ArtWalk San Diego 2016

My ArtWalk San Diego 2016 space from this past weekend. 

HAPPY AND GRUMPY ARE MY FRIENDS

Okay, now that the new floors are down in the living and family rooms I am getting excited about moving towards some designing.  Here is what I've come up with for the family room.  I must tell you that we found the area rug last weekend at Home Goods.  However there was another couple already expressing interest in it.  They walked off (probably because we were hovering) and my bad self wanted to snatch it up, but my gooder self won over and we waited to see what they would do.  They bought it.  I was quite disappointed, esp. after checking the rug out online.  Well, my awesome husband had to drive up to LA on business this week and on his way back he stopped at 4 Home Goods stores and finally found another rug.  I know, please don't hate me.  He did that totally on his own, he's that kind of guy.  The best thing is that it's an indoor/outdoor rug, yet doesn't look or feel outdoorish at all. No wait, THE BEST THING is that it was $100 less than the websites were charging for the same rug.  Happy dance.

When Jennifer and the kiddos were here for Spring Break last month we had an art day together.  I started this painting of Tim, Wyatt and Amelia at the beach, but that's as far as I got.  I see that it might just have a promising future in the family room and am excited to finish it along with some seascapes.  I confess I am one that likes my art to match the sofa.  Shocker, huh?

My need for nesting is taking a front seat lately.  That's a good sign that I might be getting back to my old self.  Finally not obsessing about the exterior paint colors so much.  Ask me why.   Okay, because our next door neighbors are having their house re-stuccoed, painted and tile roof removed, repaired and replaced.  Why should that matter?  Well, we recently spent a weekend cleaning up our courtyard of the piles of crap the prior owners left us.  After hauling away broken pots, dead plants, etc. we washed the windows, bought new planters and flowers and by Sunday eve celebrated our accomplishments.   Seriously, the very next day the workers set up shop in our courtyard.  Because we are all on top of each other here my courtyard became a staging area for roof tiles, scaffolding and equipment.  What we have right now is trampled ground covers, a couple broken things and layers upon layers of sand, grit and overspray.  Just when I thought to sneak a photo from the living room of all the chaos and people, they had just removed the large scaffolding and tarps off my greenery.  You can't see much through my filthy windows and narrow view but there are 6 very boisterous people and loud machinery all in my tiny courtyard. CRAZY.  It's no one's fault and I'm happy to have neighbors fixing up, just can't wait until I can reclaim my space and privacy.   I sound old and grumpy today...I AM, okay?!

Finally, I wanted to thank you all for your great comments on my last post.  I got a few interesting suggestions, in fact, here is one from Funky Kim.  It makes me smile, but don't think the neighbors would have the same reaction.

PERMISSION TO PLAY

So, I got a wild hair idea, or is it wild hare?  Anyway, I wanted to play around with painting fabric, but didn't have fabric paint.  I thought that when I got acrylic paint on my clothes it was permanent, so why not do it on purpose.  I played folks.   Definitely had to give myself permission.   And had fun.  Okay, so after I painted I took it outside and hung it over a fence to dry.  Problem is I went in, made dinner, cleaned up, yada and totally forgot I left my fabric out.  I went out this morning to find that the sprinklers went off and sprayed it with dirt.  So, had to rinse the fabric in the sink, then into the washer.   The vibrancy is gone, but that doesn't concern me, since I know how easy it will be to add more color when I finally figure out what I'm doing.  

I mentioned in my last post that I didn't take my camera to The Creative Connection.  But Patty did and took some silly shots that just cracks me up. Love my fabric friends.

  

Let me FINALLY announce the winner of the pillow GIVEAWAY.  I sometimes choose creative ways to find winners.  This time I called my Jennifer (as opposed to someone else's Jennifer) and asked her to pick a number.  She chose 27 for Wyatt's birthday.  That would be Carolann.  Very scientific, right?  Carolann, send me an email with your info, okay?

Have an awesome, colorful, permission to play kind of weekend!

A MOVING EXPERIENCE

Have I got stories.


