Daily Courage

Some years ago, I was quite sure I was on the cutting edge. I had purchased a custom built Dell computer with every accessory I could imagine ever needing. And then, the whispers started… “Come to the light, come to the light.” The voices meant move from a PC to a Mac. I resisted. I was a loyalist, and I loved my Dell. The mania passed, and just like a new car rolling off the showroom floor, I was only as cool as the last season’s model. When it was undeniably time to update, I fell under the spell of the Mac and I haven’t looked back…    

Today was a day of brainstorms. We know so many creative women who have made a mark. They want to join this cyberworld.  We’ve spent the day wondering how best to hold hands and bring them along. Stay tuned.

On another topic… Who can resist a cute puppy? Not me obviously. I brought him home in October to keep our daughter company while she was on IV therapy. He has since developed a pronounced under bite and a wanderlust that has resulted in two AWOL incidents. But we love him and spoil him rotten. There is probably a book in there somewhere. Creative Souls and the Dogs Who Love Them.

From Beautiful Button Jewelry by Susan Davis

The team at Red Lips 4 Courage Communications has been together for many years. We have met and shared kindred times with some very amazing women. One of them is Jessie Walker. When the team was together at Romantic Homes and Victorian Homes magazines, we relied heavily on Jessie for beautifully photographed design houses and for her incredibly captivating monthly feature “Collections.”  Jessie is an avid collector of many, many things. And what she may not collect herself, she knows countless people who have collections that would have never crossed your mind. We held off on making a big splash with this book in the spring because we had been told Country Living was going to be giving it a very nice debut. Unfortunately, the promised ink never hit the page.

Ah, its why we long for small towns and a quaint collecting life. No one is too busy to miss a good thing, and if they did, they’d certainly remember to make good on their word.  If you yearn for a simpler life and the dream of being able to poke around barn sales and tag sales looking for the perfect thing to collect, you will  love Jessie’s book, ” The Curious Collector: A Lively Little Tour of 101 Collectibles.”

I was talking to an author yesterday who lives in another part of the country. We discussed how we know when the season is about to change. Since moving to California many years ago, I have had to learn to look for subtle changes to announce the new season. When living in Upstate New York and New England, the signs were obvious, and often welcome. But here in the west, we have to be keen and alert. Yesterday was the first day the light seemed different. Fall is around the corner.  

I don’t know anyone who loves each season like April Cornell. She cherishes each one and shares its unique color palettes and images in the fabrics she designs. 

I have had the opportunity to enjoy fall with her on a lake in Quebec, summer in Oregon, and spring in Vermont. I think it counts as winter that we were together in New Delhi in November! I see her innate color sense and artist eye take in every detail around her so that it can be translated into the lovely linens, clothing and accessories she designs.

Her fabric line for Moda is very popular and its easy to see why. Quilters love her color palettes and  her gift for bringing colors together in unexpected combinations. Today I got a peek at her new line of home linens for Danica, and it’s made me commit to having a few more lovely dinners outdoors before we bid farewell to summer.

Oh, and I am happy to share that her quilting book in underway! It’s going to be a beauty.

Months since the last post…It seems ditzy, but I cannot tell a lie… I lost the username and password to the blog and couldn’t get any help from Wordpress, so I just let it go. Nearly five months to be exact. After some digging and determination, I found it all by myself. Hurray for dyed blondes! In the meantime, the book with Freddy and Gwen is coming along wonderfully.

We are just finishing up design comps, and have spent weeks tossing around the title. Here is the winner:  Freddy &  Gwen Collaborate Again: Freewheeling Takes on Traditional Quilt Designs

They have lots in store! Here is a quilt they call Spider Web. 

We are just about to go into production on another wonderful quilt book by Myrah Brown Green. http://www.myrahbrowngreen.com  Myrah is a scholar of cultural symbols and fabric as well as an avid quilter. She shares how to make pieced blocks of cultural symbols from around the world. Here is one of the finished quilts that will be in the book and below it is one of the instructional spreads showing the Ankh symbol. She’ll teach readers the meaning and origin of the symbol, and provide patterns and precise instructions on how to make the blocks. It will give quilters their very own take on going global!