Yeah I Did It Again!

i have created perfection.  i love the holidays because there are deadlines for gift giving.  with my choice of saving my funds, it kind of forces me to be resourceful which is why i decided to make a camp shirt for my husband jeffrey. i didn't have any doubts that i could do it. in fact i knew i needed to use my bernina sewing machine anyhow. there are so many cool things that it can do, and so far after a year of ownership i have only scratched the surface.  did i tell you that i don't just turn on my machine, i boot it up - oh yeah!

i had been avoiding button holes.  my machine does them so beautifully.  all i have to do is pick the style of button hole, the size, lock in position and just sit back and watch. men's shirts are very complex. there are so many components like collars, cuffs and each area needs precision.  i did screw up a couple of times but other than that it came out really great. i am proud of myself. this project helped me feel more confident with the next project at hand which is coming up with another minnie jeanne bag style...

Denim Skies

the day is winding down. i sit on my back patio and watch the sun fading into the horizon. the clouds look like greyish bluish denim ripped with white fringe on the edges. i can faintly hear people laughing on the atc's that they are ripping throught the desert with. they probably just crushed a beer can on their forehead and threw it into the desert.  it is very quiet. my trees have grown so much that there are only a couple of pockets that my eye can travel to the end of the horizon. the mountains are dark purple. i own everything i can see.  the kids went to nana and papas and for once today it is quiet as i have my green tea and eat ginger bread cookies. i am taking a break from fixing the camp shirt that i am making. i screwed up on the front edge thing where the linear buttons go. it just didn't look right. now that i ripped out the seams, i feel better already.  i will feel even better once i get over this learning curve. good thing denim is so foregiving.

Thanks

I give thanks everyday so today doesn't really feel different to me.  i never forget what i have. i am thankful that i am healthy and strong, i have a great memory, i am not afraid to try new things, i work for myself, i am free to do what i want to do, i can walk outside if i want to, i can drive anywhere i want to, my kids are happy most of the time, i have lots of resources, i get my veggies from tonopah robs, working out of my house is working out really well for me right now, i can sew my own clothes, everything works out for me, i have lots of friends who love me, my mom has always been close to me, opportunities come to me all the time, i love my tennis group, i am getting better at tennis, i react quickly, i can solve things by myself - don't have to call my mom as much, dj lance is so cool, i have the funniest brother, my husband loves me, my kids think i am a great mom, i know what my weaknesses are, i know what i need to improve, i really kick it on IP, people think i am wierd, i was born to blog.  most thankful that i can't ever get it wrong and i am never going to get it done...happy thanksgiving! all the best to you.

Minnie Media Kit

Minnie Jeanne media kit has arrived on the east coast becuase old edwards inn and spa called this morning to create a signature bag!  i am really so happy about this.  i love studying a place and then designing something custom and exclusive. i better do my old edwards research today!  I will be flying to nc after the first of the year!

This Side of Tennis

Ok did i ever tell you how much i love playing the net.  tonight was so fun! i actually won a game off dawn. she kicked my ass all the way home about a month ago - but i got a game off her tonight. i love when i am at the net and i see it coming and everything stands still and i go in for the kill and i send that baby to no mans land for the kill shot.  that is the best feeling.  tennis helped me make it to wherever it is that i am going. everything always looks better after i smack it for a couple hours!

The Bling

Let the vinyls begin!  I picked up silver and gold metallic vinyl today at h&r fabrics in the heart of phoenix.  I also picked up a bordeaux vinyl that is yummy.  these will be the first bags that are not quilted. i know that my loyal fans like the cotton quilted look but aren't we all ready for something new?

I am so excited about how the bags will turn out.  i will have 3 different prototypes by the december 5th. it is the bling factor with these bags.  right now people are open to new trends but when it comes down to the purchase they want a bag that will go with more outfits.  bags these days are worn as accessories, like a scarf, they have to communicate an attitude.  bring on the shimmer!

Running with Pickles

an eva and lily story to start the week off. eva is 9 and lily is 6, they are sisters and my daughters.  yesterday lily was home with me all day and eva went out with jeffrey all day.  lily is a different girl when she is with me, she is less competative and listens much better.  she wasn't feeling well so we read books outside under a mesquite tree. she is a busy body and so am i. we always joke about everything, i am reading a book and so she just can't sit still, she goes over to the tree and starts pulling leaves off and dumping them on the book i am trying to read. then we start arranging the tiny leaves on the characters in the book. we are reading little red riding hood and minnie mouse is red.  well the leaves start looking like pickles.  everytime we turn a page we incorporate and arrange pickles in the story. minnie is throwing a bunch of pickles in a basket for her granny, big bad wolf is carrying a pickle on his way to granny's house,  there is a clothes line with pickles hanging from it at granny's house etc.  this is classic lily and mommy time.

this is the best part, when eva finally came home later that day, lily ran up to eva and said "I missed you".  that is what i love about kids, they never hold anything back.  one last lily story.  lily's question to me yesterday was why do gila monsters bite you and never let go. then she said, do gila monsters bite their own family and never let go?  what must go thru her mind when she is alone is kinda cool to think about...

