OOMPH

OOMPH 6x6 acrylic on hardboard $100

So, yesterday I joined Daily Paintworks and posted my first painting PIZZAZZ to my gallery. Today I posted this second painting OOMPH and they (DPW) featured it on their Facebook page, which I thought was pretty cool, right? I'm working on a third hydrangea painting today. Good exercise.

SPRINGTIME IN PARADISE

Sorry for the obnoxious title, but seriously; take away the earthquakes, wildfires, cost of living and some crazy people/things and there you have it…PARADISE. I didn't want to rub it in that we never had a winter, well, nor did we have rain. Oh well…..sunshine and roses EVERY DAY. Spring is my absolute favorite season. We recently attended a beautiful outdoor wedding and I made a trip with a friend to the Japanese Friendship Gardens. Looking for some inspiration to paint.

Many more beautiful shots, but I will refrain, as it's probably still snowing somewhere.

The Etsy shop has been doing surprisingly well. I just added my Love Boats. This painting of two sailboats nestled together in the Santa Barbara Harbor is available as fine art prints and available in two sizes; 5x7 and 8x10. Click the link or go to the Etsy Mini in the sidebar to check out all the art and fabrics I've added to the shop.  

MODERN PATCHWORK

Hey, wanted you to know I have a new quilt tutorial, REGENCY SQUARED, coming out in the upcoming issue of Modern Patchwork, due out April 23.  You can preorder Modern Patchwork HERE.   

In other news, we are literally seeing the fruits of our labors.  Realizing the neglected thorny trees left in small containers were citrus we worked to identify and nurse them to health.  Transplanting, feeding, visits to the garden nursery with lists of questions and we are now the proud parents, uh, owners of a meyer lemon, blood orange, valencia orange and one more that is finally going to reveal it's identity this year.  I keep hoping it's a lime tree, but most likely another orange.  I made a marinade with lemon and dijon for grilled salmon that was to die for.   Oh dear, I might be turning into a citrus foodie.  Any recipe suggestions?

PERMISSION TO PLAY IN QUILTING ARTS

A few months ago I was showing you a little art quilt I was working on, but then I never shared the finished piece.  That's because it landed in the latest April/May issue of Quilting Arts.  I just opened my copy and I can't wait to dive into some of these projects.  I named mine Permission to Play for good reason.  I share in detail on how to use things sitting around the house to dye, stamp and embellish your own creation.  This one little project personally sparked the desire to continue to play and experiment and I have since been playing hard.  Never too late, they say.  Here's my palette for today:

This Quilting Arts issue is so full of ideas for painting, printing, dyeing, rubbing and stenciling on fabric.  Giving me goose bumps; gotta go dive in.....now.   

GIVE ME A BREAK: TAKE TWO

Quite by accident I discovered yesterday that only half of the original post I worked on was actually published.  I started growling.  My dog cocked his head, raised his ears and totally agreed with my growl that there was something seriously wrong in Blogland.  My guess is that a refresh didn't refresh, but can't say anymore about it without additional growling.  Instead, I will try to reconstruct. GGRRRR.

*NOTE:  As I was getting ready to post this redo I noticed my post was not being saved.  I kept clicking SAVE NOW and it wouldn't save.   Oh, many more growls later and I was able to copy and paste and start a new post.  I bet that's what happened yesterday, huh? 

 I left off with the lovely CRAFT HOPE book/blog and Manda McGrory's contribution to the book.  Her patchwork pillow was especially appealing to me since you know of my personal fondness of contemporary patchwork.  This book is a keeper and a jumping off point for others wanting to use their creativity to help others. 


