Daily Courage

These are exciting times we live in. While I often hear others complaining about too much technology, I say count me out on those pouts. Never before has it been so easy to communicate with anyone you wish to get to know. I see the world coming together in a wonderfully woven tapestry of cultures brought together in common interests and values. What a marvel it is to be able to relate to a woman halfway across the world who shares the same tastes and passion for decorating or crafting. 

The challenge we face is the same with everything in life – find the balance. Because we are all human, losing balance is easy and straying from what keeps us centered is a temptation. Too much Twitter can lead to twitching, and being a slave to Facebook or blogging surely means something else in life is not being tended to. Sometimes you just have to unplug and work on the body and soul. 

And so, a break is about to begin. Be good to yourself, I am off to do the same.

You have to know courage to recognize it. In today’s case, creative courage knows no age.

I knew I had met courage square in the face when I rang the bell and Freddy Moran opened her front door. There she stood with her white hair pulled back, and brighter-than-ruby-red glasses crowning her face. In spite of white hair, and at that time a borderline portly figure, she seemed much younger than I was at the time. (Quick note: she decided to “lose some weight” and lost about half of herself which you see in this shot. That pretty much says it without words.) If we’d have swapped driver’s licenses to check ages, I think we’d have discovered about a 28 year divide. But her demeanor, enthusiasm, and whole ‘tude’ made me feel stale and kind of stuck. Entering her house, you are blasted with color.  :)  The inside is painted about 47 1/2 different vibrant hues. (She loves telling you that hers is a perfect marriage, her husband, Neil, is colorblind.)

 She read my energy – or lack thereof. I was there to direct a magazine cover shoot. We quickly raced through the niceties, and were seated in Neil’s office (bright orange and teal, but he doesn’t know the difference). She pinned me emotionally, and called me on being at a creative crossroads. She recommended some reading that I have referred to in previous posts – “The Artist’s Way”. When Frederica speaks, you to listen. She told me she didn’t start quilting until she was past 60 years old. “I had said, I don’t do threads,” she proclaims. Her daughter-in-law invited her to take a quilting class.

The rest is history in Technicolor. Freddy has broken many rules along the way, and while doing so, she teaches us that its better to ignore conventionality and to follow your muse than to conform. In her case its about vibrant color and pattern and not worrying about all the points coming together in perfect symmetry. The best part is that she a world class quilter, author and teacher. And she had not even thought of it until she passed her 60th birthday. 

We give Freddy the Kiss of Courage!

Just shipped Malka Dubrawsky’s fabulous book “Color Your Cloth.” Blogs and mags love her dyeing and quilt techniques. check this blog o …

There is lots of talk about the importance of “finding your voice” in blogging. Experts will tell you that you need to talk about things of interest, have a unique message, be transparent, etc. Being a print journalist by training (I could date myself talking about things like waxers, and I don’t mean for your legs), I place high value on the importance of communicating a clear message. Like all of us, as this new age of social media unfolds, I have wondered where I fit and what messages would be worth someone else spending the time to read. 

The clouds parted over the weekend, and I had the moment of creative syncronicity I have been waiting for. The Red Lips 4 Courage  blog-Daily Courage-is going to do what I have always done best. Tell the stories of regular everyday women who have had the courage to create. While I was editor of Romantic Homes magazine, I had the opportunity to introduce our readers to many wonderful women and to tell their stories. This created an intimacy among women who would not have otherwise met each other. It allowed the real life experiences of real women to inspire others. 

Not all days are happy ones. Some seasons are filled with angst. What pulls us through is faith and courage. Often, we have to look outside of ourselves and into the lives of others to see how we can find our own way. Daily Courage will tell the stories of women who have had the courage to create. They have had the courage to go against the odds, to appreciate their great gifts, and to have the confidence, and yes, the courage, to share them with others. 

I may have wandered while searching, but I have found my voice! Again. Stay tuned for some amazing stories.

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.

