Daily Courage

Finally there is a little fall chill in the air here in Southern California. I’m going to get my first real taste of fall when I head up the coast this weekend to Remnants of the Past, October 10th in Nipomo. I remember when this event was just a dream Judy Watkins had. It has been wonderful to watch her bring it to life. Down a country road you enter the Dana Powers property and step into a delightful world far from the hustle and bustle of everyday. This one day event has hosted some amazing guests. This time around, my friend April Cornell is the featured VIP. She will have loads of her signature linens and a smattering of the soft romantic women’s and girl’s clothing she is known for. This is the first time April has done a show like this. It’s a lot of hard work getting there and getting set up. But I am confident that once she feels the energy and warmth of the people who are drawn to this delightful event, we’ll all feel it was worth it. So, being as the glamour never stops, I am off to Home Depot to pick up a few things we need to set up the booth. If you are in the area, I really hope you will stop by!

There is a saying that “Cancer Sucks.”  It does. With the advancements in treating the disease, it seems I know more people who have prevailed and after treatment and have been able to resume their lives. But, lately that isn’t true. I have attended the funeral of two friends under the age of 50 in the past several months. Both women died of breast cancer. Both of them left daughters the same age as my own daughter, Sarah. 

    My mother died of ovarian cancer in 1996. She looked into the mirror of mortality everyday for seven years. I learned a great deal in those years. I saw how much it meant to her when others would visit, call, write or send a thoughtful gift. Rather than holding back from fear of what to say, it was the people who reached out that made a difference. It’s not easy to know what to do. What matters is that you do something.

   Some people turn to the kitchen and cook to show they care.  I tend to avert the kitchen and head to my craft studio.

  My cousin was recently diagnosed with melanoma. I’ve been struggling with a way to reach out and show support. Yesterday, I pulled out the things that give me comfort: vintage trims and embellishments, handmade papers, button, paper dyes, and a book of favorite quotes that I keep in my office. Not quite sure where I was going to end up, I started on a minibook filled with quotes I thought would be of comfort during his treatment. Aromas flowed from the kitchen where my daughter was baking for friends who had been in a terrible car accident. Once the cupcakes were in the oven, she came to find me. “See Mom, this is what we do. You craft and I bake. It makes us feel better, and like we are doing something and to show we care.” She’s right, it does. 

What do you do to show you care? We could all use some good ideas…

This week’s Blogging for Bliss blog tour has been delightful! Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun, and to Kari at Artsy Mama for being the host. I had two copies of the book to giveaway. I used Tara Frey’s Random Number Generator to choose the winners. It’s a great tool you can use for your blog too. 

The winners are Deb from Posted-From-Home, and Beth Gales from Gales Designs. Congratulations. I’ll pop a copy in the mail to each of you as soon as you send me  your addresses.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by during party week. Be sure to join the Blogging for Bliss fan page on Facebook for updates on the book and Tara’s journey.

Today is a long awaited day. It marks the full orchestra, get-dressed-up-in-your-ball-gown, debut of Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey. The party hostess is Kari Ramston from Artsy Mama. Thanks for having us Kari. 

The Red Lips 4 Courage team produced this book with Tara, and we have been waiting for months to see this unfold!

I blog for bliss because I love to share stories and connect creative women. I used to love sitting down to write the editor’s letter for each issue of Romantic Homes. Since starting my own little boutique book making venture, I have spent most of my time working on other people’s writing. I miss those days of personal connection, and the blog is giving me that chance once again. It feeds my soul.

Personally, I find myself getting drawn into intensive time-suck sessions because I become bound and determined to figure out much of the formatting and CSS  I can do myself. What is it about that? I’m like a primal cave woman on the prowl for the thrill of the kill. I’ll troll the web for hours for tips and solutions, and will try tweaks over and over to try to get things just right. I have a long way to go to be in the leagues of the women who are included in the book. But there is a certain unexplainable pleasure that comes from learning something new everyday.

