Although I still have quite a bit of work in my own home, I’ll be spending the next month re-decorating the living room of my sweet friend, Betsy. After all, sometimes you just need a breather from your own space, yes?

I’ll be partnering with Sherwin Williams and my favorite HGTV family to turn the below living space and loft into a calming getaway (using only paint colors from the new HGTV_® HOME by Sherwin-Williams line!).

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I can’t thank you all enough for your sweet notes, cards, emails and flowers this week. Gosh, you are all so nice. I’m writing this as I head to the funeral, which will be hard, but comforting. We can get through this, and we will get through this.

Above is a photo of Papa Bill laughing at our wedding, per your request, as well as one of my favorites we spotted below: the original hipster indeed.

My contributors are filling in for me today and I’ll be back in full swing tomorrow. Thank you so, so much, friends.

Just checking in to share a quick update on my ACE Camp in Portland. Slots are filling up super fast, but we do have a few left! I’ll be teaching a variety of subjects from getting to know your dreams/aspirations to getting paid and getting over creative roadblocks. And speaking of “get”, you’ll receive a full course binder with plenty of curriculum, exercises and resources, all meals/lodging, plenty of gifts from local Portland designers and one-on-one consulting sessions with me.

It’s going to be a fantastic time and I can’t wait to have you attend! Here’s the sign-up info:

[ Itinerary ] [ Travel Info / Payment ] [ Trip Details ]

See you there! Let me know if you have any questions at all —- yippee!

Rarely do I get personal on this blog. Rarely. Because, well? I get personal everywhere else. Sometimes too personal, but I digress into a new topic that I think you’ll like better:

Behold, the Life List of Erin Loechner:

Inspired by the sweet (and seriously, seriously smart) Maggie, I promised myself (and her, during Alt Summit) that I’d finally write down this list. And because I want to be held publicly accountable for actually doing these things, I’m posting it here, for you 33,000+ daily readers to see:

1. Write down my life list (oh look! I’ve already finished one!).
2. Learn to do the splits.
3. Re-watch every Beverly Hills 90210 episode, marathon style.
4. Snuggle a manatee (I stole that one from Amber, but who wouldn’t want to do that?).
5. Paint my own self-portrait.
6. Unplug (entirely!) for one week.
7. Bring Mankind Mag back — in some form.
8. Own 50 original artist works from 50 different artists.
9. Try sea salt chocolate.
10. Learn the origin of/meaning behind 100 phrases/cliches.
11. Ditch the car for an entire month.
12. Read every piece of published work from C.S. Lewis.
13. Rock a baby to sleep.
14. Convince a total stranger to make a life list of their own.
15. Publish (self-publishing doesn’t count!) five books.
16. Write thank you notes to my former teachers (thanks for that one, Mags!).
17. Visit San Francisco, Portland, Austin and Seattle.
18. Start a collection.
19. Invest in a grown-up sofa.
20. Make a chocolate chip cookie from scratch.
21. Lounge on the beaches of Bora Bora.
