My beloved hairdresser has been doing my hair for about 25 years or so now.  Well, except for the two years she moved to Oman and the two years I moved to Sarasota…. Other than those bad-hair years, I always bring her a bottle of her favorite wine for both her birthday and Christmas.  Not much thinking outside the gift box there, eh?

This year I decided to dress the bottle up more than a nice big ribbon or a fancy bag.  I printed out a label made from my latest pattern collection ~ Libby ~ and wrapped it around the bottle as well as the neck, securing them with double-sided tape.  Then I finished it off with some twisted wire & coordinating beads.  Much fancier than a bow, don’t you think?

I do, for the most part.   There is, of course, always going to be something that you’re not going to enjoy about your work, no matter how much you love it.  Personally, I detest bookkeeping and marketing, but these are necessary evils (that’s right I said evils ~ right up there with getting my hair done).

But overall, I believe this simple statement is the best advice you could give or get. And, it is a theme I hear and read, running through every interview with a successful working artist~ they are doing what they love.

I made this sign for a freind’s birthday many years ago as well as one for my own studio.  I look at it often and think: Am I doing what I love right now?  If not ~ why?

Well, I’ve been a bad blogger, haven’t I?  More like a busy blogger who hasn’t been busy blogging!

The Atlanta show was good.  The weather was actually quite pleasant and the rain held off.  One of the best parts was that both of my flights were on time ~ that hasn’t happened in years!

Love the new fountain in The Gardens…

Let’s see….the show….had a few good appointments, did a little damage in the Cash & Carry, and walked a lot of show.

Had some great meet-ups with art gal pals and excellent dinners with lots of laughs.

Carol Eldridge, Joyce Shelton, Barb Barnett & myself at the newly-remodeled Ritz Bar, Lumen for a little after-show happy hour.

Joyce & I had a fantastic dinner at Trader Vic’s.  Love their Mai Tais!

Me, Carol Eldridge & Joyce Shelton at the American Grill in the Ritz…

Phyllis Dobbs, Joyce Shelton, Barb Barnett, Brenda Pinnick, myself & Carol Eldridge after a fun-filled dinner at Azio’s…

I can’t say that there was anything new and exiting being debuted at this show.  A lot of same-old same-old, but that is to be expected as manufacturers are being very cautious.  But business was being done, orders were being written and the atmosphere was one of ongoing cautious hope.  One thing that stood out were monograms & initials everywhere on everything.  I have a feeling that trend will be more of a fad as retailers will find it hard to stock these items.  But we’ll see…

Besides my show prep & follow up, I’ve had a lot of fun projects in-house lately.  For many years, I have done work for a company creating designs with their Disney licenses (although I sometimes also work with Curious George, Peanuts, Spongebob, etc. as well).  It’s really kinda fun and helps between royalty checks!  I’d love to show them to you, but think that they might frown on that…..copyrights and all that!

I’ve been enjoying riding my bicycle.  I am fortunate enough to have a few miles of connecting paths through parks in my neighborhood….

I’ve even managed to get some summer reading in, although I can’t say I’ve read anything that has knocked my socks off lately ~ recommendations anybody?  (I like fiction, but not so much genre best sellers)

On a non-fiction note, this book is fascinating! It gives you loads of information about the things you buy regularly and what might be a better alternative.

Next week I will be heading to Orlando for a couple days for the CHA show.  I am looking forward to it as I have not been to CHA for a few years.  My to-do list is 3 pages long, so I best get back to it.  I’ll try to be a better blogger!