Hey there my Lovelies!

You didn’t keel over from the shock of seeing a post from me, did you?

Ah, you know, my needles have been quiet while I write books and my nesting inspiration has been severely suppressed as I bide my time until we leave this tiny townhouse.

I didn’t feel like I had anything exciting to share. Yes, Mr. Excitement hasn’t visited our house in like forever. That elusive cheer-maker paid us a visit a few weeks ago, though.

Hubs works for the military so we knew a job transfer to Germany was a possibility, but I always thought it was a long shot … like winning the lottery long shot.

Turns out it isn’t such a long shot after all. It turns out that the odds are very, very, VERY good!

To say I’m excited is an understatement. I should record my audible squeal as I write this and upload it just so you’d understand. I would love to move to Germany!

My dad was in the U.S. Army, my mom is German, I was born in Germany and I spent many years there including those all important preteen/early teen years. We left Germany for the last time when I was 13 going on 14. It was a rough move for me, a rough age to leave friends, right?

Memories of good times in Germany contribute to my excitement, I’m sure.

To give you an idea of how long it’s been, the Iron Curtain was still up when we left. I have long lost family in what was East Germany. I’d love to see where my mother grew up and what was the family homestead before World War II.

And there’s the whole living in Europe as an adult thing.

Here’s what I’ve been dreaming of:

• Munich flea market
• Paris flea market
• Brussels flea market
• Berlin flea market
• Lyon flea market
• Euro-antiques big and small
• a yarns of Scandinavia tour
• a Cognac tour through France
• a Mosel wine tour through Germany
• and, yeah, a Rhine wine tour through Germany
• a chocolate tour through Belgium
• maybe a cheese tour of Switzerland

Vintiques, yarn, food and drink. LOL.

My imagination has run wild. My hopes are sky high.

Here’s hoping that Mr. Excitement sticks around to make it all pan out, huh? In the meantime, I’ll keep dreaming

If you think you can take a gazillion pinned pieces of all of the above join me on Pinterest. I just signed up.

This story starts with a sweet reader who bought some of the cutlery pens leftover from when A Lovely Thing was an eshop. There are a few more available; you’ll find the link ~~> over there on the sidebar if you’re interested. That sweet customer also bought my book! That link’s over there, too.

So, I packaged the pens she selected, carefully wrapping them in bubble wrap so they wouldn’t bounce around. Printed out a label, taped it all up and, on my way in to work, dropped off the package at the U.S. Post Office that is right across from my day job. Yes, it is a was very handy location.

Apparently, my package looked like a football and was used for punting practice. It had been opened, too. The bubble wrap was ripped. The pens jingled around loosely in the box that was returned to me a full week later. Look at the box again.

It’s priority mail, for Pete’s sake!

It was returned for more postage. I had printed a label for a flat rate box. This clearly isn’t a flat rate box. My mistake. I own up to it. Is that an excuse to kick it around? I guess it was necessary to teach the cheating customer a lesson. Never mind that I’ve been shipping priority mail since it became available and never had a problem like this before.

And maybe the post office is sensitive to contraband in the mail and had to check the contents. That’s fine. With everything going on in the world, I’m cool with security. But when they find that the contents are benign, can they wrap it back properly?

Anyone who has had to contact a customer with bad news knows the sick feeling you get in your stomach. I had to email my sweet customer that the pens she expected in four days were back at my door. She had every right to be ticked off, but she wasn’t. That’s why I call her a sweet customer!

Fortunately, the pens weren’t damaged. I repackaged them and took them to the post office early next morning. I took the beat up box with me. As angry as I was, I was polite. The last thing I wanted was for the crisp new package to be stomped on, again.

The clerk looked at the crumpled box and then at me like “what do you want me to do about it?”. The man had surly, defensive attitude. When I asked about the postage already paid, he said it went to it’s destination and the other end sent it back for postage due.

Are you freaking kidding me? I wanted to scream. It got to my customer’s door and was sent back for a few bucks!?

Another clerk stepped in. He said that the label can be reused if I cut it off and put it on the crisp new package. Okay. I asked for scissors. Begrudgingly the first clerk dug one out of his drawer.

Then, I needed tape to attach it to the new package. “We don’t supply tape,” said a third clerk. He must have sensed that I was about to blow, because the second clerk handed me a tape dispenser.

While I cut and taped, I asked whether USPS had a system where customers can put a credit card on file to be billed for postage due so this wouldn’t happen again. All three clerks laughed at my question. I thought it was a great idea.

I put the label on, paid the extra postage and quietly left. Again, I was afraid my package would be taken in the back and punt kicked if I said one thing wrong. That’s a terrible way for a customer to feel, isn’t it? But I bet I’m not the only one.

