Aaaaahhhhh.  It’s so good to be back.  It has been so long since I’ve been able to be here and chat with all of you.  Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you and saying “Ha!  You thought you had a plan?  Here’s where you’re going now . . . “  I know that each of you can completely relate.  So let me catch you up:

• Yesterday David turned 45.  We celebrated with a yummy Old Fashioned Devil’s Food cake and Fluffy Chocolate frosting from The Cake Doctor by Anne Byrne (Jamie Lee Curtis’ favorite cookbook).  David said it was the best birthday cake he’s ever had!  Then we enjoyed a couple’s dinner out at Dahlonega’s Crimson Moon and listened to Tom and Julie sing the night away.

• My younger son turned 10.  I cannot tell you how excited he is to be in the double digits.  He’s also wearing glasses now, and has become a voracious reader.  He’s so committed to reading he carries a flashlight in the car so he can read in the dark on the way to school.

• My older son is carrying the 60-lb bass drum in marching band, and is needing chiropractic visits because of it.  As much as we love seeing him march and enjoy attending the high school football games, I will be glad when he’s done carrying that albatross.  He’s now in the habit of drumming on anything that doesn’t move.  A habit only a mother can love.

• I taught a Color Mastery workshop to 70 of the  most wonderful ladies in the Crazy Quilter’s guild in Chattanooga.  Much of the credit for huge attendance goes to Sandi, one of my faithful and true quilt testers, who visited area guilds and put out the word that I was coming.  The guild made the workshop super affordable and even included a box lunch.  I dreamed the night before the workshop that we never got to the first exercise of three in the class because of the large group – a bit of a nightmare, really.  In reality?  I was truly amazed at how well everyone understood and applied the concepts of color in such a large class, and Sandi heard rave reviews all day.  Color is not an easy subject to teach, and it’s a challenge to do it with such a large group, but it was a perfect day for both teacher and students.

• Took a long overdue “me” day and sewed to my heart’s content, making the reversible Market Bag from Tanya Whelan, two Wonder Wallets from LazyGirl Joan Hawley, and a purse organizer insert in anticipation of Joan’s new Suzi pattern.  I used fabric from Michael Miller and Westminster from Karen William’s new quilt shop in Jasper, Quilt Shop on Main.  I used one of the Wonder Wallets as a business card holder and even got a compliment on it from a guy at a social media conference I attended last weekend.  Wow.

• I started a new business developing and implementing social media campaigns for small to mid-size businesses.  I’ve been so successful with social media in promoting Color Mastery that I’m helping fellow entrepreneurs do the same with their terrific products and services.  I am quite selective about my clients, and  partner only with people whom I believe in and I know put their clients first.

What does all this mean for my quilting, writing, and teaching?  It’s always my first love, but I’ll have somewhat less time to devote to it.  I won’t be posting on this blog quite as much, but you will find me on Facebook and Twitter every day, so catch me there at my personal page, Color Mastery page, or Willow Ridge Media page.

I will continue to write and teach, but will be approaching it all in a way unseen in our industry before.  I was a leader in publishing with many of the ways I reached out to my readers, being the first in the quilting world to do a blog tour, give away a chapter of a book, and have a YouTube channel.  I’m so excited about the new roads I’ll be forging in our industry, and all I can say is, “fasten your seat belts ’cause it’s gonna be a fun roller coaster of a ride!”

The latest economic news is a bit glum, especially when you consider we’re about to begin the major quilting season.  Fall holds great promise with terrific quilt shows and conferences, cooler weather, new projects, and guilds getting back underway after a summer hiatus.  What’s a quilter on a budget to do?  Don’t despair – it’s Frugal Fabriholic to the rescue!

I’m announcing a program that lowers the price of the Frugal Fabriholic e-book to just $3.99 as long as the national unemployment rate stays above 7%.  As of July 2010, it’s 9.5%, so we’ve got a long way to go, and Willow Ridge Press is supporting quilters in this tough economy.  Be good to yourself and spend on your quilting passion without breaking the bank, using my 12-step savings plan as your guide to saving more cash for your quilting stash.

The e-book is available for anyone who uses a computer or e-reader:

• Kindle bookstore at Amazon
• iBook store for the iPad
• PC, Mac, or any e-reader device at Smashwords
• My own Quilts & Creativity online store.

Don’t have an e-reader?  No problem!  You can read the Frugal Fabriholic on your home computer, no matter what kind you have.  And for $3.99 -  less than one fast food meal, you can learn how to save over $13,000 on household expenses.  Learn more about the book at the Frugal Fabriholic website.

If you asked God to grant your biggest dream, what would it be?  My answer would be different depending on when you asked me.  Some dreams come and go, while others stick with you, and others you work diligently to see to fruition.

My first dream?  A happy, healthy marriage.  No small feat for any couple, but my parents experienced an acrimonious divorce, my dad’s been married three times, and my mother all but swore off men.  Not exactly a start that holds hope for marital bliss.  When I married David, I had no experience with what a stable, Christian marriage could be.  This month we will be celebrating 20 years of just that.  Thanks God.

