Excited! I'm Working On A Book!

I got a really good laugh last night when I posted the following comment on Facebook:

Excited! I'm working on a book!

Within 2 hours I had received the following comments (except for the last one) (plus a whole bunch of 'likes') in relation to my original 'status':

• Jeff about what
  

  17 hours ago ·
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  Annie  it's a fabric/fiber/textile/technique book that I'm making. :)
  

  17 hours ago ·
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  Pedro Cool... congrats!
  

  17 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Tami  Are you making or writing a book?
  

  17 hours ago ·
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  Donna  You go girl!!!
  

  17 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Annie  thanks ya'all! I'm making it Tami! :) You're the writer in the family.
  

  17 hours ago ·
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  Tami  You should write it. I can help edit.
  

  17 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Pat  Annie, Sign me up for the first copy.
  

  17 hours ago · · 2 people
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  Stephanie  Awesome!
  

  16 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Kimberly oh Annie this is great. I want to do a childrens book but would not know where to start!!
  

  16 hours ago ·
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  Tami  Start from the beginning Kimberly. Write the story and then find a market. Using sites like www.duotropes.com.
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Peggy  Very cool, Annie what kind of book.Darold said is he in it, he's always wanted to be called Scooter, lol.
  

  15 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Annie LOL - Peggy...tell Darold he'll be in my book! - as Scooter!
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Tami  as Scooter or as A scooter?
  

  15 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Annie  He's gonna be Scooter. Not a scooter.
  

  15 hours ago · · 1 person
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  Jan  Annie I have plans and a short outline started for one as well..we shall see how far I get. It is a lot of work for the tiny return one gets from them..I have 2 freinds that have written" how to " books for the arts so I know how it works...good luck with yours..
  

  4 hours ago ·

I figured I'd better straighten things out so I added a new 'status' which read:

OK. I need to clear something up. I'm not WRITING a book. I'm making one out of fabrics, fibers, threads, and all that other ephemera that I love to play with. But...after all the comments, I might just think about writing one! :) Thanks for your encouragement.

Which then prompted the following comments from my dear and wonderful family and friends...

• Janet  Oh, that's cool!... but yes, you could be an author, I bet!
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Tami  Yes she is good! She could make a great Fiber Arts book.
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Stephanie  Write a book about making one: )
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Annie  My new fiber arts book - with Scooter (Darold) in it - edited by Tami - first copy going to Pat...will begin with all these comments that have me ROFL!.
  

  15 hours ago ·
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  Tami  You know, that would be very funny and unique.
  

  13 hours ago ·
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  Devon  I would SO buy a book you wrote Annie!!
  

  11 hours ago ·
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  Wallis I like everything you write. It gets me to be relaxed.
  

  4 hours ago ·
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  Jan  well maybe you should write a book on how to make one of your funky books...step by step because that is what people need..Very few have your creative mind and would need total guidance..I see that with my teaching...#1 do this , #2 do that etc.etc.
  

  4 hours ago ·
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  Tami  Or maybe teach your purses AND books. And tell stories throughout.
  

  4 hours ago ·
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  Annie I just LOVE you guys!!! All this encouragement is wonderful!!!
  

  about an hour ago ·

I'm STILL laughing. This is funny shit stuff!!!

And I'm pretty sure there are friends that still think I'm writing a book so this blog is to hopefully clear up that misconception. 

:)

(Wish I knew how to put a smiley face on here).

Anyway...the picture at the top and those that follow are the book I'm working on...

It's about 24X11 inches...

And is no where NEAR completed -

These pictures are just the base.

And I got another "spread" done this morning - but no picture yet. :)

If you'd like to see my last completed book, click here.

I'll be posting two more blogs today or tomorrow with pictures of a couple other books I've done.

And if you want a tutorial...just let me know!!!


I'll write a book!!!


Create Your Life,


annie!

Space Shuttle Launch...My Way

In light of the last Endeavour Space Shuttle Launch this morning, which I didn't see...even on television...I'd like to share MY experience with Endeavour.

We got to watch this magnificent moon rise while waiting for the launch

Back in November of 2k8, Jerry and I were lazily drinking our coffee and watching the morning news. The launch of Endeavour had been put off, due to weather, and was being discussed extensively that week on all the news stations. Finally, it was announced that morning, that Endeavour would take off at 7:55 pm that night.

We were living in Tampa, Florida at the time and Jerry always had Fridays off from work and we didn't have Sophia or any other plans that day...

so...

we looked at each other and immediately decided to go watch the launch.  

I called Hillary and Pedro to ask them if they wanted to come with us but Pedro had to work.