And THEY NEVER ONCE APOLOGIZED for the condition of the box.

As I started my car and drove away, my angry mind vowed never to use USPS again. After all, the UPS store is right next door.

HGTV's 2011 Design Star Winner, Meg Caswell

Confession. I stopped watching this season’s HGTV Design Star around the third or fourth episode. Same with the Next Food Network Star. As I said before, these kinds of competition shows were stressing me out and I didn’t need that.

Just now, though, I caught the Design Star finale followed by Meg Caswell’s new show, Great Rooms. She did a kitchen and OMG I love it!

Congratulations, Meg! You obviously deserved the win. Oh, and please, please, please come to Colorado and do my kitchen!

I just laughed. It’s the best way to deal with mom’s bitch sessions.

Then I remembered the first time some youngin’ called me ma’am. I swear, I wanted to slap the fresh-faced little kid. I was in my 30′s at the time and I think the kid was 10 or 11.

Ma’am is something you called old ladies. I am was certainly not old. Don’t you dare call me ma’am!

So, yeah, it probably isn’t American kids-these-days being disrespectful to their elders. I think adults stopped teaching kids to say ma’am and sir, because adults don’t want to feel like elders.

I mean, I’m positive the kid sensed my reaction. I recovered the best I could and told him to call me by my first name. He did, but prefaced it with Miss from then on. That was sure better than ma’am! His parents were old-fashioned and strict. I’m sure the kid continued to address women that way. But any other kid, who got a reaction like mine, may have thought twice about using the word ma’am ever again.

It makes me wonder what else we give kids mixed signals on based on the generation we belong to. Maybe we should blame their behavior on adults-these-days.

We’ve both been working extra hours – me writing a novel and, oh my GAWD the house was awful. And the worse it got the less either one of us wanted to tackle it.

So, yeah, she came yesterday while I was at work. For $65 she cleaned three bathrooms, a kitchen, dusted every single surface on all three floors, vacuumed all three floors – including the stairs (I hate doing the stairs!) and wiped down the interior windows as well as the glass on the French doors leading to the bedroom.

I’m sold. I really am. Walking into a clean house on a Friday night – beat from a week on the day job, wanting to spend my weekend writing – was one of the most awesome feelings of relief I’ve ever felt. I can’t believe I was dumb enough not to hire help sooner.

Hubs said he’ll pay for once a month. I’m going to pay for a second time per month to have her come in about every other week.

Oh, oh, wait. I didn’t tell you the funniest part. The hubs was home yesterday – his office does the alternate work schedule so that they get every other Friday off. Before the cleaning lady came, he: picked up all his crap shoes, papers and clothes; washed a couple loads of laundry; put away his coffee fixin’s that he always leaves out; and generally just picked up after himself finally. I’m thinking that ALONE is worth $65.

Do you have a cleaning lady person? Isn’t she, or he, worth their weight in gold? I think I’ll leave her chocolates next time as a big old THANK YOU.

Clock I want

Love! Other clock I want. It's the German in me that loves GILT!

The upholstery is god-awful.

But ooooh, the detail!

Not that old, but oh so fancy!

Love the center one with slots for coins.

Exterior of the compacts

No, I’m not going to the auction. But I’m so happy to have my swoon-capacity back!

The most recent run of dominoes is very exciting.

Losing my TV job to downsizing was the first domino. Diving wholeheartedly into the antiques biz to supplement the unemployment checks was the next domino. That experience led to writing the ebook Selling in an Antique Mall. Researching how-to create and sell an ebook led to stumbling onto the indie author industry that, thanks to technology, is just exploding.

Oh my god, people! Indie authors are actually earning a decent living. Holy smokes! I gotta get in on this. I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller ala Joss Whedon – that’s why I went into TV in the first place. Too bad I wound up producing mostly news promos on disturbing sh!t like the Columbine shooting.

Oh my god, people! Here’s a chance to really live my dream. I grabbed that domino with two fists and wandered off to a corner to write a young adult novel.*

Exciting stuff, no? And I got here by losing my job.

Now, A Lovely Thing is a do-it-yourself kind of blog, and I’m a do-it-yourself kind of person. So, I’m not going to proclaim that something magical puts the bones** in place.

Yes, some of dominos in our lives are placed by other people. Most dominos, though, we put in place ourselves. The job-layoff domino was put there by some guy at big-TV-company headquarters, but that antique mall domino was all me.

Recognizing that that biz experience was worthy of a book was all me, too, so was researching and the aforementioned stumbling.

The indie market domino was placed by other people – many other people, both writers and techie people at Amazon. Writing the novel was my domino.

You get the idea.

I’m going to place more dominos in the form of writing more books.