22. Taste 100 cheeses.
23. Play snow tackle football on Christmas day.
24. Wash the dishes by hand with yellow rubber gloves.
24. Own a set of expensive, luxurious sheets.
25. Take a drawing class.
26. Hire a personal stylist for the day. Become my own confidence stylist and wear whatever I want to.
27. Own a portrait wall with 50 photographs of people I don’t know.
28. Perform Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ in a Karaoke bar.
29. Taste 500 red wines.
30. Subscribe to the New York Times — and read the style section over coffee every Sunday morning.
31. Volunteer at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day.
32. Purchase top-notch, personalized stationery.
33. Rent a convertible and drive down the PCH. Top down, hair down, shades on.
34. Build a parade float and ride atop it!
35. Cook a homemade meal for a neighbor in need.
36. Learn to juggle.
37. Finish my ‘Autohairography’ memoir.
38. Pay for someone’s dinner at Pizza Hut… anonymously.
39. Send a birthday card (on time) to everyone in my life for one full year.
40. Start a euchre club.
41. Attend a Rodeo in a cowboy hat.
42. Get missed connection-ed on Craig’s List.
43. Grow a garden in my backyard.
44. Sip sake.
45. Try acupuncture.
46. Fool someone on April Fool’s Day.
47. Solve Rubik’s cube (stole that one from sweet Karen).
48. Attend a football/rugby match in Ireland.
49. Submit a book proposal for something I believe in.
50. Take a hot air balloon ride.
51. Go house boating.
52. Have a shade of nail polish named after me.
53. Give a NYC cab driver a $100 tip.
54. Apologize to Thomas from 4th grade for calling him smelly.
55. Get to know my grandparents.
56. Write and publish over 30 magazine articles.
57. Grout and tile a kitchen backsplash.
59. Run for an entire mile… without stopping.
60. Get caught in a rainstorm with no umbrella.
61. Roast chestnuts over a fire.
62. Find my signature scent, the perfect pair of jeans and my perfect shade of foundation.
63. Picnic in a canoe.
64. Take a haunted hayride on Halloween.
65. Watch 100 scary movies.
66. Milk a cow.
67. Finish a crossword puzzle (no cheating).
68. Host a Thanksgiving meal and invite someone without a home or family.
69. Start a tradition.
70. Take a calligraphy class.
71. Learn to roll my “R’s.”
72. Putt-putt a hole in one.
73. Draw a mustache on my husband while he’s sleeping.
74. Braid my niece’s hair.
75. Go skiing.
76. Ride an elephant.
77. Start (and finish) a 365 photo project.
78. Lay in a hammock.
79. Bowl a 120 game.
80. Plant a tree.
81. Listen to an entire book on tape without falling asleep.
82. Stay in the top 100 U.S. Hotels.
83. Start a food fight.
84. Bet on a winning horse.
85. Ride a gondola in Venice.
86. Adopt a pet.
87. Inner tube down a river.
88. Drive a tractor.
89. Build a tree house with my husband.
90. Play street hockey with the neighborhood kids.
91. Bury a time capsule.
92. Eat a hot dog in Chicago, preferably at a baseball stadium.
93. Feed a baby lamb.
94. Give a keynote address.
95. Re-upholster a chair.
96. Learn to craft a balloon animal.
97. Make an effort to refrain from emoticons while communicating online.
98. Hold someone’s hand as they give birth.
99. Learn to surf.
100. Walk a Great Dane.

