Its the new year, a time to reflect. Its a symbolic time to let go of old baggage and start new.  The first 3 weeks of January is a especially thought-filled time for me. I remember the anniversary of both my parent’s deaths and I celebrate a birthday. These personal bookmarks of my life help me reflect on what is and isn’t in my life. The rest of the year is kind of simple, because I just walk the treadmill of life. In January, the bookmarks remind me to stop and think.

Also as I approach a milestone birthday, this year I am aware of what I don’t know. In your 20′s and 30′s, you think you know everything. I’m finding the older I get that is less true. I truly have more life experience, but the bigger picture is much less clear. I am often perplexed by the have and have nots. Why is is that some people have certain things and other’s do not? Wealth, talent, intellect, creativity, and health are few words that describe things that many of us either have or have not.  I realize its not always a black line between have and have not. You’re not just wealthy or poor, there’s room for grey in there. It just seems some people have “more” of some gifts then others.

I have been blessed with having artistic/creative abilities. I hear all the time “you’re so talented.” I like to hear that, it keeps me motivated. However, it also makes me wonder “why do I have this built-in ability and others don’t?” In the same thought process, I can think “why can’t I sing and others can?” I don’t even like to sing in the shower because I know I sound so bad.

Stopping and reflecting this time of year is my way of  processing it all. I reflect on what I have and don’t have. I stop and think why is this a good thing? I try to find ways to change what isn’t so good. I don’t know why I have all that I do or experienced all that I did, but I do know that it makes me, me. Someday I’ll have all the answers, for know I just don’t know and that’s OK.

Note about the image: “Metamorphosis” by Nanette S. Zeller, 14” x 11”.  Life is ever changing. Through each stage may you emerge more beautiful than from the last.

As we’re progressing through summer, I’m reminded of last year. It was a long hot summer, filled with difficult emotions brought on from caring for my old dog, Storm. We loved him for 13 years and I was forced to make the hardest decision of my life last August. It was a sad time for me, but this year things are much better. I’m very happy for my buddy, Storm. He’s traveling the world this next year and smiling his silly smile at anyone who cares to look. Earlier this year he was spotted in Salt Lake City. I suspect he’ll be in Chicago this August. Possibly in Long Beach later this month and most likely in Houston this Fall.

And if you want, he could grace you with his company.

No I haven’t lost my marbles, my buddy Storm the German Shepherd Dog is Mr. September in the Quilting Arts 2012 Calendar. You can buy your own copy of the calendar and see his handsome-ness close up. Or you can put yourself at any number of venues, where the folks at Quilting Arts Magazine might be, and maybe see him in person. Well at least my thread-painted rendition of his awesomeness. He’ll be touring with Quilting Arts Magazine until the end of next year.

Storm was born in September, so its quite ironic that he was chosen to represent this month in the calendar. The moral is, when things are difficult, do your best to work your way through…one foot, then the other. In the end, when you look back you may see that something special has come from the journey. For me, my difficulties last summer brought me here so I can introduce you to my new favorite playboy, Mr. September.

It is truly a weird feeling to stop at a store that you’ve frequented for years and see a magazine on the rack that contains something your wrote. When my pincushion article came out in Quilts and More magazine this February, I was surprised to see it at all the grocery stores in town. I would see it and giggle inside, then poke my husband and say, “Look, its MY magazine.” The thrill has inspired me to try to  get published more, unfortunately, I can’t say anything about what I’m trying. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Since we last met, I was happily selling kits for the “Early Bloomers” pincushion on my Etsy store, busy editing a sewing book, having fun inspiring new sewers in my sewing classes at the community college, and dreaming about what’s next. In the furry of activity, I visited with my aunt in the Bay area and helped her with the process of down-sizing as she moves onto the next chapter of her life.  Just a busy month of stuff going on … freelance style.

During all of this, Spring happened. The dogwoods are in full bloom, the daffodils have come and gone, the azaleas are preparing to explode. Its spring!!! My favorite season.

Here in the south spring comes early, but doesn’t seem to stay very long. And, that’s true for Better Homes and Garden’s Quilts and More, Spring 2011 magazine.  The spring edition appeared in early February and will be gone from the shelves by April 26. If you haven’t seen my article, make it a point to look for it or you can order a copy from my Etsy store. This 15 minutes of fame is fading from my life, like the tulips in my yard, all too quickly.