Then, I called my brother Jeff, who lives in Orlando to see if he wanted us to pick up him and his family on the way to Kennedy Space Center. He declined saying that the traffic was always SO bad on the way there and back that it just wasn't worth the trip to the coast. Plus, he said he could stand out in his driveway and see it from there.


So...we got on the computer, looked for parks along the coast where we figured we'd tailgate and off we went.


At this time it was probably around 1 or 2pm and we had no problem with traffic, directions or anything...until we got to Titusville.


Google Maps had shown a park on the edge of the coast - directly across the water from the launch site - but when we got there we found out that they'd 'paved paradise and put up a parking lot'. Oooh bop bop bop.


There were a whole set of new condos where the park used to be.


Bummer.


So, I said, "Go right" and Jerry did. We drove along the coast for a couple minutes on a fairly obscure rural road. I think it was Indian River Road. There were several breaks in the trees between us and the river? sound? bay? (not sure what the body of water was because my memory is not what it used to be) and there were cars pulled in to the small strips of available land on the side of the road.


That was where I thought we'd end up if we were lucky enough to find a strip that wasn't already occupied.

Pretty quick we came to a bar/restaurant and decided to get some food to take with us. We'd come empty handed and we were getting hungry.


The parking lot was full so we pulled in behind another car and went on in.


The first thing I said - loudly - was that we were parked behind this car and who did it belong to. A woman piped up and said it was hers but she was leaving and if we wanted to wait a minute, we could have her spot. It turned out to be the only parking space left and we got it!


This motorcycle bar was a great place to hang out. Wish I could remember the name of it. There was a dock out back which went all the way out to the water and again...we were very blessed to get a great table.


So we sat and drank beer and ate what the kitchen fed us and talked to the locals who all wanted to know where we were from and how in the world we'd found the best kept secret in Titusville.

It started getting dark and the place was packed - including the huge green lawn beside the bar. It was a festive, loving, happy crowd with kids of all ages anticipating the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.


We met and totally enjoyed some awesome people that day and the whole experience, up to that point, was spectacular.


Then it was time for the launch.


And it went way beyond anything I could have imagined. 

It was indescribable so thankfully, I was sitting on the edge of the water and have my video to show you...but just let me say, that it doesn't even come close to the real life experience. It captures the light somewhat but the vibration, the ripples in the water, the sound, the power, the glow, the energy was stupendously wonderful and could only begin to be captured by my little Canon.


It was one of the TOP experiences of my life and by the end of the video I was sobbing...along with about half of the crowd.

You might want to turn the volume down. I got a little boisterous.

Enjoy...

Create your life,


annie!

Sunset Serenade & a Couple Other Things

My dear friend Trish...

Trish in the parking lot at Guppie's in Indian Rocks Beach...holding a quilt I made for her.

loves to purge her studio of old fabrics, projects, and stuff she hasn't used in awhile so I was the lucky recipient of several pieced pieces. 

I came across one of those pieces a couple days ago and decided to use it as the base for a little quilt. 

I restricted myself to using the smallest of my itty bitty scraps (yes...I sorted them) (I love to sort stuff) and added them to Trish's base to make a floral scene...which I named Sunset Serenade.

This is how it turned out...

I also made more business cards when I returned from Florida -

and some make-up bags...

Those three pictures above are all the same bag. The other two got away before I took pix.


And this...

Is and old piece that's in a book I made back in 2k7. 


I've been deleting some of my 29 THOUSAND pictures off of the computer and will put them here so I can see them from time-to-time without finding the back-up CD's.


All of a sudden...I think I miss hard copy pictures.

WOW!

It's been ONE YEAR as of yesterday since we moved to Barranquilla, Colombia!!!


ONE YEAR!

So...Jerry and I, along with Pedro, Hillary and Sophia went to Salvator's Pizza to celebrate. 

Those carbs put the wee one to sleep.

It turns out that they have the BEST pizza I've tried in Barranquilla. 

And two-for-one happy hour all day Monday through Friday.

Anyway -


All I can say people...

is that time flies...

so get busy doing what you love to do. 


And being with who you love to be with.


And I love to be with this one...

this shot was taken on my birthday - April 30th

 And this one...

And for that matter...Hillary and Pedro and his mom and her hubby and my WONderful quilting friends.

I just wish my Bear and Winge were closer.

I appreciate them all SO much...

and...

I am so grateful and thankful that I am able to spend - pretty much - as much time as I want in the playroom. 

I finished this little garden door knob quilt yesterday...

And it just makes me soooo happy!


