My first television appearance

In April, I went to Portales, New Mexico and filmed three segments for the PBS show, Creative Living with Sheryl Borden.  Sheryl just sent me the video of the segments and said I could share them with you!  The segments will be on three different episodes next year.

Filming for TV definitely took me outside my comfort zone.  I was so nervous about making the trip and being on television!  But, thanks to a difficult trip, I was just so darn happy to be there that I didn't have time to be nervous.

It all started when my daughter threw-up all over our house two days before I was scheduled to leave.  I was worried about her and worried about catching whatever she had.  Sure enough, the night before I left, I began to get sick.  I almost cancelled the trip, but decided to suck it up and go.  I didn't eat anything in order to avoid getting ill on the plane.

All was well, until my flight was late departing.  I had a layover scheduled in Houston, then I was supposed to fly from there to Lubbock, Texas.  I was originally scheduled to arrive in Lubbock by 3:00pm-plenty of time to make the 2+ hour drive from Lubbock to Portales in daylight.  But I missed my connection, and landed in Lubbock at 7:00pm. (Thank you Continental Airlines for "making it up to me" by giving me a voucher for a free dinner.  That really made you screwing up my whole trip so much easier!)  By the time I got off the plane and picked-up my rental car, darkness was descending.  I hadn't eaten all day and felt weak and my head ached from being ill.  Huge stretches of flat, dark farmland, with no city lights loomed before me.  The only thing that occasionally lit my way was the oncoming thunderstorm's lightning bolts.  I tell you, I never felt so alone in my entire life.  There were stretches of road where I didn't see another living thing for miles.  The only way I was able to find the turns I needed to make was to take note of the miles I needed to go and start squinting in the darkness when I thought I was getting close.  I cried a few times.

At one point, I was afraid I missed a turn-off and when I finally hit something like civilization, I pulled into a mini mart and asked the boy behind the counter if I was on the right track.  He hadn't heard of the road I was looking for.  His friend was hanging out with him and asked where I was heading.  I told him and he gave me directions.  Throwing in "Ma'am" and being very polite.  In fact, he offered to drive in front of me for a few miles and show me where I needed to turn.  Being a "big city" girl, I was leery of following a strange man in the dark and politely rejected his offer.  (Isn't it sad that we have to be afraid like that?)  I thanked the boys and drove off.  I finally rolled into Portales after 9pm and gratefully checked into my hotel.  This was the joy of the evening.  The hotel desk clerk was so kind to me.  After being abused by the airline all day, good customer service was such a novel experience.  So here's a grateful shout out to Holiday Express & Suites in Portales, New Mexico!

I had to be at the station a little after 8am.  And I'm not kidding when I tell you that I was so exhausted from the harrowing trip that I didn't feel nervous at all.  My illness had passed and the host, Sheryl Borden was beyond sweet to me.  When we were filming, I forgot that there were cameras there.  I even had a surprise, live audience of local high school students.  I thought I would be really nervous because of the audience, but I completely forgot them once I got started.  We only had to do one retake and it wasn't because of any errors on my part.

So I'm sharing my videos with you today.  I probably don't have to tell you that I HATE the way I look. I wish I could blame the weight I'm carrying on the "camera adds 10 pounds" adage, but I would be lying.  But then, I didn't really expect to like how I looked.  I just give myself credit for looking halfway human considering the day of travel and illness I had the previous day.  And I think I sound pretty professional and relaxed, so I'm trying to stay focused on that.

All in all, I'm really proud of myself for pushing beyond my limits.  As I've grown older, I've tended to take the easy way out and I'm surprised by how energized I felt by taking a risk.  Sheryl said I was welcome to come back and film with her again and you know, I just might take her up on it.

So here are the links to the segments:

Fantasy Candy Garland.  I teach you how to use Art Glitter's Fantasy Film to create really cool faux candy.

Felt Flower Headband.  A tutorial on how I create felt flowers to embellish headbands.

Pack of Paper Party.  Some cool ideas on how to use your scrapbook and party supplies to create a custom look for your party on a budget.  You can see the video at the top of this post.

If you want to win the candy yarn wreath that's featured in the Fantasy Candy segment and support a PBS station, click here to bid on it.

Monthly Newsletter Article: Are you Afraid of Success?

Most of my clients are afraid of being successful.  Heck, even I struggle with it.  It's been popping up a lot lately when I'm coaching artists and crafters, so I thought an article was in order.  Are you afraid of being a successful artist or craftsperson?  Read on to find see the symptoms and get some tips for overcoming your fears.

