inspiration,creativity,gratitude

Creativity - Everywhere~

4th of JULY WEEKEND>>>>>> A day off ~ filled with great food, people and gardens!!!
A bicycle ride to the Fremont Parade - There were actual Floats this year -mark me impressed!  balloons that looked like fireworks being worn by the bicycle riders for Dales Hardware - tons and tons of squiggly red,white, blue all together ( heard a few pops...)  Our favorite is the end of the day - FIREWORKS in Benicia!!!  DInner with mom and a walk down 1st street ( check it out antique stores and 1st street cafe - best!)  sitting on the rocks and really feeling the BOOM.  A bit cold this year but the oohs and aahs kept us occupied!  FInished the weekend off watching and cheering on the Shed brigade - we and our neighbors are both in taking down and putting up new sheds - no competition and everyone helping one another out..." are you using that? no - well, we can!....."

    Creativity this week looks like this -
Thursday night at the Cottage Jewel ( super fun antique store)  is part of the Summer Serenade  - July 10th from 5 - 8 both Hartz avenue and some of the stores on Railroad Avenue ( featured in the 96 hour section of the SF Chronicle last week!)  will be hosting a combo celebration! It's the night of the  Farmer's Market also!
Marsha, owner of the Cottage Jewel will be open and we will be holding a Create your own party!
        "Create you own at Cottage Jewel - BEACH CHIQUE SOUVENIR TOTE"
Just what every girl needs - a place to gather and create a one of a kind tote to hold the "special things"  Embellish a canvas bag with ribbons (vintage and new), buttons, fabric sea shells and one of the popular vintage bathing beauty images!  ( Between Marsha and Janis these goodies are nothing but GREAT STUFF!) NO experience needed - Janis Stob will give you all the encouragement and techniques you need to take home a loverly finished tote - show it off at the farmers market!!!
Cost is $35- with a supply fee of $8- ( there will be lots of goodies to munch from the Peasant and the Pear Restaurant also!  Call 925-837-2664 to sign up and for more info!!!  Bring a friend - consider it "creative camp for the big girls!!!"

       a few of our favourite things......

the happiness of life is made up of little things - a smile, a helping hand, a caring heart, a word of praise, a moment of shared laughter.  we are most alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures...... thornton wilder

Inspiration and creativity - the musical!

UPDATE _ Noble Elements 2008 - AIR - this group of quilts - mine to the side - will be shown at PIQF in Santa Clara in October and then finish it's year of travel at the Soft Expressions of Anaheim in November!!!! Planning ahead so I can go visit it with all it's "friends".  It is amazing to create, really "feel it", finish and then ship it off!! And then...a year later it returns home!  I wish she could share the adventure! 

CREATIVITY.......   
Mom and I have had a wonderfully full weekend of Finish it Classes - where students bring whatever project they have in work and we help to make it reality!
From T-Shirt Quilts featuring Bono and the 49'rs , getting a great fit on a shirt, collage finishing, to Children's clothing to be featured at the Lecien booth at the Long Beach Quilt Festival in July!
I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend - fabric, fun and cheering one another on!

One of our "things" is to make a statement about an event and either call it ...and other short stories or our newest - ............- the musical!  Being around so much color and texture in the world of quilting, sewing and creating can make for some real wacky days!  I was listening to a news story about our health and our state of mind...Being happy and satisfied and able to enjoy what (and who) we have in our lives can actually keep our blood pressure in check! SO here's to helping one another laugh and find joy!
inspiration
New projects to share - mom loves the theme of "DIa De Los Muertes" - she has done some great collage pieces - please visit Heather Trimlett's site to see her work in the Button area! So she is on to creating homages to other lost women - Georgia O'keefe will be  her next!
I am looking for a theme in  which to create  some new dresses for showing in October, new skirt pattern is being worked in lecien mocha dot with vintage dresden plates, twin baby girls christening gowns from their mom's wedding dress!!!!
Ana is making baby quilts for her soon to be twin niece(s),nephew(s)....Photos to follow!

Dates to look forward to - July 16th - Project Runway Starts a New Season!!!!!
Gratitude -
Today's sky is blue, the cactus flowers are blooming and smell heavenly...The day was full of women encouraging one another to be their best, try something new and look again at what they had created - absolutely lovely......

