Today I thought I’d share something a little different, and hopefully useful for all you fellow dreamers- a list of some of the websites I’ve found that exude creative coolness or spark inspiration in some way. Some are well known and fun, others may be helpful or quietly inspiring. I hope these suggestions spark your creativity as they do mine!

1. My first recommendation is Moo. If you’re in the market for some really eye-popping business cards, stickers, etc. and you haven’t checked out Moo yet, DO! Unlike most other business card producers, moo allows you to have a different image on the back of every card if you want- perfect for those who want to showcase their designs or portfolio, and also great for variety lovers like me! You can add your own logo or artwork and customise your cards in hundreds of ways to make your stationery uniquely yours. Just brilliant.

2. Etsy is the place to go for all things crafty, artisan and handmade. While it may not appeal to most guys, it is a chick’s paradise, with thousands of handmade items ranging from decor, to jewellery, baby things, clothes, handbags, vintage items and more. The hand knitted bootees I bought recently for a baby shower brought a thrill of excitement from the guests. If you’re a hand made producer of any kind, etsy is the place to go- both for inspiration and to consider as part of your own marketing plan! (P.S. Fellas, please don’t get offended if you are into handmade and I’ve excluded you in my statements… you surely know that you are in the minority! Peace. )

3. Marvelbuilding is a great place to spot the latest in home, architecture and furniture ideas. I fancied the funky Col-Letto Bed- it has a foldable collar for creating lots of different looks, as well as a cozy nest feeling when it’s fully up. Groovy, baby!

4. Davison Creators is a goldmine packed full of creative, innovative ideas and inventions.

From architecture to machines to household objects, these guys have showcased just about everything. A few of my favourites were the anatomical sleeping bag and the ridiculously portable dutch hot tub, which really has to be seen to be believed. It looks like the bottom half of a piggy bank, crossed with one of those old ceramic kettle jugs of the 60′s! What a laugh!

5. Plot Scenario Generator-  Speaking of laughing, this also gave me a good giggle when I came across it. As the name suggests, Plot Scenario Generator offers random plots and character profiles to inspire fictional creations. If you’re a writer in need of a new idea, maybe this will help spark your inner muse. Have a look at this random scenario: “The story starts when your protagonist tears down a wall. Another character is an unscrupulous sort who is interfering with your protagonist’s job.” I think I’m feeling inspired to try my hand at writing this one myself!

6. 99 Designs- 99 designs offers a great concept where graphic designers will offer design concepts for your website, stationery, packaging or whatever in a bid to get your business. You name the price and detail what you want, and designers do the work to offer you a range of concepts, sort of like tradesmen putting in a tender submission. You pick the design you like the most, the designer wins the job and continues on to complete it to your specifications, and everyone is a happy camper! I haven’t tried it, but it sounds good to me!

7. One Word- If you’re a wordsmith; if playing with language rings your bells and toots your whistles, then this site is the place to get your literary mojo happening! You get 60 seconds to write your response to one word, such as needle, library, etc. After you post it, you get to see other peoples’ submissions. This can be a a great right-brain warm-up to get you thinking intuitively prior to getting stuck into your creative projects.

8. Blurb- If you want to take things up a notch and publish a book of your awesome work, check out Blurb. The books there look truly amazing, and it seems that the publishing process is fairly painless too. Unlike with conventional publishers, you can order as few copies as you want, so it’s a great option for artists, designers, architects or photographers who are wanting to create a small number of coffee-table books to showcase their talents. The world is your oyster though: with Blurb you can create 1 folio book or 10,000 novels. It’s your choice.

9. Worth a mention for his sheer design cleverness is Erik Askin, who showcases a few wild, quirky and well thought out design ideas in his portfolio. Being one who is always thinking of ways to improve the design of things, I found his site interesting and inspiring. Hmm… maybe I should go into industrial design next!

10. Another kin to the Plot Scenario Generator is The Brainstormer. This is a flash generated spinning wheel which comes up with a random combination of three words and ideas. It’s definitely worth a play, but be careful: you might just get stuck there!

11. Sorry for this second chick-pleaser, but for all things pretty, feminine, weddings and events, I just HAD to make mention of Style Me Pretty. This blog is a mecca for brides, event planners and wedding photographers, and provides inspiration for anything from floral design,dresses, shoes, jewellery, stationery and catering, to lighting, photography, cakes and crafts. Style Me Pretty makes my girlie heart go pitter-pat! (P.S. Disgruntled guys, see note at 2 above.)

12. Curbly is a fun design/lifehack blog which mostly focuses on home life and interiors. It features lots of funky ideas, but it was their page of weird and wonderful staircases that earned them a mention here. Move over Escher, and see what’s being done in the 21st century!

13. A rather strange final choice is the page Captured: The Ruins of Detroit from the Denver Post photo blog. I found the images of derelict and abandoned old buildings sad, moving, disturbing even. But definitely emotive, and therefore worth a look. What stories were once lived in these places? What factors led to their demise? What sadness, what life has once upon a time thrived inside these walls? And how will their loneliness inspire you?

So that’s enough waxing poetic from me. I hope you’ve enjoyed my 13 inspiration instigators. But what about you? Have you come across any amazing or inspiring sites that have caused your creative juices to flow? If you have, I’d love to hear about them, so please share them with us in the comments!

Stay creative!

Juliet.

Update: OK, so this isn’t a creative site as such, but I also want to tell y’all about the exciting new project that I’m working on: it’s called Jobs4Teens, and is a one-stop-shop for teenagers seeking out of school hours work. Please hit me up in the comments there and let me know what you think of it!