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Thursday, May 14, 2009
I'm at the Window Fashions Expo in Atlanta, GA to see what's new in window fashion design and technology and there's pleanty to look at. The show is not as crowded as in past years due to the economy but that hasn't kept forward thinking companies from putting their best foot forward to show their new and exciting offereings for this year.
Pate Meadows is a fantastic pattern company known for their unique design style and terrific use of pattern. They have introduced four new patterns that appeal to the modern aesthetic of pared down, siplified style. I love the new designs and the fascinating way they are put together. Sometimes simplicity can really be brilliant.
Of course Minutes Matter & Studio are here promoting the new 3.0 Studio release with all of it's enhanced features and functionality. They're also doing a great job selling the Jackie Von Tobel design modules and my book. What a great group of people! I am so fortunate to have become part of their oprganization. " at the WOW awards last night.
I did not mean to abandon you my blog friends but I've been the victim of a complete technological breakdown over the last couple of weeks. It began with an aging laptop that decided it had been abused and overused and refused to boot up or preform its expected duties. Once it was apparent that it wasn't going to cooperate without a complete overhaul I broke down and bought a new desktop PC.
All was well for a few days until our cable Internet crashed. After navigating the treacherous audio phone interview system with the local cable co we were told that there had been several outages in our area but it had not been confirmed as a hardware problem yet. We would have to call the next day to see if it had been declared and then they would be able to schedule a service call. Sound ridiculous? Yes!!
Day 2: Endured the 1/2 hour phone interview again required to reach a technician to see if there was indeed a cable crisis in my neighborhood. I was told that there was no such event! Miraculously they had found the problem. They had decided to randomly discontinue the signal to my particular model of cable modem which has been functioning quite well for a few years now. Why? I have no idea. Could it be they wanted me to plop down the $50 bucks for a new one even though mine worked just fine? No!!!! Why could they have not told me this on day 1?
I'm beginning to start jonesing for my MSN homepage. No email, no blog, no face book. Would I survive. Told the hubby to go get me a new modem, stat!
Day 3: My husband in his infinite technological wisdom decided he would go buy his own wireless modem in case our now aging wireless router also decided to take a dive. He was assured by the cable geek at the end of the endless electronic phone call that this is ok and he would have no problem hooking it up. He made the sojourn to Best Buy and bought a shiny new Motorolo modem which promised to have me up and running again in no time.
By now I'm practically frothing at the mouth and having hot and cold flashes ( no not those kind) I had no idea how integral the Internet had become in my daily life. It seemed like every function I had to preform was somehow tied to the web. I had important stuff going on: last minute book edits before my printing deadline next week, changes in fabric samples for the Window Fashions Expo, Blog stalking, etc.
Day 4: The hubby hooks up the new modem and makes yet another techno call to the cable co. He endures the 1/2 hour set up interview and finally gets to a live human. They say they have done everything they can do on their end and there must be a hardware problem on our end. My husbands head is about to explode!!!! He reins in his furor and asks them to schedule an appointment ASAP noting that we had already been without cable for an unacceptable four days. They said the earliest possible appointment was in four days. A few expletives later and the appointment was set.
Four days - how could I go another four days? I thought of my pal Joni trapped last year in Houston after the hurricane for days with no Internet hunkered in her car listening to the radio for any kind of information. Would it come to that for me? How would I survive?
Day 5: Decided to take the laptop which was gasping for it's last breath to the Coffee Bean my hubby's home away from home and hook up to their wi-fi. I got it fired up, logged on and the damn thing crashed immediately. After several tries it was clear that this was not going to happen. Had to take the laptop to Best Buy, home of the non-functioning brand new modem for a diagnostic to see what the heck was wrong with it.
Had to make actual phone calls to people and talk to them voice to voice to let them know that I had not been kidnapped by South American terrorists, I had just lost my Internet connection. They all gave me that, oh-I understand, response that makes you feel like you just told your third grade teacher that your dog ate your homework. Much fun!!!
Fast forward Day 7: I am awaiting the cable man with all of the anticipation of an addict looking to score some crystal meth. Every time the dogs bark I run to the front door only to be disappointed. Finally 3:38 he arrives - my hero - here to free me from the prison of electronic solitude. He fiddles around with the equipment outside - he fiddles around with equipment inside - he calls someone on the phone and says " I don't know what the problem is here, it must be on your end. A bitter battle ensues between service technician and phone operator. It's your fault - no it's your fault. The grand conclusion - we can't hook up your new modem. We don't know why but we just can't.
