I decided that, even saving just select blog posts and even with my somewhat sporadic blogging history, 10 years was way too much for just 1 post so I have broken up my “archive” into 2 posts. 2008-2013 was in the last post this one covers 2014 -2019 one thing I noticed was I posted much more consistently in 2013 than any year before or since, and that each January I vow to post more often (humm, I’m seeing a pattern here since once again that is my goal… and it’s once again January!
Continuing down memory lane….
1/15/2014
Whats up for January
Some people have no trouble putting it all out there, immediately and with no editing. That is just not my style. As an introvert, I need time to process the events in my life and once that processing is complete I’m off on another adventure and talking about what has passed just seems pointless. Add to that I grew up believing that to brag or even really to talk about yourself was well…rude. BUT… I am trying to grow and sometimes that means doing things I’m not entirely comfortable with (OK, growth almost always requires pushing into those scary places) and for me saying what I really think and feel is SCARY! Why? If I do so, you will think I’m weird. But, It’s time. Time to “let my freak flag fly” embrace my personal brand of weird and get over it. So, here is my disclaimer:
* If you don’t like what I’m saying, I won’t mind if you don’t read it *
If you do stick around I’ll try to find something to say. I am still going to build in a delay feature – a one week lag to allow me to process but that’s it. Also, since I’m about more than quilts, I’ll be sharing more of my other activities and interests.
Now that we’ve gotten thru that, whats up for January 2014?
01.22.14
News too good to wait…
“Winter Squash”
The esteemed judges at the Road To California Quilt Show, have awarded the 3rd prize ribbon for my quilt “Winter Squash” in the category of Art – Naturescape. The judges notes were brief, “tulle use is effective for the design” “good realism” “good perspective”
Tonite is preview and I am jazzed to get to see all the quilts on display. “Too Soon to Tell” did not ribbon at Road but has more opportunities for awards in the future being a larger piece and eligible to be entered into more quilt shows.
ta ta for now, just had to share my excitement!!
02.23.14
A Couple of Old Broads rock San Jacinto!
Cindy in our booth
This week (ok, 2 weeks ago now…) brought the 1st event for Cindy and I’s new adventure as quilt show vendors, so a couple of old broads hit the road! We had a wonderful time with the lovely ladies (and gentlemen) of the Valley Wide Quilters Guild. What a sweet group. I especially appreciated the loving offerings of home made dishes and made to order sandwiches prepared for our lunch. Talking quilts can really make a girl hungry!
We saw some old friends and made some new ones. We were grateful to one booth neighbor ( another Cindy) who loaned us a step stool (I’m tall but even I can’t reach up eight feet to hang quilts!) and to the super sweet ladies Mimi & sister Mima of Mimi’s Quilt Shop in Yucca Valley. They were directly across from us and made us feel very welcome and encouraged in our new venture. What’s not to love? So when you are in the Yucca Valley area make sure to stop in and say hi to Mimi AKA: Karen Howes owner of Mimi’s. She will make you feel right at home.
The other equally exciting event this week ….drumroll please…. I Bought A NEW (to me) CAR!!!! My beloved 2001 Taurus was getting tired and even with the split rear seat and gianormous trunk was a little lacking in the cargo capacity department. Talk about perfect timing, Cindy and I had planned to load ourselves and all our booth set up and products into Cindy’s PT Cruiser for the show. Since I got my new car on on Tuesday I wanted to take it on Thursday for the show so we loaded it up. We had her crammed to the ceiling and still didn’t get it all in. We packed the PT cruiser pretty full too!! We laughed at how we would have had to cram if I ‘d still been driving the Taurus. I’m pretty sure I’d have had to carry patterns in my lap in the drivers seat to get it all in.
Just goes to show life is good and everything happens when it is supposed to and “Scarlett” my 2013 chevy captiva sport arrived just when I needed her. BTW she’s “Scarlett” my new BFF because she’s a combo of the awesome coolness of Scarlett Johansson (think Natasha in Avengers) and the feisty single-mindedness of Scarlett O’Hara, and of course she’s red.
Sew happy, cheers!