Expect a blow-by-blow feature on A Lovely Thing on a regular basis. Once the book is up for sale, I’ll even post numbers of sales and profit, and probably have a few cries when the dominos go askew

How are the dominos falling in your life? Do share!

*It’s under a pen name and will be published this fall. I may or may not share my alter ego here in the future.

**bones is slang for dominos

Doris Day

Doris Day often played the girl-next-door, but granny? Uh no.

Judy Garland

There’s some debate as to whether the needles in Judy’s hands were prop or real. Who cares? The point is she ain’t no grandma!

Jayne Mansfield

Pin up? Yes. Grandmother? No!

Ingrid Berman

Even while in makeup, the needles must work!

Ginger Rogers

Nimble with her hands as well as her feet.

Katherine Hepburn

The Hollywood epitome of style and glamor knit in public. Take your project with you wherever you go and don’t hesitate to whip out that yarn, ladies. We, too, can be STARS!

Okay, TV producers, showrunners and programmers, enough. I can’t take it anymore. Uncle, uncle, UNCLE! No more stressful shows, please!

I’m Boycotting

I’m talking about challenge shows – those reality TV shows where people compete in various ways for various rewards. Chopped, Next Top Chef, Design Star, cake bakers — you know the shows I’m talking about.

Well, they stress me out! I learned just how much they bug me on a Sunday morning. There was the calm, the lovely Sandra Lee (of Semi Homemade) showing me a lovely, calm tablescape and wishing me a great day. Ah, how nice. Then, boom, Chopped came on with its stressful contenders … and I just had to change the channel.

I’m so done with those shows! Join me in my boycott, won’t you?

What I Want to Watch

1. Useful and informative shows that teach me something. Food Network and HGTV, I’m talking to YOU! I know those reality shows are cheap to produce. But you get what  you pay for. I want more stuff like Sarah’s House. DIY Network? Pffft, I stopped watching you when Knitty Gritty got canned. Boo to you!

2. Smart scripted drama and comedy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a good past example. Hot in Cleveland is a current bar to hit.

Please, oh please, can we be done with reality shows?

I carry around a lot of sh!t – a laptop with all the paraphernalia, notebooks, knitting with all the paraphernalia, my lunch, an iPhone with all its paraphernalia, and oh so much more. I go through totes like most people go through paper towels.

Fossil's Vintage Messenger bag is a contender.

So, instead of buying any old piece of discount store junk, this time I’m on the hunt for a tote that will really stand up to me and all my sh!t. I’m thinking sturdy leather … and pockets, I want lots of pockets.

On this hunt for this superior tote, I went to TJMaxx/Homegoods. I didn’t find a tote, but walked out with an epiphany.

You see, once upon a time, I’d want to buy everything I saw at Homegoods – rugs, dishes, lamps, side tables, just about everything in the place appealed to me. Yesterday while shopping for a tote? Nothing appealed to me.

Did I grow out of home decor shopping? Am I becoming more frugal in my old age? Or is it the tiny townhouse (that I hate) nipping my decorating desire in the butt?

Or maybe I’m just too focused on finding a tote.

Whatever the reason, since I saved all that money buying nothing at Homegoods, I have more to spend on a bag – like the $168 Fossil vintage messenger bag that I’ve been eying online. That’s sound logic, right?

You’re a creative person. Yes, you ARE! Look. Don’t argue with me, okay.

Must you be a masterful oil painter? A talented costume designer? A focused photographer? I say NO! None of that has anything to do with creating a creative life for yourself.

How do you create a creative life, then?

Be inspired and be an inspiration to others on a daily basis.

That’s it! Simple isn’t it?

Creating a creative life has nothing at all to do with being an artist. It doesn’t matter at all if you can only draw stick figures, or boiling water is the extent of your culinary expertise. You don’t need to knit and crochet like me – though I highly recommend it!

You are a Creative Person if you don’t accept the ordinary.

If you’ve ever tweaked anything – a recipe, an outfit, your makeup routine – anything at all, you’re creative. If you’ve ever mixed bedding or dishes from different manufacturers rather than using all the parts of a line, you’re creative.

If you’ve ever fallen in love with a piece of art, handcrafted furniture or a lovingly stitched quilt, you are a creative person.

You can create a creative life by appreciating originality – whether it’s your own originality or someone elses. Creative people find most every interesting. Being creative means eschewing everything and anything cookie cutter. It means wanting to surround yourself with unique, original objects, either made by you or someone else.

You can create a creative life and not create things yourself. How? Well, you can buy works from artists and crafters, sewers and knitters, painters and carpenters. Commission a skilled artist to create an original piece just for you. Attend craft fairs and art shows. Look around your town. Hang out at a yarn shop and ask the proprietors about needle artists for hire. You’ll find crafts people everywhere. Or try Etsy’s alchemy to find and commission crafts people online.