My response - I don't care what you do, I don't care what it costs, I just want my freaking. &***%*#(#***$*$**%*%* cable working NOW!!!!!!!!! The solution - they sold me their $50 cable modem that is the exact same model as the one the hubby bought except for the fact that it is not wireless. Miraculously he plugged that thing in and the little row of lights that had remained blinking on the other modem all week lit up like a Christmas tree on this one.
My husband is now looking forward to yet another trip to Best Buy to try to return his modem purchase. Perhaps he can pick up my laptop which has supposedly been repaired after $385.00 labor charge and a brand spanking new hard drive. What are my chances that it will actually work?
By the way - Hope you enjoyed the preview of some of my new fabrics. I'm making progress and they should be ready to launch in July!!! We are previewing samples at the Window Fashions Expo and Quilt Inc show this month - I'm so excited ! Sorry for the crappy photography but I am having camera issues as well!
I'd like to think that I am a thoughtful person but in truth over the past few years under the pressure of work and family and everything else that comes along I think I have lost touch with my thoughtfulness. I went to lunch yesterday with a group of my best girlfriends whom I have know since junior high school. It was my "best friend" Danette's birthday and we got together to celebrate.
Here we are in all of our "creeping up on 50" glory. Danette is the beauty at the center of the table in the black shirt. She makes sure we all do her birthday justice. As we sat down to lunch one of my friends Janie, had brought everyone a small party gift. Mine was this little blue bird of happiness nestled in a tiny straw bed with a darling little note that says happiness on it. What a thoughtful and loving gesture that was, it made everyone's day a bit brighter, why don't I do stuff like that anymore. I make excuses for my lack of interaction and participation in life because of my ridiculous overindulgence in work but in reality I am making a poor choice in neglecting some of the most important things in life, friends and family.
I'm making a pledge to myself to make more time for the good things in life and to be a more thoughtful person. Thanks Janie, your little birdie lit up my day.
Normally when I get an early morning phone call it's either a telemarketer or bad news so when the phone rang this morning at 7:30 am my first thought was oh lord what is the problem this morning. Imagine how surprised I was to find Grace McNamara, president and CEO of Grace McNamara Inc., on the line. I tried not to act like I had just woken up but I was a bit fuzzy. She was calling, she said, to congratulate me as I am going to be recognized as the 2009 "Industry Rising Star" at the WOW! awards at the International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta on May 13.
I am so excited and honored to be receiving this award and it will make my trip to Atlanta all the more thrilling. I am so glad now that I had decided to bring my daughter along. Now she can really see her mom in action!
Thanks to Grace McNamara and everyone at Visions magazine for thinking of me and giving me such a nice pat on the back.. Believe me, when you work as I do now, alone in your own self imposed bubble, it can sometimes be hard to gauge if what you are trying to do is having any effect. It is so gratifying to have my hard work recognized so I can be sure I'm not just doing this for myself. I truly appreciate this honor and I can't wait to get my Gracie!
See you in Atlanta.......
In other blogging news, three fabulously funny, knowledgeable and entertaining bloggers have joined forces to bring you the "hot off the presses" news, and hopefully the down and dirty gossip and rumor that make up the pulse of the design world. Broadcasting via podcast you can now hear them as well as read their posts on their new joint venture blog The Skirted Roundtable.
For those of you were witness to the original skirted table scandal of 2008, you will understand the deep meaning of the blogs name. One can only hope that this new venue will generate that same kind of spirited debate!
In the Fabric World: New book deals seem to be popping up everywhere. I'm taking this as a fantastic sign of economic recovery. Two fabulously talented bloggers have been tapped by Wiley & Sons for what sounds like a very interesting new concept in book writing.
Mellisa Averinos of Yummy Goods, designer of a new fabric line Sugar Snap is writing a book that will be a companion to one being written at the same time by Sandi Henderson of Portabello Pixie.
They will apparently be writing on similar topics and the two books will be published at the same time. I can't wait to see the finished product.
Wiley & Sons is the publisher of another blogger, artist and fabric designer, Anna Maria Horners new book, Seams to Me which is a great book for beginners.
