be yourself: live with passion

just a few left...

Yesterday was kit shipping day...it was great!

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who ordered...and wanted to say thanks to those of you who are spreading the word.

The feedback I've been getting is that these kits are great to take to crops and retreats.  After you add your tools and some supplies that would be tough (and expensive) to add to the kit and ship, you pretty much have a project that is self-contained, which is perfect in a crop setting.

If you still haven't ordered your July kit, there aren't many left!  You know, I'm still getting requests for previous kits...all the way back to the Feathered Nest kit from January!  For those of you who may not know, once the kits are gone, they are gone.  Due to minimum buying requirements that most manufacturers have, it's not possible to order small amounts of product just to make 10 or 15 or even 25 more kits.

So, that being said, if you have a trip to remember, you may want to order your travel journal kit, "A Trip to Remember", available for shipment right now.

After reading all of your home stories, I think that a trip to remember for me would be a road trip to visit each one of your abodes...how fun would that be?????

We have a winner!!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

32	

Timestamp: 2008-07-24 01:36:18 UTC

#32 is Ariane, who used to live in Phoenix!  Congrats, Ariane.  Email me your address and I'll send out the vintage trim pak to you!

I wanted to say thanks to all of you who played...the depth of your answers is amazing.

I found myself wanting to visit all of your homes...I know I would feel comfortable there!

Your homes definitely tell your stories...thanks again for sharing them.

Does your home tell your stories?

One of the things I love about being in other people's homes is looking around at their "stuff" to see what I can learn about them...finding those unique things that might reveal what their interests and passions might be, seeing family portraits, checking out the style of art they enjoy, etc. 

If you came to my home, you would know that we are all avid readers...there are books and magazines everywhere and they are an eclectic mix...business and self-improvement books, fiction novels ranging from Nora Roberts romance to legal and spy thrillers, to sci-fi and fantasy, to murder mysteries, home decor and gardening books, cookbooks, and then, of course, horse, dog and fish books.  Our choices of reading materials tell a lot about us.

Our art ranges anywhere from originals to artists proofs to pieces that I've made over the past few years.  Then there are family portraits and other photos incorporated into home decor pieces. 

If you went into my kitchen, you would know that I love roosters...and it took me years to accumulate the collection I have because I wanted them to be unique...and I wanted them to have a story.

When Vern and I first started our service business, I would occasionally go out on a job with him to give him some help.  I loved being in different homes; it was fascinating to me to see their home decor (or lack thereof :)) and to try to figure out what their interests were.  What amazed me was how many homes really didn't tell a very long and interesting story.  There was no reading material, art was pretty predictable (you know, the kind that's purchased to match the sofa), and the house was so rigidly decorated...totally matchy-matchy...matching lamps on either side of the sofa, no clutter, no unique accessories.  I guess that told a little about the occupants...but not much.  Anyway, I love having things on display that tell our stories...places we visited, special gifts we gave each other, things we dreamed about owning and finally would get...all these things are part of our history and our story.

So, where am I going with all of this?  Well, I wanted to give something away and just this past week, I found a bin of vintage trims imported from France.  Many of them are linen blended with cotton, some are 100% cotton and others are viscose blends.  I put together a pack of nine trims, all black and linen or ivory, with a yard of each trim to give away.  As you probably know by now, I always ask you to tell me something about yourself and this time is no different.

To go into the drawing, just leave me a comment about your home...tell all of us what story your home tells about you...it can be one story or a few, depending on how wordy you feel :).  I'll leave the drawing open until Wednesday, July 23rd, and around 6:00 p.m., Arizona time, someone around here will draw a name and one commenter will be the lucky winner of this fabulous vintage trim.

Looking forward to sharing a piece of my home with you...and looking forward to hearing what your home says about you!

Come dos-a-dos with me!

OK, so we really aren't going to square dance...there won't be any do-si-do moves going on...but...we you will be dancing when you finish this awesome dos-a-dos travel journal we will be creating.

This is a build from scratch book structure using the dos-a-dos as the base...add to that honeycomb and pamphlet stitched books AND a clipboard cover and baby, if you haven't already taken a vacation, you will definitely be planning one!

There are lots of surfaces and pockets to keep your memories, plus, the journal is a perfect size to slip into a tote or purse...definitely a plus when you want to keep all of those stubs and pamphlets in one place.  And the best thing about this class is that you don't even have to have any book making experience...I'll walk you through it step by step and before you know it, you will have yourself a book!

All of this is happening on Friday, July 18, 10:30-2:00 at Scrapbooks, Etc.in Mesa.  To reserve your spot, just call the store at 480-854-2303. 

You'll be do-si-do'ing out of the class with a smile on your face and a finished journal in your hand.

See you there! 

P.S.  There's still time to ask the boss for a vacation day!!! :)

BELLA BOUND!!!

What an exciting fall it's going to be!

This year, I will be attending Silver Bella, hosted by the ever so brilliantly creative Teresa McFayden.  Last year, I was unable to attend because of a conflict in my teaching schedule...loved the event where I was teaching but also wanted to be with the creative bunch in Bellaville.

I'm going to be rooming with Friend Pam and we've signed up to take the same classes so that we can spend time creating together.  When I was back in Virginia teaching classes, Pam TA'ed for me...she is an awesome TA and I was so grateful for her help.  But, because she was helping in the classroom, she wasn't creating and of course, neither was I.  So, this will be a fun time for both of us.

If you haven't been over to the Bella blog or site, check it out...there's an amazing speaker lined up.,.some very well known excellent instructors...and of course, Teresa's amazing attention to detail!

Hope to see you there!

GET CREATIVE!

Yesterday, I received a package from Australia.

In that package was a copy of "Get Creative", a leading Australian craft magazine.