Manda McGrory's Patchwork Pillow in Craft Hope

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen Delish magazine yet?  No?  Well then, you are definitely in for a treat.  Delish is a new, free online publication for women.  The quality and quantity are top-notch.  Just sayin.  And, ah-hem, I am honored to be featured in an article in their Fall edition called Woman of the Cloth (giggle snort).  Now I will admit that I am hyper-critical of myself.  I cringe when I read what I said and how I said it in print for all eternity.  So as you read this I just ask for you to extend more grace than I extend to myself.  I want to blame it on a coffee overdose, but truth is, anyone who knows me would never fall for that that.  For goodness sake, I said I liked Anna Maria Horner's artsy fartsy side.  WHAT?  PA-LEASE.  Anyway, the talented Tamara Komuniecki / Editor-in-Chief did a such a great job and you are welcome to gently critique my ramblings starting on page 40.  Check out the whole magazine..you are going to love it.

GIVE ME A BREAK

CONFESSION: I watch Dr Oz.  Not because I'm a germaphobe or hypocondriac.  But at my age I am just a bit curious about what the heck happened to my body.  Why, in the blink of an eye did my body head south while my mind ended up in LaLa land?  I want answers people!  So while other stay-at-home business owners might listen to music while they work, my days highlights are The Ellen Show and Dr Oz.  So one day Dr Oz says that I just have to have these Crispbread thingies.  I NEVER fall for that malarchy. 

Well almost never.  I ordered, not 1 pkg. but half a case of these babies all the way from Norway.  A few days later I receive a box via UPS.  I think, "Glory to God, I can finally lose weight, become regular and look like a Norwegian hottie in no time".  Why I bet I could become the spokeswoman for this miracle wafer.  I rip open the box, tear into one of the 15 packages containing 10 crackers/wafers/crispbread/manna from heaven; whatever. 

If you have ever wondered what compressed tree bark tastes like, well have I got a deal for you.  Now, they are only 12 calories per slice.  So for the first few days I was carrying a cracker around with my morning coffee, but after a few days I noticed uneaten crackers still sitting around.  Do the math, I've got a 150 of these thingies that I couldn't pay anyone to eat.  I'm a waste not, want not kinda gal.  I bought them.  I'll eat them.  Solution: I slathered them with cream cheese and low sugar orange marmalade and couldn't stop eating those suckers.  Oh, what's that you say?  Something about calories?  Sorry, I can't hear you.....I'm in the bathroom...

Okay, I'm back now.  Along with my other issues I also can't sleep.  I've had this problem my whole life.  I've tried everything.  Well, except maybe regular exercise, but whatever.  So now I just don't let it bother me much.  One night recently I decided to catch up on some blog reading.  I landed on TreeFall Design.  One of my favorite reads by a lovely redheaded Brit, Manda McGrory, who uses words like whilst and mum and makes handmade goodness with a focus on repurposing.  I came across her CRAFT HOPE book giveaway (scroll down to August 24 to see Manda's great review, and she contributed a project for the book).  The next morning I was still thinking about that book.  I don't normally enter blog contests and giveaways, since I didn't think I should.  But I did.  And I won.  Don't hate me. 

So after devouring too many crispbreads, I took a break on my back porch to enjoy this treat.  Jade Sims has gathered some wonderful designers and 32 projects that can be made and donated to specific charities.  Such inspiration.  I was drawn to this book because we belong to an awesome church that is actively involved in loving and empowering the marginalized, both locally and globally.  Crafting for a cause is especially interesting to me. 

IT'S A COLORFUL RAINY DAY

Sew4Home just posted this interview.  Didn't they make me look good?   Just sayin, that's not what I look like today!  It's quite gloomy and rainy outside.  I'm dressed in a gray sweatsuit and no makeup. 

 Spring agrees with me for so many reasons.  Birds, butterflies, flowers, colors; all being orchestrated into a magnificant repeat performance.  Just in the last week there are sneak peaks of anticipation popping up around the yard.  The crocus have come and gone in the blink of an eye, but I managed to capture the beauty. 

  

Sure is putting me in an artsy mood.  Hmmm...

OH SHEILA, YOU'RE BREAKIN MY HEART....

Nothing gets your mind off your funk mood better than the panic of a TV shoot. Oh, just kidding. It was actually great fun. Here I am on set with Pokey Bolton and Laura Gunn. See, we're smiling. But let me back up and give you the lowdown.