"Ma'am, we are here to help."  And instantly, 7 men spread out among the rooms in no organized fashion.   To my amazement, one of the first rooms they dove into was the kitchen and pantry.  It was 100 degrees outside and close to that indoors with all the doors open.  Yet less than 1/2 hour into a very, very long three days all the bottled water, soft drinks, wine, snacks, FOOD was packed up and on the blistering hot truck.  No silverware, glasses, paper cups in the house.  I kept forgetting and got disappointed all over again every time I went to grab something to eat or drink.
  
No matter how many guys I told "Do Not Pack The Computer Modem, it has to be returned."  They packed the modem.  "Do Not Pack The Baskets in the shelving units..they stay with the house."  "Ma'am, do we pack these baskets?"  "No, they stay with the house."  I counted at least 4 times I repeated those words.  Walked past my office and said, "Where are the baskets?" "I was told to pack them up ma'am". 
  
Second day new faces appear so I get to repeat everything all over again.  Within the first couple hours one of the guys goes and gets himself fired.  Apparently it took all the guys an hour to work on that little situation outside.  When they finally came in they said they were going to lunch!!!  Between the 2 hrs and multiple smoke breaks and them leaving at 3:30 we were ready to break into the truck to find the wine.


Third day, new faces, new stresses and one very late night because the next day was Sunday and we weren't letting them wait and come back Monday.  I was told, "Ma'am, Do Not Pack Candles or Matches in this heat".  All I can think of is what's going to happen when the multiple cans of Pepsi and Mountain Dew explode?  But I sadly set my gazillion candles and matches in a box to take over to Jennifer's.  "Do Not Touch These Boxes of Candles and Matches".  "Where are the boxes of candles".  "Oh, I was told to pack them ma'am."
    
Now, when they say pack, that's a very loose term, as we found out on the other end of the move.  For instance, you gotta commend the Kitchen Dude for carefully wrapping up this empty roll of packing tape and almost empty can of Mountain Dew, right?  

On the other hand, the Bathroom Dude decided he'd save some paper and time by wrapping all the tooth brushes, toilet bowl brushes and bathroom scrub sponges together, all tight up against each other.  No photo; I was too mad to go find the camera.  And there must be a rule that they CANNOT pack two alike things from the same room in the same box.  We are still trying to find lamps, or rather, all the pieces to the same lamp.  So Tim comes to me and says, "Honey I found the shop light.  And look, the bulb isn't broken".  

This shop light looks like I feel, twisted, but still working.  There are some broken things that are not so funny, so I won't be going there today.   I did unpack enough that by yesterday I was able to make a little vignette of sorts.  Not that any of it will stay together or that the wall color won't change, but I just had to have one little spot that looked "put-together" in my upside down world. 

  
Speaking of upside down, just one of the weird things the moving dudes would do is empty the boxes we already neatly packed.  I had my Demdaco products organized along with the packing slips checked off for inventory.  One night Tim remembered that he wanted to give the new owners of our house the Christmas wreaths that we hung on the windows for the holidays.  He went to the basement and discovered they unpacked all my products and shoved them in with the Christmas ornaments and decorations.  They took a handmade Charlie Brown type Christmas tree out of a box Tim made especially to protect the tree and crushed it into one of their boxes, because it didn't fit.  Needless to say, the Christmas boxes are in storage and I can't do my giveaway until I find them.  I am so sorry.  I am trying to find the bolts and screws and knobs to our furniture.  The Head Mover Dude asked ME if I knew where HE put them.  Seriously?  Wait, maybe they're with the pillows and Christmas decorations.  
My car was just delivered; an older BMW, that ironically came to IN from an old lady in CA that hardly put any miles on it.  Funny thing, cause now I could be that lady.  See, when God was handing out Sense Of Direction I got lost and never found that line.  To this day I can barely find my way out of the Ladies Room, so I won't be taking off anytime soon.  Plus I have to take an exam to drive here.  Be scared, very scared.  


I am so thankful to finally have internet.  No TV hookup yet.  Just as well.  Dr. Oz will just confirm my fears that I will die from how filthy this house we just moved into actually is.  I can just see them pulling up here in hazmat suits and petri dishes.  I have a habit, not necessarily a bad one, of seeing "the good bones", The Potential, of a house and overlooking the scanky carpet and cabinets with way too many coats of paint that unsuccessfully hide all the flaws.  (that comment will keep out of towners at bay for awhile).  While I wish the work were easier, I realize I am drawn to the transformation process.  It's that belief that even the worst can be made beautifully whole, and oftentimes even better than before.  That's what draws me in; that hope for what's possible, looking past the flaws.  Kinda like God does with us.