Ready Get Set Goooooooooo!

I just thought of more detailia for those who are IP fans.  Intergalactic Planetary is so easy to get to you just have to think of it so software involved.  Some of my friends are bitter about IP becuause they are so used to working hard for feeling so good. it just doesn't have to be that way.  my name on IP in gamma.  i am so gamma too.  the more you laugh when you are creating your universe the faster you can rocket through space.  similar to uncle albert in mary poppins. so i usually hang around really funny people so i can go really fast.  i listen to philip glass when i am just floating around enjoying the work that i have done.  of course i work in IP too becuase i like to work. you don't have to though. when i want to rocket really fast i listen to party in the usa.  this song helps me be grounded in the fact that i am just floating in deep dark space.  i love rocket speed.  i don't pay too much attention to other universes, but i do like to punch through them. when i rocket in just the dark starry stuff i feel like i am not going anywhere.  my only work so far in ip is just going really fast and stopping and feeling how my stopping point feels.  then i get pulled down to earth quite quickly when lily wants me to take a littlest pet shop dollhouse down from her tippy top shelf in her closet. but let me tell you a little bit of ip goes a very very long way.

Oh How I Smacked It!

Last night I went to my tennis meetup.com in estrella moutain ranch. i have been playing with these 8 approx tennis ballers since the sweaty days of summer and there is something transformative about our gathering.  when i first started playing i was the only girl. the first game i forced myself to play i don't even remember.  i was just freaked about playing with such good players my crack was chafed, nails broken and blisters on my hands big time. as i kept forcing myself to play nothing seemed to get easier.

i am super competative and if i don't have an edge i want to break something or just scream.  but last night i decided to just smile more and go with the flow.  scott, a military guy played on my team as doubles and it was really fun. we got our asses kicked by cookie and dick, they are retired and from minneapolis. scott took it with a smile and we just laughed the whole night.  i did order a new babolat racket which is definitely improving my game.  i like it becuase it just gives me more power.  i hit some great backhands last night.

What Can I Give Today?

How to be more authentic.  I learned yesterday from Lon Safko that being authentic on the internet or anywhere for that matter is the key to success. Key to success doesn't sound authentic anymore.

A friend of mine sent me a song to communicate what they felt, well to me it wasn't very authentic at all.  It is too easy.  I like when the written word comes straight from the heart even if it is not polished, I get the feeling of where they are. I understand what Lon is talking about. If I listen to a song - well anyone can listen to the song and the meaning can be for anyone. For all I know this person could be sending this song out to everyone so how is it so special or meaningful to me?

Today I can give hope to being more authentic. I can let my guard down and be more of my authentic self.  As I compose I can relax and know that right at this moment is what I am living. I have worked myself up to this moment in time to let the best flow from me and the recieve the best from others.

Getting Connected

Ok - today was a brain explosion with all the fire hose of information about blogs, tweets, linkedin, facebook and intergalactic planetary.  Cannot forget IP. IP is by far the coolest game out there.  Intergalactic Planetary is a virtual interactive game where you can create your own universe. Maybe someone will read this that does gaming and we can seriously hook up. If you don't know me, well you really need to becuase I am a fountain of ideas.  I have so many cool ideas for creating universes.  You could buy your friends black holes, astroid belts, moons, planets and of course a billion billion billion amount of stars. It would be really cool with all the dark matter and fuzzy cloudy stuff. You could get extra points for the number of planets that orbit yours. The real concept behind this is who is the most attractive black hole. Who eventually attracts the most matter.  Yeah, it's time for me to go for my bike ride. I am so excited how I am so connected. Imagine that I just started this last June. Amazing. Hurray for me!

Forking Off

I definitely forked off into a more focused direction yesteday.  Jeffrey asked me if i wanted to team with another architect team to go after another city of pheonix project and I asked him: Does this sound fun? We both agreed that it didn't sound as fun as meeting with spa directors and designing another signature bag. I did think about it for a while. I used to think I had to do things even though I didn't enjoy them so that I could make a living and go on vacations. I feel differently now. I believe my time on earth should be spent doing things that I love to do like designing and sewing.  Even when he asked me about dipping into the architecture project I was trying to determine wether my knit top I was sewing should have a long sleeve or cap sleeve. I am more concerned with sleeves than architecture.  My mind has evolved to a new place.  I feel empowered. I feel like a just gave my inner child permission to play on the playground.

Cutting out my dress at 3am

i knew i wasn't ready for bed last night. i was wide awake. i had cut out my pieces for a keyhole top and a pencil skirt.  this knit fabric from christine jonson is so cool, mostly black with green and white thin swirls.  i can't decide if i am going with short cap sleeves for mid length sleeves that go to the elbow.  i guess, i figured it out in my tossing and turning because the moment came when i said screw this - i am getting up and having some cheerios.  i went to work on marking the patterns, then realized i needed to cut 2 more pieces out for the top.  i had just enough fabric.  i love the moment when i keep moving the patter piece around trying to maximize the fabric. the pieces are ready for assembly. i want to finish my list of items so i can construct. joy is sewing especially when i am alone.