HAPPY 6th of JULY

Have you ever wondered what are the telltale signs that a blogger has been out celebrating with a little too much enthusiasm?

Perhaps one of the signs is when their Fourth of July post doesn’t get posted until the 6th!

I originally planned to share a few of my favorite summer paintings by bloggers who paint. (By Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden)

And a book by Diane C. Arkins
Diane was one of my writers when I edited Country Collectibles magazine. Her latest book perfectly captures the essence of this patriotic holiday in prose, poetry, decorating, party ideas, games and menus. The Glorious Fourth of July may be ordered by calling 800-843-1724.

But then I got sidetracked.
(By Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden)

Fast forward to July 3rd when my July 4th celebrations kicked off a day early with a bbq with all the trimmings (including a Good Humor truck) and fireworks at a friend's Country Club.
On the 4th, I was lucky enough to view the “official” Washington DC fireworks from the ballroom of the Sheraton National where I celebrated the wedding of Kristen and Rob.
The reception ballroom had a spectacular view of the Pentagon and The national Mall.

Kristen and I first met when she started coming to Jazzercise class with her mom. She was in high school at the time.

Although her mom and I are closer in age, the three of us have had a blast together choosing a wedding cake, giggling during the wedding rehearsal, and sorting out dozens of details to guarantee their special would be truly special.

The ceremony was at historic Fort Myer, which traces its origin as a military post to the Civil War. It overlooks Arlington National Cemetery.
The Old Post Chapel where the ceremony took place is located on land confiscated from Robert E. Lee's estate.

Nearly every American President and many other persons of influence from around the world have attended services at Fort Myer's Old Post Chapel.
Fast forward to July 6th: By noon today, I had completely recovered from the festivities and was out of bed and dressed when a UPS truck rolled down my driveway.

I was so relieved when he said there were stacks of boxes for me from Gibbs Smith on the truck that I could have kissed the driver.
After I autographed each copy, the entire household helped by lovingly wrapping the books, placing them in padded envelopes and driving them to the post office.

Yes you can get writers cramp from signing too many copies in an afternoon! So, I still have more to send out tomorrow.

CONGRATULATIONS to Gale of She Shoots Sheep Shots.
You are the lucky winner of a free copy of Waterside Cottages.

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Belgium chose today's blog. It's The Katillac Shack. His photo wasn't posted yet the last time he checked, but Kelee promised him it would be there real soon.

SNOW DAY

Yesterday, we had the first real snow fall of the winter.

With the house – and road -- blanketed in fluffy white stuff, I spent time frolicking in the backyard with Belgium and catching up on e-mails.

An e-mail from artist Anna James came with several attachments… images of her works that capture the wonders of winter.

Anna’s photographs and Primitive Folk Art style paintings are inspired by her simple country lifestyle.
Her hand-built log home, friendly Jersey cow, boisterous flock of fowl, seasonal pumpkin patch and family of cats frequently appear in Anna’s works.


To see more, visit her online gallery at www.britewoodart.com.



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Matthew Kenney, one of my fellow authors at Gibbs Smith, recently posted about the First Snow in Maine. Don’t miss his gorgeous photos and wise words.

ART SMART

Sorry for the disappearing act but I was on assignment for Log Home Design magazine.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until early February until I can share a link for one of the most fascinating homes I’ve written about in a long time.The lodge is built on an 84.5 acre wooded site formerly owned by a sportsman's club. The homeowners knew it was the ideal setting for a log home and for wildlife preserve the moment they set eyes on the property.

On a completely different subject, please join me in Alexandria, Virginia, again, where our day tour ends with a visit to THE ATHENAEUM, a beautiful Greek Revival building constructed in 1851.
FAST FACTS:
• The Athenaeum was constructed to be the Bank of the Old Dominion. Robert E. Lee did his banking here, as did many other prominent people 150 years ago.

• During the Civil War, the building was Commissary Headquarters for the Union Army, and housed wounded Union soldiers.

• In 1905, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop bought the building to use as a factory for grinding talcum powder, a popular necessity during hot Southern summers.

• Later it served as a church before becoming a cultural center and community art gallery.

The current exhibit is called TXT MSG and it features two artists' pieces--“Four Letter Words” by John James Anderson and “Song For Europe” by Mark Cameron Boyd.


As a writer, I was attracted by the fact that both use typography and words as design motifs but in radically different ways.


The Four Letter Words aren’t what you think!

One modular work is called MONEY.

Others showcase HOMOPHONES and ONOMATOPOEIA. Okay,class, does everyone remember what those words mean?

But my favorite is composed of UNCOMMON WORDS.

The docent gave me a printed glossary and told me that this piece was a big hit with Scrabble® fans.

Did you know a jehu is a bad driver? I didn’t, so I googled the word and discovered it's a slang term for a crazy cab driver. It comes from the name of a crazy chariot driver who became a king!