My second dream?  Motherhood.  I didn’t grow up imagining being married or having children.  I came from a unique family, and my mom really encouraged me to get my education and be a career woman so I could be independent and support myself no matter what happened to me in life.  I did all that, married a delightful man, and five years later we had a son.  Another five years later I gave birth to our second son.  Two of the most wonderful boys you will ever meet.  Again, thanks God.  I was, after all, a good mother.  Maybe even a great one.

My third dream?  Interestingly, I didn’t even have the imagination for this one.  All I knew is that I loved books.  I grew up quite the bookworm, often getting lost in the library shelves at my school, rereading my favorites and discovering new volumes with glee.  Librarians loved seeing me come through the door and would guide to me the newest titles.  On Career Day, we students heard from laywers, doctors, policemen, and of course, teachers.  Not a single author in the bunch.  It never occurred to me I could become one.

So it is with great pride, humility, and joy that I share my latest news:  Color Mastery is a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin 2009 award for Best Craft Book of the year.  I am being recognized for excellence in publishing.  I’m a publisher.  Not just the author and quilt designer (which would be quite enough, thank you!), but I’m also the editorial director, sales and marketing team, and finance department.  It’s a job whose work never ends, but on most days it doesn’t seem like work.  Instead, it feels like. . . . .bliss.

So again, thanks God.  And thanks to all of the quilters who have been so loyal to me in supporting Color Mastery.  Quilters are really the big winners here, as you are getting some incredibly creative, beautiful, and outstanding books from independent presses.  In fact, all three finalists in the Craft category for the awards are quilting books.  Wow.

Come celebrate with me this enormous accomplishment.  It’s going to be a month-long party here and at my Color Mastery blog.  I’ll be holding contests, giving away stuff, and will be offering many surprises along the way.  Let the party begin!

I’m humbled and thrilled at the response from quilters and reviewers to Color Mastery.  I’m giving lectures and workshops, producing videos on color, and building relationships with quilters across the globe on my blog, email newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook.

I’m starting to work on my next book, talking to shop owners, industry experts, and fabric companies.  But the opinion that really counts?  Yours.  Quilters.  Real, honest-to-goodness, everyday quilters that make baby, bed, wall, memory, and every other kind of quilt.  I’m here to serve you.  Could you take a moment to help me?

I need to know what you look for and need in a quilting book.  I have my own ideas from my teaching, but I need your opinion.  As a small independent publisher, I must be wise in what I publish so I don’t enter into a subject over-published or compete with the big guys who have large advertising budgets.  Quilting books seem to have exploded lately, and I want to make sure I serve an area that needs it.  It’s what I did with Color Mastery:  saw a need and filled it.

And in gratitude for your time and response, I’m sending you a pincushion pattern immediately after you take the survey.  My way of saying thanks.

Click here to take the survey.  And keep an eye out for some really exciting content upcoming here at Quilts & Creativity.  2010 will be a super-creative year for all of us!

Today’s the final day in the Quilts & Creativity Art Week, and I’m concluding with a bang:  quilts from the Gee’s Bend quilters.  I’ve featured works of art from the Big Canoe Fine Art show in honor of my own art quilts that are on display at the Ann Litrel gallery in Woodstock.  Previously I featured works of sculpture,  glass, and wood.

Even though the Gee’s Bend quilters are from our neighboring state of Alabama, I’ve managed to miss every gallery showing of their quilts.  When they were at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, our family was in the middle of a move.  When a play based on their story was featured in Dahlonega, I was teaching.  I’ve finally gotten to see their quilts in person!

More pieces from the show:

Gee’s Bend quilters rely on simple designs and piecing, coupled with bold color schemes for a dramatic impact.

This is a Housetop design, a variation of Log Cabin, often seen in Gee’s Bend quilts.

The exhibit is in a show home in Big Canoe, and this is one of its closets.  This would be my dream closet, full of about $35,000 worth of Gee’s Bend quilts, at least.

So much of color is intuitive – even with no formal art training, this quilter used the complementary colors of yellow and violet for vivid contrast.

A bold interpretation of a Bow-Tie quilt, done in black and white solids.  Wow.

The red fabric in this quilt is satin and it practically glows.  You can see the sheen in the photograph, but it’s even greater in person.

The fine art show included some smaller Gee’s Bend quilts in the $500 price range for people who wanted to start their art collections at a smaller scale.

This quilt was my personal favorite, as it had so much going on I could have looked at it for hours and admired the fabrics and piecing.  The quilting was a simple cross-hatching, just perfect for a quilt that had such busy piecing.

The Big Canoe Fine Art show continues through July 19, and you can stop by and say hello to my husband David of Peagler Custom Homes.  He has two gorgeous homes, one on the golf course, and another on the lake, that are themselves works of art.

Tonight I’ll be at the Ann Litrel gallery from 5-9p.m., and I’ll be speaking on “Color Artistry in Quilt Creation.”  Hans Rueffert, the local Jasper chef and Food Network star will be cooking up dishes across the street at FoxTales Book Shoppe and signing his visual feast of a cook book, Eat Like There’s No Tomorrow.  I own a copy of his cookbook and you should too.  Hans found out he had stomach cancer after his stint on Food Network and has a philosophy on life that is not to be missed.  Tonight’s Friday Night Live theme is Beach Party.  See you there!