I disagree! Plunk a symbolized crochet pattern in front a skilled hooker anywhere in the world and he or she will be able to read it. I call it crochetonese.

Russian.

Portuguese.

German.

Japanese.

Which language is this chart? Crochetonese of course. 

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. ~ Andrew Carnegie

You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy. ~ Garth Brooks

Enjoy!

Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. ~ Elvis Presley

You and everyone else who comes into contact with this person is baffled. Here’s this great talent going to complete waste. “WTF”, you say to yourself, “if I could draw like that/cook like that/style a room like that/write like that, I’d use it for sure. Maybe even start a business with that talent.”

What’s Your Talent?

Well, how much do you want to bet that you have a talent that you’re not recognizing in yourself? It’s probably something that other people find difficult, but comes really easy to you. You may even get annoyed with other people. You don’t understand why they have such a problem when it’s so easy.

What talent are you stifling and not using to its full potential? Don’t say none, because that just isn’t true. All of us are talented in some way. Find yours and set it free! I’ve finally done just that and it feels great.

Why’d It Take So Long?

It took me awhile to get here and I’ve got some great excuses, too.

The primary reason is that I wasn’t sure that I could earn a living writing. Taking months and years writing something that may never get published seemed like an awfully big risk. That was a legitimate excuse. The odds of getting published in the traditional way were very slim. When the rent’s due, so to speak, I’d rather put my eggs (time) in another basket that had a better margin (job, business).

I know. That’s not a very confident way of looking at things, but that was my rationale. Keeping a roof over my head was my priority – as it is for most of us. Spending time writing wasn’t the best way to do that.

Now that ebooks, of which I’ve been singing praises, have increased the odds in the author’s favor, reason #1 isn’t a valid excuse anymore. I can, with work and toil and marketing, actually earn a living writing.

Fear was reason #2. What if I really suck? What if my talent isn’t a talent at all and my friends are just being polite by indulging my delusions? I wasn’t ready to put my writing self-esteem on the line … until now. I don’t know why I’m suddenly ready to face this fear, but I am. Eff you, FEAR!

Are You a Late Bloomer?

Maybe it’s age. Just put me with late-bloomers Julia Child, Martha Stewart, Grandma Moses, Colonel Saunders and Laura Ingalls Wilder – who was in her 60s when Little House on the Prairie was published. It takes some of us a little longer to get comfortable enough in our own skin to not give a flip what anyone else thinks of our work.

I’m doing it now.

Writing. It’s easy. It’s hard. But feels good — if that makes any sense.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. ~ Tony Robbins

The abbreviation “n” here stands for “narrow” and it’s described as:

Not very clear, is it?

If you want B vitamins without eating tons of red meat … definitely take a read

Never judge a book by its movie. ~ J. W. Eagan

Metallic threads make these stitches extra special. Click on this picture to get a larger version.

You get the idea. All the parts have to be perfectly created and be created in perfect order. It’s a method of working that I have tried to break myself of to no avail. Working a project out of order gives me hives and my brain shuts down tighter.

Then, when I can’t move on in the ABC project, I’ll want to start the XYZ project. And, when I get stuck there, I itch to begin another project for PQR.

But THEY Say …

But, I stop myself from starting anything new, because they say that too many WIPs (works in progress) are bad. And therein is the wrench in my wheels.

Variations on Brugges Lace. Again, click on the photo for a larger version.

If I get stuck and don’t allow myself the freedom to work on something else, the only thing that gets accomplished is staring at the ceiling and twitching in frustration.

Who are THEY? And Why Do THEY Rule Us?

What’s wrong with working the way I work? I’m most efficient when I have several projects to jump to and fro amongst.

It generates ideas, too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll have a golden breakthrough on project ABC when I’m working on PQR.

Screw THEY!

The danger, of course, is moving on to another project solely because the current one is getting too difficult.

That allows procrastination to rule.

There’s got to be a balance and I aim to find it for myself. I’ll allow myself more works in progress. But how many is the perfect number?

Hmmmm. Must go contemplate now.

It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. ~ Tom Brokaw

So, yeah, where was I?

Click the photo to go to the pattern.

eBooks

They really are fabulous. You can take an entire library with you. Read what you want, when you want. You can get a specific techno gadget*, or do what I did.

I downloaded the free Kindle and Nook apps to my smartphone — a techno gadget I already paid big bucks for, so why shell out more cash for another contraption for which I’d have to find room in my purse? Hmmm?

Yep. The phone is always with me, and so are dozens of books.

