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Sunday
January 11, 2004
OK, just call me Bambi!
Here I am,
deer in the headlights in the middle of I-95 in rush hour...you pick the
city! LOLOL
I have about 2 weeks to get ready for 2 (TWO!!!!) trade Shows which are back
to back over 2 weekends....what WAS I thinking! LOLOL
Anyway, I'm stitching the last of a series of 4 designs to be released at
Nashville, and putting the finishing touches on the Monogram book that is
being released at Long Beach.
I still have color catalogs and price lists to print and collate and some
canvases to paint for a class that is being taught. ;-)
All in all...I'm overwhelmed. I AM enjoying the DVD player we got for Xmas
while I stitch away...Thank you, Aunt Helen and Uncle John! *VBG*
Have a safe and happy Monday!
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Tuesday
January 13, 2004
Let me take a moment to whine here.....over the weekend the fax machine quit
cooperating...the paper feed isn't working properly and there isn't an
obvious fix. So, since I don't have time for staff members who aren't team
players, he's outta here!
Jeffrey picked up a new one, but now I have to set it up.
;-(
I don't mind
computers, but I refuse to learn VCRs and I categorize fax machines with
VCRs BUT...if I don't get the new one set-up, no one else will...so at some
time today, I'll need to take a deep breath ad open the box...and set it
up....sigh....
On the bright side, I finished stitching the last of the new designs for
Nashville and I'll be taking them to the framer today. Thank you Sherri for
giving me til the last minute. *VBG*
Have a safe and happy Tuesday!
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Monday January 19, 2004
It's CRUNCH
TIME! I'm working hard but I swear, the To Do list keeps stretching! LOLOL
Inspiration
struck and I have 7 new Floral PendantPal designs for Long Beach...if I can
get them painted...Meanwhile, the last of the kitting supplies have arrived
and TB-DN will begin its first kitting adventure...
Now if I can just find the *Week Stretcher*...I know I put it some place
safe... LOLOL
For all of
you cat people out there...picture a cat sitting next to you and putting
it's head down to be petted. Now picture that cute full body somersault that
can happen...now picture the entire maneuver performed by a 195 lb Mastiff
on the edge of the bed! Fortunately, I wasn't on the very edge of the bed,
as I usually am, but my life DID flash before my eyes! *VBG*
Have a happy and safe Monday!
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Wednesday February 11, 2004
I'm back from the Needlework Markets in Long Beach and Nashville...let me
tell you, doing them back to back in two successive weekends is QUITE a
challenge! LOLOL
On my way to CA, I stopped in Needles, CA and visited Snoopy's brother,
Spike. We had a very nice, albeit brief, visit!
;-)
It is good to be home and get back to work. The Monogram book was quite a
success at the markets...and while I was gone, the Applique Alphabet book
really took off after folks saw it in the latest Keepsake Quilting Catalog.
*VBG* I'm pretty excited since, to my knowledge, this is a fairly new
concept for the Quilting world!
Meanwhile, I have canvases to paint and orders to fill!
Have a safe and happy Wednesday!
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Thursday February 12, 2004
I was up VERY early today, sorting thru the orders from the TNNA and
Nashville Markets. I certainly have my work cut out for me...many books to
pack and ship and a number of canvases to paint.
To my GREAT surprise, the Shady Ladies have made a dramatic
comeback...enough so that I am planning a new one for June at the combined
TNNA/INRG Market. I have sketches for her somewhere and need to find them so
I can get threads, etc.....
I need to plan the painting so that I can get some accomplished each day,
since I do my own painting. Meanwhile, I am putting the finishing touches on
*Tink's Applique Alphabets, Vol. 2* since the first has been such a success!
*VBG*
I am doing a lot of juggling right now, but things are going well and it is
all VERY exciting! LOLOLOL
Have a safe and happy Thursday!
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Friday February 13, 2004
Tomorrow is our Anniversary...poor Jeffrey will be spending it binding books
for me...talk about a gift of love! *VBG* This year has taken off
dramatically for TB-DN and Jeffrey has been an incredible help, dealing with
unexpected orders and problems while I was on the road for more than two
weeks. He is a real trouper!
I am slowly getting things organized and am chipping away at the orders from
Long Beach and Nashville. I am working on ideas for a new line of
canvases...very different from what is out in the marketplace, I think...if
I can solve the technical problems... I'm pretty excited about them!
