Blogging Blues and Blowing Smoke Rings

OK, to tell you the truth I am only blogging today out of pure guilt. Guilt at not blogging since the 18th. I have had a week overstuffed with work and trend reports and just LIFE getting in the way of my blogging! Am I alone here? I am sitting at my desk, in the middle of writing a trend report on Power Point and I start feeling like I better blog or I am bad. This reminds me of college when I would be studying for a mid-term and yet I would suddenly feel the need to wash my car. And I would. I would actually go outside and wash my car, then I'd study until daybreak. Anyway, I will be blogging about the Sourcing at MAGIC show very soon. I PROMISE! I just can't do it tonight because it is my birthday and my husband is taking me out to dinner. By the way, I did see more Boston Terrier motifs at the show. There was a way cool tote bag in a booth and at another a purse with a Boston on it. I am telling you, they are popping up everywhere! In January's Advertising Age, I found this Boston who was captured blowing smoke rings. I would let Gabby try that trick but she recently gave up smoking.

A Beautiful Day!

I have been away from home all week attending shows and trending. It's been a blast. But I was ready to relax this weekend with my family. I did all the usual things when I first got home: laundry, made meals, cleaned up after my boys (husband included!), etc. On Sunday after church we decided to get out and enjoy the sunshine at Woodward Park. It has lots of big trees, a rock wall for kids, trails leading down to the San Joaquin River, a dog park and lots of rolling hills for my kids to run down. Here are some family moments . . .

Road Trip

I am excited! Tomorrow I leave for Los Angeles to attend the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Show. My job is to walk the show and check out what is happening in 'craftland.' You can't walk the show just once. No, to truly get the vibe of the show you have make the rounds a few times, talk with vendors, do a few make-it-take-its. That way you see what's new, what's still hanging on and what may soon be on the horizon. It really is so much fun! This year it is going to be difficult for me to want to leave our Duncan booth. Seriously, we have some big things happening and some fabulous designers demonstrating each day. Kathy Cano Murillo, aka, the Crafty Chica, will be the bell of the craft ball. Her new Crafty Chica line is making its big debut and it is all about the glitter! We also have Traci Bautista demonstrating her unique painting and collage style. And our in-house designers Cheryl Ball and Alexis Sadler will be teaching the most fun things to make and take home. As if all that isn't exciting enough it gets even more exciting! I will be heading to Las Vegas the day before Valentine's Day to attend the phenomenal Sourcing At MAGIC show. It is the best place for seeing what is happening in fashion and accessory trends for the following season. My favorite part of the show in the past has been the PROJECT show. It features up-and-coming designers who are very much like the indie market vendors you would find at the STITCH and FELT shows. With all this creativity coming at me I am sure to have some choice trend morsels to share over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.....
Just for fun . . . I wanted to share a picture of my plate of beaded beads that my friend, Jonica, made for me. I talked about them in my first blog entry and then neglected to show them off. Aren't they fabulous? My fav is the blue one on the left. It has all these little bead clusters coming off of it, much like a sea anemone. Not only do they please the eye, they are also wonderful to touch. I pick one up every now and then and admire all the love my friend put into these little works of art.

Balloon Couture

When I think of balloons I think of kids and parties. I occasionally see a clown at our local farmer's market making animals, reptiles and flowers by cleverly twisting and tying balloons as children look on. But I have never thought of balloons as a fashion statement. The Balloon Fashion Show in China has taken balloon design to an art form.

Black & White

Last year around this time I decided I needed to have a Boston Terrier puppy. I didn't just want one, I needed one. It had been just over a year since my parents had passed away and I missed them. I missed the security I felt with them, even though I am married and have a family of my own. What could I do to work through the grief of being a 45-year-old 'orphan'? I found my answer on numerous magazine pages and television ads. In my trend pursuits I started noticing Boston Terriers were popping up when I least expected them. Little black and white, pug-nosed dogs laying on pillows, lounging on furniture and poised in cars of the rich and famous. I was drawn to them. You see I had had one as a child. "Snuffy" was my birthday gift when I turned 8-years-old. He grew up with me and my siblings and lived to the ripe old age of seventeen. He was my friend from childhood into adulthood. He had been there through it all. So I made a decision. I would get a Boston Terrier. All I had to do was convince my husband that our family needed an indoor dog. Long story short, he gave in and was actually the one who found our new puppy, "Gabby." She was born in April and we brought her home to join our family in June. Ironically, she has become my husband's shadow, much to his surprise and delight. My boys and I call Gabby "the Gabster" and "Gabbalicious" because we love her so much! And at the end of a long day when I finally sit in my chair I have a warm sense of my childhood, as I softly pet my beloved lap dog.