The business camp I live in tells me WordPress is the true blog religion. But I manage a beautiful blog for a friend in Blogger, and find it a joy to work on. I have another little startup blog in the works on TypePad, so soon, I’ll be confused by all three platforms! A true Unitarian of blogdom.

I Blog for Bliss because of the connections it brings to creative kindred spirits and amazing women I would not have otherwise met.. I am a DYI kind of gal, so I spend far more time than I care to admit on the prep and code. But in the end, just like a project from my craft room, I love sitting back and enjoying knowing I did it myself! And I like to think it takes courage to venture into new realms, so its about that too…

Tara cheers to you and to all women who accepted the invitation to be a part of Blogging for Bliss!

I have TWO copies of the book to giveaway. Just leave me a comment and I will use Tara’s random number generator to determine the winners. I’ll post the lucky ducks over the weekend. No need to write a long post, but I’d love anything you’d like to share.

Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey is receiving great response from bloggers far and wide. We couldn’t be happier! Many thanks to the blissful bloggers who are spreading the word. A great big thank you to Kari Ramstrom author of Artsy Mama for hosting a blog tour party on behalf of Tara and the book. Be sure to visit Kari’s blog for all the details. She is gathering the best of the best and some of the most amazingly creative women you will ever meet. And all through the wonderful world of blogging. Come join the party!

While we were working away on the book we lovingly developed the acronym – B4B, which is how we lovingly refer to it.

It’s been a summer of traveling and of great introspection. Lot’s of quiet time alone contemplating what’s next and what I want the future to hold. There are have been many bumps in the road the past few years. And the path is leading to a need for many transitions. So time on the road has been good. It has provided a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with cousins and to revisit places from my past. Beautiful, friendly places.

A dear cousin lives in the small hamlet of Sloatsburg, NY, about 45 minutes outside of New York City. While its close to the beehive of Manhattan it is a whole world away. Just five minutes up the road from her home is a delightful lake. Being accustomed to most things in California being crowded, I drank in the solitude. Pat and I did something I have not done in years. We jumped in the lake, tredded water at our leisure and visited. But the best part was laying back in the fresh lake water and floating on our backs. The quiet muffled sounds through the water against our ears, the sun on our faces and the secure feeling of being cradled by nature was a warm hug I will long remember. My soul was at peace. And because of those moments floating in the lake, I think we’ll be better equipped to face what lies ahead. Sometimes to build courage you have to pause and float in the lake.

When I was a young girl, my family moved from Iowa to Old Saybrook, CT where my parents rented a seaside cottage while building a house in Guilford, CT. This week my father, mother-in-love (that’s what I call his wife Marge because calling her “my Dad’s wife” sounds distant), my brother, his wife and six children, along with my husband and daughter spent a week along the Connecticut shoreline. We have all been settled in California for many years. The occasion was a celebration trip of my father’s 80th and brother’s 50th birthdays.  The idea was to unplug, revisit happy haunts and memories, and to enjoy each other’s company. We rented a rambling colonial seated in the woods in Old Lyme, and accomplished exactly what we set out to do.  While my computer came along, I resisted to temptation to pack knitting, sewing and craft projects, and opted to commit to staying in the present and enjoying my nieces and nephew. But that didn’t mean that the creativity monitor slowed down. In fact, it probably woke up.  We stopped for lunch in the small marina in Old Saybrook, and this is what was out the window. The casual happenstance of a salty green piling next to one of faded whitewash with a red top, struck me as a wonderfully creative mix in an unexpected spot.

Sterling booth at BEA

No one knew what to expect at BEA in New York City this time around. The bloodletting has been long and deep in the book industry. Reading the daily publishing trades has been more like being immersed in endless obituary pages of late. So, it was with a slightly faint heart that we set out for Book Expo this year. 

We were thrilled to see that our latest project, “Blogging for Bliss” by Tara Frey for Lark Books/Sterling had perfect placement in the Sterling booth. We are optimistic about this one in particular. We believe in the importance of creativity, especially in trying times. Spread the word, positive attitudes and creative pursuits trump negativity and pessimism every time. We hope you’ll try blogging for your own bliss.