04.24.14
Don’t stop the presses!!
Yesterday I received super exciting news! Lori Baker creative editor for Quilters Newsletter Magazine emailed that Winter Squash was selected to be the Photo Finish for their October/November issue. Quilters Newsletter is a well known magazine loved by quilters and the Photo Finish is a full page that has featured so many outstanding quilts I feel giddy to have my work chosen to join that company. I can’t wait to see it!
“Winter Squash”
As I was thinking how nice it will be to see a large picture in print I suddenly realized I never even mentioned the 1st time my work appeared in a national magazine. Sometimes things move so fast and I’m so busy living life I don’t seem to have time to report on all the wonderful things that are happening along the way. Last year, I was also privileged to see my work in print. Quilting Arts ran a reader challenge competition for which the theme was “Text Me” the ubiquitous OMG came instantly to my mind and well… you can see my interpretation below. It certainly jumps off the page …even if I do say so myself.
I decorate for the seasons. Maybe its because I live in Southern California where we don’t have any seasons. We do have different temperatures though, coolish, warmish, and too darn hot. But, as those don’t line up with any particular dates on the calendar (as evidenced by 95+ degrees last week and 70’s this week) I create my seasons indoors. The cycle changes slightly depending on my mood and my schedule. Just before mothers day I packed up the bunnies and pastel brights in favor of Red/White/Blue. I will continue to layer on more on the theme this week for memorial day and it will stay thru 4th of July.
I do have a “rinse and repeat” process using items stored in totes but increasingly my quilts and a couple of key accents rule the decor. One way I create a new look with the same items is to use them in a new way. Here I have placed a table runner on the back of a couch for a pop of color.
I wanted a throw pillow in the red/white/blue theme but didn’t find quite what I wanted. This wall quilt didn’t have a good spot this year so I took an existing pillow and simply wrapped the quilt around the pillow. Placed on a chair or couch that is rarely sat on it looks great.
Finished pillow wrap
09.26.14
On Newsstands Now…
Oct/Nov issue Quilters Newsletter magazine
The better it gets, the better it gets! September has been such a wonderful month. I was blessed with time away from our inland heat with labor day weekend at the coast, then I turned right around and headed to San Diego for an awesome time at the San Diego Quilt Show playing all day in our “A couple of Old Broads” booth.
I arrived home to find a big white envelope from Quilters Newsletter magazine. Feeling so excited, I opened to the last page where I knew Winter Squash was due to appear. I can’t describe the thrill chill that I had when I saw it in print. Even now I feel all bubbbly and wobbly and really really appreciative. I placed it in a page protector (no grease or grime on my baby….) and placed it where i can pass by regularly (or grab in a quick sec to show anyone who holds still long enough…) just for the buzz i get from seeing it. These moments are the juicy ones in life and I intend to savor.
10.24.14
I’m off to see the wizard…
Well, maybe in this case I won’t meet the wizard but I AM heading to the land of OZ or maybe Mecca for quilters. My quilt “Winter Squash” (the little gift that keeps giving) has been awarded a ribbon at the IQA Houston Quilt Festival. The ribbon comes with a CASH PRIZE!!! The best part of all is they hold an awards ceremony and I get to go! I will be at the show for a week. IQA (International Quilt Association) holds a wholesale market 2 x’s a year and the fall one in Houston is the largest the wholesale market in the country. There are over 600 exhibitors with every imaginable thing for the quilter. After the 3 days of market there is the Winners Circle celebration and preview then the Quilt Festival opens and continues for 3 or 4 days. I get to go to the wholesale market as a pattern designer/producer and also to shop for our retail business. Then be celebrated for my winning quilt and finish it off seeing all the other wonderful quilts in the show and shopping for myself. I am soooo excited. Gotta go pack my duds. I look forward to posting wonderful pictures when I get back.
11.11.14
Oh, how sweet it is…!
Quilt Market and Festival in Houston was sooo much fun! It’s taken me more than a week to catch up and process the experience and my brain is busy calculating plans to attend again next year. Step 1 make another awesome quilt that wins a ribbon….