Symptoms of fear of success

• Procrastination. Do I really need to say more about this one?
• Lack of follow through.  Did that famous blogger email you and ask you if you wanted to do a blog a swap?  Do you find you are too busy to get back to her to schedule it? Or maybe a manufacturer has asked you to submit some artwork to them, but you just haven't been able to get to the post office to mail the package?
• Perfectionism.  I hear excuses like the following a lot.  "I can't start marketing my blog because I want a better blog banner." "I'm not ready to tell people about my Etsy shop yet, because I want to put up better pictures first."

If this sounds like you, you may be your worst enemy right now.  Take some time to start working through your fears and discover your fullest potential.  A great place to start is to figure out WHY you are afraid of success. 

Why are you afraid of success?

• Are you afraid you will have to change your lifestyle?  If you become successful, do you feel like you will lose the ability to have balance in your life?  That you might be expected to be a "workaholic"?  Or won't be able to spend enough time with your children?  Or maybe you are afraid you won't have time to create art?
• Are you afraid of the expectations that you think will come with success?  That you will have to keep producing bigger and better pieces of art?  That if you get a book published, you will be expected to have another one published?  

Once you have identified your fear and why you are afraid, it's time to start working on ways to overcome your fears and beliefs.

Ways to Overcome your fear of success.

• Celebrate your daily successes.  I used to keep a monthly journal and I would write down all the great things that happened to me in the past month.  I found that if I waited longer than a month, I would forget small, but important, victories.  By documenting your success you will start to realize that you are experiencing success often and nothing bad is happening as result!
• Find a support system to help you manage your success.  Find people to cheer you on.  People who will remind you of your successes.  But also find people who can help you manage your success.  One of my coaching clients hired me when a publisher accepted her book proposal.  She knew she would need help staying on track with deadlines and was able to manage her fear of deadlines, by hiring someone (me!) to help her create processes that would enable her to enjoy her success and limit her stress.
• Remember you are in charge. The best thing about working for yourself is that you are in charge.  I carefully manage my success by remembering what's important to me.  I accept opportunities if they fit into my purpose in life (to help other artists and crafters succeed in business and maintain balance in their lives) and if they work in my schedule.  Right now, I don't feel I can embrace success in licensing because my daughter is young and I don't have the time to meet tight deadlines.  I do have time to accept success with my ecourses though.  Take some time to figure out, honestly, the success you can accept in your life and then welcome it with open arms.

I hope this article helps you take a look at your business and it's perceived limits in a different light.  If you have any tips for overcoming fear of success, please leave them in the comments below.  If you are interested in learning more about my coaching services, please feel free to email me for a free proposal.

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Bird Sanctuary

Last week, my daughter and I created a little haven for birds in our little backyard.  We hung a bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder, cleaned and filled our birdbath and painted little birdhouses in case our visitors needed a place for a nap.

My birdhouse is very cheery and inspired by the bright colors of some of my favorite British blogs, like Happy Love Rosie.  (Sometimes I wonder who is having more fun when we do projects like this, me or my daughter?)

In order to continue to enjoy our "bird sanctuary" we created bird journals, so that we can sketch our new friends and make notes about how many birds are visiting us and other important facts.  (Who says we don't need art classes in schools?  What looks like a creative project here, is a sneaky way for me to get some math and science into a artistic little girl's life!)

This has proven to be a great project for my daughter and, a week later, she still hasn't tired of it.  You may want to try it yourself on a long, summer day when certain little people are squealing about having nothing to do.

Our next stop is the library to find a book on birds so that we can start identifying our visitors!

Crescendoh Launch Party

On Friday, I was lucky enough to attend Jenny Doh's launch party for her new adventure, Crescendoh.   (You may remember a few weeks back that I did an Art Saves story for the website.)  To congratulate Jenny, I created some of my quilted selvage bracelets for her, bearing her logo and tagline.

It was a fun evening out, and I was able to catch-up with old friends and make some new friends.  I thought I would honor everyone I met by sharing links to their blogs with you today.  Trust me when I say that this was a amazing group of talented and caring women.  You are sure to find inspiration on each of their sites!

Cheryl Waters.  One of the Fiskateer leads and someone I am lucky enough to call friend.  Cheryl is truly one of the kindest people I know.