Several months ago, I received an email from Jacquie Byron, the magazine editor, asking if she could interview me about the topic of memory art.

Could she interview me?????  On a topic that I'm passionate about????  My answer, of course, was "OF COURSE!".

She asked a lot of very thought provoking questions about the industry, about my inspirations, and about creating a business based on memory art.  I thoroughly enjoyed answering her questions.

She also interviewed Nic Howard and Helen Bradley and pulled together our responses in one great article...very well done indeed.

It was an honor to be asked to be a part of this magazine...thanks, Jacquie, for your insightful questions and awesome article.

Now, I'm off to Get Creative!

P.S.  I checked out our new Hobby Lobby today...found some wool roving and a needle felting applique mold in a rose design...something new and different for me to try!  Hopefully, I can get it to work since I love some of the cool felted appliques...the spirit is getting restless and needs something new to try, can you relate?????   :))

you know you're a collector when...

...while looking for something totally unrelated, you discover something you forgot you had.  Have you ever been there?  Such was the case yesterday.  I was searching for something (and I'm not going to tell you what because then you're going to wonder how these two objects can co-exist together) and found this bracelet.  It's one that Ashley put together for me from a French General bracelet kit quite a while ago and it must have fallen off of one of the mini dress forms where it had been hanging.

Anyway, I was so delighted with the discovery that I promptly put it on and enjoyed it all day!

I photographed it this morning with some shells and a beautiful embroidered cotton lawn cloth.  There's a story behind that "cloth".  Several weeks ago, I was at Marshalls...now I don't shop at Marshalls much anymore because it's too hit or miss.  You know, the hit days are way too good and the miss days...well, it makes you wonder who would ever buy such junk (and I don't mean the kinds of treasures we go junkin' for...totally different category, that kind of junk, know what I mean?).

I have a psychology that I employ when I shop at stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, etc.  I don't usually take a cart...that way, if it's a hit day, then I'm limited to what I can actually hold...can you relate?  Tee hee.

Well, I've gotten pretty good at juggling lots of stuff with these two little ink stained, gesso spattered hands!  So, picture this.  I've got a pair of really cute Ralph Lauren pj's draped over one arm, two very cheap  inexpensive vintage repro glass/chrome sugar shakers (you know the kind they used to have in the old fashioned diners...oh yeah...perfect for glitter), a large glass jar of black peppercorns, and two white shower curtain liners...i.e., hands are full.  I start down the linens aisle and see this clear package with this "cloth" inside and there is a red tag on it...for those of you who don't shop at Marshalls, that means SALE.  That red tag says $2.00.  Now, honestly, what can you buy for two dollars these days?  Not even a good cup of coffee!  OK, so now I'm intrigued.  What could this cloth possibly be?  There is no description on the outside of the clear package and by now as I'm bending to try opening it to see if I can find a label or something, one of the sugar shakers is hanging precariously out of its packaging...hmmm, not a good thing. Can you just picture this?

I decided to take a risk and just get it...my thinking was that it was probably a pillow sham and I could always resew it into one or two smaller pillows.  When I brought it home, I discovered that it was a curtain panel...now what's with that?  Don't curtains come in panel pairs?  And just how does a store get stuck with one?  I mean, do people drape them around themselves or stuff them in their tops and just waltz out or what?  Maybe one was damaged or something...but that's too logical to make an interesting story.

Anyway, it's a very beautiful curtain panel that I'm going to use for tabletop layering...I think that it will really be pretty over the plain monkscloth tablecloth I made last year.  So there you have the story of the "cloth".

You know, I can't remember where I was going with this story...I've truly been around the block and back. :)) Oh yes...collecting. 

To those of you who are collectors, I hope that you have many days of discovering things you forgot you had.  Makes it seem new again...and you didn't even have to leave your house!

Happy Sunday!

let freedom ring!

Happy Independence Day to you and your family.

An Artistic Affaire Deaux

I'm so excited about being a part of this event.

I've heard nothing but great things about the first event, held in May, and hosted by Kim Caldwell.

It has been said that if you want something to be done just right, have Kim do it!  And, if you want someone to pay attention to the details, Kim's the one!

That's why it was such an honor to be asked to teach at this event being held at Kim's home in October.

And, guess what?  It sold out as soon as she announced it!  Wow!

Also teaching that weekend are two amazing artists who happen to be my friends...Kim Hesson and Beth Quinn. 

I can't wait to see what Kim has in store for all of us...I do know that it will be fabulous! 

what inspired me?

I'm often asked what my creative sources of inspiration are and that's an easy question to answer.  I get my inspiration from everywhere!  Books that I read, magazines, shopping for home decor, junking, gardening and just being in nature, traveling, eating out...they all contribute to my creative inspiration.  To narrow down a specific inspiration for a specific project...now that's harder to pinpoint.  I tend to pull from here and there...kind of like going into a girls' gym locker room with all of the small lockers and pulling out a little something from each locker.  Hmmm, maybe that's not such a good analogy, seeing what's in most girl's gym lockers :))!  But, you get the point, right?

When Valerie suggested that I do a series of white books, I decided to create a summer white book, which became June's creatologie kit.  Before I even started to plan the project, this photo popped into my mind and I knew exactly how this book would look.

Meet Caroline, the beautiful youngest daughter of sweet Paige, whose blog I have followed for a while.  By the way, Paige was one of the people who bought my very first white book!

This, in my mind, is the quintessential summer picture...white linen or cotton dress, straw hat, beautiful sand and water, and a gorgeous child...what more could you ask for?

Paige captured the essence of summer white...and the essence of her child...a photo that my mind remembered for more than a year!

Thanks, Paige, for allowing me to share the inspiration and the picture.  And thanks, Caroline, for blessing my life with your beauty and sweet spirit!