Creative Thursday

Mollie Makes

Creative Thursday was featured in the newest issue of Mollie Makes. {thank you Mollie Makes!}Such a treat, especially because this magazine is one of my favorites. I LOVE it! I also just discovered their home edition. Something about British style and sensibility, it's a comfort and inspiration to me. They seem to like warm, thoughtful, eclectic design and crafting, with bursts of color ~ as much as I do.

If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you should! A little tricky to track down in the states, I've seen issues at JoAnn and more recently I ordered a copy from another favorite, Fancy Tiger. If you just email or call Fancy Tiger, they stock the magazine and are happy to ship it to you. Oh and! you can get an electronic edition too! {thanks Delphine}

Journal It

Second up for review: Journal It, by Jenny Doh

One of the things I love about holiday weekends is momentum. There's something about having that extra day that makes all the difference, especially when it comes to being creative. Either you started early and you have that extra day to keep going or you finished all of your other business that you usually do and voila, an extra day just for you?!

Either way, whatever you're up to on this holiday Monday. I thought it would be fun to share this book with you today, because it's inspiring and happens to be a perfect kickstart to getting momentum going in the first place. Which if most of us are being honest, is always the hardest part to getting any kind of creative-ness happening.

I've often mentioned that I'm not a journaler. Something about keeping such intimate thoughts on record in what feels like a permanent way has always felt odd to me. I judge. I do. I judge myself and have a very hard time going back and reading what I wrote. Sometimes, not even remotely as personal as an actual pen on paper journal, I even cringe at old blog posts I've written. But then there are those moments that I actually like re-reading what I've shared and I'm so glad I took the time to record it. I remember that journals are for expression in the moment, for working it out. They are the perfect place for evolving our voice and our art.

I forget that the expression of the written word combined with all kinds of creative mediums in such a raw form is so alive. That's when beautiful books like 'Journal It' remind and inspire me to explore more of my artistic evolution in this format. Because sketchbooks I keep. I love looking back at old drawings, seeing how my art has evolved, and re-discovering old ideas.  I actually really enjoy working out an idea with pencil, pen, paints and photographic imagery, and only wish I took the time to do more of it. That's where the some of the best ideas make an appearance, by the willingness to keep putting pencil to paper.

I think ultimately the  goal here, for all of us, is to find and practice what keeps our creative juices flowing. One of my favorite parts of 'Journal it' is seeing how all of the contributors approach this art form so differently. Getting a glimpse into their process gives the reader so many ideas on how to get started. {please note that photos were taken with the Iphone and filtered, so the actual imagery is even richer}

I love the vibrant and contrasting use of black ink and watercolor that is Bel's specialty.

I also really like this idea of developing your own alphabet through your journaling, the way that Debra has done. I've been exploring more with my hand lettering lately too. My Creative Thursday logo from the very beginning has always been my handwriting. In fact my first logo came straight from the pages of one my sketchbooks. The newest version is also the title on the cover of my book.

And using needle and thread in your journal, as shown by Roben's gorgeous example. Of course! I never thought of adding that element to my sketch book, even though combining sewing with fine art is one of my newest obsessions, that I can't wait to explore more.

Jenny put together another wonderful collection of art and artists that is bound to get you creating within moments of breaking open the cover. Seriously. Filled with all the resources, techniques and ideas you could hope for, reviewing the imagery alone is all you need to get started.

'Creative Thursday' reviews

So the book is out! as you already know or will know after you stumble upon this post.

I made a decision. After my Los Angeles event, I thought about how I want my book to be 'marketed' and that is that I don't want it to be marketed, I want it to be promoted if people feel inspired to share it.

I am not doing a blog book tour and I am not asking bloggers to review the book. If you are seeing reviews out there it is because readers are choosing to talk about it. And while it is standard for publishers to giveaway copies specifically for people to review, most of the reviews I've seen are from people who actually bought the book, which is generous on top of generous {thank you}

Now before I go any further, for the record: I'm not opposed to or suggesting that marketing, blog book tours or giving people copies for review is disengenous. All of these are fine and excellent, and some would say necessary ways to get word of your book out there. I'm just an author and business owner choosing a different approach for now. Let's be honest; a book's shelf life is ultimately determined by word of mouth, by its readers.