Indie Authors

I mentioned indie authors in another post. They’re another piece of fabulous-ness to the world of eBooks. The explosive growth of self-publishing has brought us an amazing array of fiction and nonfiction from which to choose. You are no longer limited to what is on a bookstore’s shelves.

Click the photo to go to the tutorial at One Pearl Button.

Little Bits of Time

Because I carry around a library in a 2.5 by 4.5 inch little smartphone, I’m able to take advantage of pockets of time – stuck in a traffic jam (that isn’t moving), waiting in a checkout line, waiting for a meeting to start, waiting for my husband to get his butt in gear … you get the idea. That allows me to read more of the books I want to read.

See? Told you. eBooks are fabulous. Get some!

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ~ Thomas Edison

Oh boy. Do I know a thing or two about failure. I won’t bore you with my really, super long list. And, I’m not going to lecture you either on the value of failure. I’ll let J.K. Rowling do that. She’s an amazing speaker as well as writer. Go get a fresh cuppa before clicking play. It’s 20 minutes long, but I promise you it will be worth it!

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t. ~ Erica Jong

Crocheted Dress

Take this crocheted dress. Isn’t it beautiful? If I had this youthful body, I’d make it and wear it – looking just as stuck up confident as this young lady. Once upon a time, hmmm, when I was 11, I think

Sigh. No. I won’t waste my time making this dress. I don’t read the language that the pattern is written in either. I think it’s Portuguese. Plus, I haven’t seen this brand of yarn in American stores.

So then why’d I bookmark the pattern?

It was the layers of lace in the skirt that caught my eye. I can adapt the pattern to a pillow or an afghan. Oooh, wouldn’t a dust ruffle be amazing? That is going on my queue to make!

The written part of the pattern is Greek to me,

but I can read the symbols!

Yes, indeedy, my fellow needlewomen, keep in mind the possibilities of the stitch patterns to use as you wish on other projects that better fit your lifestyle.

Vintage Storage

The same goes for vintage treasures. It’s no secret that I love vintage goodies …

… such as this old tarnished spooner. Instead of spoons for tea parties, this cutie holds a few of my crochet hooks.

Always at the ready, they sit on a vintage whatnot shelf intended to hang on a wall. The shelf works better for me tucked onto this window ledge. Storage, sure, but it also hides an ugly basement window well.

You should have been there when I found this vintage centerpiece at a thrift store. I was very rude to a lady who was eyeballing it. I swooped in, grabbed it and was gone before she even knew what had happened. It’s in perfect condition. Not a nick on it any where, even the glass frog. Originally intended to hold a floral arrangement, it keeps my x-acto knives and embroidery scissors. With the points safely tucked inside, I won’t hurt myself rummaging around in a drawer for them and the all important sharp tips will never get nicked.

Next to my scissors is a lovely vintage pink ceramic bread basket. I love bread, don’t get me wrong, but I’d rather the basket hold my lace bits.

Another vintage floral knickknack is perfect for bigger scissors and the rotary cutters. Ah, such a cute doggie – with manufacturer’s tag still on him! The attached drip pan keeps chalk and a couple of tiny nails.

Designers are (or were) creative people, too. I’m sure they don’t mind that we tweak their items to fit our lives. In fact, they might be pretty doggone pleased. Dontcha think?

The small act of paying attention can take you a long way.
~ Keanu Reeves

Recall, please, that Sue and I put together a little ebook for antique mall sellers.* The publishing research for that little gem of a project exposed me to some terrific indie authors who are bypassing traditional publishers and selling directly to readers.

Amanda Hocking

Have you heard of her? Not yet? Well, you probably will soon. She’s a very talented writer who was completely snubbed by the traditional publishing industry. It’s their loss. I’ve been reading Amanda’s Trylle Trilogy – as have thousands of other ebook buyers. It’s a story with trolls and princesses that’s fabulous. I’m on book three and I can’t wait to see how it ends. I’m rooting for the Princess.

What-She-Got?

Confession, here. I bought the first book in Amanda’s series, because I was curious. Here’s this chick selling thousands of ebooks, she’s on the Kindle best seller list, and, DAMN IT, could I write indie fiction, too? I wanted to see what-she-got and compare it to what-I-got. You dig?

Well, Amanda’s got talent. She has written a story that draws you into her make believe troll world. I love her characters, too. It’s not a formulaic sci-fi story. And that’s probably why the traditional publishing houses said no … and why her fans like me love it! We’re just not formula people.

I did notice typos here and there in Amanda’s books. It bugged me at first. Then, I got over it. Obviously, Amanda’s an indie-author without big publishing house editors to go over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. I’ll gladly overlook a few small errors as long as I get a good story. A producer has optioned The Trylle Trilogy for film, so I guess I’m not the only one.