Okay, you remember my last post? I revealed four concerns and I have updates to share.

1. Sheila (my husband's GPS) and I are not on speaking terms. My husband programmed her to get me to Cleveland. She likes Tim. They have a mutual respect. He doesn't take her too literally. If she tells him to turn left, he has an inner compass that tells him he should really turn right. I don't have that inner compass. When God was handing out Sense of Direction, I got lost and could never find that line. Hence, I need Sheila to work with me.

I got to Cleveland just fine. But when I hopped in the car to head home, Sheila was missing from her assigned spot. I found her on the floor. Asked her if she was hiding from me, then placed her back and set her up to take me home. Once I'm on the highway in heavy traffic she jumps ship again. This time she unplugs herself! The little snot! I "had speaks" with her. Had to pull off, get her repositioned and reprogrammed. However, she clearly received a concussion during her fall. She told me to get off on the Ohio Turnpike (a toll road). I didn't come in that way. Hmmpphh.

I put a call in to Tim to tell on her. He told me to just ignore Sheila. That was easier said than done. She tried to get me to turn off at every exit. When I refused, she began tacking hours on to my drive home. She was relentless. I began singing "Oh Sheila, you're breaking my heart, You're shakin my confidence daily". By the time I stopped I was 2 hrs from home, but she had tacked on an additional 6+ hours; clearly punishment for disobeying her. I reprogrammed her again. This time her concussion subsided and she quit hounding me and admitted i only had a couple hours left. When I got home I told Tim he could get Sheila out of the car. Poor Tim is in an awkward situation. He likes both of us. Sheila and I don't like each other. Puts him in the middle. He did take me to dinner and left Sheila home. That's a good sign.

2. I think I did okay. For me, it was like the first time driving a car....so much to remember all at once. Here I was trying to act casual and easy going, but my mind was swirling with thoughts like, "Am I hunching over? Are my boobs resting on the table? Has the iron automatically turned off (YES, it did!)? There were no retakes, so that's a good sign. Thank you for all the incredible advise. What wonderful friends. More than one suggested Depends in case I got to laughing too hard.

3. Don't know how I looked on the screen. I know I felt bloated, but I chose to sit instead of stand, eliminating the need to suck it in. I brought 3 different pair of Spanx and contemplated wearing all three, but was concerned that might restrict blood flow to my brain.

4. Being a newcomer, I took the whole list of rules so seriously. I could just see me showing up in black and having them pull an old, dusty beige shirt off a rack and tell me to change. But, Pokey wore a black cardigan for one of the segments and another gal wore a black jacket in her shoot. Next time, right?

-

It was fun. Everyone was so kind. I met several highly creative women and had a great time with my fellow Michael Miller designer, Laura. We had some good laughs, usually at my expense (go figure). As far as when our segments will hit the air, all we know is it will be sometime after the New Year. I'll let you know.

I will also have a project and article in the Fall issue of Quilt Scene. I understand that magazine will be available during Quilt Market. I'm very pleased with how this turned out and can't wait for you to see!

Now on to some Summer Soiree inspiration. This first tunic is from none other than Simone.

Then I found these lovelies in my Summer Soiree Flickr group; made by Georgiapeachez. Lots more where these came from! Go check these gals out.

TONGUE-TIED TV TUTORIAL

Today is a frantically busy day around here. Tomorrow I leave for a TV shoot for Quilting Arts. You might think this is exciting, but for me, not so much. Here are just a few things I'm dealing with today:

'

1. I am driving instead of flying because it would actually take longer to fly with a lay over in the opposite direction! I have no sense of direction and am not gadget savvy, but will be taking my husband's GPS that we named Sheila. I haven't been fond of Sheila because she tends to dominate the conversations when we travel. I've kind of made fun of her a time or two. I have her sitting on the kitchen counter and have been speaking kindly to her, hoping anything I've said will be overlooked once we hit the road together.

.

