IT'S SHOWTIME!

HOUSTON LOOMS LARGE and BECKONS

Holy moley, it's comin' up quicker than I can even wrap my mind around!

I read the dates, I knew Houston was two weeks earlier than it used to be, but still, it seemed like an AMBUSH. I am swimming in a sea of new jewelry, paddling ferociously, assisted by my trusty interns, returning when I can to slow, calm breath. Not a sec for a pic, but lots of new surprises unfolding amidst the potent reminder of why I took time off from doing shows and why they are so highly implausible. And yet, here I go.

Mr. Mustafa is not amused. He says enough work Mama! STOP! NOW! I agree but...

But I look forward to the drive down and all the wonderful people I'll see. Can I just say it? I love Texas. The warmth and Texasness of the people. I've missed it since I haven't been at Quilt Fest and Market in SIX YEARS!

Meet you there! BOOTH 320

International Quilt Market - Houston

October 10th - 12th, 2009

Trade Show open only to Wholesale Customers

And...

International Quilt Festival - Houston

October 15th - 18th, 2009

Opening Night Preview October 14th

Both shows located in...

George R. Brown Convention Center

1001 Ave De Las Americas

Houston, Texas

2 CA Shows sooo VERY soon!

I’m California bound and my two shows are comin’ up fast!

International Quilt Festival - Long Beach

July 24 & 25, 2009, 10am – 7pm

July 26, 10am – 3pm

Opening Night Preview July 23, 5pm – 9pm

Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center

300 East Ocean Boulevard

Long Beach, California 90802

And...


Pasadena Bead and Design Show

July 30th - August 2nd, 2009

10am – 6pm

The Pasadena Hilton

168 South Los Robles Avenue

Pasadena, California 91101

Ordering While I’m On The Road...

I’m planning to keep purchasing available in the Etsy section of my website during this trip. However, since I will be very busy, and all of my stock will be in my booth, I may need to put the Etsy site on hold if it gets too confusing.

During the trip there will be up to a 10-day delay on shipments. I will hold your pieces and respond within two days that I’ve received your order and that your pieces are in stock. In rare instances, if what you have ordered is no longer available, I will notify you and refund your money in full.

Hope to see you in So-Cal!

Best Regards,

Meg

Mr.MU's face

Since Mr.MU's face was missing in the last post and since my friend and neighbor, Astrid, took this lovely picture of it in the light, I had to put it up. Here is my sweet boy.

Concrete Lovin' Cat

It isn't exactly a heat wave. But we have found ourselves in the 80's the past week and it is indeed a change from our long cool spring. The green is finally moving in at a fast pace and it's absolutely spectacular weather. But Mr. Mustafa is not so thrilled, living as he does in a thick fur coat. He looks for relief where ever he can. 

The plumbing in the school where I live runs under the floor and when there is a leak, the floor has to be jackhammered up. There are no replacement tiles for this particular section of the hall so there is a little patch of concrete that covered the repair. It's a MU magnet. It's maybe a little cooler, but more importantly, it's concrete. He's one concrete lovin' cat.

Don't be alarmed by his facelessness in the second pic. He hates the flash so I didn't use it. But I took it in low light and hand held the camera, so movement blurs. Guess who didn't sit still. I assure you, he has a gorgeous face. Mama knows.

Greetings Russia!

Today I found my work on a Russian blog and I just had to say- HEY THERE  you folks in the Russian Federation! It's fun to look at the WebStats and see where people who visit my website are from and of course it makes you realize what a web it is- all across the globe...

After I wrote the above, I checked my email and found this:

восторг 

Здравствуйте! Я из России,Башкирия,г.Уфа.Посмотрела ваши изделия,какая красота!красотища!Что за клей вы используете?Есть ли ваши магазины у нас?К сожалению,с английским у меня плохо..(..... Удачи и процветания Вам! Елена.

What can I say? Whoever it is- speaks my language. 4 exclamation points in 3 lines! Who can argue with BAM! Anybody who knows what it says feel like translating?

Nearly 2 months have passed since I wrote my last entry. Shows are no joke. The ramp up. The epic effort. The back home heap. The backed up correspondence and orders. The cat in dire need of attention.  Not complaining... Just saying... that's where I went!  Chicago Quilt Festival was really fun and I am grateful to all the wonderful customers and people that made the show so fabulous! Big BIG thanks to my brother, Michael for his help in setting up and breaking down! All of you who helped are so appreciated. It was awesome to see my brother and his beautiful wife Cindy and my amazing nieces- Rose and Celia. 