Now it’s your turn… what does ZEBU mean? One lucky commenter (chosen by random, of course) with the correct answer will win an uncommon but wonderful prize. I'll chose a winner on Friday October 17th!

In the adjoining gallery space, Song For Europe invites viewers to pick up a piece of chalk and contribute to the artist’s on-going dialog in Greek, Latin, French and English.

I’m off to Los Angeles at dawn and, thanks to the time difference, I will arrive in plenty of time to meet my son Fred at his office for lunch.

On Saturday I head to Gene Autrey's former ranch in Palms Springs to attend Jenna and Ira's wedding. (The ranch is now a posh hotel.)The bride, Jenna, is the sister of Abby-- whose wedding in NYC I posted about on June 24th.

Have a great Columbus day weekend! Coming up next week, a Haunted House Tour!

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Touring art galleries can be inspiring. For another dose of creativity visit www.color-stripes.blogspot.com.

FLOWER GIRLS

It’s confession time. I have a soft spot in my heart for textile designers. Some of you who are familiar with my work might have wondered why over the years I have featured so many fabric folks, fabric collectors, and pattern profiles in my magazines and blog.

Now, it’s time to let you in on my secret. Before accidentally becoming an editor and writer, I had intended to make textiles my career. I was studying weaving and textile design at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, when one fateful day in April, I was “discovered” by a magazine editor.

She found me at crafts fair; bought lots of my creations; and did a feature on me in her magazine. Several months later, when I showed up at her office to collect a check, she offered me a summer job. The rest, as they say, is history.
(I would have shared more old photos, but my scanner is still out of order.)Anyhow, all of the above is an introduction to my blog series on textile designers.

Today, I’d like you to meet Jennifer Paganelli, alias Sis Boom.

All of the patterns featured today are her designs. Aren’t they gorgeous?
Jennifer resides in Connecticut with her husband and two children and has had her work featured in various decorating and crafting magazines. Her fabrics also occasionally turn up in unexpected publications.According to Jennifer’s blog, her company’s name, Sis Boom, is the childhood nickname given to her by her twin brother.
Jennifer’s fabrics are hard to categorize. Romantic? Vintage? Whimsical? Perhaps her unique vision comes from spending her youth in the Great Lakes region, her adolescence in the Caribbean, her college years in New England, and her early career days in New York City.
In addition to selling her fabrics on her company’s web site, Jennifer designs exclusive collections for Free Spirit Fabrics, an amazing resource for unique textiles.
On Free Spirit’s designer page, Jennifer is quoted as saying, “My designs are rooted in the things I handled as a child.” She goes on to say that she also uses tag sales, flea markets and European sources as a starting point to create her art. You can read more about what inspires Jennifer in an interview by Kari Ramstrom (aka Artsymama) at Just Be Connected.

IN THE SPIRIT OF MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS: And now for something completely different... My First Backyard Bouquet of 2008

MYSTERY PROJECT UPDATE: We're making progress. Draft 2 of the Introduction is handed in.

I also handed in Draft 2 of the first chapter (of eleven) for Part 2 of the book. I sent it to the editor on Monday. Late Wednesday afternoon, she came back with some suggestions, "It’s too long and it’s too focused on XXXX in the beginning, but the ending is great. It just needs a little cutting and refocusing."

I re-edited the text and sent it back this morning. It's been approved and I quote,"Well, that was quick. The revised text is perfect! Love it!"

One down... ten to go.

PRAY FOR PEACE

No, you haven’t arrived at the wrong blog. Today’s topic is still Mosaics, but it was impossible not to make note of a world in turmoil.

Just in case you haven’t heard, Benazir Bhutto, former Pakistani Prime Minister and a candidate in her country’s next election, was murdered today.

The first woman to head the government of an Islamic country, she has championed democracy and moderation in an area of the world where both are often in short supply.

Pray for peace.

And now we continue with our regularly scheduled program…

STOP AND SMELL – THE ROSES
In my opinion, the urge to create mosaics is truly universal. Siobhan, an Australian artist, proves my point.
This Melbourne resident makes mosaics with a passion … a passion for roses.

Her romantic creations all feature pretty pink roses as depicted on English, Bavarian, Austrian, and French Limoges china.

Siobhan loves to shop for vintage goods and pretty bone china.

Some of her old world finds she sells online, others she uses in her mosaics for tables, lazy Susans, birdhouses, photo frames, or jewelry boxes.
You can join Siobhan on her shopping missions on her blog Vintage Mosaic Boutique:
Her most recent venture is THE ROSE TRELLIS. Similar in concept to America’s MAKE MINE PINK boutiques, this online directory is a central hub catering to Australian (as well as worldwide) romantics’ shabby chic needs.

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How could you resist a blog written by a woman who introduces herself as follows:
“Hi my name is Mary. I am a 50-something reluctant housewife (I’d rather be an international supermodel or a forest ranger or a jockey)…. ? Don’t resist. Visit Little Red House today.