Here's a photo looking out the bathroom window onto our side patio.  Just wanted you to know it's not all skanky carpet here, especially if I look up every once in awhile.

Now off to unpack more stories; I mean, boxes.

MOVING MADNESS & GORGEOUS GIVEAWAY

You have to admit I do have good excuses for why I haven't blogged.  When I last posted I promised gifts and giveaways galore once things settled down after Quilt Market.  Ready?  Here comes my latest. 

Things have been on-again, off-again for the last year as to whether we were really moving to San Diego. Tim has been working there the majority of the time and I haven't felt comfortable announcing that I have been here by myself.  Well, it was definately on-again when I got home from Quilt Market and a Pod was in the driveway to make sure it sunk in.   

MY POD

Next thing I knew we were racing to get our house ready to sell.  Finishing up all those odds and ends that we always intended to tackle ourselves.  Tim flew home and we quickly had a mega yard sale...literally opened the garage door, stuck out a couple signs on Thursday and Friday while painters, carpet installers, roofers and landscapers (I'm sure I've left out a few workers) were here doing touch ups and repairs.  On Thursday early evening our real estate agent came by with the paperwork and a For Sale sign for the yard.  By Friday morning we already had people wanting to view the house.  I had made it clear that I intended to get the workers out and the house cleaned before it could be seen.  Sunday morning we planned to do some finishing touches, but a couple from Chicago wanted to see it first thing and stayed for 2 hours!   We barely put the finishing touches in place and had to quickly  find someplace to hide out (we ran out of time to even take showers).  My real estate agent happens to also be an incredible friend and neighbor.  Her house was just up the street and is currently vacant, so we took our very old and sick dog over there to sit for 3 1/2 hours. 

I was so stinkin bored.  Did I mention her house was totally vacant?  I sat on the floor and cleaned out all the old emails on my iPhone, tried to learn to use apps I previously ignored and threw out old gum wrappers from my purse.  All I could think about was how the Open House was going.  Tashi and Tim were layed out on the living room floor snoozing so I decided to put on my baseball cap and sunglasses and go for a little walk.  As I turned the bend there were cars up and down both sides of the street and up the side street next to our house.  I seriously thought someone was having a graduation party, but as I got closer it appeared the party was at my house.  My next door neighbor was out working in the yard so I snuck up on him.  Startled, he said he didn't recognize me with the hat and glasses, to which I told him, "Shhh, I'm incognito!"  He verified that all those cars were at my Open House.  I skipped back to the hideout and waited until 5:15 when we thought the coast was clear.  As we pulled up our drive we realized people were still walking around in the yard and one couple was visiting with the next door neighbors. 



Not too convincing SpyWear

 I wish I had a picture of our agent Teresa when we walked into our kitchen.  She had thrown  her torso and arms out  on the island pretending she had collapsed from exhaustion.  That was only temporary because she started talking 90+ MPH, telling us she couldn't keep up after 80 people but she was sure there were at least 100 that came through.  I wouldn't have believed her if I hadn't seen it for myself.   No sooner did she leave when she called on her cell to say she just received an offer.  By bedtime we had two offers over the asking price and more promised for the next day. 

Next morning we had people and realtors lined back to back starting at 8 a.m. with appointments to see the house.  Our heads were spinning.  We really had no place to go so we hung out at a couple restaurants until  Tim needed to pack and get to the airport.  We also needed to get our Tashi in to the vets.  After lunch we intruded on a showing at our house and felt obligated to say excuse me to the strangers looking in our closets.  We quickly packed Tim's bag and rescued Tashi from his indoor kennel.  He was not well and this added stress was taking it's toll on him.  When we got to the vets, it wasn't good news.  Long story short, we left without our Tashi.  He has been our friend and companion for 16 1/2 years; our other son.  One minute we are on a mountaintop with all the interest in our house and the next minute down in a valley as Tashi is being put to sleep.  Tim and Tashi were very close and Tim had to walk away from that to catch a flight for San Diego.  It was heartbreaking.

