Spend the Day with Kaari Meng

Super excited about this event! just signed up at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont, CA. to spend the day with Kaari Meng from French General! Her line hasn't come in for purchase yet, but they had the entire line in all it's red and cream glory in the back room for me to drool over. The girls were busy making all the samples of the crafts and all I can say is OMG-WOW! These products are too yummy for words and I'm not even sure I can use them! I'm thinking I will frame a lot of it in shadowboxes in my guest room because the packaging is so amazing. Knowing Joan and her girls, this will be a gorgeous event, one you won't want to miss. We will be fed some of the best food in the village....no chains here! By the looks of the invite we won't go hungry! I was told Kaari won't be doing many of these events so I suggest you locals sign up now. There are only 25 spots available. I hope you'll join me in this amazing girly day!

My First Book Signing!

I was exhausted after 2 days of selling at The Vintage Market Place in RAinBow, CA. This was a show that was bursting with luscious yumminess everywhere you looked. It takes a lot out of you to look at all this for 2 days! You can see pictures here but if you did not attend, I warn you, you will be jealous that you could not be there!

Upon arriving home, I had to unpack and repack for my first book signing at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont, CA. on Sunday. Now, I knew the store had been planning to give out a bookmark with the purchase of my book, Collage Couture, but I had no idea they would be something like this. I don't know why these were such a shock to me because every sample in that shop is truly amazing, but these bookmarks actually brought tears to my eyes! Little paper dolls, that if you look closely, the paper for their skin says Collage Couture on it. The handbag actually opens with the date of the event on the inside. What a surprise this was and my first reaction was that I would by the book just to get the bookmark!

I had a great time seeing lots of old friends and meeting new ones. What a wonderful feeling to see these books going home with so many creative souls! Thank you to all who came and a big thank you to Joan and her girls who work so hard at creating such a wonderful little shop of inspiration. And a huge thank you to Marilyn for making these darling bookmarks, something I will treasure always!

Upcoming Book Signings and Such

From the book Collage Couture

Well, we will try this again since blogger has dropped my last 2 posts! I will make this one short and sweet. The last 2 months have been sort of a resting perriod for me as I pursue some other things. Last week , I had a super creative streak and started doing some projects with fabric. If all goes well, I will post pictures this week.

I received an email on Saturday that someone actually got my book Collage Couture, in the mail from Amazon. I have not yet received mine so I was pleasantly surprised. I am in book planning event mode right now so I thought I would post where I'll be in the coming weeks.
I will start off doing a lovely vintagy show in Rainbow, CA. Yes, Rainbow in North San Diego County, and the area is as pretty as the name! This was formerly Chateau de Fleurs that took place at Christie Repasy's home in Fallbrook. I will be there June 3 & 4 and will have a few books to sell and will have some of my original art from the book for sale.

On Sunday, June 5, I will be at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont from 2 - 4. This sweet little store is where it all began for me. The owner, Joan has been cheering me on since I first was asked to participate in an art walk there a little over 2 yrs ago. Yep, I walked in that store that night with nothing but my art. No easels, no prices, nothing...not a clue how to set up for this! But Joan helped me set up, I had a successful evening and have been asked back many times since.

I am setting up a signing and 2 classes at a Ben Franklin store in Grass Valley, CA on June 25. Am very excited about this. This a wonderful area in Northern CA sitting at the edge of the gold country. Sylvia, who I met in Davis while doing a show and class has graciously offered me her guest room that weekend. How fun to spend the weekend with new friends!

I will post as more events come my way. Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered the book. I hope you enjoy it!

A Night Filled With Color

It was a night filled with the most spectacular color at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont. And what could be more colorful than a basket filled with hand made felted monsters! The little gray guy with green stitching went home with me at the end of the evening.These were made by Atie Holmes who also made these gorgeous coin purses.

Who could resist a bowl full of free love? Artist Laura Palm made the most beautiful block prints that she carved from erasers. Erasers! The lovely green one below will soon be framed and hung in my bathroom.



Lots of color on these little girly-girls! My favorite "Shabby Pink" found a new home that night!

Cutest button necklaces from Renee Buckway. My photo doesn't capture all the color that these cuties had to offer. She had fun bracelets too. Unfortunately, the rest of my pictures didn't turn out because of the lighting, but the art of Ruth Law and Ginny Babineau was amazing!

Thank you to Joan and her staff for so graciously offering to put on this Gathering of Artists! It was and evening of fun, food and color!

                                                             Stamp Your Heart Out

The Power of Pink

available at trashallamode.etsy.com

Can you believe it's already October?  It's a month of such contrasts to me. Dark, eerie, witches and goblins everywhere. And then there's pink. Breast cancer awareness month...I often wonder why October. I'm sure there's a reason, I just don't know it but I sometimes think that it gets a bit overshadowed by the darkness of the season. There is a real soft spot for the Power of Pink for me. It's really the beginning of my art story. Grab a cup of tea and I will tell you how it all began.

As I was nearing mid-life, I was feeling frustrated with my creative life. I have always created, dabbling in every art form and craft you could think of. Trouble was I never felt really good at any of it. I needed to find my niche. One night I sat down and listed one by one all of the arts and crafts that I enjoyed doing. I began to cross off the least joyful to me. When I arrived at the end of the list, three things stood out to me. These were things that gave me feelings of pure joy. The kind of joy where you completely loose yourself in what you're doing. They were fashion illustration, mosaic work and my love of paper. It doesn't take a genious to see where this led. I sat down and incorporated all of these things into one of my girls. I liked her so much I did 2 more.  These 2 lovelies were submitted to Somerset Studio for publication and within just a few days I heard back from them that they would be published in the Sept/Oct issue! How exciting was that? That was 2 years ago. After the magazine came out, one of the girls that I worked with sent a copy of the article to our corporate offices for the newsletter. I received a call from the art directer if she coulld use the images in the company's annual breast cancer campaign. My art, the girl dressed in pink ended up on a poster in stores across the country. That was just the beginning. One of our clients, an attorney, puts on a big pink tadoo every October to benefit the local hospital. I donated the pink girl to her to be auctioned off. I was assured she went to a good home! The following year, I did a pink spread in Somerset Studio with about 5 pieces of art and those were donated to last years function. I was asked to to the artwork for the invites and posters for last years soiree. It was so fun to see my girls in pink on blogs, posters and magnets! I went to this fabulous pink party last year and was quite surprised at the well, funess of it all. Ladies not just stopping at pink shirts but wearing big pink hats, boas and the works! Celebrating their survival, their journey with this devastating disease. Yes, celebrating. You can learn a lot from women like this. It was a day of laughter and I'm certain a few tears. I am excited to be attending this years party next week. I am glad they call it a party instead of a fundraiser.

That lead to a trunk show at the local store, Stamp Your Heart Out and that led to one more thing, which led to another thing and on and on. So it began with pink and every October it will continue to be pink.

Published Somerset Studio Oct. 2009