In under two weeks before Quilt Market, I managed to pull off creating ten 4x8 foot panels made of my superheroes and eight other large cut-out superheros for our booth. Not to mention logo designs, bag labels, water bottle labels and other various designs at the last minute.
I loved it! I was in my element. And, isn't that the whole point? Work should feel delicious and rewarding and make your insides full of giddy.
The tables were covered in both my Lolly Dot print and Superhero City Nights. People dressed as my superheroes and for a moment there, seeing all my work showcased, I, too, felt for a few days ... super happy. Super satisfied. Superheroe'd out. I am thankful. I'm lucky, so blessed, with good health, somewhat decent genes and doing work that I love.
I flew into Salt Lake City for a few days and videotaped the events using a Flip Videocamera. I returned back to our Studio and edited hours down to just a few minutes.
You can watch it here. (remember to turn on your sound). We really do have that much fun at our shows. Thanks for watching.
It's all that hurry, hurry, rush, rush, hustle and bustle of getting things ready for Quilt Market. And now the time is finally here! Quilt Market in Salt Lake City is nearly lapping at our toes!
I often attend the International Quilt Market in Houston each year, but I rarely ever go to the Spring Quilt Market which hits different cities across the country every year. The last Spring Market I attended was in Portland, Oregon where I got to meet our first, brand spankin' new licensed designer Sandi Henderson and upcoming, still warm in the oven, Patty Young and Paula Prass.
I put this one-minute "trailer" video together and hope you take the time to watch it. It's behind-the-scenes of where I work! (All filmed on a Flip)
Here's another sneak peek at what I've been working on....
I designed ten 4' x 8' panel walls for our booth at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City to showcase the fabric I designed..... It's going to be a superhero theme!
This was inspired by the superhero fabrics I designed. (It's really blurry and it's not your eyes this time. I took it with my phone and and didn't look at it to see if it was clear or not). I am sleepy but feel happy and content. All the artwork I designed is out of my hands now and I just have to wait and see how the printers did and if they sent all the artwork in time to our hotel in Salt Lake City.
In case you didn't know ... I am praying for a miracle.
You really can do all what you want to do. Simply by getting out there and start doing it. It's not the distance.... it's the first step that is truly the most difficult.
This video is not just about running. If you want that college degree or simply want to tackle those weeds in your back yard, I hope you consider putting on your shoes and getting out there. Once you do, you'll feel your spirit soar.
I celebrated my birthday this month so it's been extra busy.
And, in fact, it is one of the reasons why I haven't posted.
This month has been packed full.
I ran in the oldest 10k run in California. I've been volunteering as a pace coach for the Jeff Galloway Training Group. I have spent nearly every weekend going to or having barbecues with friends and family. I went on vacation. I was tour guide to out-of-state friends. And have been busy doing what I love best: Illustrating and designing all kinds of fun, cool stuff!!
But the biggest thing that I experienced this month was my birthday.
It's a milestone and thought-provoking to say the least.....
Ya wanna hear about it? Well then, you must come back and visit.
I was born in San Francisco and have spent a lot of time in this lovely City, but there were places I ran that I had never experienced before.
I had to hack off 13 minutes of this video but it will still give you a good sense of our 12-mile practice run.
We started off a the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge in the pouring rain and ran across the bridge and circled around to the bottom of the hill along the Golden Gate Promenade and ran to Ft. Point, stopping momentarily to touch the wall, and then back along the Promenade to Crissy Field while we got caught in the middle of a race... and then ran along Marina Blvd, past the Safeway toward Fort Mason, up to Prospect Park and down along the waterfront toward Fisherman's Wharf ... past the boat house and Aquatic Park and we turned around at the Hyde Street Pier (corner of Hyde and Jefferson, kitty-corner from the Cannery Building). The cable car turnaround/Buena Vista Cafe/Ghirardeli Square are all a tantalizing block up on the hill on Beach Street.
We then turned around and headed back the same way we had come.
It felt a lot like we were on the tv show: the amazing race.
I am so grateful for this wonderful experience. It was so fun, I barely noticed I was running. The plus side of running in such a beautiful place.
This video is what I filmed from my point of view this morning as I ran. I used my new FLIP camera! We ran as a group up at Annadel State Park in the frigid low 30s. It was fun. And it was hard. But it was so completely worth it! Next week 8 miles! The Half-Marathon will be set up in those hills in January. And that is what we are all training for. I look forward to being able to achieve that goal.
I stumbled upon this video while on a google search of a kid's book i wrote in the middle of the 80s called Benny and the Birthday Berries.
I was the camera operator on this very episode ... among other things.
We were working in Pleasanton, California and I would pinch myself every morning before going into work because I couldn't believe I was working at such a fun job. We spent some crazy hours on this. I have a videotape making this film. A fun behind-the-scenes footage incase I ever decided on creating a documentary, which sometimes i still daydream about doing.
I giggle at this video now. It really does appear amateur and when I think back to those fond memories of us working on that video ... I realize the reason why it looks so amateur was because.... we were!
This video is for you to watch and listen. If you feel your luck is down. When you feel the world owes you something. When you feel uninspired and feel like quitting, please don't. You really can go on. You're much stronger than you know.
Years ago, in our early twenties, and before she was married to Buddy, she and I travelled around the country in a mazda with a broken-down air conditioner during the summer that lasted several years.
I remember while living in New York City, for a time, we hung out with the then unknown singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin. Shawn had one of those flats that had a toilet in her kitchen. And, I remember Shawn bathing, while I sat on the toilet while Julie heated water for tea at the same time.
Julie and I didn't have much money back then. We'd practically live off a slice of cheese pizza a day.
I remember one time Julie was opening for another band and as we drove through the City, she waved her dress out the window to iron it out.
Another time, while in Tulsa, we were selling records and Julie never felt comfortable selling records. Ever.
And, one day, I offered to write BUY SETS on the back of her eye lids. I really did believe customers would read her message sublimely and buy an entire set of records. Dear sweet Julie truly believed in me. She handed me her eye liner pencil and I wrote BUY on on eye lid and SETS on the other and to this day, still feel a sting in my heart when I remember that day. Within moments, all Julie had were dark smudges around her eyes. And, I don't recall Julie selling a single record because of my bright idea.
Julie is my lifetime friend. She saved me in so many ways. She is my walking angel in my life.
While nearly murdered and lying in a hospital bed in Olympia, Julie rushed to my side and spent the entire night with me before my mom and sister flew up to take care of me.
I flew into Dallas yesterday.
I met Julie in East Texas. Being back here and coupled with her birthday, I can't stop thinking of her. I spent an evening with friends in the outskirts of Dallas tonight in a small town called Midlothian.
Maybe it's the hot summer night. Maybe it's the way the trees grow out here. Or the stars shining so brightly in the night sky. Maybe it's because Midlothian reminds me of a chapter in the bible.
I miss you, Julie. In a very huge way.
May your birthday bring you all the tender joys and magic life can bring.
