Making if home for the snow

I headed off to Tucson to present and teach last week. It began on a clear day -- the earlier snow had cleared out and I went off without a care. Little did I know that on my arrival at the gate in Nashville that I would discover  I left my phone sitting on the passenger seat of my car -- now in long term parking. A strange feeling of fear came over me -- fight or flight. Calculating quickly I determined that there was no way to get to the car and back through security ----

I was phoneless, in a sea of phones, tablets and computers.
Aughhh, I was looking at 5 days without phone, camera, music, book, work, and social media---could one survive?

Thanks to the wonderful hostess at the Tucson Quilters Guild I survived. She helped me take it in stride while learning how to make calls again with a credit card.

My lecture Color it Bold and the human color wheel that is part of it was well received and there are now a ton of quilters that learned about natural neutrals and the power of color journaling.

And, there were so many saguaro trees that are going to love their new homes on some amazing quilts from the Dream Landscape workshop.... but, I have no pictures.
After one class we hit fun filled Mexican folk art shops and I made purchases of tin and milagro hearts that I longed for. After day 2 of class I was witness to a postcard perfect visit to Saguaro National Park (east) which ended with a sunset every photographer drools over... but, I have no pictures.

I do have lots of new hearts and memories of the periwinkle skies that deepened with yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks.

And, my phone was right where I left it -- to no surprise, dead.
I plugged it back in and was happily chatting with folks on my drive home.

The pictures here came afterwards...
For, I definitely survived and got home with clear skies just in time for the winter storms to come through.

Baby Steps - Giant Leaps

Some days are filled with just trying to figure out which way to go--
Just what should come next...

Other day the pathway is unfurled and is waiting for you to just jump.

My 2016 has been filled with the former...
This year I am choosing to only a selective number of teaching opportunities that take me flying from one coast to another;

and I am happily planning to get at least two more on-line workshops added to the two I have already. (BTW - My Shaping Up with Fast-Piece Applique is a great way to kick start your own year and begins next week- Friday, January 15th).

With the vision boarding-Infinite Possibilities Program -- many things are popping up -- so it seems a good time to play with small little stitchings, and houses seem perfect.

Here we go: the first was just pulled together with scraps;

though even as I worked on this one I started to think of it in other ways. Monochromatic little houses - primaries and secondaries.

Who know where these will end up;
the stitching begins...
Baby Steps!

Envisioning 2016

Some years we just know are going to be filled with changes.
2016 is one of those years for me.

I have an opportunity to step back from the traveling for teaching & lecturing and to refocus more on quilting and art for myself.... and I am both looking forward to it & am a bit stumped by which direction to move in.

So, as the year turns I have joined in a couple of regrouping activities -- first was a vision board making day at a local shop. Wildhair Studios
It was great fun and pretty informative doing this as a group.

see the crossroads there?

Then since I love my daily Notes from the Universe - and Mike is offering a free Infinite Opportunities 30-day Project I jumped in. 

Things are coming together slowly, but I hope to find new ways to keep sharing with everyone -- and I love hearing what everyone else is doing, we truly work better when we work together.

Happy 2016

Here I am -- wishing you a wonderful, happy beginning to what promises to be a pretty amazing new year.

I fell a bit short on the blog challenge of writing/sharing everyday for a month. Not surprising that I made it to December 16th... then all the other craziness of the holiday season kicked  in.

There were some fun times with friends and family -- and some (ahem, ahem) wayyyyy lazy days. All were joy-filled!

Ralphie's tree has now come down and other than the few ornaments he got off the lower branches and batted around the hardwood floors in the middle of the night -- there was little incident.

Cookie making with my sister-in-law and nieces was a blast, and it payed off in LOTs of cookies -- that David & I spent quickly packaged and delivered.

Our last meeting of the mixed media group from Ephemera help me get the prototype made for the BAKE aprons; just in time to make 3 for our cookie baking day.

lemon shortbread -- one favorite

oreo mint truffles -- who knew
thought they would be way too sweet, but they were not....yumm

Lauren here is wielding the spritz cookie press that my son
electrified when he was 13 -- 27 years and still working great!

no time to make an apron for myself --
maybe next year -- got all theirs done though!

Pictures of the wayyy lazy days are of Ralphie laying about, and I think you may have seen a good many of these - or ones like them.

So now that it is Monday -- it is time to kick start the year for real.