Website Excitement!

Do you remember in junior high school those kids in the audio-visual club? I admired their comfort with technology, for I had none of their confidence. I wasn't even sure how to change gears on my bicycle! So, it is very exciting for me to report that I located a web host who was brave enough to help me complete the html code needed for my very own website. This is great!

It seems to me that there are benefits to having one's own website. I'm sure I'll discover what those benefits are on a day-by-day fashion. But so far, what I've mostly gained, is the ability to put aside the long term belief that I could never understand how to navigate the building of my site. I know now that I can do this! This is liberating, and if you have been playing with the idea of building your own website, I recommend you jump in. The water's fine.

Now, I don't want to take all of the credit. It would just be a falsehood. The audio-visual guy who guided me is Mark Mitchell, the owner of Denver Pro Sites. I recommend him and am putting his contact information below, in case that whole jumping into the pool analogy works for you!

The best part of his service is that I can ask him a question that is so naive, that in junior high, it would have gotten me laughed out of the cafeteria---but Mark just nicely answers without judgement. I think that's a huge benefit. I'm feeling better about technology right along! We may actually be able to coexist.

So, without further ado, I hope you will take a minute to look at http://www.nestleandsoar.com/. You will find resources, a folk art freebie, recommendations, and even a questionnaire for you to see. I'm hopeful you will find the site easy to navigate and helpful. As time goes on, I'm looking forward to making additions that continue to encourage other creative women and pass along my love of folk art. Isn't life grand!!

Thanks for stopping by today...I send my best,

Georgianne

P.S. Mark Mitchell has a website too! http://www.denverprosites.com/

I am a Craft Show Survivor!

I am sure a few of you have gotten by in this life just fine without staging a craft show. I was among those number until May 1st when I participated in the Mother's Day Art and Craft Gift Fair. I am now a craft show survivor, and I feel great! There were 13 friendly ladies at this local event, held at the quaint Westminster Grange Hall. Two months of preparation went into making this a fun and well-attended event. It was a good opportunity to get to know the other artists, decide how I could best display my folk art, and listen while potential customers handled and fussed over art. I learned a lot and I'm glad that the whole team made this craft show happen! I did not leave the show with publishable photos from everyone - I regret that. I'm including six photos here to show the wide variety of art and craft that was represented. I'm glad I was part of the team that organized this event and I'd like to share some of their lovely items with you today!

Think Like a Tree

Think Like a Tree
by Karen I. Shragg

Soak up the sun
Affirm life's magic

Be graceful in the wind

Stand tall after a storm

Feel refreshed after it rains

Grow strong without notice

Be prepared for each season

Provide shelter to strangers

Hang tough through a cold spell

Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring

Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky

Be still long enough to hear you own leaves rustling

Jane Bean of Sharing Simple Crafting Ideas

I'd like to introduce you to my friend and fellow-blogger and Etsy.com shopkeeper, Jane Bean. She makes and blogs from Milton Keynes, Bucks, United Kingdom. The cute baby mobile/happy face photo is from her blog "Sharing Simple Crafting Ideas...Great Results!" She talks about the New Term in her workshop where women join together to sew, make, and have fun together. It sounds like my kind of place!

http://janebean-makes.blogspot.com/

She also blogs under the name of SmallBeans, and that's where I found her tree sculpture photo. I Love It!

I also know Jane because she has a great Etsy.com shop! You can find her wonderful items here. I especially like her Patch Heart Brooch!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/buysmallbeans

I think that getting to know folks from around the world is one of the very best reasons that I participate in blogging and my Internet shop. How else would I be getting to know another gal in a far away place who seems to have similar passions as me? I'm not the only one who sees the simple beauty of this, right?!

Here's to you Jane! I hope that you, all the ladies who join in on your New Term in England, and all your creative friends realize that what you do and how you Make is "No Small Beans" -- it is in fact, Super Wonderful!

Free Trees!

I am super excited by an opportunity I found today while researching for my new website! More on that new website later :) I found the Arbor Day Foundation website and really want to spread the word about this wonderful non-profit organization.

I found these folks and their site at http://www.arborday.org/

It is chock-full of information about how important trees are to the health of the planet and all of her inhabitants. When you become a member, the cost is $15 for a 1-year term, and you will be sent 10 free trees to plant in your area. Now I'm sure these trees are small, but they are trees, and as I am so very fond of trees, I want everyone I know to learn about this!

After you become a member of Arbor Day Foundation, you can also receive continuing education through their many expert newsletters and programs. And if you want a simple yet meaningful gift for someone, how about having trees planted in their honor in a National Forest? I did this a few years ago for my mom. She loves trees, too, so a few hundred were planted in a National Forest to celebrate her day! I think it is lovely and I hope you will enjoy checking into this.

Here's wishing you a gentle nap in the soft green grass under a shady tree!

Georgianne

Embroidery Stitches and Women Friends

I don't know about you, but I am dependent on my women friends. I did not always feel this way. I used to be a lone-wolf kind of gal. But now I see the beauty of being nourished by several groups of dear friends.

First, I have my knitting friends at Knit Knack in Arvada, Colorado. This charming knit shop has a large dining room table in their front window, and every Thursday about 10 of us ladies gather there to talk, laugh, support one another, and, oh, we also knit!

I also enjoy four groups of ladies who meet once a month to quilt, craft, network, or learn in one of my classrooms. These groups were sometimes friends before they entered my classroom for the first time, but mostly, they became friends while learning a new sewing skill. I'm very pleased that they have included me in this journey.

One of my most dynamic monthly groups involves ladies who LOVE to learn embroidery stitches...some of them are resurrecting stitches that their grandmothers taught them back in the day; others are catching the wave of this "new trend" in decorating clothes, pillows, and such. For them, embroidery is a new passion, and they sometimes behave like I invented it. My ego is blushing. Should I tell them the truth?

A new group of women who surround me are professional peers. These are my mentors, my advisors, my heroes. I ask them to publish my writing, feature me in their magazine, or evaluate my photo library. How wonderful is it that these women respond and share like this? I have never met some of these gals, yet we are crafting rich and mutually beneficial relationships.

I also have individual women friends who I know, without a doubt, that if I picked up the phone and asked, they'd be at my doorstep pronto. I think I will take some time today to count my blessings. This reflection on friendship is a sweet reminder that although I consider myself to be a determined person, I am strong because of the constant support and friendship of my tribe.

I send my love out to women everywhere who today will reach out to a friend and let her know she is not alone...