Yeah, you’ll be hearing a lot more about Amanda Hocking. Bet on it.

Do-I-Got-It?

Of course, I like to think so. I love spinning a story and I’ve been told my entire life by different people that I’m pretty good at it. There’s only one way to find out, though – just keep writing. Then, when its ready, put it out there to expose the soft underbelly of my author’s self-esteem.

In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying many new reads from indie authors. By the way, ebooks are very portable. I’m reading more now than I have in years.

But sometimes, my ADD kicks in and I just want to cheat … with something pink.

Nothing serious, mind you, just something that provides instant satisfaction. Oh, the sweet temptation …

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. ~ Lance Armstrong

But I’m thinking that with a few modifications, they’d be beautiful ereader or iPad covers.

Maybe using lace instead of burlap? Those cameos, though, they really make the look, don’t they? Love, love, love this inspiration!

1.  Write the thing
2.  Write a synopsis
3.  Write a query
4.  Send the query to hundreds of agents
5.  Hope that one of those agents took you on as a client and pitched your work to editors at publishing houses
6.  Maybe, just maybe, one of those houses would see the value in your work
7.  The book would go through a lengthy editing process
8.  And eventually, hopefully, publish your book

Well, I’m assuming that’s sort of the flow of things. I haven’t worked in the book publishing industry. The real point I’m trying to make is that there were hoops – lots of hoops – to jump through if you wanted to be a published author.

Not Any More!

Tree books – books printed on paper – aren’t the only way to get your message out any more. In fact, ebooks are outselling tree books at a record pace. The fact that bookstores are closing is evidence of that. And, yes, I have mixed emotions about that. Bookstores and libraries are some of my favorite places and it looks like technology will hurt both – possibly drive them right out of existence.

The good news, though, about the changing reading and publishing world is that it has thrown the doors wide open for newbie writers in both nonfiction and fiction.

It also throws the doors wide open for readers. Since dipping my toes in the fledgling ebook world, I’ve discovered a few indie-authors who rock some great stories. I’ll share some of them with you here in the future. Many of these authors were rejected time after time by the book publishing establishment.

This is the Old Way

And I wonder how many fabulous stories were buried by that establishment over the decades and centuries? Those publishers in the skyscrapers have dictated what books will and will not be in bookstores.

Gatekeepers is a term I learned in journalism school. I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense at all. I worked in TV news and saw that most gatekeepers are very conscientious about the significance of their jobs. The economies of time and money demand that someone man the gates.

Publishing executives, no doubt, have personal preferences on the genre of books and writing styles they like. That’s gate number one. Gate number two is much more significant – will the book sell to a mass market? And it has to be a mass market, right? Professional editors, pagination folks, cover designers, publicists, etc. and so on, all those employees have to get paid. Firing up a massive press for 100′s of rolls of paper isn’t cheap either. Therefore, the gatekeepers select books based on the odds of whether those books will sell well. That’s the old way.

The New Way Doesn’t Need Gatekeepers

Digital publishing costs next to nothing. A computer, some software and a pinch of electricity are all it takes to publish a book these days. If a book doesn’t sell, eh? Not much money is lost and we can try again.

Authors can take that list at the top of this post and scratch off hoops 3-8. Those hoops are no longer necessary to get published.

That’s not to say that #1 on that list gets any easier. Writing well is still the number one hoop. That’s also not to say there aren’t new hoops. There are, but they aren’t as mysterious and difficult to get through.

Speaking of writing … I better stop musing about the publishing industry and get to work on my novel

If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else. ~ Yogi Berra

This idea has been in my file for a long time. While this crochet camera strap is pretty plain, I can imagine a fancier stitch, can't you? What about a knitted strap?

I’ll scan or save the idea to a computer file called Good Ideas, renaming the photo using words that describe what I found interesting about it.

Hate the colors, not fond of the tongue-like flaps, but love the idea of felted links to create the handle.

You can further define your Good Ideas file with folders such as neat clasps, fun stitches or great color combos.

Crochet a pretty grid to dress up a ready-made pillow for a quick custom look.

The key to a successful Good Ideas file is taking the time to look through it on occasion to help spur your creativity.

Another great idea to jazz up a ready-made item. These straw bags are a dime a dozen at thrift shops. Customize one in your favorite colors!

Do you keep a Good Ideas file? If so, what’s in your file?

“Set your course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship.” ~ Omar Bradley

Get the look by just adding a simple edging to a ready-made or quickly-sewn bag.

How about these for inspiration? I love the bottom one most.

Not just for bags … how about sleeve edgings, pants cuffs for girls, pillowcases or edging ready-made curtains?