It is an amazing world we live in, filled with the most talented and creative people! I'm just glad to be a part of it. Good luck on all of your new adventures girls and remember to enjoy the journey!
That's the grand total of pages in the Design Directory of Bedding! My fabulous editor Madge and the talented designers and book makers at Gibbs Smith have been working hard to finish the layout and edit the text of the book and it's finally done. I just sent in my final revisions and edits and now the next step is to send it off to the printer.
I love to see how the book designer lays out the chapters. For this book she has chosen to fade out my illustrations to highlight the portion of the bed that is the subject of the chapter. Pretty cool Eh?
It is so exciting to see a book coming together with all of the bells and whistles in place.
I can't wait to show you the whole thing once it comes back from the printers as a real book! But we'll have to wait until October!
I cannot believe that our relationship has deteriorated to this level after starting off so well. It was love at first site the first time I saw your size double 0, evening gown clad figure striking your signature "I'm so beautiful I must turn my back to the public or they will be overwhelmed" pose in front of one of your fabulously glamorous interiors. I was overcome with pride when you were photographed doing dishes in a ball gown and dripping with jewels. I made pilgrimages to the Viceroy in Santa Monica and Bergdorf Goodmans in NY just to be near you. But despite my devotion you have made a lot of promises that you just haven't kept.
You promised to fill the world with a new glamour and sophistication and yet you let yourself go to this! Where is the glitz, the glam, the lush opulance that you told us was the basis of good design? I think the honeymoon is over and you just don't care anymore. When I saw this I knew that you had given up on us.
Somewhere in the back of mind I still hoped that you would come to your senses and pull it together for the sake of our relationship but today I saw this!
Are you trying to drive me away? How can you expect me to accept this? Don't my feelings mean anything to you anymore?
I realize that I am just a mere mortal but I know when someone is phoning it in. I think it's time for us to take a break.
Call me when you 're ready to get serious again. Until then I'll think of you fondly as you were when we first met.
Seriously people, is it just me? Am I missing something? Is there some subtle level of sophistication that I am unable to detect? I thought 70's decor sucked the first time around - why are they trying to bring it back? Are there no original ideas out there anymore?
I've been sewing since I left the womb and as long as I have been at it, which is far more years than I can recall, it was never considered "hip". Well, I received an email today from Urban Outfitters that rocked me to my core. They , Urban Outfitters that is, home of the hipster, young trendsetter, location of the virtual tipping point, have declared to the world that Sewing is now Hip!!!!
OMG - imagine my joy!! There in front of my eyes this morning was a hipped up, retro inspired, Singer sewing machine, offered for sale to the impressionable young people of the world. Just when I thought the world of home sewing was gasping it's last breath the recession has given it some much need oxygen and apparently a hit of steroids and human growth hormone.
Here it is, the object of my exuberant jubilation. Looks very similar to the one my sister and I spent years sewing on, although ours had a yellowed enamel finish that was chipped up and rusty underneath. Like many of my generation, we learned to sew on an old fashioned Singer pedal machine. Then we graduated to a child's Singer that was great for sewing doll clothes. My sister was a Sears machine girl, while I was and still am a Viking machine fan ( I have two that cost me more than a cheap car in India!).
My Vikings
This machine is billed as Singers commercial grade machine but it looks very similar to my old basic Singer. I wish I had pictures of my old machine so I could compare.
I must admit that seeing this machine has really touched off some serious nostalgia for me. Sewing was and still is a great escape for me from the stress and monotony in life. When I am sewing I have the freedom to create anything. There are no limitations aside from my skill level. I can be a high fashion designer, a maker of toys and beautiful clothes for my children, a creator of fantastic gifts for my friends and family, or a fabulous interior designer creating unique decor for my home. Sewing allowed me to live a lifestyle that I would otherwise never have been able to achieve. My kids were always dressed to the nines in adorable trendy outfits that I made them despite my very limited budget. I was always able to have a new outfit anytime I wanted one - I just made it! I made extra income by sewing clothes for my friends, custom wedding dresses, and beautiful ballgowns. Later my knowledge of sewing helped me become a better Interior Designer and eventually helped me in writing my books and designing fabric. I would not be the person I am today if I had never learned to sew.
Urban Outfitters is also selling a collection of sewing, DIY and craft books and supplies including vintage inspired buttons and appliques.
