Daily Courage

Sometimes I stray away from what I do best. I have seen others do it too. We each have our gifts, the things that come naturally. Despite knowing what we do best, it’s easy to become bored or wonder “what if?” Sometimes I find myself far from what I do best, and usually not very happy.

I met Judy Watkins over ten years ago at The San Francisco Gift Show when I was the editor of Romantic Homes. Judy and her partner owned a tiny, sparkling gem of a shop in Pismo Beach named Well La De Da! It was filled with vintage treasures they had gathered and packed into the little one-room store about the size of  a walk-in closet. The encounter at the gift show led to my visiting them, photographer in tow. Judy and I connected right away and an enduring friendship emerged. 

Judy is best at hunting, gathering, arranging things with an artist’s eye, and at bringing people together to enjoy them. She is good at lots of other things too, but these are the things that make her heart sing. 

She joined forces with another visionary retailer in a wonderful store that was named, “Old Edna Says Well La De Da,” just outside San Luis Obispo, CA. That launched her ownership  of a magical store called CALA. Along the way, Judy’s mother became ill. The business grew, and with it came the headaches of success. Judy made the decision to care for her mother and savor their last time together, which meant parting with the CALA.

She had long felt a calling in her heart to create a special event that would be a magical gathering place filled with antique dealers, collectors, artisans, and kindred creative spirits. It wouldn’t require day-to-day bricks and mortar, but would  be something to be looked forward to twice a year. And that is how Remnants of the Past came to be. Judy found a home for the event on a farm with rural barn down a pastoral lane owned by Judy Powers. Texas has Round Top, Massachusetts has Brimfield, and Central California has Remnants of the Past every October and April.

And its all because Judy followed her heart and did what she does best! I was there when she started talking about making Remnants a reality. She had the courage to do it.

The next show is October 10. In addition to the regulars, there are going to be some amazing women there – including April Cornell. It’s well worth the trip.

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.

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!

We have long been fans of author Kaari Meng and her wonderful store and product line – French General. Kaari and her husband Jon are a dynamic team and have a very rare gift for creating and expressing an aesthetic that few can match. Kaari will be at Remnants of the Past on April 25th in the central California coast town of Nipomo. She’ll be signing her wonderful books that also includes her wonderful new sewing book with Chronicle. 

It’s sure to be a fabulous spring day, and is a great opportunity to escape from the worries of world and wander among treasures gathered and offered by some of the most interesting dealers you will ever find. 

Shutting down the national news and getting out into the fresh air in a beautiful setting needs to be part of each of our personal stimulus package. Nourishing the creative spirit is part of survival these days. It’s off a long country road in a darling barn and pasture surrounded be rolling hills. Hope to see you there!

Artist Anna Corba showed her array of work at Remnants of the Past last spring.

A basket full of treasure.

Vintage glitter beautifully bottled.

Years ago when the team at Red Lips 4 Courage was with Romantic Homes magazine, I had the good fortune to meet Judy Watkins at the San Francisco Gift Market. At the time, Judy and a partner owned a small shop in Shell Beach, CA named “Well La De Da!” Since then Judy has had several successful retail stores in the San Luis Obispo area. She has become a dear friend. 

Judy is now producing a little gem of a show, Remnants of the Past  twice a year in a wonderful barn and pasture in Nipomo, CA. It is the best thing this side of Round Top and Marburger. The spring show is April 25th. If you are anywhere within driving distance, give yourself a treat.

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.”