George Brown Convention Center
OK details… For starters the place is IMMENSE really truly immense. The good news is all that walking keeps the pounds off!
Now for the really good news… “Winter Squash” was awarded 2nd prize in the “Art Miniature” category.
“Winter Squash” at Houston with its 2nd place ribbon
Now, in my opinion, the category should be “Art, Small” since there is a separate category for “Miniature Quilts” which are quilts in reduced scale, something else altogether, but, I am over the moon about winning at Houston!!!! they can call it any thing they like. There were many really really beautiful quilts on display and I had to pick my chin up off the floor on a number of occasions!!
If you’ve never attended the award ceremony for the IQA Houston Festival then you would be as surprised as I was at how they do it.
The ballroom is set up with a small stage at the front with steps at both ends. The stage has a podium and a table with flowers on it. There is a large screen above the stage slightly to one side. As the award sponsors present each award the winning quilter goes up onto the stage to receive their check.
The room is completely draped in black curtains and as each quilt is announced a photograph is projected onto the screen so the audience can see the quilt. They start with honorable mention for each category and work their way up. When they announce the 1st prize winner a spotlight comes up on the wall and a curtain flys away revealing the winning quilt beautifully lit eliciting a gasp and collective ahhhh…
I don’t know why but this part really surprised me, I didn’t expect the quilts to be in the room, and truth be told when I found out and knew I had seen my quilt already displayed down on the show floor, I had a sinking feeling… but as soon as I saw this stunner by Janet Fogg, which won 1st place in “Art – Whimsical”, my heart was back in hopeful excitement, since I knew for sure I had seen her quilt on the show floor.
Eloise Joins the Circus – Janet Fogg 1st place Art -Whimsical
When the Masters awards are presented, those are quilts winning $5,000 and above, a bouquet of flowers is also presented to the winning quilter. I didn’t notice at the time, but later learned that the flower colors are chosen to coordinate with the quilts, which might lend a clue to the highly knowledgeable and extremely sharp eyed among you in the future.
Speaking of the future, I’m setting my sights on another win at Houston. Next time I’d like my quilt to be “behind the curtain” and I wouldn’t complain if it came with a bouquet of flowers, either!
11.27.14
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving morning
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have kicked off the holiday season …. last Saturday we went out to the Riverside Municipal Theater to see our Nephew Austin performing with his fellow students. He attends a performing arts high school and it was so fun to see the talent these young people exhibit and the skills they display already. It made me realize how much I miss going to live theater. My husband, David and I both agreed we need to add that back into our lives. We have several theaters and colleges nearby, I’m excited to check out their schedules and order up some tickets!
On Sunday we enjoyed an early Thanksgiving Dinner at the home of our Son’s girlfriend. Her parents Juliet and Mike remained unflappable with nearly 20 sitting down to dinner. I admire them so much. My own sit down dinner on Thursday will be far more modest… 5 at last count. I’ll be doing a blend of home cooking and prepared foods. Leaning on Trader Joe’s market to create a few sides… I’m brineing a turkey. I did it last year for the 1st time and it really is worth it! I’ll make the garlic mashed potatoes from scratch but dear TJ’S is in charge of the corn casserole, pumpkin pie and cleaning and trimming the green beans.
I put the tree up yesterday and will try to complete the indoor decorations for the family room by this morning. With Thanksgiving so late this year I feel like one foot in each holiday is the best technique for managing, dining room and living room is in fall, family room and bedroom moved on to Christmas.
However you choose to tackle the holidays this year, be kind to yourself and remember it will all be over by January 2… Smile. Enjoy, repeat.
01.04.15
Happy New Year!!!!
A ritual I love to do this time of year is to sit down with my calendar and planner and work out my goals for the coming year, and make sure I put my vacations in 1st! Last year I did the e-version of Leonie Dawson’s 2014 Create your amazing life & biz workbook and planner. But, considering my computer and I are hardly BFF’s (although we are working on our relationship…) this year I treated myself to the print version.