Being a fan of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, I try to take myself on an Artist’s Date from time to time. Because I enjoy scouting for the work of new artists and crafters, I have convinced myself that shopping counts. Not far from my office is delightful Old Towne Orange (CA). The area looks like its out of a small town movie. Actually, it is. The Tom Hanks movie That Thing You Do along with many others. The plaza and intersecting streets are home to many wonderful shops and antique stores. Recently, I discovered Heavenly Hostess, a gem of a store that sells among many wonderful things fabulous aprons and tea towels. THere is an array of gifts, bath products, entertaining accessories, and my favorite–books. 

The best part of meandering the shop was coming upon a display with two of our books: Crowns & Tiaras and Paper Mache Treasures with Teena Flanner. Oh happy day! It was a surprise that made the Artist’s Date just perfect. Heavenly Hostess has been added to my list of favorites.

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.

Myrah Brown Green is a multi-faceted woman with some very impressive credentials. She is formally addressed as Dr. Myrah Brown Green. In addition to her teaching credentials, Myrah is an accomplished quilter. She brings a love of cultural anthropology to her quilt designs. The cover proof of Myrah’s upcoming book “Pieced Symbols: Quilt Blocks From the Global Village” arrived today from the printer in Hong Kong. Your mother may have told you not to judge a book by its cover, but we can’t help it. We do. And we love this one!

Myrah has gathered cultural symbols from all the world’s continents, shared their meaning and translated them into quilt block patterns. She teaches readers how to use the symbols to tell their own cultural stories in quilt design. This book explores global consciousness, and inspires readers to learn about a variety of cultures and the symbols that express different beliefs and emotions, many of which are common to all people no matter what their background or demographic may be.

I’m a sucker for traditions. I’ve always been nostalgic and find great joy in warm memories. For our family, Easter is filled with both. Over the years its become “our” holiday, meaning we usually host. This year, everyone brought a dish and that made all the difference in the world. That will be a new tradition!

My mother always baked an Easter lamb cake. When she passed away, the mold came to me. Its a joy to bake it year after year. I made two so there was plenty to go around, and two heads to argue over. I’ve learned to grease and flour the mold well, and to go a little light on the wet ingredients so the cake holds together. After trial and error, I have happily settled on the seven-minute boiled icing from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook.

This Easter we enjoyed a dramatic presentation. My father teaches the three youngest nieces their weekly religion lessons. He found a wonderful script based on two modern day TV journalists interviewing Mary Magdelene Easter Sunday after the Resurrection. I think the girls have launched another tradition.

Whatever your traditions are, whatever you observe and believe, I hope you will always have the courage to be creative when celebrating. Whether its baking a cake, performing a play–complete with homemade props, or setting a special table, make being creative a tradition.

My daughter and I put a twist on our egg dyeing tradition today by deciding to use glitter rather than dye. I have been enamored with glitter ever since I met Barbara Trombley, owner of Art Institute Glitter, at the Craft & Hobby Show (CHA) some years ago. Barbara is the Queen of Glitter, and the author of Glitter Artistry.  She manufactures the most beautiful sparkle in nearly 100 colors. I think I own nearly every color she makes. I’m partial to the superfine glitter, and use it for many projects, but this is the first time I have glittered eggs.

I picked up the new Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts at Costco the other day. There is a short section about glitter, and it gave me the nudge I needed to get the shiny stuff out and add a little glitz to Easter. 

We made a drying board just as the book recommends by pushing straight pins into a piece of foam core. It worked great. I had picked up about two dozen paper mache eggs to glitter.  But I  also wanted to try using real eggshells. I needed eggs for some baking I was doing today, so I blew them rather than cracking them. My mother taught me how to poke a pinhole in either end and blow like the dickens to empty out the white and yolk. I remember laughing at her while watching her face turn red from blowing so hard.  Sarah did the same looking at me today. Surprisingly, the paper eggs worked much better for this project. The real eggs didn’t hold the glue nearly as well and tended to “scratch” the glitter off when they touched anything. 

I made “nests” from raffia and wood shavings. I arranged them atop tarnished silver dishes and stands I bought at Alameda Flea Market last time I was there. I have a collection of cloches, and decided to cover a few of the nests, and placed them in groups to create little tabletop vignettes.

Superfine glitter scatters easily and I have ended up with a sparkly face-just like Barbara Trombley has every time I see her. If I can’t get it off tonight, it will give new meaning to waking up with a bright shiny face!