A.
Outside of my close friends, I am influenced by people I admire in various aspects of life. I have author Martha Beck's blog on my favorites, and check it out  a couple times a week. I like her views about life, values and success. I also like that she is all over new research into fields like neuroscience, because I like to learn about new research. I also like author Christiane Northrup and Oprah Winfrey for ways of looking at the world. I take suggestions from members of my neighborhood Facebook group for things to do in and around our neighborhood and Denver. There are a lot of people like me with young families who are interested in fun local entertainment. For personal style, I look at magazines. I like actresses Sienna Miller, Mila Kunis, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour's personal style. All of these people/sources seem to have modern, evolved style whether it's in fashion or personal beliefs. They seem to share that they are not too stuffy, down to earth (well, except Anna Wintour), and practical but at the same time stylish and interesting-looking.

B.
Aside from people, I love to look at magazines such as House Beautiful and InStyle, Sunset magazine and catalogs like Anthropologie and J. Crew. I love websites like Anthropologie, Land's End Canvas, Urban Outfitters, Etsy and J. Crew. What I really like is when they do something more in-depth than just the clothes. For instance J. Crew, Anthropologie and Land's End have videos that are interesting because they show people in whole outfits, in beautiful settings, which gives me inspiration for looks in both clothes and home. The Sartorialist is another great website that shows stylish people on the street. I like this because it doesn't look too pulled together in the way a lot of editorial fashion spreads do. I read the Oprah magazine every month, and love the advise and insight on how to live, although I'm not crazy about the aesthetic usually shown there. I like a more natural, youthful look with more muted colors. I'm also always on Bluefly and ModCloth websites, but I go there just to look at clothes; they don't have context. I like all of these because they give me inspiration about how I would like to live my life. One example-a Land's End canvas video showed people bringing a couch onto a frozen lake to fish in comfort. I don't fish and certainly don't want to take up ice fishing, but it made me think about ways of bringing simple luxury to rustic settings. Finally, I am inspired by nature. There is a fountain at the Denver Botanic Gardens that I love to sit next to, and a tree in a park by my house that I love to sit under.

Pictures: here and here


C.
On the web I am more of an influencer, mostly because I administer our neighborhood FB group and am on the board of the neighborhood. As a result I know about lots of stuff happening in the neighborhood, and pass it on through our FB group. I think it just says that I have access to a lot of information, and I readily share it. I influence our neighbors by providing information and sometimes opinions. For example. There have been some discussions on the group about crime, and people have commented that it seems like there is more crime lately. I responded that it may not be more crime, but we may be aware of it now unlike in the past. I try and keep things realistic with a positive spin.

D. Websites: Martha Beck. I go there a few times a week. She always has uplifting and humorous info. Bluefly, HauteLook and ModCloth because I love clothes. Surfing clothing websites is my version of porn. Also, Anthropologie, J. Crew and Land's End Canvas. I go to any of these websites several times a week, usually at night, when I want some mindless eye candy.  TV shows: I love Mad Men because the style is crazy good. Also Up All Night because it's funny and light, and I like the actors. I also like What Not to Wear because I love seeing the clothes, and it's cool to see the personal transformations people go through when they participate in something like that. Publications I get are Ode Magazine and O, the Oprah magazine. I like both of them because they are inspirational and give me examples of people and ideas I can relate to in staying positive and working to create the life I want to live.

E.
I watch Oprah Winfrey because I admire her and like the people she interviews. I also agree with her philosophies on life and feel uplifted and hopeful when she talks about life lessons. I like the news commentators Shields and Brooks because they are both level-headed and offer sound, well-researched commentary on politics. I like Genevieve from that interior design show because I like her personal style and her interior design style.

F.
I am influenced by brands like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, InStyle, Genevieve (don't know her last name) on tv. These are create interesting, unique aesthetics that aren't too buttoned up. Also they each use a lot of nature in their designs, which I like.