Our Tashi Bear as a pup

My Three Teenagers

As I said my goodbye's to Tashi I whispered in his ear to go find Jonathan.  

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

 By that afternoon we had two more offers and appts. booked out the rest of the week from morning to night.  When Teresa stopped over I suggested that while this was crazy good, I wasn't sure why I'd want to keep this up. So I chose an above the asking price offer (surprised?) and by the time Tim landed in San Diego the house was sold.  I think that's a good sign, even a record, don't you? 

Wherever you want us to go Lord.  Where?  San Diego?  Oh, if you insist!! 

All kidding aside, moving across the country after just losing our son and leaving the only other family we have here was a huge decision and one we did not make on our own. 

Next task was to quick find a house in San Diego.  I had been looking almost daily since last August on the internet, flew out there previously to house hunt and always disliked the choices.  So many of our options were short sales, foreclosures, houses left vacant, bank-owned or just plain ugly. I flew out again with a list of potentials, most of which were quickly crossed off the list once I saw them in person, or saw the neighborhood, etc.  One of our "must-have's" was some private outdoor living space to make up for the much smaller interiors we were accustomed to in the South and Midwest. There were other things we hoped for, but this one thing was non-negotiable.  I am excited to say that the last place we viewed was "the one".   And it wasn't because I was blurry eyed and everything started to run together (which it did), but because we couldn't see inside the neighbors houses or even their yards, and likewise.  We put an offer on it, did a bit of countering and by the time I got off the plane back in Indianapolis I had a contract to sign.  That, my friends, is amazing. 

I had workers inside and out doing repairs and touch-ups and in some cases they actually made things worse.  For instance, a young guy was up in the attic and poked his foot through a bedroom ceiling.  It was much more humorous when the hole was open and the insulation was falling out.  But they made it much less conspicuous once they taped it with royal blue and black masking tape.

The guy that came to repair the hole didn't do a good job, got ceiling paint on the walls and after returning 3 more times the repair patch kept getting larger. When the owner of the company came to inspect the patch I told him the new homeowners would need to sign off on the job and I didn't think they would be happy with the workmanship. He walked over and closed the blinds in the bedroom and suggested I leave them closed as to not draw attention to the ceiling. Are you freakin serious??  Bye-bye Mr. Ceiling Man.

I've already closed on this house and packing has started!!!  Our friends  didn't want us to leave, but still had a Farewell Fling for us which will make us miss them even more than we thought possible.  I think I only know a couple people in San Diego, and one of them is our real estate agent.  Skype and unlimited calling will make the transition easier. 

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

I am so, so very excited about my next decor line with Demdaco.  In the midst of all this moving madness, I have been receiving both images and some boxes of product for approval for the 2012 Paula Prass Collection.  I was squealing over the images, but when the boxes arrived I was screaming and doing back flips...okay, just screaming.  I can't talk about the new products for another 6 months, but I am beside myself delighted.  The new line coordinates so nicely with my current line. 

So, since I can't share with you next year's line right now, I certainly can share my current line for Demdaco.  How about I share one of my pillow designs with you? This one is a 16" square in pinky coral, greens, creams and brown accents.  The saying: It is not only fine FEATHERS that make fine birds, it's also how those birds DECORATE their nests.  Just leave a message.  If you happen to know some highly creative artists, sewers or places I should know about in San Diego, I'd appreciate passing that along, but it's not necessary.  I'll be picking a winner around Thursday or Friday before the moving truck pulls down the driveway.  Ready.  Set.  Go.

4 YARD FABRIC GIVEAWAY

First off, let me just start by saying OUUCCHHHH to Esther, my new personal trainer.  Not like I'm training for anything, but she's trying her best to whip me into some sort of shape, other than the one I currently have.  Now I just need to convince her (okay, and maybe her family) to move in with me to kick my butt daily.  She gets me to do things I would never normally agree to, especially if I were telling myself to do them.

