to live in a place where there are plenty of areas to go cut down our Christmas Tree.  A $5 permit, a saw, and some good winter boots were all we needed this year to head out on our expedition.  Little did I know that my daughter is the pickiest person in the world when it comes to Christmas trees.  Actually I knew it, but was hoping it was just a passing phase.  The long and short of it was we got to spend A LOT of time in the woods looking for a tree!  While she was busy exploring deep into the woods for the pefect tree, I had plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and to look for inspiration.  As soon as I saw this moss covered piece of wood, I knew I wanted to use it in a design.  So I picked it up and handed it to my son so he could carry it....lol!  By the end of our day, we had a suitable tree (ahhh the ongoing search for the bliss of perfection), and the entire family was carrying bits of inspiration, some larger than others!  It all ended up in our shop to keep our hanging tumbleweeds (watch for that in a future post) company.  So keep your eyes open, you never know what you will stumble across.

This arrangement was for our favorite Sushi place, Seven Sushi & Sake in Bozeman.  Stop by, have some great sushi and check out our weekly arrangement.