UOis not the only large retailer to jump on the sewing bandwagon lately. Target has always had a small sewing section in which they used to offer one or two sewing machines for sale. At my last visit my local store had no less than six different machines including this adorable Hello Kitty machine for little sewers. They also seem to be expanding their selection of notions, and accompanying equipment such as irons and steamers.
I am a lifelong doodler. Sometimes I compare it to what spirit writing must be like. When I doodle it is just an unconscious flow of information from the mind to the hand. I don't usually think about what I am doing it just happens.
I have been surprised to see a few very high profile articles and news stories lately on the practice of doodling and its many newly discovered beneficial effects. I've been a long time doodler and for me it has always been a subconscious habit that many times I am not even aware of until I look down at my paper and see that it is covered with unintelligible repetitive patterns and words. I doodle on anything that is within reach which can be a very big problem. I've doodled over important information like client's phone numbers or vital measurements for a job. I doodled on checks, tax documents, even a certificate of completion for a course I took once. I've spent a lot of time trying to decipher the important information underneath the doodles that are covering it.
Most of my doodling occurs when I am on the phone. I seem to have a deep rooted need to always be doing something with my hands and this subconscious need rears its ugly head when I'm listening to phone conversations. I don't just draw shapes and patterns I also write words over and over. Profound words like yeah and okay. I don't know why, it's just something I am compelled to do. The doodles above are the cleanest examples I could find. Most of my doodled pages are a big mess and show no creativity whatsoever. But since this is a post about artistic doodling I have cheated and included some reasonably legible doodles.
an example of the work of a serious doodler via Flikr
Susan Smalley of The Huffington Post published this article entitled:
Doodling and the Wandering Mind
"Doodling is the expression of a wandering mind and new research is suggesting that a wandering mind may be a good thing for humanity. A wandering mind appears to be a time when our brains are not 'doing' but rather 'being' and in that state (called a default brain state) we seem to increase in self-awareness (Raichleetal., 2001; Lou etal., 2004). By that I mean we gain a greater intuitive understanding of 'who we are' in relation to our bodies, thoughts, feelings, and actions, to others, and the universe at large. This increase in intuitive self-awareness may be a key to authentic happiness (Cloninger, Feeling Good, 2004)."
This article by the BBC sites statistical data and scientific studies that are showing significant benefits of doodling.
Doodling May Help Memory Recall
"Doodling may look messy, but it could .in fact be a sign of an alert mind, a study suggests."
"Plymouth University researchers carried out memory tests on 40 volunteers, asking them to listen to a phone call and recall names and places. Doodlers performed 29% better than non-doodlers, the team found."
I recently stumbled across a company that has systematized the doodling process for "non-artistic", "art phobic" and novice doodlers as well as the artfully inclined. They give instruction on their form of doodling called Zentangles. You can buy a beautifully put together kit which includes squares of special paper that they say are the perfect size and quality for creating your original doodle artwork. A pencil, and a Micron Pigment pen ( My personal fav and what I do all of my illustrations with) and an instruction booklet and CD. The whole thing is enclosed in a classy looking box. The kit is pricey at $50 but I think it would make a great gift. (hint - hint)
Zentangle
The Zentangles crew give seminars about their process and are encouraging children to tap into their creativity. As you know, I am a huge fan of anyone who can instill a love of art in children - a sorely neglected aspect of our kids lives!
Here are a group of kids from a Montessori school checking out their artistic handy work.
Apparently there is currently a popular artistic movement that encourages doodling and some of the resulting work is quite amazing. Just search doodles on Flikr! You'll be amazed at the art people have posted.
One self proclaimed doodler I found on Flikr is Margaret Storer-Roche'. Her work is amazing and she obviously has a lot of natural talent. Her doodles range from totally abstract to providing little commentaries on moments in her life.
She has turned these doodles into cards on her website / blog Water Blossoms She seems to like hearts and has a whole series of these heart shaped images.
She uses colored pens, black pens, pencil, and watercolor.
I love this image and the vibrant color. She often incorporates little statements or quotes into her drawings. I think I see a Mary Emerling influence here.
Here are a couple of examples using a variation in pen colors.
I am very happy to share my original artwork and photography to my friends here on this blog but it may not be copied or otherwise reproduced without the express written permission of Jackie Von Tobel . All rights reserved, copyright 2008 Jackie Von Tobel
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