We have been gaining very slow progress on our guest bath remodel.  It's not even a full remodal; we merely tackled the sink area.  With my Mini MacGyver's constant business trips, weekends filled with commitments, family and yardwork, we average about a couple hours per week on remodel.  This past weekend we hoped for a larger time frame before he took off again.  The only available time left was between 1-4 on Sunday before Tim had to leave for Vancouver, Canada by 5.  We raced from church stuff to rent a tile cutter.  Tim's job was to run from the second floor guest bath to the tile cutter machine he set up outside on the ground level (in upper 90's temps).  Once he made the cut, he ran up the stairs to place the tile, then back down to make the next cut.  And all before he had to race off to return the tile cutter and make it to the airport on time.  Fun huh?  Here's a peek at the doors Tim made and I painted.  And the handles we whittled.  No, just kidding.

Can you believe it's officially September?  Just the name of the month seems to conjure up thoughts of cooler weather, autumn breezes and warm fall colors for many of us in the U.S.  Okay, so it's still in the mid-90's in the midwest and the humidity attacks my hair when I merely let the dog out.  There hasn't been an ounce of rain in well over a month so the leaves are falling, even though they forgot to change colors first.  I know things will "fall" into place soon and the cooler weather, autumn breezes and warm fall colors will finally be upon us. 

Today, in honor of September I pulled out some of my Woodland Delight fabrics and helped myself to some of my neighbors zinnias.  She insists it helps them multiply if I cut them and I so want to be a good neighbor. As you know, I'm not a muted colors kinda gal and these are the fall colors my eyes seem to devour. 

So here's where you come in.  Michael Miller Fabrics turned my Large Modern Flora in the Brown colorway into a tiny wale corduroy.  I have been caressing the richness of it and pondering what kinds of things you would make if you had some.  Hmmm, let me get back to that idea in just a minute.

I am not the fastest techie on the block.  Okay, I'd come in last in any given competition.  Hopefully I get a half point for exposing that weakness, right?  I can spend days googling how to add features or social bookmarking and find the tutorials are usually created from someone in a far away country and the the one response to their posts are something like, " Hey dude, it no work for me.  Bad link".  Even if I finally figure how to plant an icon on my blog, I still can't get to the bottom line of how that matters to me or you.  Question is; can you figure out how to follow me just by looking around and clicking, or do I need serious blog counseling?

How do you follow me?

Tell me HOW you follow/link to me.  Is my blog in your sidebar?  Do you link to me through Bloglines?  Do you follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Technorati, Flickr or Google Friends...if you follow me in more than one way, say Bloglines, Facebook and Twitter that gives you 3 chances to win. 

Each time you convince me that I am indeed your computer savvy friend, you SCORE.  And I would appreciate you letting me know if something is NOT working properly on my blog (then fix it for me?)

For your reward I will give you 2 yards; I repeat, 2 yards of this yummy Large Modern Flora corduroy.  PLUS: an extra 2 yards from the Woodland Delight Quilt Weight Collection of your choosing.  That could be 1 yard each of two different patterns, one half yard of 4 pieces, etc.  But it's 4 yards total, baby. 

Thank you, thank you and now let's get this party started!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE: You are all so amazing!  Thank you so much for all your wonderfully helpful comments.

I will announce a winner on Labor Day, September 6
 

FUNK, FUNK GO AWAY

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours.” Eric Idle

I have been in a real funk lately. While I know some of the reasons why, the last few days were particularly rough. Then it hit me. It is the one year anniversary of me breaking my arm and shoulder while in NY. Once it clicked, the memories came flooding back. It took me awhile to even post about it at the time. I eventually was able to tell a bit about some of the humor, but truth be told, it was a tough time. Something happened right before the accident that was emotionally painful for me, and somehow the two became one as a memory.
-
While I was in NY to participate in the New York International Gift Show, I had one particular vendor that, how do I put this gently?...is evil. A bully whose favorite things are intimidation, the F word and having an entourage to help her feel bigger than life. During a previous show she gathered her posse, got up in another gals face and tore into her like one of those Housewives episodes. I started requesting to not be near her booth, but sure enough, it never failed. She considered me a competitor, didn't like me one bit and tried to make my time a living hell. That last NY show was the worst. It was on the heals of that experience that I fell. I think she had a voodoo doll with my name on it. Anyway, one year later, even though my arm is near perfect, the ominous feelings returned.
.Here's the outside of my swollen and bruised arm. Looked much better than the xrays (I'll spare you). I am so glad it's been a year, my arm and shoulder are doing great, and I only do Quilt Shows now. If you know of any fabric vendors that make voodoo dolls on the side, will you let me know?

