Daily Courage

It’s sure fun to be in popular company! News of a new quilt book from Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston sparked a great response. Neither of them are wired, so I will print out the nice comments and send them off. It’s sure to make them smile.  Speaking of smiles, here is something to chuckle over from Freddy and Gwen. Someone gave Gwen this fabric, and the two of them used it in one of their new quilts. We giggled trying to come up with captions for the images. (Disclaimer: these were taken with my phone camera. A far cry from the professional work of Gregory Case.)

We decided this must be the Booby Hatch. Have any other funny ideas?

Don’t know about you, but I am battling a little Spring Fever. It’s Good Friday and I am trying to  finish up in the office so I can observe the rest of the day in contemplation of this important day. The work of author Teena Flanner comes to mind just prior to this weekend holiday. Teena’s work has been featured in many magazines, and we have always admired her wonderful paper mache figures. 

Teena uses vintage chocolate molds to form her figures. This bunny is a beauty!

Teena’s book has many wonderful ideas for other holidays too. If you like these you will love it.  

Happy Easter!

Toodles… 

Many creative souls are fans of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I was introduced to the book and the author’s philosophy in 2002 by one of the most colorful people to inhabit the wonderful world of quilting.  Freddy Moran lives in Technicolor and has as vivid a personality as you will ever meet.  

Freddy 

We were photographing Freddy’s home for a feature story, and I was there to be sure the cover shot was just right. Freddy, sensing I had a little creative conflict going on, suggested I read the book. I did, and it gave me the courage to make some changes in my life. That change became Red Lips 4 Courage Communications, Inc.

Out of that first meeting, with a little help from The Artist’s Way, came Collaborative Quilting by Freddy and Gwen Marston. Gwen is a quilting guru of great reknown. The quilts were photographed by Gregory Case, who has emerged as great talent in getting the color just right. He took the candids I am sharing here.

The book has been a hit. Freddy and Gwen play off each other so well because their styles are so different. If they ever decide to stop quilting, they can tour the world as comedians. They can work a crowd better than any professional performers I have ever seen. 

Don’t these two look like fun, fun, fun?! 

I am delighted that we are working on a second book with Freddy and Gwen. It is going to be filled with design tips and strategies for making wonderful quilts guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most color. There will be over 70 quilts featured, and its going to pop and sizzle in blazing color! Along the way, I learned to have courage, creative courage…the kind that gives you the strength to take a leap of faith and go for it. Thank you Freddy. And thank you to both Freddy and Gwen for working with us and keeping us in literal stitches. Toodles 

It takes courage to stick together. Today I had some time to be thankful for the courage girls… My experience in publishing has covered many diverse topics, my favorite of which was the material I worked with at Romantic Homes 

and Victorian Homes magazines.  I was happily in the height of my mommy days when a chance phone call pulled me back into the magazine world. Next thing I knew, Romantic Homes had been acquired, moved to the west coast, and there I was in the middle of it all. For over six years a wonderful team of editors and designers nurtured the magazine from six times a year to monthly, and nearly doubled its circulation. Those years were filled with many wonderful experiences, and even better, introduced us to many of the creative friends we have today.  Cathy Yarnovich Risling (that’s Cathy on the right)

and Rebecca Ittner (Rebecca on the left, Cathy on the right, celebrating Rebecca’s birthday a few years back)

are a integral part of the Red Lips 4 Courage team that now provides creative communications services to book and magazine publishers, among other the other things we do. Erika Kotite was the editor of Victorian Homes, and she has worked with us in this new venture too. I had a long talk with Erika today. (Erika with her beautiful family in the loft of their barn, below.)

Despite her now living in New Jersey, we can easily foresee creating more projects together. It reminds me that even though communications and information delivery is changing so fast it is confusing, the technology has kept us working together, doing what we love.

Romantic Homes had a few hiccups awhile back, but under the direction of Jacqueline deMontravel working with Hillary Black and a talented team, it is once again in full bloom. Check it out…

We know that on some browsers the blog is looking like it is in the fun zone. (Stretched photos and the like) We are working on the bugs and hope to be better  viewed on all browsers.Toodles! 

