I recently started to see a trainer again; heck, these old bones aren’t getting any younger, and as I get up in age, it’s important to keep these bones from breaking, so I am making this investment in myself.

I have different fitness goals than my trainer, though; I want to be able to drink wine and eat fries without gaining weight…whereas she is a competitive body builder. She works very, very hard at what she does, and we have had some quality discussions about our career paths, what it means to follow your passions, and the hard work it requires to see them through.

Years ago, my trainer,  armed with her law degree, worked in family law for a length of time, and also did some contractual work in the wine industry. But she knew that a sit-down job at a desk all day was not where she wanted to be; she longed to be somewhere else, to do something else, to be someone else. So she went back and got highly schooled in fitness, and nowadays helps people (like me) beleive in our strength.

I am fueled by passionate people. I want to surround myself with folks who get very animated talking about what they do and how they spend their days…whether it be a trainer,  a longarm quilter, or someone who runs a non-profit to help homeless youth. I am inspired by people who not only have a passion for what they do, but are willing themselves to do the hard, non-glamorous, often gut-wrenching, worrisome work to see that vision through.

Like many dreamers, I watch a lot of Shark Tank– you know…the show filled with a panel of hosts with fat pockets and listen to the pitches of regular Joe Schmo’s with Big Ideas, to see if these dreams are worth investing in.

Some of the pitches on Shark Tank are hilariously bad…but I give my hats off to them for trying! Check out this top 10 list of the worst pitches. (My favorite that makes me cry with laughter every time is the Wake N’ Bacon Alarm Clock!)

An alarm clock that alerts you when it’s time to get up AND cooks bacon. What a way to wake up!

It made me think…wouldn’t it be hilarious to have a showing of “Scratch-n-Sniff” quilts? You know…like scratch a quilt patch and you would get the aroma of BACON!?! I mean come ON! It’s bacon!!!

Well, maybe not. Some ideas–upon a couple seconds of reflection–are bad.

But if you think you have a hunch (and it is an educated hunch with a heaping spoon of prudence)… I say go for it. If it works GREAT. If it doesn’t, then learn from it and move on.

And that is what I am doing. I am going for it. I am investing in building my little art barn, my headquarters for several creative enterprises down the line, but also in case you had’t heard, going to launch a new creative, intimate retreat in Napa called CRAFT NAPA next year.

I was very honored when I asked some of my artist friends to come teach for this retreat, and they all said YES. It is going to be a fun few days of creating during “Cabernet Season” in Napa Valley. (Here, they don’t call it the Slow Season…it’s Cab season when you pour yourself a nice cabby and enjoy it fireside.)

I will definitely still be hanging out on this blog, sharing my thoughts, ideas, and others’ works, but I am spending a lot of time over on the new site, Craftingalifellc.com. I hope you will join me there, maybe even sign up for the e-newsletter if you want to hear the latest offerings.

Here’s to following your dreams,

Pokey

Things starting to come together here in Napa!

The crew who are making this barn a reality.

x

The barn has doors at last, and I am really happy I chose a transparent glass for the garage doors so that the views are intact and allow for a lot of natural light to flow inside.

The interior is being worked on now…it’s not completed but I am happy with the clean lines, the cement floor finish, and the white-washed ceilings and paneling (vs. painted)  so that the grain of the woods still show.

Just to get a sense of how art would look hanging inside, we temporarily hung a trio of Lynn Krawczyk’s fabric collages from the loft.

This space is coming together, but it’ll still be months before it’s completed.

In the meantime,  I recently announced on social media the first CRAFT NAPA retreat taking place next January 7-9, 2016 at the Embassy Suites! Workshops range from sewing and quilting, to fabric and paper collage, and surface design. Teachers include Carrie Bloomston, Jane LaFazio, Jamie Fingal, Leslie Jenison, Lynn Krawczyk, Jenny K. Lyon, Judy Coates Perez, Elizabeth St. Hilaire, and Melanie Testa. There are a few fun night events planned including a “Make Your Own Wine” competition with a BERNINA giveaway, an Artist Market, and late night sip-n-sews in the bar featuring some fun stitching projects. You can find out more about this retreat on this web page. The site and the schedule are close to completion, and registration goes live next Wednesday. If you want to get any e-newsletters relating to CRAFT NAPA, you can sign up for more news, stories, and information here.

What is my new favorite four-letter word in the English language?

SOLD!