2. I am not a natural in front of the camera. In fact, I have a fear of becoming tongue-tied. It's probably because I think tongue-tied people are hilarious. I quickly jot down what they accidently said so I can crack up over and over again. Like our local weather man that said "warm mare ass" instead of "warm air mass". Then he started laughing so hard he was red and wheezing and couldn't talk. Then, at a high school play, the star (who was a very close friend of the family) said "a fat of heathers" instead of "a hat of feathers". She just kept on and never noticed. Will I do that? Or will I hear myself and start laughing so hard that I pee my pants? Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of!

.

3. I didn't lose the 10 lbs to counteract the 10 lbs the camera puts on.

.

4. And worst of all, I have nothing to wear! Do you know all the rules about what you can and cannot wear? Well, here goes: NO black, white, prints or patterns, sleeveless or short sleeve (long sleeve not a great choice either), turtlenecks, dangle jewelry, colorful nail polish, noisy shoes. 80% of my closet is black, white or black & white. The remaining 20% clashes with the project I am demonstrating. So I spent my entire Sunday running to EVERY clothing store. No seriously! Guess what colors are in? Black and white and purple. Purple clashes with my project. I sure wish my patterns were complete because I would've had the perfect thing to wear. Oh well, I still don't know what I'm wearing, but perfecting my demo, a manicure, renting car and sweet talking Sheila are now at the top of my list.

'

You know I must have a colorful blog post prepared for you, so here's the WOW!

No, I haven't opened a shoe store. But after just reading that Jessica over at Mia Joie just sold 65+ pair of shoes in less than 2 hours, I'm kicking myself that I didn't open a Summer Soiree Shoe Store myself! I missed the whole thing, but I guess quite a few others did too. Amazing. Look at those tiny houndstooth mary janes. And the ....oh, ALL of them! Jessica, you are amazing. Thank you for doing exactly what I imagined could be done with my fabrics.


Changing subjects, I just need to brag on my own daughter for a moment. I mentioned previously that Jennifer became a Stella & Dot Stylist a few months ago and has already been promoted to a Director. She is totally in her element. As a mom, you just know and delight in seeing your children find that thing that lights them up. Here are some recent pictures of a Stella & Dot event in San Francisco. Just a proud mom here.

Jennifer with some of her team

Jennifer on stage

Go check out her blog and the Stella & Dot jewelry.

Oh, almost forgot a couple things. First, thanks so much for all the kind comments on my blog and in personal emails. You are so kind. I am doing much better. It was just so weird how the memories returned during the anniversary time. Some of you shared some powerful things that you have also dealt with. Truth is, we all deal with things and it's comforting to know we are not alone.

THEN, HELLO. Laura Gunn and I will both be doing a TV shoot the same day. Laura is being interviewed (Lucky Dog!). We'll take lots of pictures and keep you posted. Now, back to frantic mode. xoxo

PAPILLON IS FLYING HIGH

I kept getting emails and Twitter messages that an apron made from my Papillon fabric from Flights of Fancy was on Army Wives. So this morning I got on the Army Wives website and there it was. Wonder where the apron came from? I kinda think the only thing that could make it look even better is if there was an XXLL label right on the front that said PAULA PRASS. I'm just sayin...

It's really not uncommon for us to find my artwork, picture frames, even rooms I've designed in magazines, books and catalogs. Just yesterday saw my picture frames on the Atlanta Gift Mart application form. The biggest accidental find was a room I designed ended up in this book. Imagine standing in a bookstore flipping through and finding your own designs. No mention of the designer.

Here's the room, which was also on the front cover of this BH&G Window & Wall magazine and you can see all the Before and After's on this previous post.



I did have a bit of an announcement, but it will have to wait for now, sorry. Nothing that I can't put off for another post. Just wanted to share my Papillon goodness with you.

PHOTO SHOOT + MORE GOODIES

UPDATE: Quilt Home wants you to know they are offering 15% off on in-stock Flights of Fancy fabrics from now through Sunday, March 8. Be sure to enter Coupon Code: flight15. Coupon expires 11:59 p.m. PST. 4 days left. Go check them out.