Is there a little should-be devil perched on your shoulder who whispers in your ear “you’re the grown up and you really should be doing laundry, it’s piled pretty high, you know?”

Middle Finger Flick

Well, I give you permission to flick that little should-be devil with your finger. Send him flying as far as you can! Use your middle finger, too. Really! I MEAN IT. Do it right now! It’s a silly, but symbolic gesture that has big impact on your psyche!

Early childhood development experts will tell you how important creative play is for kids. Then, somewhere around junior high, we’re told that it’s time to get serious and “buckle down” – whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean. We lose the permission to play just when we a) need it most and b) when we’re just on the cusp of learning how to really use our creativity.

Crafty Meditation

Creative endeavors have been proven time and time again to be effective stress busters. Creativity is what makes the world go round and makes your blood pressure go down. It relaxes you. Try to notice how, after spending some time with your creative love, it shows up in your tone of voice, in your body language and most of all in your feeling of well being.

Allowing your mind the freedom to focus on a creative endeavor is a methodology some life coaches recommend to aid breakthroughs in other areas of your life. It calms your mind. Studies have shown that knitting, for example, has the same physical and mental benefits as meditation. It makes sense, doesn’t it? When you’re focused on a task so completely, your mind cannot go a mile a minute on all the stressors in your life.

It’s the Foundation of Everything

Have I convinced you yet to flick the little devil off your shoulder? No? Well, how about this: Creativity is the key to everything. Ooooh, that’s a bold statement, isn’t it? Thinking outside the box (HATE that phrase, but it fits) is what gave us the wheel, fire, agriculture and all the other key inventions that make modern life, well, modern.

Think about it. It certainly isn’t status quo folks who develop new ideas. It is the folks who are willing to look at things differently, and – this is important – when they have a brainstorm, they’re not afraid to put it out there.

Putting it out there means someone might make fun of you; someone might tear your brainstorm apart piece by piece, shredding it into confetti and throwing it back in your face.

But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Even if you’re not ready to put your creativity out there for others to see and judge, at least let your creative juices flow in private and savor the physical and mental benefits.

I give you permission to play.

Did your eyes go right to the fresh donut being pulled from the fryer? Or did that spectacular stove catch your eye first?

I normally don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. That’s not to say I’m not a goal setter, because I am. Goals get set throughout the year whenever the need and/or desire arise rather than waiting until New Year’s.

Thanks to the fine folks at Jimmy Dean and BlogHer*, I’ve set a resolution this year. And that is to eat a healthy breakfast every morning so that I’m not tempted by the dozens of drive-thrus on the way to work or the dozen donuts on the conference table

So far, so good! I’ve kept my resolution and it’s already becoming a habit. How about you? Are you keeping your promise(s) to yourself? I hope so.

*By the way, there’s only about a week and half left to enter my Jimmy Dean/BlogHer $100 giveaway. One of my lucky readers WILL win that hundred bucks! Go to this post to enter!

The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions. ~ Alfred Adler

I've been dying to use this crazy lady in mermaid costume balancing on a ball photo.

In late October, I posted a list of WIPs that I really wanted to finish. I felt a lot like the crazy lady in the mermaid costume balancing on a ball. Heehee. I just wanted to use this photo >>>>, ’cause I love it!

How is the crazy mermaid lady doing on her WIPs? Not bad! Not bad at all!

eBook about the antique business

Done and you can read all about it here and here and here. We’re just a little proud of it. Can you tell?

Screenplay

Done. I typed “The End” a few days before New Year’s Eve! It’s called Flower Child. If you’d like to read it, it is being work-shopped on Zoetrope. You’ll have to register to access it. Or maybe I can set up a download if you’re interest in reading, but not registering. Let me know!

Needlework Projects

It’s a half strike through The knitted golden cardigan is done and I’ve moved on to the crochet project – a long shrug-like cardigan that my mom already laid claim to. The embroidery project is still shoved in my nightstand. It’s next in the queue, I swear!

The Novel

The novel got a huge start in November during NaNoWriMo. The bones are there, and dare I say, they are spectacular! The story flowed so easily it was kind of scary. But I set it aside after reaching the word count on NaNoWriMo to focus on the screenplay.

While I poke at the novel for a few hours at a time on the weekends, I’m also learning more about epublishing – specifically about fiction. The publishing world really is changing at lightning speed. Changing so fast, in fact, that I’m not even really considering putting the novel through the traditional tree-book route of finding an agent and publisher. Seriously, it may go straight to ebook with me as the publisher. What can I say? I’m an Indiepreneur at heart! I like the sound of Lovely Publishing. What do you think?

