Author: Emily

The Web of Love is an exercise where we draw a spider’s web and write in each space all the things we are, our goals and aspects of our personality. The idea of the web is to trap love. A quote is included in the green area that explains the ‘web of love’.

The Defining Word page is words that we are drawn to, words that have meaning to us. At the top is the word, Shangrila’ and that is my focal word. I love what it means, a utopian, exotic place of happiness-and that’s just what I’m searching for.

zinnias. frank sinatra. sewing. chicago cubs. working with fabric. sewing. cottage florals. white wood. new york city. flea markets. eileen fisher clothing. fresh brewed coffee with flavored creamers. the way a cat feels when cuddled up close to me. reading. rainy days. writing. making lists. purple velvet sofas. smooth jazz. angels. knitting and colorful yarn. black turtlenecks. pastels. cottage style. the city. french stuff. friendly cats. bright happy colors. cozy socks. lunching with friends. eating sweets with no guilt. the way i feel after i exercise. french bread and butter. kissing and lots of passion. watching john travolta dance. black mary jane shoes. a big, colorful flower behind the ear. bright florals. my black old navy yoga pants. the smell of a coffeeshop. gauze skirts. pedicures. browsing for books at borders. a french scarf around the neck. lipstick. my long blonde hair. singing to my favorite songs. thrifting in new york city. getting out the art supplies and spending an afternoon creating. making art journals. having my feet rubbed and my hair combed. watching sex and the city reruns. project runway. american idol. house. what not to wear. fox news. rain on the roof. fancy printed file folders to make my file drawer a happier place. visiting an art museum. day dreaming. solitude. quiet. seeing a cat in the window. a fully stocked pantry. a clean tidy house. cosmopolitans. old victorian homes. hot showers. lovely cologne by sjp. black birds. the eiffel tower. black umbrellas. tall dark and handsome men. men with blue eyes and black hair. ikea. kissing a tall dark handsome man with black hair and blue eyes under a black umbrella while it drizzles. {sigh} so much more.

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I was talking to my husband the other day, telling him about how I felt I might be at the end of my doll road. He has faith in me. He saw me create this little company from nothing, and he tells me if I would have asked him 10 years ago if he ever thought I’d go anywhere with this doll making idea, he would have thought I was crazy. I suprised him with some moderate success and made him proud of my accomplishments by being published in magazines, having articles written about me and by my ability to sell patterns hot off the press. Because of this, he doesn’t want me to throw in the towel. He feels I can make my company Hootin Annies much more than it already is if I just put in a lot more effort and time. Anything worth having is worth working for, I suppose. He has given me a new idea, an idea which he mentioned a few years ago, but I wasn’t very interested in doing it at the time. It’s now time to reprise some of my oldest designs-time to bring them back to the design table, restyle them, make new models and add some fresh changes to them for 2009. I love this idea!

This morning, I went up to my sewing area on my loft and started to snap some photos of little vignettes of things I’ve collected. By just spending some time up there, I immediately started to feel infused with the desire to sew again! I began looking through my fabric again, and touching it thinking of the possibilities of how it can be used to bring new life to some of my old designs. I felt a spark and a heat of excitement run through my veins.

I think I’m back.