After having my Houston house on the market for more than six months, and flying back a lot to tweak some things and getting this deal done, I can now cross this task off my list. Those who visited my Houston pad I hope would agree it was a great home, and my eyes smarted when I got this special bottle from my realtor at my closing:

I will miss many, many things about this house and ‘hood, including this outdoor community chalkboard at the end of my street, which just illustrates how cool my neighborhood truly was:

And bike riding along the bayou with my little man; I will miss our rides…and him, always.

x

But thankfully the flight from San Francisco to Houston is an easy and fast one, and I have some very good reasons to go back rather frequently, including visiting friends like Leslie Jenison in San Antonio. It just so happens I caught my last visit this past week when Victoria Findley Wolfe was there, and we had a lot of fun experimenting with Leslie’s outdoor kitchen and pizza oven!

Leslie, Victoria, and Victoria’s daughter, Beatrice

Now just back to Napa, things are progressing at a good clip in my world. Some progress pix:

Waving from where my future office will be.

x

Construction crew nailing down the porch roof.

x

Interior ceiling completed.

x

Upstairs loft/office is framed.

x

Upstairs office with windows drywall, and most of the paneled ceiling.

x

Structure before painting, glass garage doors, and metal roofing.

x

Current status today with metal roof and first application of paint.

x

Future view from my home office.

I have received a lot of inquiries asking when my studio/ art barn will be completed. The answer is…I don’t know. There is still quite a bit to be done, and I am dependent upon schedules and when items (like garage doors) arrive and can be installed. 

In the meantime,  I have been collaborating with some venues in Napa to coordinate retreats in the greater Napa Valley, and I have some pretty exciting news to announce soon. When I can spill, this blog will be migrating over to the new site, and I will have a lot more information for those who want to come visit Napa and create! 

So here’s where I would love some feedback.

Want to opine on a logo? 

View from Hartwell Vineyards

Cheers,

Pokey

Some SAQA friends, my first round of artists, stopped by my place this past Friday afternoon:

From left to right: Judy Perez, Lisa Walton, Cara Gulati, Jenny Lyon, Me, Martha Wolfe

x

It was a lovely visit! We toasted with champagne, rifled through some discarded wood for mixed media projects from the art barn construction site, plucked lemons from lemon trees, and talked a long time about sewing machines.

Having these talented friends over was a total boost and affirmation of what I am trying to do here in Napa. And their visit inspired me to put together a short video of the progress made thus far for the art barn.

I hope you enjoy! The website reference on the final clip–craftingalifellc.com– it’s not live right now, but will be in less than three weeks!

I could not sleep at all last night, I had gotten news that the Big Pour I have been waiting months for was scheduled to happen this morning at 7:00 AM sharp.

But just a little after 6:00, I heard the creak of the opening gate, followed by a slowly traversing parade of trucks and a crane making their way uphill, and so I shot out of bed with camera in hand.

Good morning April 15, 2015! It was Tax Day, but this day marked the pouring of the foundation for Crafting a Life, LLC.

x

x

Despite dealing with last-minute tax business, there was every reason to smile on this day, including the site of this candy-cane cement crane complete with a fun retro font/logo!

x

x

The night before at the 11th hour, I invited friends on Facebook to text or message me their artful wishes, hopes, and goals that I wanted to tuck into the foundation before the cement was going to be poured. Some people posted their thoughts publicly, many sent messages to me privately. I printed them all–seven pages total–sealed in an envelope, and placed into the foundation this morning.

x

I explained to my contractor the gist of the contents and how important this envelope was, and when someone thought to remove it just before the cement was being poured, he waved his hands and said, “NO, NO, NO! That envelope absolutely belongs there!” You can see the envelope on the lower left corner of this video…

x

x

x

After the foundation was leveled, they wrapped it in plastic for sealing and protection from further construction. The plastic covering will not be taken off until the art barn is completely finished. To me it is a symbol, a wrapped present, a reminder what a gift all of this is.

x

I am eager to unwrap, to unveil, but in the meantime, there is a raven that has been watchful all day from the towering trees above, and when everyone left, he stood guard. He and I have been greeting each other since I got here in January. I like to think he is my protector on this project.

x

I am having a little Pokey Pour tonight in honor of this day. 🙂

Cheers,

I had a neighbor drop in today. Literally. I kid you not, a little before 8:00 AM this morning, a hot air ballon landed on my property where the art barn is being built. The dogs went nuts, I went nuts, and barefoot and in a pink robe, I ran up the hill to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing (and thinking maybe indeed I had too much Boz Scaggs wine the night before).