Doggie Art

Um, yeah. No progress here. Are you an artist? Wanna collaborate on this? I supply the cool doggie photo that makes people gasp (every person who has seen it has an emotional reaction to it – EVERYONE). You morph the photo into a product or two and we split profits? Huh? Huh? Any takers?

Seriously, I’m looking for a graphic artist. I’ll need cover art for the novel, after all!

Wait! Wait!

Yes, there are the books I’m reading, the list of which has grown since discovering that my Blackberry will run ereader software for Nook and Kindle  – software downloaded for free! I’m liking Kindle better now … that’s a post in and of itself.

The needlework patterns I’m dying to develop are still in the back of my brain.

The blog template, however, has been upgraded. Could you tell? Hmmmm? While the webfonts are cool, I still can’t find one I adore – easy to read yet pretty. Nit picky blogger, I am!

I’m happy and proud of my WIPs completions! I even squeezed in a craftroom cleanup! Blogging the list helped. It helped me rank them in order of importance. More importantly, the risk of public failure overrode my supposed ADD affliction and procrastinaziness. Made up word alert: procrastination + laziness = procrastinaziness; pronounced pro-cras-ti-NAY-zee-ness.

No self respecting crazy lady in a mermaid costume balancing on a ball would ever leave a WIPs list empty. No. ma’am! Newly tacked on the end of my list is to make a crazy quilt — a crazy quilt for a crazy lady in a mermaid costume balancing on a ball

You can see the stitches pulling out of shape on both sides. Next time – IF there’s a next time I make a garment, I’ll work much tighter so that the piece will hold its shape.

Here’s a close up of the too-loose stitches. The pattern is a freebie from Caron. The designer used Country. I used Simply Soft simply because I had skeins and skeins of it given to me by my mom.

When the collar sits properly at the top, the front and back don’t match up at the bottom.

Still, I had fun making it and I don’t think it’s a bad outcome for my very first knit cardigan. What do you think?

Click here to see all the details and to enter!

I can’t wait to draw the winner of my Jimmy Dean, BlogHer $100 gift card giveaway!

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees the others. ~ Aristotle

Your Experiences and
Ideas Are Valuable

A few years ago, I went to a screenwriting conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had a conflict in one block of time between two seminars that I really wanted to take. One was being given by a well-known writing coach who had written several books on screenwriting. The other seminar was being given by a woman who was lesser known, but had written and sold screenplays to Hollywood.

I chose to attend the latter seminar. Although the writing coach was highly esteemed and I loved his books, the woman had real life experience in what I really wanted to learn about. I wanted to know how she did it!

“Well, Mrs. Lovely,” you may be saying to yourself, “what does that have to do with the price of tea in China and with my potential to write an ebook?”

It has nothing to do with the price of tea, but it has everything to do with capitalizing on your experiences. People want to learn from your experiences and in most cases, will pay you to teach and share your knowledge with them.

Everyone’s experiences and ideas are valuable – including yours! Whether you want to write a needlework pattern book, a cookbook or a how-to book like mine, you can!

I’m Not Going to Lie

The ebook I wrote, Selling in an Antique Mall: A Beginner’s Guide, took a ton of hours, headaches and hand wringing, wondering if I was just wasting time writing something that no one would ever read.

Clicking PUBLISH on Amazon’s dtp site and Barnes & Noble’s PubIt app felt amazingly good. I knew that the ebook would never be on the New York Times Best Seller list. However, I freely admit that I was hoping for at least a small return on the investment of time, sweat and tears of more than a year of writing and formatting (part-time since I have a day job). Sue, too, sunk in oodles of time editing and formatting the PDF complete with awesome pictures.

I’m proud to say that we’ve sold more than 100 copies of our little ebook in about a month. Not bad! Not bad at all for a couple of newbies to the epublishing biz selling during a holiday season.

But You Know What?

While the little extra income is nice, I’m getting as much satisfaction from the positive feedback on the content as I am the sales. Knowing that people are getting something out of my knowledge base is beyond thrilling. It’s a rewarding experience to know that people find the information I wrote – letter by letter, word by word – useful!

It also validates my intuition. Following it was a smart move.

Your experiences and ideas are valuable, too!

The changing publishing world makes it much more possible than ever before to follow your creative gut and start writing a little book of your own! Do it!

“Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness.” ~ Bertrand Russell

2010 certainly went by in a blur, but it was a wonderful blur.

I completed so many of my creative projects, checking goals off the list with a flourish and a satisfied tah-dah!

I hope you had some accomplishments, too!

Like every other creative person, the 2011-want-to-do list is as long as my arm. The list includes creating written works, needle arts and, most of all, more collaborative friendships and creative sharing.

No matter the masterpieces we have planned, let’s make a pack to look up from our work to enjoy the creative journey and to experience the pleasure of creating something gorgeous.