Elena Etcheverry of Scrapbook Royalty.  A strong woman who has dedicated her life and creativity to helping others.

Julie Bergmann.  She made my evening by telling me how much my business advice I gave her has changed her business for the better.

Kelly Snelling.  Always a joy to see her.  One of the most talented and brave women I know.

Melody Ross.  She shared her touching Art Saves story with us at the party.  Another brave, smart soul.  Dedicated to helping women get in touch with their creativity through her Brave Girls Camps.

Colette George.  I watched a package for her during the party while she took photos and then ran into her later.  She is someone I never knew before, but her friendliness and ease made me feel like we were old friends.

Jana Holstein.  An editor at Somerset, who gave me my first break and published my work.  She gave me the courage to believe that my art really was worthy enough to be in print.

And, of course, my mom.  Who came with me to the celebration.  She has played a huge part in making me who I am today.

All in all, an inspiring evening.  I felt so lucky to be in the company of so many brave, kind and talented women.  Everyone has an Art Saves story and by sharing it, we lift one another up.  Share yours with someone today.  You never know who you might inspire.

Closet Organization

There's a ghost in my closet.  It's the ghost of my days past.

On Monday, I decided I needed to clean-out my closet.  I am lucky enough to a large walk-in closet, and it's filled with clothes.  Yet, most of the clothes are not worn.  And that's where the difficulty began.

I'm not wasteful.  I really did once wear all the clothes hanging in my closet.  Beautiful cocktail dresses, finely tailored business suits.  But, five years ago my life changed with the birth of my daughter.

I used to watch those organization shows and wonder why the women were reduced to tears as the professional organizer told them to get rid of their clutter.  I don't wonder anymore.

I went into my closet, with a cardboard box, determined to throw away the clothes that no longer fit me.  That I have no need for.  After about 30 minutes, the task only half done, I came out.  Exhausted and depressed.  Although I don't miss my old life, I do mourn it at times.  Wonderful, expensive dinners out (alone!) with my husband.  The busy days of suit wearing and ass-kicking as I built my powerful career as business consultant.  And it was all there, hiding in my closet, and I was surprised it was still there, and I was very sad to pack it into a box and banish it, finally, from my life completely.

Do I even need to tell you about the additional pain of mourning my old body?  The range of sizes as my weight has fluctuated up and down?  (More up than down lately.)  The realization that even if I could fit into that size 8 again, it will never be back in style?

A most difficult task.  I'm now trying to screw-up the courage and go in there again and finish the job.  And then stand back and see a closet that is 3/4 empty.  I suppose I could look at it as a blank slate.  A closet waiting to be filled up with clothes that represent a new life.  I keep telling myself that, when I'm done, I'll reward myself with new paint and organization bins for my new closet.  But today, I'm just a little sad and a little in awe, as I say good-bye to who I was, and make room for who I am now.

Whip Up Mini Quilts Book Review

Time for a book review.  I just recently got my hands on Kathreen Ricketson's (of Whip Up fame) book on creating mini quilts.  It's a really wonderful book, filled with tons of inspiration.  There are over 20 patterns/ tutorials for creating contemporary, small quilts.  This isn't your grandmother's quilting.  It's very hip and modern.  Some even have a little edge.  In fact, Nicole Vaughan's Granny's Delight Quilt combines your grandma with a little edge.  You'll have to get the book to see it, but let's just say I've never thought of embroidering an illustration of my grandma's dentures on a quilt before.  With a doily thrown in for good luck.  I can only hope to ever be that hip.

Another thing I like about this book is the fact that many of the projects (especially in the Playful section) are perfect for little boys.  I always feel bad for my friends with young sons because it seems that so many sewing & craft projects are so sweet and cute that they wouldn't work for a boy's room.  This book's quilts are more contemporary and would easily please any rough and tumble boy, yet the designs are still inspirational even to me, the most girly of girls.  Everyone's happy!

Here's the 411:


Whip Up Mini Quilts
Patterns & How-To for More Than 20 Contemporary Small Quilts
by Kathreen Ricketson

You can order it here.
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Material Connection Disclosure:  
*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher at no charge, for the purpose of this review. 
**I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small commission for books ordered via my Amazon link. 

Ice Cream Social

I've been very busy the past two weeks, leading my group of 38 students through my Multiple Streams of Income ecourse.  About halfway through the course my daughter began to start "acting out" a bit and I knew I was at fault.  I wasn't giving her enough attention.  So I scheduled a work-free afternoon and we spent a little uninterrupted time together.  It involved our two favorite past-times, baking and painting.  Both messy, but both very satisfying.

