Brillante Weblog

While I was in England I received a message from Embellisher in India who write "Million Little Stitches". She nominated me for this award. She'd been nominated by Paula of Beauty of Life. I really admire both these talented embroiderers and their blogs....so, of course, I'm going to post the award, link their sites, and list the answers to the interesting questions.

Here it is:
1. What was I doing ten years ago?

I was working myself to death at Mouse House, a custom picture framing shop located on the ground floor of my historic, downtown home in Columbia, SC. There were 14 on payroll. Steve and I offered full health insurance, a retirement plan, overtime wages, and paid vacations. I worked from all day, every day…every night too. I hated my life. I rarely stitched. I didn’t even dare to dream of creating art. (July 14 is Bastille Day….I celebrate my independence with all of France. This year was my seventh anniversary. July 14 marks the day I finally fired my head mat cutter and started a two year process of down-sizing the business. I also admitted that I wanted to be an artist. I have no formal art degrees or real training, just plenty of drive and desire!)

2.Five things on my to do list today.

A. Pick up the futon mattress recently purchased for the new, spare bedroom

B. Drop off the dry cleaning

C. Cut the 40+ mats for Richland School District 1’s permanent art collection. (Mouse House still exists in a very small way. I still have to make a living, but it is now only Steve and me. We are very picky about what we agree to frame!)

4. Finish the Algerian Eye stitch for TAST….yes, I’m behind!
5. Pick up all the twigs, leaves, and limbs that blew into the yard after a storm yesterday afternoon….avoiding the downed power line which will hopefully get repaired soon!

3.Snacks that I enjoy

Peanuts (Unshelled, salted…preferably Virginian)
Cookies….the kind that can be dunked in tea…strong, plain black tea!

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire

Travel.
Move into a large converted warehouse and create art all day when not traveling.

5. Places I have lived

Columbus, Ohio; Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania; Glanegg (on the outskirts of Salzburg), Austria; and currently Columbia, South Carolina.

Now I'm suppose to name seven other blogs.....but if I don't get started on that "to do" list, I'll never get to the Algerian Eye Stitch! I'm skipping this part of the award. There are far too many brilliant blogs for me to name just seven. Anyone looking for inspiration can simply visit CYBER FYBER. There's hundreds of linked blogs....including "Million Little Stitches"...whose writer is somewhere in the jungle looking for TIGERS! Well, you know I'll be checking back to see how her weekend adventure went!