3rd times a charm....I dont give up easily?!!!

So much has happened since last post..... and I while I did attempt it while on the Road Trip to Farm Chicks in Spokane,Wa...somehow I didn't quite make it so!  My buddy Bari and I left early on a Wednesday - had coffee with Mom(Margaret) in Benicia with the hand off of the latest skirts she had made (YES, there is a new pattern!)
This is Erica, a new (and totally inspiring) student in our new pattern - Sewing Circle - Skirt.  10 panels and a bit of elastic!  It isn't on the site just yet and..it will be!
This one below is with vintage, hand dyed linen and a bit of raw edge appliqué' using Anna Griffin's sierra line. 
This one has a new home - a sweet customer who arrived Sunday with her very beautiful and pregnant daughter and purchased a new outfit with bits of charmed jewelry - words to live by...courage/strength!!! What I loved about the Farm Chicks Show was the people!!! The vendors were great - check out Bari's Blog for some super photos!  The customers were amazing - Day 1 they stood in the rain for over an hour - overwhelmed by all the beautiful things - old and new!

Inspiration -If you have never seen Oregon or Washington - Drive there - it is GREEN - RAIN has it's purpose fulfilled in the trees and plants that surrounded us as we drove hiway 97, 395 and even 5!
Creativity - It is amazing what you can create in a hotel room - transformed into a work room - The Davenport hotel/Tower in Spokane is very creative in it's environment and gave us the space to continue creating while being taken care of!!!
Gratitude - Super hubby, mom, Deb, Mary Lee, Debi, Bari, Dawn & Jeff,Lori,Sandra are but a few of the many that helped me to make this (The Farm Chicks road trip and  adventure - all possible - THANK YOU!!!

so now what....lot's of great questions re: what to do next....bubbled to the surface through the hours of driving..what is next for me (janis) ?!!!  This kind of contemplation will be done as a brainstorm over the next few weeks - want to weigh in - please do so!!!

For now I am back to the world of wedding alterations, prototypes, and taking in all that I have!

Harley on the Dash :)         

Blooms at night!

    "being" is the key to creating, having, enjoying the world you want......

Saving "bits"

Friday Night and I am distracted from cleaning...What a surprise!  We are having a May Day Party tomorrow afternoon and I am up to my eyeballs in wedding alterations.
I have found "bits" of Margaret Wisdom  I have been saving them for the past few weeks.  And if you want to see more of her humour check out her class description at The Quilter's Inn ! 
She has been teaching the gals how best to "mutilate" fabric - her version of happily cutting into the middle just to get the best motif! 
I am so proud of her - have you seen the latest Better Home's Quilt Sampler?????
If you go to page 26 thru 36 you will see the feature on The Quilter's Inn!  Mom did the free motion stitching on the sample in the magazine and in the store!  She loves collage - we both do thanks to Rosemary Eichorn.
Margaret Wisdom  "a touch of white trash is a must in all " this refers to fabrics with metallic to them - could be really shimmery like Fairy Frost or just  a bit of gold printed to accent the beautiful Asian fabrics that she uses frequently!
For the class I mentioned above - it will require one to take part in the "stand on your head process" this is the non intuitive - inside out and backwards that working
with some linings quite often requires!

More news for the future - I am doing a road trip with Bari J!!!! we are going to be at Farm Chicks in Spokane June 7 & 8...once I create / finish something I will share!
Inspiration
I found a great little store in Pleasanton called Retro Martini - fun retro clothes - Inspired me to want to sew for me!
Wren'sNest has photos of some "Santos"  and I saw a few really cool ones in Pleasanton at Harvest Home
Creativity

   Mom in one my favorite coats - it went to a great home!
  I found myself at Regan's Nursery (sp?) in Newark/Union City - they have a great supply of Annie's Annuals I bought a few to spark up a spot in the front yard.





             
Gratitude
Have you started your day with 1 thing you are grateful for????
It sets the tone for an amazing day - even when someone cuts me off later on in the day!

Time has WINGS!