That in my opinion is just how it should be. I want 'Creative Thursday' to have a life beyond it's first printing if it speaks to people enough for them to continue to give it life and if not then that is absolutely fine. I don't want anyone to share any reviews or links of my book, or my work for that matter, out of even the slightest bit of obligation. I want word of my work to continue to spread because - I'll tell you about it, as I'm usually pretty fired up about new projects and also as a self-supporting business - it's nice to keep your customers in the loop. I will also show you some additional peeks into the book in this post :)

But that's it. Beyond that if a project succeeds or doesn't beyond it's initial offering, that will be up to my supporters, customers, readers and in the case of this book the stores who choose to carry it. done and done.

As an entrepreneur, the life of my business is ultimately determined by personal decisions about how I want to run it. Simply put what feels right, inspired, honest, what feels genuine - not what anyone else tells me I should be doing to either make my business grow or  sell my book. Because truthfully if I make any decisons not from these intentions, it doesn't really work anyway. 

I love this book- more than ever, missing page and all {which you can download here by the way} Based upon the emails I'm getting, and reviews I'm reading you love it too. This alone tells me that writing the 'Creative Thursday' has already fulfilled it's purpose. It is being received exactly as I hoped it would be. And I'm thrilled about this. I also intended for it to be timeless, so of course I want it to have a home on bookshelves and electronic devices for years to come.  With that said, every bit of positive feedback, reviews online and on Amazon, telling your friends and family about it, buying it as a gift all help move it forward. So I guess I am actually asking but I am asking you to share something positive if and only if you feel inspired to do so. If you send me an email telling me how much the book speaks to you and you also feel comfortable sharing it on Amazon, that would be awesome. 

For those of you who have emailed me and who have already posted such kind reviews, thank you so much! If you are interested in reading some here are few to get you started Stitch Craft Create,  RedlineDesign, Dining Room Empire, Sue Bulmer. And if you have posted a review be sure to let me know so I can link back to you. Thank you Melanie for suggesting 'Creative Thursday' as a giftie for Valentine's day and thank you to those of you sharing snapshots on Instgram too, like Shayla above. And the best, I made it to Amber's 'these are on the back of my toilet and sometimes I read them for three whole minutes' list. I am complete.

Stitch Savvy

I've been asked to review a couple of books this year. First up: Stitch Savvy

I met Deborah at my very first quilt market, and pretty much love everything about this lady. She is who she is, a straight shooter, fellow creative, awesome sewer who continuously cracks me up. And she's a great teacher and author. This is her second book. Her first, Stitch by Stitch, a must have for every sewer,  she sent to me as a gift with a little note encouraging me in my very early days of sewing. 

As I've mentioned sewing was always intimidating for me so I take my teacher and book recommendations seriously.

Sewing is not something to be elitist about. You know the whole, 'I sew and you don't so therefor I'm superior to you.' Seems silly right, especially when it comes to creative pursuits - but we've all gotten that from someone at sometime. We humans have taken that attitude often when it comes to all kind of activities that can feel challenging at first, and it's time for that sh*t to go.

That is one thing I will always be thankful to blogging for. Bloggers have made so many activities way more accesible and approachable. Sewing in particular. {be sure to check out Deborah's blog too}

These are the reasons I like Deborah's books so much, they are friendly and supportive right fromt the get go. She writes like she's your friend, talking to you, walking you through the steps, and thinking about any question you might have along the way, always ready with tips and ideas to make the process easier. The photography is beautiful, and the step by step instructions are simple and clear, not overwhelming at all. These are books from the heart. Her love for sewing and teaching comes through. Deborah really wants everyone to know that they too can sew, and she is here to help us. And that's that. Nothing more nothing less. 

Filled with a variety of projects for all different levels, each teaching you new techniques to expand your knowledge and confidence. 

What I also love is that at the end of each project Deborah has reommendations about what project to try next. I can't wait to get started with my favorite one first. Ok fine, I'm a little biased - and - thrilled with how sweet this tea cozy is using Creative Thursday fabric, Meet the Gang and my very first Spoonflower designs that Deborah was so sweet to purchase as soon as I made them available online. Then I want to try every recommended project after that, a Tufted Duvet, a Lovie Blanket, and a Picnic Basket.

Did I mention that Deborah is also a mom to 4 kiddos? With the level of detail in this book, makes me immediately want to ask, how did she do it all? But then, I think we are all constantly asking that of each other these days. And no one really has the answer, other than somehow you just make it work and get it done. And I'm so glad, because then we get more books like this. 