Many of the creative souls I know are great fans of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and so am I. One of the suggestions the author makes is that in order to inspire ourselves we need to make a regular Artist’s Date. She tells us it doesn’t matter where we go, we need to take the time to do something curious and give ourselves little creative breaks. Susan Rios is one of the creative faithful. You know Susan from her beautiful paintings of wonderfully romantic places and children, and from her many books with Harvest House. By the way, that is her work on the banner of the Crlog. Remember, this is a CReativebLOG (Crlog)

Partners in Play by Susan Rios

Harbour Roses by Susan Rios

We have talked for two years about going on an Artist Date together. Yesterday was the day! I drove from the OC to her home and off we went to the Getty Museum. Perfect place for an Artist Date, don’t you think? We had lunch in the wonderful restaurant, and splurged by having a Blood Orange Margarita. It was as good as it looks!

And, it almost made it worth the 4 1/2 hour drive home. I hit the SigAlert jackpot coming home on the 405 freeway.

.Cheers!!

After lunch we wandered into a fabulous exhibit of Illuminated Manuscripts. These works were done from the 1100’s to the late 1500’s. Unbelievable. If you are even the tiniest bit of a paperholic, you will love seeing the wonderful manuscripts. Here is a peek:

We marveled at how the scribes and artists could have done such intricate gold leaf. There is no doubt it is the real deal because it is still shining after all these years. Knowing Susan, she’ll have it figured out. She did some very unique and wonderful things with texture and dimension in her book Designer Scrapbooks with Susan Rios.

An all around wonderful day!! None of us think we have the time. Maybe we don’t have the time NOT to take a little break to be inspired.

Toodles!

Amy Hanna was here yesterday. She is the upcoming author of Rejuvenated Jewels. Her work is fabulous. If you have seen it on Etsy, I don’t need to tell you, you know! Here is a little peek at one of the amazing creations she has fashioned for the book.

Just spend a day flea marketing looking at vintage jewelry and you’ll see how gifted Amy is. She finds amazing treasures (which takes lots of digging and a great eye), and puts them together is a way that just makes me drool. I know you will feel the same way. Here is a peek at some of her treasured stash.

Amy and her dear friend Pam Garrison are headed to Paris soon. Don’t you wish you could tag along with those two?! You can see what kindred spirits they are, especially when you gaze upon the jeweled crown Pam created for Crowns & Tiaras.

It’s a beautiful day here in SoCal. One that makes you just breath deep and be thankful to be alive! These are the green hills just outside my office door. They were aflame in October, and today they are turning a beautiful green.

The mountains off the back lanai. Praise God!

Toodles!

The Craft and Hobby Association had its annual convivium week before last in Anaheim. While the show floor was a bit quiet, there was plenty of creativity snapping in the air. Many of our beloved authors were there, and it was a joy to see them in person. Cathy Risling and I had lunch with Sandra Evertson, whose ingenuity is endless. She was spending time demonstrating a new line of rubber stamps she designed for Stampington. She uses ink blots as her inspiration. Sandra’s book Fanciful Paper Projects continues to be very popular. She lent her creative genius to Crowns & Tiaras. Here is a peek at one of her tiaras:

We met with Kerri Judd and Danyel Montecinos, authors of Crowns & Tiaras too. They are going to be at Remnants of the Past in April selling their original creations. Transforming vintage anaglypta (wallpaper) into fabulous crowns is one of Danyel’s trademarks.

We saw Sandi Genovese who has a new book coming up teaching readers how to make her fabulous pop-up and moving cards. Sandi’s cards have been a huge hit on QVC, and were in Staples this past holiday season. She has designs for all occasions, and they are simply fabulous. This is an amateur shot (by me) of the inside of one of the holiday cards.

Jamie Fingal, author of Embellished Mini-Quilts joined us at the show too. Jamie’s book received a very nice review in the Library Journal this week. It recommended that her book be an addition to every library’s collection!

Congratulations, Jamie!!

We have been so excited about the publication of Crown & Tiaras: Add a Little Sparkle to Everyday Life by Kerri Judd and Danyel Montecinos.