I thought the blue satin piece...which Vicky gave me...which was a frustrated attempt to make a prom dress years ago...was going to be the front but then decided to use the other leg of the purse I showed you in this blog post. 

So the blue turned out to be the back and I really like the way the stitching shows up...

And the way the fabric slides across the table on my machine makes it easier to free motion stitch. 

I've decided that for the time being...I'm not going to stress about or try to plan what to make next. 

I guess I just don't have that in me. 

Every time I try to make a quilt the way I think it's 'supposed' to be, or the way I see all of those fabulous quilt artists doing it, or with a planned design...it just doesn't work out.


So for now, I'll happily pick up my little scraps and put the next piece on where it tells me it wants to go...and just ENJOY the process.


So...Happy Life!

and

Happy One Year Anniversary to us! 


I'm going right now to celebrate - by making another quilt!

My MoJo's Back!

When I returned from the States last month, I made the Page Sister Dolls that were in an earlier post which you can see here.

Then...

I had a week...

a WEEK

seven LOOOOnnnng days when I didn't even want to go into the playroom. 

It was horrible and depressing and confusing because it's normally the highlight of my day...

even if I just go in to clean up from the last time. 

So, when Sophia wasn't here, I read a couple novels and lay around doing nothing - which is really not me at all. 

But they were good books by two of my favorite authors.


On day eight I pushed myself into the play room and started taking fabric out of my bin and came across a pair of Hillary's old jeans. She wore the heck out of those pants and then we dyed them and she wore them again until there were just too many holes in too many places that needed to stay private.


So into my stash they went. For about six or seven years.


Now - as of last week - they're a bag! :)

entitled...Come On People Now...Smile On Your Brother

I may embroider a few more flowers on it...but mostly I'm done.


That got me in the mood to do the next thing...whatever that was.


So...

I have this container with itty bitty scraps that I love to use in my projects and decided to go through it for inspiration.


I came across a few of the hearts that I'd cut out from another project...which you can see here.


I started playing around with the hearts and ended up with a door knob quilt. :)

entitled...How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

Which...by the way...was made with the other leg of Hillary's jeans.

Cool Whip...huh?!?

Since I was taking pictures of those, I decided to take some of the art journal I worked on while in Florida.

Art Journaling is new to me this year and I used to think I love glue...but I've decided I'm not that crazy about it. 

I also find myself having a hard time figuring out what to do with paper.

So this may not be something I do a lot of in the future...

But it did stretch me a bit.

And had me thinking on a different plane.

The above - and following two - pictures were done, in part, by friends that I visited while in the States.

I really LOVE having a part of their heART in my journal even though I colored what they drew.

Hey - Nobody wanted to play with colored pencils but me!


Anywho...I'm motivated and excited and inspired again and off to the play room.


Time's a tickin!


Create Your Life,


annie!

GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE...AND ESPECIALLY OUR MILITARY

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD. 

I am so grateful, and so thankful to hear the news today that Osama Bin laden was shot and killed yesterday. 

I'm also thankful that his body was buried at sea this morning. As the news said, his burial site won't be able to be used as a shrine. 


I haven't seen the news because our cable isn't working this morning but I've read enough to know that there has been dancing in the streets in the United States and abroad and that people are jubilant. 

Thrilled. 

Ecstatic.


And so am I.


I believe that we are all made of energy and that energy originates at one source. I happen to call that source God. 

I am coming to believe that because we are all from the same energy, when we hurt one, we hurt our self.


But I still can't help but rejoice that Bin Laden is dead. 

I'm amazed that it didn't happen years ago but I'm glad that it has finally come to be. 

I would love to see world peace. 

Hell...I'd love to see peace in my life, 

my family, 

my friends and neighbors, 

my city, 

my country...

the United States of America 

 and the country I live in...Colombia.  


The cost of peace has been high. It is high.


Part of me worries about the repercussions that might result from his death but I look at it as cutting off the head of the monster. 

It will cause some serious confusion and chaos in the body of the Taliban - of Al Quada.

I'd love to see them capture or kill Ayman Al-Zawahiri now...

fast. 


Before he can bring the emotional turmoil to another - possibly even more insidious...head.


Does that make me anti-peace?

Pro-War?

I don't know.


I think this death brings us one step closer to peace.



My son - and thousands of other sons and daughters are in the military...fighting for our freedom. For my freedom. For peace.

I see this as a decided victory for them.

I want to take this moment to thank each and every one who has given his or her life to fight for my freedom. 

I want to thank our military troops for the bravery, courageousness and sacrifice you make every day to fight for world peace.

Thank You.


I Salute YOU.


God bless you.


God bless America.


God bless the World.