my book is happening

A few months ago a friend told me that her publisher at the The Book Shop Ltd. was looking for crafters. She advised me that it was a good time to pitch something if I had any ideas. Oh, I've got lots of ideas...but the timing was really bad.

I was smack-dab in the middle of moving from New York to Utah. Purging and packing up NY, searching for a rental home in the Salt Lake area, closing accounts, opening new ones. Top that off with trying to visit everyone who is dear to us to say our goodbyes. Pitch a book?!

What did I have to lose? Besides precious time and my sanity! Having a free hour to kill while waiting for my girls outside their circus class, I sketched out my idea on a piece of paper. I scanned it with my phone and emailed it to the Book Shop Limited, not putting much hope in the outcome.

Two weeks later the publisher called. She had "shopped it around", and Barnes and Noble was interested! They want to turn my idea into one of those craft book/kits. Oh boy! Now I was in trouble! They needed information from me...exact sizes and weights of fabrics and other supplies that would be in the kit. They needed it asap, so they could source it all and see if it would be worth the cost to do it.

As our worldly possessions were being loaded into PODS, I sat on the floor in an empty room with a laptop and sketchbook. Making patterns and seeking out all the necessary info needed to source the kit supplies. All this to say, my book is happening!  I made samples and patterns and they have all been enthusiastically approved. Now I begin working with a book designer and an illustrator to lay out the book. I am listed as the author, which is kind of weird to me. Barnes and Noble changed a few things from my original theme, but not much. They approved all of my fabric choices, which I am really happy about because I think that's the one place I was able to throw a bit of myself in. This book has been a real gift, a complete surprise, giving me all kinds of confidence and dreams for the future.

Why we left New York

Leaving NY was not an easy choice. My husband and I were both born in NYC, we met at The School of Visual Arts on 23rd St. The city was our playground and source of inspiration. And then we grew up. Our priorities changed, we felt closed in, we needed room to breath. We moved to a suburb and became commuters and had two daughters.

As the girls grew we found ourselves needing more nature around us. My interests shifted from concerts and restaurants to mushroom hunting and knitting. My husband wanted more time with us, more time in the woods, but commuting to Times Square everyday left him little time for either. Commuting two hours each way is soul draining. And once he got there he had to fight the crowds of tourists and fake Elmos just to get into his building. After 19 years, he had enough! 

Our girls, now 15 and 19 were feeling it too. We all desperately needed a change, we had become stagnant both creatively and spiritually. It was either make a major change or continue to do the same thing day in and day out, which was killing us. 

My husband quit his job after 19 years as an Illustrator/Art Director at Nickelodeon and we told everyone that we loved that we were leaving. It was no easy task. Some understood, some felt abandoned. We packed up two PODS and drove across the country with two teens, two snakes and one guinea pig. Off to find adventure and seek our fortune!

So, where are we? Utah! We love it, we feel peaceful, at home and free. We have been here for two months and have no regrets. We have no idea what lies ahead, but we know that God has directed our path and He will continue to do so. 

Now that we are settled, I am free to devote more time to blogging this new adventure as it unfolds. 

I hope you are finding wonder and joy in unexpected places. Don’t be afraid of change, life is too short.