Through all of this I’m reminded, that life is short and you should do what you love. We’re all on a journey of hills and valleys which makes it especially important to stop and take in the beauty when it appears. Spring is a great time of year to remember that.

He came to us named “Luke,” as in “Luke Skywalker” from Star Wars fame. We decided that name just didn’t fit his personality. At the time, Desert Storm (the first Gulf War) was in full swing and there was one name that was frequently in the headlines. “Stormin’ Norman” Swartkoff. This Army General had an attitude that you knew would win the war, but you could also sense he had a big soft side. General Swartkoff’s personality, matched that of our new German shepherd pup. So, we decided to name our pup in honor of this Army hero. We called him “Storm.”

Storm filled the void of the child I would never have. He and I attended obedience classes and competed in agility competitions. He won ribbons and made me smile. Storm was always the center of attention. Always! And seemed to love letting me take pictures of him, such beautiful pictures. It was a sad, sad time for me last August, when I had to make the decision to put his old body out of pain. Although we had other animals in our home, Storm was my life. Everything revolved around him, he always needed special attention.

Around the same time that I had to make the decision, Quilting Arts Magazine announced their 2012 calendar contest. The theme: “Feeling Pet-ty.” I decided to use this opportunity to challenge myself and apply some techniques that I had been dabbling with. I definitely was feeling “Pet-ty.”

I submitted my entry “A Perfect Storm” and waited. Mid-January (a day before my birthday) I got word that out of hundreds of entries, “Storm” was one of  the 23 finalists. I had to pack him up and send him to Massachusetts and wait to hear the 13 winners. Yesterday, a day before Valentine’s Day, I got the word…Storm made it!!!! My buddy will be featured in the 2012 Quilting Arts Magazine. They won’t return him to me until late 2012, while he’s gone he’ll be traveling the quilt show circuit. I’ll try to catch up with him when I can.

So even after he left my life…this dog continues to be an important part of it. What a wonderful birthday and Valentine’s gift he’s given me! For without him, I would have never entered this contest. Little buddy, you have truly left your paw prints on my heart.

Note: In respect to Quilting Arts, I will refrain from showing a full photo of my finished piece. You’ll have to wait  to see it when the calendar come out later this year.

Other teaching opportunities have opened up, to include teaching surface design at local non-profit artist group in town. I’ll post more about this when the details are finalized, but I have to say I’m excited to share my joy of creative play.

In other news, my big secret will be revealed next month. I am so anxious and excited about this, but I must wait until I’m told it is OK to share the news.

My big news for this month was hearing that a piece I submitted to the 2012 Quilting Arts Calendar competition was selected as a finalist. The winners will be selected mid-February. I am so honored to be a finalist, I know the talent that enters this competition. Quilt artist Susan Brubaker Knapp is also one of the finalists. I met her a year-or-so ago and have been a fan since. Her work inspired me to create my entry, so you can imagine my honor to be in her company as the Quilting Arts staff makes their final selections.

My inspiration for all of this occurred in August. I had to make the difficult decision to put my old and sick German shepherd dog out of his misery. For 12 years, he was part of everything I did and making this decision rocked my core. His passing forced me to think about what I was doing with my life. I realized I had gifts to share, so I decided to really pursue teaching opportunities. I also realized that I have a passion for what I do. Creating things is more than just a hobby, it is the core element of my being. So, I am placing more focus on creating and then sharing what I make with others. This year I am hoping to inspire people as others have inspired me. It took “The Perfect Storm” (aka my dog) to show me the road.

This week I spent time cleaning my studio. The messy chaos that took over in this room fed my creative slump. I had many ideas, but little motivation to start those ideas because I couldn’t find the space to work. Now that I see the top of my work table and I can find things in my closet, I’m excited to start work again. For this I am thankful.

This cleaning spree has allowed me to see the wealth of supplies I have accumulated. I am fortunate to have the financial resources to support my habit. For this I am thankful.

As I sorted through fabric, yarn and other supplies, I found projects in various stages of completion. Finding these things, reminded me that I have talent and a passion for what I do. I am fortunate to have the time and ability to work with my fibery passion. I am also fortunate that professionally I am able to do what I love. For this I am thankful.