www.barnesandnoble.com

Oodles of creative bloggers have been too. Our special thanks on behalf of the authors to the wonderful artists who made the magic happen. Pam Garrison created the incredible crown in the above shot. While we were working on the book, our friend Judy Watkins, www.remnantsofthe past.com, lost her mother after a long battle with cancer. Placing Pam’s crown upon her head the day of the funeral brought a smile to Judy’s face and reminded her that, “Everyone is the Queen of Something.” We want to be sure that credit is given where credit is due. This book would not have happened without the creative genius of : Ashley Carter, Anna Corba, Sandra Evertson, Pam Garrison, Ulla Norup Milbrath, Nicol Sayre, Barbara Schriber, Denise Sharp, and Dianne Stickley White. Of course Kerri and Danyel were big contributors too.Here are one of Danyel’s masterpieces: Ladies: You are all the Queen of Everything to us here at Red Lips 4 Courage. Today is a Red Lips 4 Courage Day. I will be passing the red lip-imprinted tissues down the row to my dear friend Becky as we celebrate and honor the life of her father today. He was a great man who made our lives richer. I’ll be thinking of Pam’s crown on Judy’s head and wishing I had it to share with Becky today! Eileen

Life has slowed a bit, and I am delightedly getting around to one of last year’s resolutions… Getting the blog section of the Red Lips 4 Courage website up and running. A few failed attempts discouraged me, but that’s it, I am jumping in. Covered in red lipstick for courage - here goes…

I am going to nickname this my crlog instead of calling it a blog. It’s the corralling of creative endeavors, mostly related to the books we produce. We have been blessed to have worked, and continue to work with, some of the most amazingly gifted artists and designers of our time. It is my hope to weave together these women, the readers of our books, and all creatively inclined souls.

A brief visit to Barnes & Noble the other day resulted in a few sightings of our current books for Lark and Sterling Publishing. French-Inspired Jewelry by Kaari Meng of French General fame www.frenchgeneral.com was face out on an eye-level shelf. It saved me from pulling the trick from my magazine days when I’d pull the publication from where it had become hidden behind all others and put it up front. French-Inspired Jewelry was right up front where it belongs.

French-Inspired Jewelry received a wonderful review in the February/March issue of BEADWORK magazine. Check it out on page 17 of the current issue.

Two weekends ago my husband and I had the pleasure of taking our daughter to New York City to celebrate her 16th birthday. I promised not to work while we were there. (I did sneak into the Sterling offices while they were still in bed Monday a.m.) I didn’t make calls or attempt to make stops anywhere that might constitute trying to work. I managed to get them into ABC Home and Carpet under the auspices that we need decorating ideas for home. I was delighted to come upon a Tinsel Trading boutique on the first floor. Check it out if you are in the city. Be sure to go by the main store and The Store Across the Street. If you can’t make the trip, visit the website. Tinsel Trading: Beautiful Bedrooms With Ribbons & Trims is the delightful work of owner Marcia Ceppos, her friend Rosemary Warren, and photographer Art Gray. You can order a personal copy on the Tinsel Trading site. www.tinseltrading.com

Images from the book will be appearing in an upcoming issue of Romantic Country.

As Monday comes to a close, I may have mastered a few of the buttons and gizmos on WordPress. I must thank Cory O’Connor for assuring me that this can be done, and be lots of fun! Cory is a lifelong friend. He is currently a professor at Chapman University and among the classes he teaches is one on blogging.

There are days I think I live in Neverland. Not because Peter Pan is lurking around, but because I never seems to get to things I intend to do.

We are a little late jumping into the blogging universe. I have been a bit busy applying my Red Lips 4 Courage and living day-by-day. My daughter has been battling Crohn’s Disease, and it has completely changed our lives. She has stabilized and is doing well enough to have returned to school and life is beginning to resemble a routine again. Praise God!

So, in the hopes of leaving Neverland, I am able to dip my toes back into the Creative Synchronicities that are the pleasurable part of the work we do and the books we publish.

In Creative Company

Jamie Fingal

Last week was one of those weeks when I feel bathed in joy about my work and the amazing people I cross paths with. When my children were toddlers, I was involved in the opening of Kidseum, a children’s museum that is part of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, CA. My children came of age in a world of globalism and multi-cultural mixes being the norm. Kidseum gave them a window to that world while they were forming their perceptions. Jamie Fingal who is equally passionate about the cultural arts was on staff at Bowers. Fast forward, children are teenagers, I am back in publishing, and Jamie followed her muse and has become an accomplished art quilter. www.jamiefingal.com When she submitted some of her work, we recognized each other’s names. There is that Creative Synchronicity!Jamie is now the author of Embellished Mini-Quilts, an exquisite gallery of beautiful art quilts. Jamie gathered fellow members of Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA) www.saqa.com , and with the help of our beloved book editor, Rebecca Ittner, created a brilliant book.