I am also starting work on new Quilting designs, to be introduced at the
Fall Quilt market...with the second Applique Alphabet book debuting at the
Spring Quilt Market (See below!) Juggling my time is the biggest challenge
right now. Meanwhile, I am enjoying being home and taking Guido naps!
LOLOLOLOL
Have a safe and happy weekend!
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Thursday February 19, 2004
Well, in a nutshell (mixing metaphors with gay abandon) I feel as though I
have been putting out fires since Christmas. Please note that this is in no
way a complaint, since the crux of the biscuit is that TB-DN has started the
new year off with a BANG, thanks in part to our first appearance in the
Keepsake Quilting catalog! Add to it all a 16 day driving trip across the
US, with poor Jeffrey at home dealing with unexpected but welcome business,
mix in a couple of unplanned opportunities and I feel both WAAAY behind and
very unfocused.
The newest Applique Alphabet book, Volume 2, is ready to go. The cover is
green and I'm REALLY happy with it!
*VBG*
The newest Shady Lady has been designed and I'll be painting the first
canvas today so Jeffrey can photograph it tonight and I can email the file
to NW Retailer tomorrow. This is scary since it will be the first time that
I've shown a painted and unstitched Shady Lady this far in advance of her
*official* introduction. She doesn't even have a name yet! YIKES!!!!!
In addition, I'm chipping away at the show orders from Long Beach and
Nashville and trying to plan the rest of the year. ;-)
I've been working hard but not necessarily smart...now is the time to figure
out what I need to be doing and when, for maximum effectiveness...so, off to
work! LOLOL
Have a safe and happy Thursday!
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Saturday February 21, 2004
Today I'm settling in for a Shady Lady day. I have a LOT of them to paint *VBG*
and Jeffrey is going to pick up the thread for me to start stitching the
newest one. I know I have it here, but for the life of me, I can't find the
thread that gets used for their faces and hands...go figure!
I was a bad girl last night and read an entire suspense novel and got to bed
REALLY late, but I enjoyed myself. I rarely read fiction anymore and I
pretty much work all the time, so I don't feel too bad...as long as I can
stay motivated and get my allotted work done today. Ah, the joys of owning
your own business!
Well, on to the Shady Ladies! For some reason, I always paint the pink lady
first. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit!
Have a safe and happy Saturday!
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Sunday February 22, 2004
While I am usually good about keeping my shoes on (I wear slip-ons at home)
for some reason I've been taking them off the last couple of days. I now
realize what the incentive for keeping them on is...if I take them off, I
have to dig them out from under a dog. I'm not sure what the appeal is, but
both of the dogs lay on those poor helpless shoes...and considering that the
small dog is about 150+ lbs and the large one is almost 200+...LOL
I'm painting away, and listening to a good recorded book. I'm looking
forward to getting a lot accomplished this week, so I can move on to new
designs. I'm designing a Freebie for Grazianno fabric which will be in a
national magazine later this year, I need to be working on new painted
canvas designs for the June trade show and I have several applique designs
to do for the October Quilt Market.
Meanwhile, I'm also straightening out the Quilt Studio and getting working
on several personal project.
Have a safe and happy Monday!
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Monday February 23, 2004
Today was sunny, for the first time in several days...I remember when we
moved to Maryland from South Carolina and Mom found the long gray days of
winter very difficult...she called them *days when the sun never came out*.
I'm plugging away painting canvases and waiting for an order of book boxes
to arrive, so I can start serious shipping. I've been listening to a very
good recorded book while I work. ;-)
I've been looking at some interesting beads which I'd like to use on the new
Shady Lady, but I'm concerned about being able to get enough for anticipated
sales...Hmmm....
I'm looking forward to getting back to work on the several jackets I have in
process. However I need to dig out the Quilt Studio...
Have a safe and happy Tuesday!
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Tuesday PM February 24, 2004
Well, today we were back to bleak February weather...I talked with a shop
owner in CA where they were having beautiful weather...oh, well...not in KY!
;-)
I'm still waiting to get snowed in this year...what can I say, I'm very slow
to give up hope. LOLOL
I'll start shipping orders as soon as my box order arrives. I'm expecting it
any day now. As I wait, I'm painting away and listening to a great recorded
book. I prefer thrillers and I've been hoarding them...so I've got a pretty
good supply.