A sweet customer came to the show from Omaha, Nebraska with her friend. They had bought some pieces from me 10 years ago in Omaha and they have been looking for me ever since. They found the website and decided to come to the show. She told me a little story about a lost earring. She found she was missing one after the fact and figured it must have come out of her ear when she unloaded her car. She searched the street and when she couldn't find it she asked all the businesses on the block to keep an eye out for it. About a week later someone found it by the curb, in the street, sunk in mud where many cars had run over it while parallel parking.

She took it home and washed it and her husband scraped it a bit and she has been wearing the pair ever since. She brought them with her to show me and the errant earring was a shade darker but I have to say it still looked good. Thanks for the great testimonial!

By the by, I did finish 7 small wall pieces that I wrote about in my last post. I was going to try to post them before I left- Ha ha ha ha ha. I finished them the night before I left for the show and was happy to see how they came out amidst the last minute chaos.  Still haven't had time to photograph them but I really will soon! The picture above is of a large pin in the Peapod Violet series also finished minutes before I got on the plane. I'll post it on Etsy later this week. 

I promise to someday put something up on the blog that isn't lime green. When, I couldn't say. Best to all of you out there- thanks for stopping by!  Good night Russia, or I guess it is morning or afternoon where you are....

Quilt Fest Chicago comin up!

Here's my new postcard I just sent off to the printer. The inside of Sunlime. I wanted to make a card that was more about process and the internal landscape of my work rather than a layout of new jewelry. And I am happy with how it came out. It was fun and a little nerve racking to work on as I have so much else to attend to. That's one of the push pulls before a show. All the details that have to be handled and then "go be creative!" 

But it's happening and it's exciting to see new things popping up. I am working on some miniature wall pieces I hope to finish and have in my booth. They are a thrill and a half to work on! I hope to get some pics of them up here when they come to fruition. 

It all takes time and I can't go all night like I used to. Must lay on bed. 

Thank you to Joline for your help with the card- you saved me as I slid into techno oblivion. And Adrian helped so much, thank you thank you as always. 16 years old and smart as a whip. Great ideas and quite hilarious. 

Sunlime

I've been working on some new lime jewelry and I noticed the table as the Seattle sun graced it. I hardly pull the curtains open in the dead of winter in the studio as it makes it a lot colder. Since I start work about 1pm it's only a moment til the sun goes down. But here we are, now in March, and I am so grateful to let the light in!



Here are the rollies drying in the vent box. They don't look like much.... but the story is on the inside! I've made some pieces in this color combination before. The lime seems great for spring so I am expanding the series.

It's called Peapod Violet. I rolled some new shapes and I plan to make some of them beaded pieces for Quiltfest in Chicago. I'm on the cusp of when all things seem possible to do before the show and when the days have numbers and the hustle is on.  It's time to make lists.

GreenMuze

A couple pieces of my heart jewelry found their way onto GreenMuze.com in a spot about recycled hearts for Valentines Day. Check it out!

meghannan.com finally launched!

It has been a 4 year journey getting this little piece of myself and my Fabric Jewels onto the web. I walked away from it many times. It may look like a little thing but for me it was epic. I don't take to all this stuff quite so easily as some but I can now almost type. And I have a genuine website up!

There were so many people that helped me orient myself to this world. I just feel like listing them here in gratitude! So here are my many many web thanks.

THANK YOU to

my fabulous customers who pushed and cajoled me into doing this

Jennifer sitting with her laptop in the sun with me, writing down things I wasn't ready to type myself

Eric for his energy and ideas at the top

Lance for all the great early photos and for helping me learn to do it myself

Andrea, Georgia, Lindsey, and Emilia for chasing down jewelry details again and again on an excel list from here to eternity

Etsy for giving me a way to get my work up for sale and letting me kick the excel list to kingdom come, before my certain death

 

Linda for the the great start that went on to become the site

Marc, David P and Lance W for responding so generously to my computer SOS's time and time again

Carolyn for encouragement and code in the eleventh hour

Adrian for FINALLY getting the site up with me, whilst I tried not to hover over her. You are a Star!

Veronica and Kate and the many who came before the site- Tallulah, Jenny and many more for all their help in the studio over the years

Liz, Robin L and Robin A for all their good counsel site wise and book wise and all

all the people at Artwood for keeping me company day to day and listening to my incremental progress reports

my wonderful brother, Peter, for encouragement and advice

my equally wonderful brother, Michael for being who he is 

my dear sister, Kathleen who always listens and is so wise

and to Mister Mustafa for being a deeply charming and loving companion by the computer late into the night.

To all of you and those I'll remember tomorrow- MY THANKS!