I leave you with one of my favorite Deborah quotes from the book that pretty much sums it up. And if you'd like a copy she'll be giving away two copies tomorrow at her blog.

"Remember that your instincts are way more important than rules" ~ Deborah Moebes

You're Invited! This Saturday December 8

L.A friends! I'm having a one night event in celebration of the release of my book. I hope to see you there! 

220 Pier Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90405

7 - 10 pm

pg. 82 - when mistakes happen

Let me start this post by saying, the last few weeks for me have been exceptional. It's been so good that I made a list of everything that's happened just so I wouldn't miss it or let it be overshadowed by the one thing that might feel less than amazing.

Like the fact that a page in your book is missing. 

Like the fact that the first 5,000 of your printed books will also have that same page missing.

For a moment there, a mistake like this on years worth of work could easily overshadow all the other incredible things happening. It really could, right? But it shouldn't. And that simply comes down to a decision, a choice to see this experience in a different light.

If so many areas of my life are going well, and this happens right smack in the middle of all the amazing I choose to interpret it as something that's also going right.

Really.

And this is why. In life, have you noticed that the one negative remark stands out over all of the positive ones, or the one mistake trumps all of the other things that have gone right. Why do we do that to ourselves? Just like in the news, the tiny percent of bad news trumps all of the incredible good news that's happening on our planet everyday. We just take all of the good for granted and then when one thing seemingly goes wrong, everything else goes down with it. Or maybe I'm the only one that does this? 

I'm not doing it anymore. And honestly this experience with a missing page in my book is kind of what sealed the deal for me on that.

Don't get me wrong. It's a big mistake. A mistake that I don't think anyone thought could happen.  I was super disappointed when I found it, talked to my publisher about it and learned that for the first printing, nothing would be done to fix it. The perfectionist in me had a hard time with this, and so did the entrepreneur and person who wants everything her customer gets to be just right. And yet the business owner in me also understood, that a publisher probably wasn't going to just eat the cost of 5,000 books with one page missing, especially for a new, relatively unknown author. Because believe me, I asked if this would happen to John Grisham? or J.K. Rowling? :) Also because the rest of the book is all there and beautifully printed.

So I had a choice, I could take years with of work that I'm incredibly proud of and celebrate it or I could whine and carry on about how my first book had one page left out. I could let one page overshadow all of the other pages.

The irony {or perfect coincidence} is that I write about mistakes in the book. In fact I'm sure I've mentioned my philosopy of mistakes many times here on my blog.  In my chapter "Redefining the Role of Perfection" I talk about how 'mistakes' happen and how I've learned to embrace them because they always add to the piece, always making it better. This is harder to say on this one because I feel like part of my art is missing, and it is. So how does a missing page make this creation better?

I've been thinking for weeks now about the best way to share this with you and I thought this is it. This is the best example for me to walk the walk. Embracing the mistakes and celebrating all of the rest. A chance for me to make a new choice. If I genuinely approach this experience with understanding, honesty and grace then maybe it can set an example for all of us to do more of this in our lives. And if that happens, then the mistake in my book has just become something way more relevant than the page that is missing.

Because really do we want to spend all of our energy frustrated with what's not working or what's gone wrong or be serious about focusing on what is working and all that is right, and love our life more. I want to love my life more. As I've mentioned, I made a new commitment to myself at the beginning of 2012, and it has made all of the difference.

And without getting too carried away with the 'tragedy' of a missing a page, I say that with sarcasm. It's only a missing page, that's all. It's not the end of the world. And in light of what so many are experiencing on the east coast this past week, I mean really. Nothing's gone wrong at all. It's awkward to even write about this now, but my books are getting ready to ship soon and it feels right to share this with you today.

I did all I could do in this past year to get this book 'perfect' for you.  What I approved and sent back to my editor did not have a page missing. Yet, at the end of the day we are all human and mistakes happen. There may even be more tucked into this book that we haven't found yet?{shoot, there were at least 5 mistakes in this blog post when I went to publish it} And I say 'we' because clearly writing a published book is a collaboration. It's a huge collaboration, one that has many check points and many eyes overseeing the process, and everyone in that process {well almost everyone} is hoping to get the best product made and out in the world. Yet even with all of those check points in place, one person can accidentally upload the wrong page to the printer. So really, in all of our combined attempts to get it just right, what can you do? Nothing. Other than...