2015 Create your Shining year workbook
Leonie’s workbooks are so fun, colorful and positively supportive. Now that Christmas is over I’ve been curled up with my “2015 Create your Shining Year workbook” and a handful of colorful pens and am deep into planning. “Planning” Leonie style includes scheduling self care and lots of time to dream along with more practical “action” steps. I have been busy writing in vendor dates for “Old Broads” as well as vacations for myself and my sweetie pie.
I love this workbook and Leonie’s vibe! In case you would like to get one of your own, she has e-versions for life or business or a combo of both. And, if you are looking for some fun positive information from a nutty Aussie who swears like a sailor and loves to make up her own words you can sign up for her mailing list, check out www.leoniedawson.com
2015 is off and running…
02.26.15
Follow your heart
How much time do you spend in joy?
“The measure of my success is my joy” read the poster in the yoga studio I was attending for the 1st time. Huh… the measure of my success is my joy… not my job, bank account, status, or what my family thinks. My JOY. I know it sounds kinda obvious but seriously… how much time do you spend in JOY do you really ENJOY your time, your day, your life? That poster launched me on a journey of discovery. Discovering how I could move closer to joy. These mini quilts are really personal prompts to me to remind me how to live in joy, and I am so happy to share them with you. Today spend some time thinking about what brings you joy. What lights up your heart? I made a list and do at least one thing on it each day. FOLLOW YOUR HEART make your own list and spend some time with the people you love or doing an activity you love (like coloring and making a mini quilt…)
Sign up on my mailing list to get your mini quilts delivered to your e-mail box.
03.15.15
Winter Squash is in IQA journal!
Thank you International Quilt Association for featuring Winter Squash in your winter journal issue.
I believe that life is supposed to be fun.
If its not, then you’re not doing it right!
I wasn’t doing it right… I was mired in lack-full thinking, so much so that I got cancer.
Interestingly though, cancer also allowed me the opportunity to begin to see my truths, my limiting beliefs and begin to understand the power we all have over our lives, our health and our happiness. That power starts with believing that life is actually supposed to be fun!
One thing I’ve seen proven over and over again is that the better you feel the better everything in your life goes, and you can have total control over how you feel.
Notice I said “can have”, not “do have”…. the doing comes with practice. First you have to realize you can control how you feel, and that doing so has HUGE benefits! I’ll be talking about this more in my upcoming series “CREATE! 7 keys to unlocking your creative power” so stick around.
Until then… go have some FUN!!!!
02.11.16
LOVE …is all you need.
Love is truly all you need.
When you are in love everything feels wonderful. You feel more beautiful, more vital, more alive.
This Valentines Weekend fall totally and madly in love… with yourself.
You are utterly amazing. You are here because YOU are a good idea. Because YOU add to all that is by who you are. Everyday you engage and touch others in ways you never imagine.
YOU are exactly right. You do not need to be anything or anyone other than who you are, so relax.
YOU are exactly where you should be RIGHT NOW, so relax.
You are growing and learning so much and you will continue to grow and learn, that is the nature of life, so relax.
Look at what you have done and what you have chosen and what you have created and know it has all been exactly right and be happy NOW.
…and that goes for me, too. So this weekend I’m practicing extreme self love. I’m going to be delighted with myself. I will be indulgent and playful. I will ask myself leading questions and really listen to the answers. I will be open and curious. I will eat CHOCOLATE.
I will fill my cup until it overflows knowing that its from that abundance – that overflow – that I can best love others, too – Much love to you <3
I’d love to know how you fill your cup this weekend. 🙂
06.14.16
Take time to bliss out
June in Southern California is one of the nicest times to stop and smell the flowers. Plants are in full bloom everywhere you look and the days are sunny and warm … or even hot! Most years I would be spending as much time as possible outside working in the garden, enjoying my veggie seedlings growing up and up. But thanks to the drought new planting areas are on hold and the veggie garden will be getting replaced with drought tolerant plants… probably just as well. This year “A Couple of Old Broads” has done shows in Phoenix, Tuscon, and Mesa Arizona. Salt Lake City, Utah. Santa Rosa, CA and next week we head to Reno NV. That and all other things “Lauretta Crites Designs” take time.
