Daily Courage

Okay, I am trying for heaven’s sake. I know its not like bombs are going off around us literally, but it feels enough like a war zone for my taste. 

The RL4C offices are a lovely spot, but there is an isolation issue seeing as I am permanently in the Employee of the Month parking spot because the rest of the team is scattered about cyberspace. Which means there are no water cooler or coffee room interactions to perk me up about all the negative news these days. (Note to self: Do NOT open the blast from Publisher’s Weekly first thing in the morning.)  

When I first saw this reproduction of the famous war  poster that graced London during the Blitz, I thought it was cute and quaint. Now I think the King and Queen at the time were brilliant. I get it, I get it. Keep Calm and Carry On.

Let’s all try to pull together and do just that. We creative types have a tendency to be overly sensitive and drink things in. We are often easily influenced by environments. It’s clearly in our best interest to heed the advise of the poster of another time in history.

BTW: I found this on Etsy. There are a couple of artists selling them. Be nice and run a search for all the others if you’re shopping.

It’s a pretty spring day, and birds are going nuts flitting from tree to tree. Mother Nature is in full bloom. It made me think of this beautiful crown that Ashley Carter created for Crowns & Tiaras: Add a Little Sparkle, Glitter & Glamour to Every Day. Ashley has a touch that is her trademark. I’ve enjoyed making quite a few crowns for friends. I have found that an old light rim make a great base. I keep an eye out for them at flea markets. I am sure people wonder about me when they see me testing the size on my own head when they walk by. In a pinch a wide headband works great too. 

Everyone is the Queen of Something. Which is exactly why every woman deserves a crown. She may not be inclined to walk out in public in it, but you can be sure it will be cherished and displayed in a special spot. Now more than ever, we can each use a little royal treatment. Plan a Coronation for the Queen of Extremes, The Birthday Baroness, or the Sorceress of Secrets. By all means, celebrate and make merry. It beats the alternative. And there is far too much of the latter going on these days.

Every once in awhile a lovely package arrives in our offices and you can tell right away that it is coming from a very special person with an amazing creative gift. Like the day right after we had moved the offices, and the phones weren’t working, and chaos reigned as well as heightened blood pressure. But when the UPS truck delivered an unexpected box from Teena Flanner we were brought back to why we love what we do. Teena had loving packed some of her fabulous paper mache originals along with carefully chosen photos of her studio. By chance would we be interested in a possible book. Would we!? And that is how Paper Mache Treasures by Teena Flanner came to be.

A few weeks ago, the most beautiful large envelope came in the mail. (I still love the real mail) And a carefully hand lettered folder held a  lovely letter  from artist Dee Foust. Dee creates delightful seasonal decor that is carried as a line through puts you in the mood for spring.

Can’t wait to see where this may go. In the meantime, you can find Dee’s work at Bayberry Cove.

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 a quick point-and-shoot shot 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