Blogaversary Giveaway!

Well this is it! My blogaversary! Yep, I started it a year ago, kicking and screaming. Who would read this and why would anyone want to read what I have to say! You all know what I'm talking about! This was single handedly the most difficult part of my creative journey...putting myself out there. But I was told I had to. I was told by the Senior editor, Christine, from North Light Books that I simply had to. I supposed she knew what she was talking about, after all she was working for one of the top publishers of arts and crafts books. So I listened. Then I started. I tread lightly at first. How would I ever have enough to say? I'm shy, I don't even talk that much! But I forged ahead with it. It was kinda fun. I kinda liked it. I had stuff to say! I had stuff to share! I remember my 4th follower! I remember my 16th. Hey, people might just read this! I remember a post where I whined big time and a reader made a comment and really felt sorry for me! We exchanged phone numbers and met at her house. Some of you might remember my first meeting with a blogger stranger in Laguna Beach. Paulette and I became great friends.
Looking back, I can't believe the tangled web of people that stemed from this meeting. There was Beth, editor from Stampington that was led to Paulette's beautiful treasures at the beach. There was Jenelle who started at the little cottage in Laguna and has ended up in the vintage fou fou crowd. There was Juliette, who visited from Wisconson and ends up being one of Lisa's favorite artists now.
The web of people in blogland get tangled in all directions. There was Crystal, I worked with her sister and she was led to Beth, published in a Stampington magazine, then ended up with the vintage fou fou crowd. Christine was my 3rd follower who was in my class at Urban Barn, whom I saw last weekend at The Vintage Marketplace, who went to the Lavender farm with the vintage fou fou girls. I didn't even know she was part of the vintage fou fou crowd! Oh the places you go in blogland.
There was Elena, who invited me to Key Largo to teach at her retreat. Now I see Eileen, who was at the retreat and is from NYC, is on so many blogs that I follow. Or I'll meet someone at a show and they give me their card and when I look them up, guess whos on their bolg? Yep, Eileen! I suppose it's all those fancy Tim Holtz cruises she goes on!
It's been fun looking back at the followers and comments, then connecting the dots. If it weren't for blogland I would've missed out on so many things this past year. Great times, Great friends.
So Happy Blogaversary to me! And to celebrate, I am doing a giveaway. My first! Just leave a comment and I will put your name into a hat. If you have my blog connected to your blog, I will put it in twice! And what will the winner get?

1st prize- My book Collage Couture. What? You already have it? Don't worry, give it away as a gift and there will be another little something with it!

2nd prize- My best selling print Trash, featured in Somerset Studios July 2010

3rd prize- Japanese Garden, the origami clipboard featured in the book

Could it Be?

It has been a most dreadful, stressful week. One of those weeks where nothing goes right from pressing the start button on a copy machine that won't make 900 copies to bill mix-ups that require being put on hold with at&t for an eternity! More car issues, our dog of 15 years getting ready to leave us, yep, it's been one of those weeks, where you really have to press into that inner being for the positveness and the learning and growing experiences that come from one of those weeks!   

And then.....

I come home from a morning of madness to find a lump under the doormat.
Is it? Could it be? It is!!!!

It's my book! two copies of my.....MY book. Collage Couture. I ate my lunch really, really fast and then sat down and savored the pages...one by one. Every page, prettier than the last.Then it dawns on me. It's not just MY book. It's a whole team of creatives...editors, photographers, and designers that translated my words, feelings and art into this beautiful little book. This book just really captured exactly what I wanted it to. It's whimsical, girly and I hope inspiring. The photos are nothing short of stunning. The design IS me and yet I had nothing to do with the design. Northlight Books is just a giant group of the most talented, creative people, who after spending a week with me captured my spirit into 128 pages of pure bliss.

Collage Couture

I have a Cover!

Well, I think it's time to introduce my book....it now has a cover! It's been available for presale on Amazon but never had an image to go with it. Imagine my excitement when the cover finally showed up on their website!
It was exactly a year ago when I was waiting to hear whether the proposal for North Light Books would be accepted or not. Once it was finalized at the end of Nov, I began working on the art. I haven't really thought about all of the pieces until today when I received an email of some of the pages after the design process. I can't believe how much the design enhances the art. Kelly is soooo talented! I absolutely love everything she has done so far. I can't wait until June...it seems so far away!