The guys in the hot air balloon upon seeing me: “Ahoy there!”

Me, scratching my (bed) head: “Um…ahoy?”

Them: “You don’t mind if we land in your yard, do you? You have a nice flat area at the top of your hill. We will radio in a truck, fold up the balloon, and be on our merry way.”

Me, groggy, needing a lot more coffee: “Um, yeah, I guess that would be ok.You may want to watch out for nails and stuff. It’s a construction site.”

And so they radioed in their colleague in the truck, and when he arrived, he helped pull them to the ideal landing location. (Notice guy pulling hard on the rope on the lower left.)

Almost there…

Landed.

Then they laid down a huge blue tarp to later put the deflated balloon on.

And began deflating the balloon to fold and put on the truck.

Once folded, they left. It only took about five minutes and I got their business card. Nice guys.

And that is how I woke up today.

Some day I will get used to this kind of thing.

Maybe…

It’s been an exhausting yet exhilarating few weeks. We are getting settled, unpacking boxes, acclimating to a new time zone, a winter that consists of green mountains, and watching cherry red trucks haul dirt up the hill for the art barn foundation.

I thought (a bit belatedly) to host a Valentine’s Day Groundbreaking party, and planned for a local affair but I was really thrilled that some out-of-towners came too, and made a weekend of it!

Left to right: Leslie Jenison, Jamie Fingal, me, Judy Coates Perez

Friend I have known forever came over, too…

As did their parents who I have known most of my life.

We ate a lot of cake!

Quilters hung out with non-quilters (in efforts to lure them to the dark side).

And the strongest woman I know, Yvonne Porcella, made the trek, too. Founder of SAQA and one of my greatest mentors, I was so honored that she came.

Her humor nearly surpasses her strength…

She also wanted to made it very clear to me that she got dirt under her (freshly manicured) nails during the groundbreaking.

Alex Anderson came too! (Below, far right)

And more old friends from high school…

There was the ceremonial dig. (The pink silk scarf on the shovel was hand-dyed by Yvonne.)

Others got into the spirit of it, too.

And we laughed. A lot!

And took advantage of a surprisingly warm day.

Some of the guys…

It is really starting! I can’t wait to post progress pictures.

I recently moved from Houston to Napa Valley, driving nearly 2000 miles solo (with three dogs in my backseat). It was challenging, but looking back, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.

I did have two offers for co-pilots, but frankly…as a pet-loving quilter with a lot of precious cargo, I responded to them, “Where the heck would I fit you in the car?”

A Quilter on the Move

What I refused to put on a moving truck, nor put in the temperature-controlled cargo of an airplane:

-3  Dogs

-2 BERNINAS

-1 thermofax machine

-An enormous suitcase containing my most precious quilts, some made by family, some purchased, one by me.

-Jewelry that had a lot of sentimental value

-Crucial documents

-A backpack with jeans, t-shirts, a toothbrush and other essentials.

For every night I was on the road (and no, I didn’t drive past sundown), I brought all of this cargo into the hotel room. It meant a lot of trips from car to room between pets, dog food, supplies, quilts, and docs.

The  hours of driving each day–and being on guard while driving–were pretty exhausting for all of us…

But we saw some very interesting sights along the way, including this Exxon station in West Texas, where, understandably, while I filled the gas tank, I couldn’t let the dogs out to relieve themselves:

We encountered a wreck on I-10, 90 miles east of El Paso. I would have been stuck in this for five hours (plus) while they righted this semi that had tipped over and blocked both lanes, but with the help of some empathetic truck drivers, I was directed onto the feeder, and again on my merry way.

After about 23 hours driving and two nights in hotels, I encountered this sign (below).  Admittedly, seeing this was emotional, and I cried. It had been 26 years since I drove my own car in my home state.

The next day, after driving up I-5,  I was on my property in Napa and saw these pink little flags whipping in the wind. They mark the art barn for Crafting a Life.

I cried again.

The next morning, I woke to this greeting.

And I cried. Again.

I found this cluster of lemons on a tree on my property.

You’ll be happy to know, I didn’t cry. (I just plucked ’em.)

Later, Clarence discovered his first hot air balloon and…he cried. (Video can be found on my Instagram feed.)

And I let the dogs out to run run run. And we all cried…tears of sheer joy and gratitude.