I promised I would show you the photo shoot for our local Carmel Magazine, so here it is. The article is featuring my studio redo, and a tad about my fabrics. Do you know it's impossible to look cute and fling fabric at the same time? Note to self: Never allow a photographer to shoot up! Anyway, it was a fun experience and my office never looked cleaner.

I also wanted to share a couple more Flights of Fancy goodies from my F of F Flickr group. Check out this adorable Zinnia adorable bubble dress from Ivy and Mae.


And how about these great magazine bags from Midwest Chic? What fun inspiration or a great gift idea, no doubt. Thank you all for adding your goodies for all to see.

Lastly, remember to include yourself in the giveaway (see prior post) which ends this Friday.

DESIGN*SPONGE POST

Jennifer called me while I was grocery shopping yesterday afternoon. Yeah we were all getting pretty darn hungry around here. Twizzlers for lunch just wasn't getting it. We've had so many deadlines around here lately and worked through dinner creating new food combinations.

Oh yeah, the phonecall..... Jennifer says my Studio was on Design*Sponge!!! A Before and After; my favorite! Thank you so much Grace for a wonderful write-up. You even mentioned Woodrow, my trusty assistant. Go check it out.

DOMINO MAGAZINE; WELL A TEENIE BIT

No, REALLY CLOSE. Okay, awhile back we got a call from Domino Magazine requesting 20 picture frames for a photo shoot. Jennifer was calm on the phone, but once she hung up we did the "We're Going To Be In Domino" dance. We make everything to order, so we were tripping over each other trying to get these out the door in time. So a couple days ago our Domino comes in the mail. Jennifer and I each had an end of the magazine and pulling for dear life. I "let her" have it, since I'm that kind of person...cough.

Jennifer flips through the first time. Can't find anything, so second time she goes through slowly with a magnifying glass (just kidding) and finally found this one frame. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for any exposure for our products, but I can't help chuckle about what we imagined with 20 frames and what actually appeared. Big learning curve over here! Domino is one of our favs, so we imagined...well, you can imagine what we imagined, can't you? Have a chuckle with us, won't you?

WE'RE IN COASTAL LIVING MAGAZINE

We just got our Coastal Living magazine and a couple of our frames are in there, yeah! Just wanted to share...and post 3 times in one day!

TRENDSPOTTING MY CIRCLES

A SHOW + TELL: Look what I found in housebeautiful.com. They posted one of my frames in an online article about Circles. SWEET, huh? It puts a smile on my face to see my sunny yellow frame on yet another grey and stormy day in the Midwest. Hope it's bright and cheery wherever you are!!

On the fabric front, I'm glad I didn't succumb to some pleadings to give early sneak peaks. We eliminated one pattern and enlarged another. All done for now and hope for my first strike-offs to appear in several weeks (trying to be realistic, but really hoping for a package to arrive sometime in July). July and especially August are busy months around here with the Atlanta and New York Gift Shows. It's out of my hands now. So excited though, can you tell?

Have a glorious weekend!

IT'S A GIGGLE KINDA DAY!!

Hi, I'm Wyatt, I'm 5 1/2 now, but this is a picture of me when I was 2 and my Mimi made me giggle. That's how I feel right now because yesterday 2 blogs featured my Mimi's products. Mimi couldn't appreciate it then. She was real sick. She looked pretty bad, too. My little sister, she's 3, kept telling Mimi that her hair looked funny. Mimi usually thinks anything Mia says is cute, but not so much yesterday. She's getting better, so she can tell you herself how giggly we are around here.

Hi, I'm Mimi (and Paula), and I'm sitting up again, yeah! Good thing: I lost 4 lbs! I know it'll be short lived, but it's the only positive thing I can say about the last 4 days.

Thanks so much to Creature Comforts for the wonderful write up. Ez featured a product of mine in 2006 when I didn't even know what a blog was! Okay, I had my head in the sand. I've been a huge fan of her fabulous blog ever since. Then Suzanne over at S.HOPtalk found me through her visit to CC and she posted me on her blog as well. What an exceptional site!