I am also reminded that I am fortunate to have your support. I am thankful for my customers who buy my work, it warms my heart to know you “get it” and are willing to spend your hard-earned dollars for it. This means a lot in these economic times. I am thankful for my students. You bring me sunshine, it is truly a gift to see you smile and be so excited to learn from me. And, I am thankful for my family and friends. You encourage me to continue and are ever so grateful when I gift you with my work. It is your enthusiasm that keeps me moving forward.

So here’s to having a clean studio and re-discovering lots of cool stuff in my closet. My goal is to thin down my stash of supplies by creating more things to share with you. For this I am thankful.

Note: The 100% silk hand-crocheted flower pins featured in this post are available for sale in My Etsy Shop, just in time for holiday gift giving (www.nanettesayz.etsy.com).

This is our first harvest. The bushes have been here, but the birds have been out-smarting us the past few years. Just a small bounty for now, plenty more to be enjoyed in the next couple of weeks. The thought of summer blueberries fresh from the yard, just seems to make the summer heat more tolerable. Yum!

(Note: berry bowl by Flying Pig Pottery)

Spring has finally sprung here in the Southereastern United States. My dogwoods are about to peak into glorious blooms. I’ve had my share of territorial birds attacking their reflections in my windows. Today we opened all the windows full sash. Fresh Air!

The crazy thing is rather than spring weather, we are immediately dropped into summer high 80 degree temps. Thank goodness the humidity is low, it doesn’t feel oppressive…yet.

So, I’m enjoying this spring break in weather knowing full well in a week or so the pine pollen will be hurling through the air. If you don’t live in the south, you can’t really appreciate this event. Yearly a cloud of yellow smog descends on use, covering everything in site. All too soon, we’ll have to shut the windows to keep the gritty pollen out of the house. Red cars turn orange, my black dogs turns yellow, and gritty pollen dust coats all flat surfaces in the house.

So I am enjoying my windows being open this weekend, because I know soon they’ll have to be shut to keep the pollen out. Breathe!

I know I’ve promised you a full shot of my challenge piece from last week. Well, I’ve decided to keep it under wraps for a little longer. You’ll see why. Until then, I’ll leave you with another peak and hope you can open up your windows to get some air into your room. Ah…Spring!

First I came down with a bad case of the winter crud. This virus knocked me out for over two weeks. I am feeling better, but still not 100%.  Is it me or are colds getting worse as I get older?

As soon as I was feeling better, my brother came to visit. For the last week, I’ve been in entertaining mode.  No long nights in front of the screen procrastinating about work that needs to get done.

During this hiatus, I also celebrated another birthday. Nothing like wanting to spend your birthday in bed because you have laryngitis and feel miserable. Oh well, there’s always the awesome party I can have next year.

I’ve done my best to keep busy though. I made a bunch more pins and my new barrettes are ready to sell. I have enough inventory to now open my own Etsy store. I’ll keep you posted when its up and ready for sales.

During the last few weeks, I also made some fabulous finds at local thrift stores. It’s great fun, digging through other people’s discarded things to find trinket-type treasures. I discovered that we have some awesome thrift stores in the area.

I’ve also realized that I have some really good friends.  So far, this year is turning out good.  I hope you’re finding the same.

One of these commitments was to give a demonstration at Artist Alley were my work is displayed for sale. I am working in baby steps, setting up an inventory of my work at “The Alley”. (Eventually, I hope to have an Etsy shop where anyone could purchase my art-i-facts.) My big day was Sunday, December 14. Here’s the link to the local newspaper article about me.

During the Demo, I worked on some machine quilting techniques. I make small quilted backgrounds that I use to make journal covers and sewing needle keepers. The journals and needle keepers are a new addition to my inventory. I have only been able to create a few of these, but I truly enjoy making them.

The day of the demo was yucky, which limited the number of people showing up. However, what amazed me was hearing people come in to the gallery asking for me. These people didn’t know me, but they had read the article. The article must have impressed them enough to show up on such an icky day. I received a lot of good feedback and kudos about the demo and the article. I promise that these accolades will not go to my head. I will remain the humble artist who is trying to share my joy of fiber art. Am looking forward to doing some more demo days and I have a full line up of classes that I’ll be teaching at the LQS next year. I guess I’m pretty luck to be living a dream.