*And yes, I have a list of things I’d like to do in my life, and one of those is to actually make a list of things to do in my life. That’s how backwards my brain is.

image credit: tamara lichtenstein

Today’s a super fun, special sort of day here at Design for Mankind, as my dear friend Vic is asking me to spear-head a special project she came up with (brilliantly, I might add). The deets? Well, I’ll let her explain, as it’s time for me to get to work!

I was asked to come up with a list of things that inspire me. Broad? Yes. Boring? Never. I think “What inspires you?” is the most common question I’m asked, so what better way to answer than to dedicate an entire post toward the issue?

Because I like lists and love to be organized (but rarely are!), I’m alphabetizing my inspirations. Yep. I’m doing it. Ready? Here we go:

A: Almonds. I could eat them all day, every day, and I’m fully convinced that inside those tiny little shells lie bundles of inspiration that travel straight to my brain.
B: Bloggers. This is obvious, but truly, I’ve met some of the nicest bloggers, and when we all get together, I’m really surprised the world doesn’t spontaneously combust from exothermic awesomeness.
C: Coffee. OK, I couldn’t not say it. B/c without coffee, I think I’d have no personality. Actually, without coffee, I know I’d have no personality.
D: Deadlines. I’m using inspiration in the literal sense here, as in “what-gets-me-off-the-couch-and-into-action.” Nothing does that faster than a good, healthy deadline. Plus, my editor’s reading this, so I have to say that. ;)
E: Enthusiasm. Oh, man. Enthusiasm is so, so infectious, and I looooove it. You can have a terrible product, business idea, or haircut, but if you’re enthusiastic about it? Well… then I love it, too.
F: Feta cheese. OK, can we pause and talk about how I order an omelette at the local diner and ask for extra feta, which basically pays for my entire omelette a hundred times over? The stuff is expensive, but man… it’s just so, so tasty. And tasty is inspiring, right? Right.
G: Girlfriends. I don’t have many (and most are online!), but boy, are they great when you need them. Also? Family, although that doesn’t start with a “G.”
H: Hope. This sounds so after-school special, but I really love knowing that there’s hope out there — whether we can see it or not. It’s totally, completely, 100% there.
I: Interior design. I’ve always loved it, and if I could have any other job than this, it would be to run an interior design (ok, or fashion) blog. In fact, this blog used to be an interior design blog, back before I realized that I’m weird, and other people are normal and I should never be allowed to design someone else’s space. Well, that, and I hate to measure things. So. Yeah. For now, I’ll settle for writing for someone else’s interior design blog.
J: Jaime, my other half (in the business sense). This girl has it together in a big way, and she’s so, so funny when she wants to be. Plus, she’s my project manager, so without her, nothing would ever be accomplished.
K: Kikkerland. Man, I love everything there. If I could be sold in stores (Lord knows they wouldn’t take me!), I’d want to be sold at Kikkerland. For $100 dollars, please.
L: Loneliness. I’ve always been a loner, and at the end of the day, I looooove spending a few minutes with just myself. Not because I love my own company (b/c truly — I’m a seriously boring date!), but b/c it’s the best time to really reflect on what’s important to you and why. And hey — no one else wants to watch Lifetime movies with me, so I suppose I sort of have to spend weekly moments alone. ;)
M: Miranda July. Because if you don’t think this girl is inspiring, you need to change your definition of inspiration. Yo.
N: Nylon, as in Nylon Magazine, not the fabric (although I suppose the fabric is OK, too). I get so excited when it arrives in the mail, because not only is the content insanely awesome, but the layouts are equally stunning. Besides, those are some craaaazy editors.
O: Opinions. There’s nothing I love more than a great, educated opinion, whether or not I agree. I’m not into debates, but I am into diversity.
P: Petty. As in Tom Petty, because I already wrote the inspiration for T. Anyway, I love Tom Petty, because he makes me dance. I’d sing, too, but I think we’ve already covered the fact that I lack any sort of appropriate vocal chords for such exercises.
Q: Quirky homes. I love when a home can speak volumes about someone’s personality. Actually, I love anything quirky. Because I do. (And probably, b/c I am.)
R: Readers. It’s true — I can’t tell you how many days I’ve felt lousy and lazy (which is my own fault, b/c I am lazy), and I’ve received a super sweet email from one of you. I can’t say it without sounding sappy, so instead, I’ll send you straight to this song. Replace Rod’s head with mine and you’ll understand the sentiment exactly. Except he can sing (debatable), and I can’t. So there’s that.
S: Stationery. Oh, man. This stuff makes my heart swell, and if I had a hundred dollars, I’d almost always spend $90 on stationery and $10 on beef jerky. Because I love beef jerky, but I love stationery nine times more. Although if it’s personalized stationery? I’d definitely forgo the jerky.
T: TeuxDeux.com. It took me awhile to get used to this, as it’s not pen and paper, and I’m a total neanderthal, but I really, really like it. (I owe the liking of TeuxDeux to Janel, who at breakfast with these gals, preached its purpose over and over until I caved into the modernism). And with this site, I can pretend I’m organized. And hey — what’s more inspiring than organization? Thanks, Tina.
U: Underdogs. Who isn’t inspired by underdogs? I love a good David vs. Goliath story, and the real life ones are the best.
V: Variety. Although I’m a total creature of habit, a change of scenery never ceases to inspire.
W: Weather. I would’ve just said “rain,” but dang, I already filled up the “R” slot. Anyway, thunderstorms always put me into a creative frenzy, and I’ve been known to start more than my share of businesses on rain days. ;)
X: I’m skipping “X”, because never was there a more useless word.
Y: Youth. We have so, so much to learn from today’s teens, and I’m continually inspired by their drive to better themselves. Being raised in a seemingly lazy generation, I love seeing young people rise up to everyday challenges.
Z: Zippers and such. I’m so into zippered dresses, jumpers and asymmetrical vests, like this beauty from Eryn Brinie. Also, Valentine’s Day is coming up, so gifts are welcomed. Preferably in the form of $160, or hey — just gift me the dress directly. I’m not picky.

Wow. If you read all that, you deserve massive amounts of cookies.

Now it’s time to pass it on! Part of the beauty of the Blogger Mash-Up is the ability to interact with each other, so next on the list is Blissful*Thinking! Take it away, dearie!