As a result of our afternoon, we had a delicious marmalade-chocolate cake to eat (it tastes just like those chocolate oranges you can get at Christmas time) and I had a new painting in my portfolio.  I haven't painted in awhile and it took me a bit of time to get around to this image, but I like it.  I call it Ice Cream Social and am working on creating note cards featuring it.

The added bonus of our afternoon?  My daughter is back to being her sweet self, secure that mommy does love her and wants to spend time with her and I'm not feeling so guilty about working.

Cupcakes for Breakfast

The weekend before last, when I was on my crafting blitz, I brought to life a crafty idea that was in my little pea-brain.  Cupcake-shaped egg cozies!  This first set didn't come out exactly how I wanted them to, I think they need to be a bit bigger.  I'm not a patient person and all the trial & error of creating original patterns is sometimes difficult for me, but I'm trying to take deep breaths and enjoy the process.  Usually, I just want to make the darn thing and then be done with it.

The egg cups remind me of happy childhood memories.  Summers at my maternal grandparents.  My grandmother always made us "Egg in an Egg Cup" for breakfast.  Also know as soft-boiled eggs.  The novelty of dipping strips of buttered toast into the warm egg yolk was true joy for me.  My mom, having four young children (all within 5 years of each other!) was reluctant to make the treat.  I'm sure time and mess played big factors in that decision.  But Grandma!  Oh Grandma would do anything we asked.  And, she never ever made us scoop-out the white part of the egg and eat it!

I paired the egg cozies with one of my Cupcake French Press Cozies.  I didn't think very many people used French Presses to make coffee anymore, but then I set-off a huge discussion about it over on Flickr!
You can check it out here.  Wishing you a weekend filled with cupcakes, "Eggs in an Egg Cup" breakfasts and French-pressed coffee.

Sizzix Blog Hop-Burlesque Cake

Time for another blog hop!  This is my favorite die by Eileen Hull so far.  A darling little box shaped like a cake.  There are a million things you can do with this and I'm sure my fellow blog hoppers will have some great variations, so be sure to check Eileen's blog and follow the links to see everyone's creations.

I decided to go a little risque with mine.  As many of you know I love a retro style and the old pin-up girls are fascinating to me.  (I think it's because I secretly wish that it was still considered attractive to have a little "meat on your bones".  If curves were still in, I would be one hot mama!)

My cake is reminiscent of the days when bachelor parties had a girl jump out of a cake.  I added paper spirals to give the illusion of the cake popping open and then placed a vintage image of a pin-up girl in the center.

Since wedding season is coming up, I thought my Burlesque Cake would make a great decoration for a super hip bachelorette party, or how about a retro cocktail party?

To get the die and create your own beautiful cake decorations, visit the Sizzix website here.

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Material Connection Disclosure:
*I have a material connection to Eileen Hull and Sizzix.  I was given a sample of the die for the purpose of this blog hop.

Front Door Makeover

Before

I have lived in my house for over 12 years and I've never liked my front door.  It sits right on the driveway, with no porch.  I've tried to dress it up with pots of plants. I've tried wreaths.  None of it has worked for me.  I'm very house proud and I have never felt the front door was a good reflection of the interior of my home.  Do you know what I mean?  When nothing you do makes your heart sing?

After

Well, my heart is singing now.  I decided to get really serious and give my front door a makeover.  I studied all the magazine photos of front doors I could find.  Remember this cover from Blueprint magazine?  I also surfed the web and found a Doors to Adore post at at Kari & Kijsa's blog.

I decided I wanted my front door to have a "European" look and then I got my husband to work.  (He loves it when I redecorate because I come up with the great ideas and then he has to make them happen!)
The entire redo cost us less than $60, and that bought us; stencils, plants, a brass kick plate, hardware for the hanging baskets and a new doormat.  A little money and little time and I think I created a big impact.  It was a satisfying spruce-up.  After we finished it, I spent the afternoon running outside every few minutes to look at it. The neighbors must think I'm nuts, but I hope they like the new look!

Coaster Crazy

Seriously, I can't stop making these felt coasters.  I'm a girl obsessed.  I keep doing this; I'll sew something, like the way it looks, and then start pulling out all my fabric and making different versions of it.  

