Daily Courage

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

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.