So here it is Wednesday Morning and to look back at the last week is a bit mind boggling.  I have "posted" in my head many times and so out of my head and onto the paper so to speak. Need to get this done before I head off to my Wednesday job at Thimblecreek

                                        Here's what is so....
Mom and I had a rendezvous at StoneMountain and Daughter in Berkeley ( fabrics of all kinds )to search for client fabrics followed by  lunch at Le Note - we love breakfast for any meal.  I have not been to StoneMountain and Daughter in a very long time so when I walked in I was overwhelmed with the wonderful cottons from Japan that greeted me and then the help I received was let's say... "brilliant".  I am bad with remembering names and apologize for not remembering this young ladies name - she was so helpful with swatches and ideas and I left with some super choices for one of my clients and an eco organic cotton for a skirt.  Mom purchased a textured rayon for pants and a coat and the sheerest of silks for a scarf - I promise when she finishes to photo for you all. 

On Monday we had our Drop-In class at The Quilters Inn, in Danville- always a party!  We had some "Margaretisms" - or musings by Margret if you will - I have now lost the bits of paper I wrote on- I will post later!

I have decided that it is time to share some of the things that I have been "hiding" or "holding onto" .  Occasionally I get these brainstorms and get totally inspired, create and then STOP.  One such concept is the Roundabout Baby quilts that I have been making for clients on a one of kind basis for over 8 years.  I have the patterns in work and am now going to see if there is any interest. If there is then I will offer to teach them and finish the pattern publishing process.
What usually happens is I get focused on a project for a client, travel somewhere, decide to work in a shop more and then the follow-up process is put on a post it on the wall and forgotten to some extent.

Inspiration: 

                    This week it comes from a gathering I was at last night with women from the FamilyofWomen.  There is a Teacher who has spent the last 13 years taking a stand for music in the schools and to raise money has a Flea Market The first Saturday of the  month at Cesar Chavez in Hayward,CA.  I heard a dad talk about his kids going there and how Diane influenced them to be where they are as adults today.  We all brought things to contribute to the Flea Market.  We dont have kids ourselves and yet we give to kids in the ways we can so I am going to have a table at the Flea Market - clean out my stash and donate some of the money to Diane and her music Program.  I'll find an address and post later with the time/date info.

Creativity  I am attaching photos of the Roundabout Baby Quilts to share with you

I teach sewing one on one with preteen and teen girls and am amazed at the things that they come up with - I will ask them permission to share photos.  I say teach and it is a rather loose translation if you will - I really just ask what do you want to make, listen, give them some guidance and let them loose.  If you remember being a preteen/teen didn't you know it all???? I sure did and it thrills Mom to no end to know that NOW I use the lessons she attempted to bring me!               

Gratitude  I am grateful for the choices I make and that I have learned to acknowledge when I make some poor ones!  I am grateful for the life that surrounds me, and that Rick Rack hasn't gone away!

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

~ dawn ~ envision shades of pinks with just a hint of gold!

    If I could carry a tune I would be singing from The Sound of Music ...Do Re Mi "let's start at the beginning it's a very good place to start"
SO...We welcome you to our blog! Mom (margaret ) and I (janis) make up the design team of Decembers Child.  We LOVE texture, fabric, beads, trims, quilts and ..... CLOTHES!  What really makes us sing is the joy in watching our students finish something, their excitement as they break through in learning a new technique, and the stand we take in inspiring each other to keep creating. 

    In this dialogue we look forward to sharing new projects, students work, the Wise Words of Margaret ( coined by our students when mom comes up with something brilliant and they want to capture it!) 
    We invite you to visit our website and learn  more about us.  I will be listing our favourite artists, designers in the links as I embark on this new adventure in communicating with kindred souls. 

                Inspiration, Creativity , Gratitude are 3 qualities that drive who we be!

• Inspiration comes today from cleaning up all the little pieces of paper throughout the house ~ finding business cards I have collected - visiting those websites and passing them on to those I know will enjoy them. 

• Creativity comes today in this format as I have no voice to communicate due to a cold and am not quite feeling up to sewing! 

• Gratitude goes out to my dear fellow creative friend Bari J. as she has set this up and is quite the fan club this week ~ encouraging me to take some risks in sharing our creative endeavors in a larger way!

~~ the trouble with your comfort zone is....your dreams aren't in there....