It’s Labor Day, September 3rd. I suggested to Mark that we have a cook-out as summer begins now in the city! The rest of the country shows signs of fall and yet our best months, September and October, are coming to San Francisco! The fog, wind and chill of August receding, thank God!
Hopefully Words and Watercolors will keep heating up as well as we move into the 4th qtr. Though I’ve been thinking of writing blog updates the past week plus, I was either driving in my car, out walking, or doing any of the myriad of things I’ve been doing…Now it’s a quiet Monday morning and I am finally taking/creating the time to update my blog….
So many good things to report…I thoroughly enJOYed the Far West Nursery Trade Show in Portland. First of all it’s in Portland, a city I absolutely adore. Secondly, I received great feedback from people at my booth, wrote some good orders and have lots of good leads for follow up and follow through. I also got to meet with my OR reps, Sharon and Connie and get to know them. That is PRICELESS! Third, I got to stay with my good friends Eve and Paul plus see other friends from my carpet selling days. All in all, I was quite satisfied as I packed up my booth on Saturday the 25th and headed up the I-5 corridor for Seattle and a visit with my kids.
I drove into West Seattle on Saturday evening, picked up my lovely daughter at her house and headed down to “the Junction” to see my son at Seattle Fish Company. He cooked up a delicious grilled salmon dinner for me paired with a glass of wine. The next day dawned a perfect summer Northwest Sunday and I felt blessed to have both my kids join me on a little hike out at Tiger Mountain, just like we used to do “back in the day” when they were little and I’d coerce them with M&M’s and string cheese! Bob, Emily and I were a tight knit little family the 10 years I was a “single Mom” and the chance to spend time with them fills me with such JOY!
Besides being able to spend time with my children, I met with a company that does quilting fabric in Seattle. At the NYC Stationery Show in May, 2 women stopped by my booth intrigued with the Citrus Fruit image hanging on a poster in my booth. Thankfully after exchanging emails and knowing I’d be coming to Seattle in August, they asked if I’d be willing to prepare a submission which included that citrus fruit image and another. Sarah, graphic designer extraordinaire, and I came up with 2 submissions of collections. John, my angel of a printer, printed the images on 11×17 paper and I presented the collections last week in Seattle. I loved it as they ohhhed and ahhhed turning over each image, lining them up in the various colorways and patterns to view as the collection. I loved the fact that when I asked if we had gotten it right, they replied with an emphatic YES! Sarah and I wouldn’t even have to tweak the collection, as we thought we would do, they told us they’d take the images and make the few changes required. We would be involved through the process with reviews along the way…and we could expect to see the collection in quilting fabric stores within a year!! To receive my first licensing contract, on my own, is a thrill I can’t describe in words. As expected, I was besides myself when they offered me the license! Life is GOOD!!! My dreams are unfolding…..
I’ve got lots more to share but I’m going to stop and go for a hike on this lovely, sunny, Labor Day and hope to write again sooner rather than later….sharing more good news!! In the meantime, some pics of the Far West Show and my trip to Seattle….