Great news! I’m done crying. And better yet…I’m almost done unpacking! And soon ready to get busy and on with the Next Big Life and Business Adventure, here in Napa Valley.

We made it.

Cheers all around,

I have gotten a lot of great business and life advice in 2014, but the below quote I spotted in Magic Kingdom might be one of my favorites:

2014 was a crazy, whirlwind year for me, yet ended on a very high note.

I traveled the world; met one of my favorite actors in London when I accidentally ran onto the set of “Downton Abbey;” I witnessed my high school best friend get married in Maui to the greatest guy; and also nearly lost my hand to a hungry swan in Zurich. I also decided to take a leap of faith and go home to California and start a new endeavor, after 26 years away.

This past year Allison Stilwell left all of us with vital advice: Do what you love—nothing else matters.

That’s damn right.

And my college friend Fr. TJ Martinez also had a motto that he said over and over and over: Do the difficult now, and the impossible soon after.

I feel they bear repeating:

Do the difficult now, and the impossible soon after.

And do what you love- nothing else matters.

My best wishes for a very happy new year!

Bring on 2015,

Nellie, Clarence, and Tyrion chillin’ on the front porch.

I have not updated this blog since mid-September, and it isn’t because I haven’t had much to write about. On the contrary, I have so much to write about…beyond quilting. (And yes, I’ll get back to focusing on textile arts, but for right now I have a lot of other things on my mind.)

Vines along Highway 29 in Calistoga this past weekend.

I am hyper-focused on launching Crafting a Life, LLC, a media and retreat business that I will base out of my newly acquired digs in Napa. The issue is, I am going to have to exercise something that I am horrible at: patience. I’ll akin this construction process to the slow cloth/ slow stitching movement. This is slow building, which means I have to enjoy the process. (I am trying very, very hard but it isn’t easy!) I envision the end result so clearly in my mind: after a day of creating (with a lunch-time hike thrown in), sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, stitching and taking in the views, and later collectively cooking poolside on a cool California evening. I am also trying to devise a program for children, too, and that has been a lot of fun drafting a mini-sewing and quilting curriculum together.

When I am a bit further along, I will post pictures and share more details, but in the meantime, Judy Coates Perez posted this behind-the-scenes blog of the photo shoot from September.

Since I am horrible with a hammer and a nail, right now I’m working on a lot of the boring business-y stuff to cross off my list: meeting with lawyers, website peeps, and insurance folks.

I am also trying to do something I am not very good at: slowing down and enjoying some time off.  When I went to Quilt Festival (which was so fantastic this year) several people came up to me and told me how relaxed I looked…and they’re right. I feel a sense of calmness, purpose, and focus that I haven’t felt in a long while.

I hosted an impromptu party when many were in town, which was so much fun…

And I invited some former co-workers from Quilts Inc. who have since chosen different work challenges but wanted the opportunity to reconnect with their quilting friends.

Left to right: artist Leslie Jenison, Amanda Schlatre (now Coordinator, Exhibits & Attractions at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo), artist Jamie Fingal, and Carmen Beck (now Manager, Convention and Meeting Services for the Pediatric Academic Societies).

We took a lot of photos that night but this is one of my faves:

This shot includes Allison Cooper (left) who is turning her wish of being a chef into a reality and now going to culinary school.

This past weekend I flew back to the Bay Area for some meetings and to visit my grandmother, but took in some downtime too. A must in the Valley is this little restaurant in Calistoga, the Calistoga Kitchen. If you order the grilled cheese sandwich, the cheese is melted literally into the slices of sourdough bread. I think it was the naughtiest thing I have ever eaten, and the ambience outside was pretty terrific, too!
I also spotted four community tag olive trees that cracked me up. The first of four, the “I Want Less” tag tree:

The “One Thing I am Grateful For” tag tree (more populated with tags):

The “Past Loves” tag tree, also well decorated:

I loved this past love in particular:

And “The Best Decision I Made Was” tag tree:

My favorite response:

While at Quilt Festival, I visited with my friend Wendy Richardson of Quilt Tapestry Studio. I bought up the rest of her over-dyed Napa fabric and would like to give one yard of it away to a randomly selected responder to my question below, inspired by the Napa tag trees:

Question: What has been the best decision you have ever made?

I’ll keep this open through this Thursday night and randomly select a winner.

Happy creating!

**Blog update 11/17/14**

Giveaway winner: Congrats to Craftygoofy49! I will email you for your mailing address. Thanks to all who answered…I LOVED reading them. 🙂