Now I'm the kind of person that "counteracts" something bad with something good. I like to eat some fruit to counteract any junk food. I know, it's weird. Anyway, I am counteracting that junk story I just told you with some perfectly wonderful eye candy! Thanks for letting me get that out of my system. Now enjoy these while I go eat lots of fruit!!

Another delicious pair of shoes made out of some Summer Soiree by the amazing Mia Joie designer, Jessica. Go see her other latest creations.

Luscious pillow by Nestables.

Scrumptious tote by Daisy Hill Studios

And wrap your eyes around this "comfort food". Made by Julie over at Tattered Threads and Willing Hands for her lucky college bound daughter. What love and a wonderful story behind this quilt. Go say hello.

GLAD TO BE BACK!

I apologize for taking off out of town without posting beforehand. There was so much to do and that last week was filled with drama. Then once we got to New York we had a busy schedule and bad internet connection. So, I'm back with photos and stories.

First off, we had a space at the New York Gift Show in the Studio Section, so we took a photo to show you a bit of our set-up. Hard work and late nights. Once the show started Jennifer and I fit in a couple fun things. Here we are in front of Rockefeller Plaza. In the summer the skating rink is transformed into eateries.

Also, had some business at Michael Miller Fabrics a couple of days. Lots of cab rides, which is always an adventure. One particular driver honked and barked at everyone. As I observed, I realized even though his honks sounded the same, they actually had different meanings. I commented to Jennifer that there should be different honk sounds...like a little keyboard w/ symbols. Like a picture of a pedestrian w/ a bullseye, or the finger. As I'm chuckling and wondering if that might be how I make my 1st mil Jennifer reaches for the camera and snaps this Don't Honk sign. Now that tickles my funny bone. Next sign warns not to attach bicycles to the railing. Is it just me, or does anyone find this humorous?

It was great to be in New York and to actually meet some of you for the first time. Had some wonderful chats and made new connections. Now I must say, I really missed you all and am so happy to be in touch again.

FLUFFING THE NEST

It has been so long since I've posted. I truly apologize. June is a busy month around here because of the upcoming Markets (Atlanta and New York). I am going to make a real effort to send more posts, even if they are short and sweet.

We've had so many storms the last few weeks. One storm knocked down some large branches and I wanted to show you two nests that we rescued. The larger nest is loose, rough and a bit messy, but the bird made a real attempt to decorate, intertwining a yellow ribbon. The other nest is tiny, tightly woven with bits of feathers and very soft. I stuck some cute fake eggs in for fun.Very fascinating to me.

TIMES SQUARE AFTER SUPER BOWL!

I made a motherly decision that Jennifer and I should be safe in our hotel room by the time the Super Bowl game was over Sunday evening. We had a long day of working our booth and I was feeling a bit cautious. That is, until the Giants won! We were in our jammies and I could hear and see helicopters above and people below from our window. I threw caution to the wind, broke my own rule and in a few minutes we were out on Times Square with half of New York! Our Colts and Peyton didn't make it this time, so it was great to see Eli win. And to think, we almost missed this moment.

The New York Show is over now and we're finally back at work today. We made several new friends and our products will soon be in many stores throughout the Eastern states and Canada.

Each day was a blur and we had little time to do much away from our booth, but all we did see were layers of incredible colors, textures and patterns at every turn.

LIVE FROM NEW YORK-IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!

Well, we're here and we've just finished up our 2nd day of the show. We've had a great reaction to the new Spring styles and we've also had the oppportunity to mingle with many fellow vendors - it's inspiring to hear their stories. We've got another 2 days of the show so we'll plan to give you more details once we return.

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL GIFT SHOW

We are on our way to the New York Gift Show. It's our first show in New York and were pleasantly surprised when they placed us in the Studio section. Hoping we'll have time to blog and send photos. Now it's off to bed and fast asleep before the 4:15 am alarm.