Bicycle flower basket
I love to take time to do “summery” things. Concerts in the park, walking on the beach, Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters. This year I’m taking belly dance at the rec center. So however you enjoy summer I hope this one’s especially great for you.
08.09.16
REACH for a better thought
Mini Quilt REACH for a better thought
Sometimes what we really need is some new thinking. It’s so very easy going around just reacting to what happens to and around us. But, in order to CREATE! our lives, we need to grab the reigns of our mind and say “Whoa! Slow down! I’m in charge here!” Our minds go racing off at a million miles a minute and most of it is not serving us. Our minds can be like wild horses reacting. You may not know this, but, if what you are thinking makes you unhappy or keeps you from your pursuit of happiness it is not serving you. These thoughts can be reactions to events or just the kind of low grade negativity that prevents you from going for it.
Lets say for example, I would really like to have an article published in a magazine. Now for me that is exciting and a little intimidating. Even with my experience It’s easy for me to think…”I don’t have a clear idea for an article” “They probably get dozens of submissions every day by people with more writing experience than me”, “that magazine fits my work BUT, …”
Or I can REACH for those better thoughts
“If I sit and brainstorm, I bet I can come up with 5 ideas for an article”, “I don’t have to write the whole article, just submit a proposal” “Magazines are always searching for new ideas” “Nothing is truly new, even older ideas can be recycled” , ” Writing a proposal will be good experience” “Even submitting a proposal will give me some name recognition”
Which will be more likely lead to action? The negative defeating thoughts, or the better more empowering thoughts?
Whether you believe you can do a thing or not… you are right. – Henry Ford
07.19.17
It’s been a long time…..
I hardly know where to begin… It’s been a challenging and rewarding year so far and quite a long time since I’ve posted anything. In December my Husband’s Father passed away just a few days before Christmas. In January my Mom passed away just a few days after New Years, and just 1 day shy of her 72nd birthday. Both deaths were unexpected and both combined were devastating. Even with wonderful family support there has been a lot of work and grieving in closing their estates. My father-in-law lived in San Diego county a 4 hour round trip from our home and my task was to hire the contractors to do renovations on his home, make all the design choices and handle all the details of selling his home. My mom lived in Iowa so I was there with her for the final week while she was in the hospital, then back again for another week to help sort and move her personal items, design the grave marker and hold the memorial.
In between all that “A Couple of Old Broads” did shows in Ontario:CA, Phoenix:AZ, Mesa:AZ, Tuscon:AZ, Livermore:CA, and Reno:NV, and I spoke at Quilt Guilds and held workshops in Aliso Viejo:CA, Santa Maria:CA, Northridge:CA, taught at the Reno Sew and Quilt Expo and I will be headed up to central California soon to do presentations at 2 more Guilds and another workshop. Whew!!
July 25 – I’ll be presenting my trunk show “A Quilters Year” sharing how my Southern California home changes seasons thru quilts at the Central Coast Quilters Guild in Arroyo Grande, CA and I will be teaching my “Harvest Scarecrow” workshop on July 26. In this class we use fabric markers and inks to add detail and shading to enhance our applique, and you learn some free-motion quilting for the background cornstalks as well.
July 27 – I present “CREATE! keys to unlocking your creative power” at the Old Town Quilters in Nipomo, CA.
August 3 – “CREATE! Keys to unlocking your creative power” for the Acadia Quilt Guild in Buena Park, CA followed by my “Cutting Mat Tote Bag”” workshop on August 5. A one day class where we build a bag to fit our 18″ x 24″ cutting mat with pockets to fit our rotary ruler and rotary cutter as well.
August 8 – “CREATE! keys to unlocking your creative power” at the Pine Needles Guild, in Wrightwood, CA followed by Saturday the 12ths Workshop “MiPhone your Phone bag” a great cross body mini messenger bag that is customized to fit your personal cell phone, another project typically finished in the 1 day class.
Most of the presentations are open to non-members, either free or with a modest admission fee. Workshops are open for a fee, space permitting. Contact me at LaurettaCrites@gmail.com or the guilds directly for more information.