Choose Happiness

Like many people my personal life and my career have changed so much in the past few years that I hardly recognize myself.  I’ve gone from running a demanding business with employees, lots of clients and a retail showroom to working at home by myself.  I’ve had fabulous opportunities come my way that have enriched my life in ways I could not have imagined.  I’ve also had difficult challenges arise that have worn me down and caused me to wonder if I had made the right choices in my life and career.   Over all its been a great journey that just gets more exciting and challenging every day but I have found that at times I wonder why I am doing what I’m doing and why I am always working so hard. 

Many years ago I was facing some really tough life situations that had taken a serious toll on me and I was forced to make a critical decision that would affect the rest of my life. I had to choose whether I would spend the rest of my life  being happy or miserable.  I chose happiness.  It sounds like an easy choice but it is not always easy to be happy.  You need to make that conscious choice every day and stick to it.  It can take more discipline and effort to be happy than to lay around and wallow in your misfortune or apathy. 

I have found in the past couple of years that my idea of happiness and the things that make me happy have changed dramatically.  My kids aren’t home anymore, I’m older, more wrinkled, and less energetic.  Life is very different and I need to reevaluate what really makes me happy.  So for the next year I will be posting my monthly Happy List of random stuff that makes me smile now in this new chapter of my life.  I want to be sure that I am paying attention to my happy moments and not just rushing through them.  Take some time to enjoy your happy moments with me. 

 

1.   Crisp Fall air and the ability to wear long sleeves again

2.   Giving an all day seminar on Friday in Phoenix Arizona with the lovely ladies of the WCAA chapter and then going to Helser Brothers to preview my new drapery hardware line!

3.   Thanksgiving in San Francisco with my wonderful hubby and two of my great kids

4.   Pretzel Thins – OMG they are the best snack food ever   

5.   My twin nieces will be turning two this month

6.   Small dogs who sleep flat on their backs with their feet up in the air while snoring

7.   Photoshop - my skills are slowly improving and I am learning how to do fantastic things with it by watching a million tutorials on You Tube

8.   Cable DVR and not having to watch commercials

9.  All of my skinny jeans from last Fall still fit me!

10.  Velour covered hangers, what a genius invention

11.  Left over Halloween candy

12.  Not having to live in a cocoon with all of my blinds closed all day long to ward off the crazy summer heat – let the sun shine in

 

I hope you have many reasons to be happy today  :)

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Vintage Florals

 

 

I’ve been busy working on custom projects lately so I can’t show much of what I have been drawing.  One of my projects called for some vintage florals.

I did these in color pencil

 

 

Flowers always brighten my day – even if they are only on paper.

I hope these make you smile.

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Halloween Perfection from Alexander Henry Fabrics

Alexander Henry has a bright and happy new website ( here). I was checking it out and ran across this brilliant collection perfect for Halloween or for the Goth inclined.

I love it!!

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Chicago ~ Windowspalooza ~ Oct 18 2011

I'm coming to Chicago on the 18th to teach two seminars for the Chicagoland, WCAA, annual chapter event Windowspalooza.

I'm teaching one of my favorite classes on quick rendering. I teach you how to use simple shapes and techniques to create quick accurate sketches for your clients. Its a super fun hands on class that I know you will enjoy.

My second class outlines my own personal journey of reinvention in my career and how to appl y some of the thing I have done to try to stay current to your own career.

Please come join us if you are in the area, there is still plenty of time to sign up here.

See you in the windy city!

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Getting Back to the Basics

 

 

 

This week I’m working on a series of Angels for Christmas 2012 that will be modeled after antique Santons.  I’ve always loved antique religious relics and statuary so its fun to try to work those images into more contemporary versions.  I decided to start with the basics.

 

 

I want them to be moveable  so I am trying to work out a jointed body for the base.  I made some very rough body parts last night and cut them up to see what poses I could arrange.  My husband saw what I was doing and thought I had lost my mind.  We were watching the premier of Dexter which is about a serial killer who cuts people up and I was busy cutting up tiny body parts of my own.  Hummmm !

 

 

 

Here is the start of something beautiful – little bodies poses in angelic stances.  Soon they will have robes, wings, and halos to dress them up to look like this lovely lady below.

 

 

Stay tuned to see the finished product.

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Etsy ~ Spotlight

Etsy.com is such a great resource for uncommon and unique goods.  I love searching the site for new products and ideas to incorporate into my designs.  This Etsy store has hundreds of great items.  Here are just a few.  Visit the store here.

 

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Great New Products From Rowley

The standout product offering at the WCAA Inspire conference last week was the new line of button borders and button embellishments from the Finestra line by Rowley Company. These innovative products really pack a visual punch with their large scale and detailed profiles. The button borders are built to surround fabric covered centers but I can think of a thousand other uses for them as well.

The button collection comes in a variety of sizes and finishes.

Next on the Horizon – due out in October- are these fabulous grommets. Yes, they are functioning grommets and can be used in a number of innovative ways. What a great idea to add some style to a functional element.

I love the way they have used them as decorative elements on this pillow. Products like this get my creativity going.

They will be available in several finishes.

Can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

What would you do with these great new products?

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