I also keep trying to figure out a time efficient way to paint canvases when
I have a large number of orders...do you make a list and paint all of a
certain design and then ship when everything is done, or do you paint one
here and another there, filling each order as you go thru the list...I can
see pros and cons for each strategy.
Have a safe and happy Wednesday!
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Wednesday PM February 25, 2004
Jeffrey and I have a Danish friend, Steen, who came last summer and helped
Jeffrey repair the side of our house. We had had a BIG hole up in the eaves
(about 3 stories up) which had been there for several years and were pretty
desperate...Steen came for a visit and he and Jeffrey had it fixed in less
than 2 days! *VBG*
Jeffrey just told me tonight that Steen (a computer expert working in the DC
area) is being harassed on the job because he is foreign. Someone poured
sugar in his gas tank. ;-(
I know that every country has its share of intolerant people, but
considering our history, I find it harder to forgive when it happens
here...after all, most of us come from other places if you go back enough
generations!
On the up side, I was just realizing how many measuring tapes we have around
the house...since Jeffrey is a Costume Designer he tends to wear them home
(looped around his neck) after a day of measuring and they don't migrate
back to the Costume Shop. I have 2 in my Quilt Studio but looking around the
rest of the house, I found several others...maybe we should start a
collection! LOLOLOL
I just got an email from Martha Beth Lewis asking if I could send her a
freebie for her CATS handouts. I have done this the last couple of years and
I'm always thrilled to be asked.
;-) I went thru my design files and found a nice floral that works well on a
small candy tin as a topper...so if you take a class with MB at CATS, look
for my tin topper! *VBG*
Have a safe and happy Thursday!
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Thursday PM February 26, 2004
The book boxes arrived! I've spent the evening packing and shipping...a
slooow and inefficient process for one person.
;-)
I got a bit more than a third of the book orders filled and will continue tomorrow.
Tonight was good because it was back to back episodes of Cold Case Files on
A&E and what can I say...I'm a Forensics junkie! LOLOLOL
Meanwhile, I'm one tired bunny! *VBG* but I am excited to finally be
able to ship orders!
My mom called today to ask if I know what the term is for a word that reads
the same frontward and backward, such as *Hannah*. She and my sister had
been trying to think of it for days....well, I knew right away! (It is a
palindrome, if you are interested.) Mega daughter points for me! LOLOLOL
Have a safe and happy Friday!
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Friday PM February 27, 2004
Tonight, Guido, the 195 lb bed dog, waited until 11:30PM before he started
nagging me to go to bed. This is the latest he's ever waited. Poor Jeffrey
won't be home for a while yet, so Guido will have to be patient or head for
bed without me. ;-)
I have about half of the book orders packed AND the latest Keepsake Quilting
order was faxed today! Yippee! It is always like Christmas when the fax
machine spits out those orders! LOLOL
I'm chipping away at the painting and starting to get organized and
prioritized for the next round of deadlines...the TNNA Market in June and
the Fall Quilt Market...I also need to get my focus back with *Following the
Thread*...that darn ASP membership program...I'm sooo close to getting it
ready to go but I keep getting interrupted for large blocks of time. I
really need about 3 days where I can concentrate of finishing it and I don't
worry about anything else....
Have a happy weekend!
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Saturday PM February 28, 2004
One of the big jobs on the TO DO list for this year is to work on my
website...I've been trying to decide if I just want to paint and re-arrange
the furniture (in web terms I'd change the overall look ) or if I need to
move to a different house (meaning re-structure it for better efficiency).
So, I spent part of today cleaning closets (meaning I updated and
re-structured a couple of pages *smile*)
Now I'm going to work a while on canvas painting and listen to my recorded
book which is getting pretty exciting! *VBG*
I've been working away on filling orders and will continue work on that
tomorrow. Meanwhile, a new design for a fabric company is coming together
VERY nicely!
Have a safe and happy Sunday!
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Sunday PM February 29, 2004
For a day that only comes around every four years, we sure seem to ignore
Leap Day!
Pretty sad! ;-(
Today we went
to the Flea Market and boy did we score! Jeffrey got mega Husband Points
when he spotted a tool cabinet on casters. It has a tray top, 4 shallow drawers and one
deeper drawer. Once it gets unloaded from the van, I'll fill
it with paint and it will go beside my paint table, freeing up shelves in
the walk-in closet that can then be used for toner and other supplies for LT Sulu, the big printer...can you tell we have a space crisis here? LOL
Have a happy Monday! |