Thanks to both for making me giggle, and giggles can only make you feel better, right? I hope you all will stop by these 2 blogs to see why they're so FIERCE!!!!

DOSE OF DESIGN IS GREAT MEDICINE

I am under the weather or rather this weather has put me under. I'm propped up under a blanket and have my laptop on my, uh, lap to keep me warm. However, I'd have to be on my death bed before I didn't have the energy to click on a few of my Daily Blogs.

So, what a treat to find some of our picture frames and note cards as the Dose of Design Market Profile today. And what kind words. D.O.D.'s ability to feature some of our best selling designs proves she knows her stuff. Thanks so much (sniffle).

If we are new to you I'd love to hear from you.

Our Note Cards Featured On Absolutely Beautiful Things

What a lovely treat to get on one of my daily reads, Absolutely Beautiful Things, and see our Pink Lattice note cards featured under {Current} Favourite Things. Thank you so much Anna!

SHOW + TELL COTTAGE DINING ROOM

Yesterdays post about the Before + After Boys Bedroom proved quite challenging for a new blogger like me. I can't figure out how to make my images be neatly lined side by side...Before photos on the left side and After photos on the right. And something happened that won't allow the images to get larger when clicked on. So today I'm going to install one image at a time. Blogging is similar to learning how to drive; and I'm not ready to parallel park yet, that's for sure.

This is another room I did for the St. Margaret's Hospital Guild Decorator Show House in 2001. (This yearly event is held in Indianapolis which gives interior designers an opportunity to showcase their skills and the proceeds go to Wishard Hospital. Very worthwhile in every way). Now this tiny dining room was in an almost abandaned cottage (it had a few critters that had taken up residence...eewww!) behind the main mansion. It was a daunting task, working through the winter without heat, and a huge hike to the nearest restroom after drinking too much coffee to stay warm. The floor under the bad, bad (double eewww!) carpet was "spongey" and had to be replaced. The boarded up window in the "before" photo with the air conditioner became known as The Mystery Window. We found the window in the basement, but it was just the frame and in many pieces. Then the window pieces vanished for months. Poof. The mystery of the missing window was resolved, repaired, assembled and put in place almost as the show opened it's doors to the public.

The walls were old plaster and required much attention. I was determined to apply vertical stripes to visually raise this less than 8' high ceiling. None of the walls were straight. My husband and I measured and remeasured a bazillion times and finally tricked the eye by slightly changing the size of each stripe, and in the end it was Perfecto Mundo. We did the stripes ourselves, since these show houses become quite expensive undertakings. The tiny fireplace was deemed unsafe so I left it closed up, and instead, put wrought iron over the front of the brick to provide interest. The light fixture was actually brittle plastic and came apart with unexpected ease.

I reupholstered these Parsons chairs in a cotton stripe and had the wreath and bee imprinted on the inside backs. I brought these chairs back to my studio after the show and we use them to this day, albiet they have shown some wear since their hayday. I loved the backs of the chairs which have a long pleat held shut by a button with the bee imprint. Keep in mind, this was 2001 when the country french/bee was hot, hot, hot. The venue for the show houses I participated in were centered around historical preservation. Bringing a home back to life; to it's former glory.

My efforts paid off. This room won me a First Place Key Award; and a First Place ASID Award (American Society of Interior Designers) and a huge amount of press. Here are a couple magazines below. I'll have to dig around later to see which other magazines carried the story (I'm writing this on the road). The best experience, by far, was having the front cover of Better Homes and Gardens Window and Wall feature my little design. The editor flew in and came to my place to hand deliver a copy. Surely she had other business in Indianapolis, but did make an effort to let me know the front cover WAS a big deal. I can't even remember her name now, but I remember how warm and gracious she was toward me and my work.

I don't know how to show the inside of magazines and books in a creative way. As I learn more I might come back and redo a couple things. If anyone reads this and feels sorry for me, I'd love to get some technical pointers. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this flashback Before and After as much as I've enjoyed pulling up old photos and memories. This is actually kind of fun.