1. My favorite cartoons and toys from the 80s. My Little Ponies’ big, watery eyes, Strawberry Shortcake dolls that each come with little animal friends and the Gummy Bears episode about Cubbi’s flute that turns out to control a water dragon who takes him to an island floating in the sky.

2. Garbage. I’m always trying to think of things to make with the colorful plastic tabs that keep bread bags closed or how to construct a jet pack out of cereal boxes.

3. Song lyrics, the more obscure the better. Have you heard Behind the Sea by Panic at the Disco? It’s bizarre. I love it.

4. My boys’ art. My husband isn’t a professional artist so it’s a little known fact that he is absurdly talented with a Sharpie…he specializes in super heroes. And I absolutely love my son’s drawings because they’re all emotion and action. He loves fantasy, too…when asked to draw a picture of me at school and turned me into a mermaid. (Sigh. I’m so proud!)

5. Walt Disney and Jim Henson. They had big dreams, unique artistic voices and made the world a better place with their visions.