Daily Courage

As promised here is a little peek inside the newest book from Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston. If they ever decide to take a show on the road, their agent is going to have a hard time trying to decide whether to book them as a quilt act or standup comedians. These two play off each other so hard you won’t need to do sit ups for days because your stomach muscles get such a workout. You can see for yourself at The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July in Sisters, Oregon. They will be appearing with some of the Gee’s Bend Quilters. This is big, big, big. Maybe someone should warn the ladies from Gee’s Bend who they are sharing the limelight with!

We still use some traditional publishing terms around here, “shipping a book” is one of them. It means the files are proofed, proofed, and reproofed and ready to go to press. We are just about to ship a wonderful book by Malka Dubrawsky titled Color Your Cloth. Malka designs and dyes all her own fabric. She doesn’t stop there, she is a wonderful seamstress and quilter too. Malka’s star is on the rise. She has been featured in numerous quilting publications of late, and we know why. She is a talent unsurpassed. She shows readers how to start from scratch and any dye their own fabrics. You will learn and how to Color Your Cloth. Stay tuned for some great projects from Malka.

With school back in session one thing is for sure, Halloween decor is going to begin appearing  in stores, prompting us to get into the mood for what has become one of the largest holidays of the year. Some of the most fanciful characters and spirits you’ll see come from Bethany Lowe Designs. Here in our neighborhood of creative authors, we are very excited that Bethany’s new book filled with many ideas and designs has debuted. Bethany Lowe’s Folk Art Halloween is a must-have for any Halloween decorating afficionado.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at The Bead and Design Show in Pasadena, CA, and came upon a delightful booth that sold jewelry made from Halloween ephemera. I immediately thought of the Bethany and her daughter Erin Glennon Lowe. I had a great time choosing a pendant for each of them. This morning, I decided it was time to get them wrapped and into the mail. Using some of the ideas featured in Make It in Minutes: Mini-Boxes, I enjoyed embellishing and recycling some small tins with fall colored ribbon and papers to put the gifts in. I don’t spend enough time in my craft room, and it felt wonderful to start the day there. I wallow in the colorful handmade papers, ribbons, and trims and enjoy thoughts of gathering each treasure. Today, I used gold braid from a trip to Delhi with April Cornell, doodads from The Art Bar, and ribbons from Tinsel Trading - all favorites!

Once each tin was ready, I decided the pendants would be a much nicer gift with a silver chain. I pulled out my jewelry-making stash and found two nice snake chains and added one to each.

It was a fun way to start the day. Playing amid a stash that is tumbling out of drawers and cupboards just waiting to be part of special project. Today, I lived by the motto, Create Everyday!