Then I sit and look at my pile and wonder what I'm going to do with all of it.  Does it happen to you too?  

Anyway, they are in my Etsy shop.  Just in case you want to save me from myself.

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you have a great weekend.  (I personally think we should get the whole weekend, but I'm biased.)  Did anyone watch The Middle on Wednesday night about Mother's Day?  I laughed so hard!  It was so true!

Home is where the heART is

Houses, like birds, are a common theme in my art and in my crafting.  I suppose I'm a domestic person at heart and I love "nesting".  As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing better than being warm and cozy and safe in my house.  I take great pains to make our house a home and I love the comfort it provides my family.

This weekend, on one of my craft binges, I created two pieces of work, both revolving around my obsession with home.  The first, a mini-quilt, is up for sale in my Etsy shop*.  As much as I love it, my house can't hold another piece of my fabric art and I know I need to start letting it go.  I used some scraps from the vintage sheet I used for my daughter's lounge pants and skirt and I hand-embroidered the word, "maison" (french for house) onto a piece of linen I tea-dyed. I know I need to take some better photos of it, but it's challenging because the colors of the fabrics are so delicate.  Trust me when I say it's even better in person!

I also have a little tutorial for you today!  I've had this Neighborhood Garland rolling around in my head for a week or two and was finally able to create it on Saturday.  I think it's so cute and would be a really darling addition to a child's room or even as decor for a house-warming party.  You could customize the houses to look like your neighborhood.  Or make it a little more masculine and create barns or firehouses for a boy's room.  Here's how to make it...

Neighborhood Garland Tutorial
by Laura Bray

Supplies:

fast2fuse heavyweight interfacing**
Fabric scraps
Fabric pen
Embroidery thread & needle

Directions:

1.  Cut house shapes from interfacing.  I cut short and tall house shapes.  The small houses measure 2"x 2" and the tall houses are 1.75"x 3.5"  You can make them whatever size or shape you want, but make sure you cute one solid house shape.  Don't separate the roof from the base.

2. Lay fabric scraps onto the front and back of your interfacing.  I used solid fabric to cover the back of the houses and different contrasting fabrics to accentuate the roof portion on the front.  Leave some fabric overlap around the house shape.

3. Fuse the fabric to the interfacing according to manufacturer directions.  Trim excess fabric off.

4.  Using a fabric pen, draw windows and doors onto your little houses.

5.  Thread your embroidery needle and knot one end of your thread.  Sew your first house onto the thread by pushing your needle through the front of you house.  Keep to one side where the roof meets the house.  Bring the needle up through the other side of the house, straight across.  Create a knot next to hold the house in place.  Move a few inches down your thread, tie off another knot and slide your next house onto the embroidered thread.

6.  It's ready to hang.

Happy Home Making!

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Material Disclosure:  


*I have a material connection.
**No material connection.

It's a dog's life

Our dog, Jack, is just about the sweetest & most patient animal in the world.  A pound puppy with a bad under bite, he has proven over and over again that he is the best dog in the world.

Here's a day in his life.

Beg for pancakes.  They smell really, really good.  Get yelled at to get down.  No pancakes for you.

Somehow manage to get yourself caught in a game of "enchanted circus".  End up being the "lion".  Complete with a purple tutu for a mane and a glow stick necklace.  Try not to feel too humiliated. (I told you he had a bad under bite!)

Sleep.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Multiple Streams of Income Ecourse-Last Call

Just  quick note to let you know that I'll be closing registration for my Multiple Streams of Income Ecourse on May 4.

I'll be sharing tons of information about generating income from your art, plus there will be interviews with experts in the following income areas:

Teaching-Claudine Hellmuth will talk about teaching your craft
Children's Book Illustration-Priscilla Burris will share lots of information about getting started
Licensing-I'm pleased to tell you that Tara Reed will talk about art licensing
Selling Online-An article with Tim Adam will help you get your online store generating income

The following experts have agreed to do live chats.  Class participants will be able to chat online with these awesome experts in:

Product Design-Eileen Hull will discuss how she came to create Sizzix dies
Print On-Demand-Jen Goode will help you navigate this interesting option for selling your artwork on promotional products using services like Zazzle.
Blogging-Diane Gilleland will chat about monetizing your blog

Don't miss this golden opportunity to learn from artists, crafters and designers who are making money from their art.  Sign-up today!

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Material Connection Disclosure:
I have a material connection to this ecourse and am an affiliate of Tara Reed.