We can strive to do the best we can and then we have to let it go, so it can become what it needs to be in the world. This is applicable to so much in life and relating to today's topic, this is especially true of our art.

I'm sad that the first books you will receive are missing one of my favorite pages, another irony or {perfect coincidence} "Know Yourself". But beyond the momentary sadness, I am still so proud of this book and cannot wait for you to have it. I hope it will bring you joy and inspiration, in fact I know it will.

So here's how it works when a page is missing. {Actually you get page 92 twice. It seems that page 92 was uploaded a second time, where page 82 was supposed to be} Apparently mistakes in books, especially when it comes to the sewing and knitting pattern worlds are quite common? What a publisher does is put what's called an 'erratum' where they post the missing page online for you to download. And for those of you who have ordered your copy directly from me, I will be including an actual print out of the page in your order. If you happen to get one of the first 5,000 copies, you've actually got a limited edition ;)

I'm so sorry this has happened, and that is all.

Now let me close this post by remembering my original intention to writing a book. To add a little bit more joy to the world in the best way I know how, through my art and my words and encouragement for all of us to keep living a life we love. And be more creative {of course!}

off to market - schoolhouse + book signing

First! thank you so much for the book congratulations. I'm still taking it all in, especially since last Thursday a copy of the actual book arrived. It's a pretty amazing feeling to see years worth of work compiled so beautifully in one place. I'll be sharing some photos here, with more peeks into the inside of the book, when I return from Quilt Market which is where I'm headed this week.

This weekend I will also be having my first two book events at Quilt Market, with a Schoolhouse Presentation on Friday, October 26 at 11- 11:30  am  in room 372D. On Saturday I will be having a book signing from 3 - 3:30 pm at the F & W Booth. 

Made a new, much larger "Bunnie" with The Red Thread, featured above, and sent him off to spend some time in the Andover Booth. 

So if you are headed to market too, I'll see you there!

Creative Thursday - Everyday Inspiration to Grow Your Creative Practice

 

It's time! for me to release this book!!!!

Rather than tell you all about it in an email or this post, I decided to make a book trailer {be sure to watch all the way to end to see my favorite part ;)} So proud of this and super excited to share it with you. A culmination of years of creations and the original intent of Creative Thursday, to inspire others to be more creative and life a life THEY LOVE! 

Now available for pre-order at my shop and on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Published through NorthLight, a division of F + W Media, the book will be shipping at the end of November 2012.  The first 100 pre-orders at my Etsy shop will also receive a free print of the cover art "Always Cheering You on"

For those of you here in Los Angeles, save the date December 1 for a book launch event with more details to come!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support over the years. My family, my friends, my customers, my blog readers, my editor ~ All of you who have been with me on this journey, you encouraged me and inspire me to keep going and creating {always}. I wrote this book for you. xo

 

day 29 :: i'm writing a book

 

It's official! I'm writing a book through F + W Media, and it will be available under their North Light title September 2012. 

Since I shared the signing of my fabric line contract with you, I thought I'd continue the tradition and share the signing of the book publishing contract too. Almost a year + a lifetime in the making, it's crazy exciting.

*deep breath*  *i'm writing an entire book by myself*  *i can do this*  

i believe in LOVE ~ a new book available for pre-order!

 
 

i believe in Love

always have,

always will.

this is my love letter to all of the people who encouraged and supported 

this realization of a dream come true, a life as an artist, a life I love. thank you.

I've always wanted to put together a book of my favorite paintings.

In light of recent events, this time of year, my complete over use of the word "love" in my blog, in my life,  and the often hard to miss, re-occuring theme of love in my work, I decided to let LOVE inspire this first volume featuring a collection of my paintings from 2005 - 2009

Measuring 7" x 7", this is a 32 page full color hard cover book including 24 illustrations, some of which will only be available in this printing. I will also be numbering and signing the first 100 copies. If you want to see what the books will look like, they will be the same format as my children's book.

You can pre-order your copy right here at the shop.

Intended to be a timeless addition to your art collection, I know this would also make a special Valentine's gift for someone you love - So if you are wanting your copy in time for Valentine's Day, please let me know and I will do my very best to get it to you in time. Below is small sampling of the paintings included in this collection.

I hope you, too, will LOVE this new addition to Creative Thursday!