SPARKING CREATIVITY FOR OPEN STUDIO

It was 99 miles one way to the marketing conference at Goddard College for Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio participants. All along the way, there was budding and blooming in the fields, hills and valleys--greens and purples--my two favorite colors. What I learned about the management of my creativity was not a surprise, but reinforced by the presenter, Marianne Mullen. There are occasional forks in the road but once made clear by she and those who shared, I learned that I am watching and waiting and minding the lights and signs.

The trip was all colorful like my dolls - pink road, green recycle bags (Green Up Day in VT), and the yellow wayfarer signage we picked up for our gang and ourselves. Pink reminded me of how girls love their dolls and really enjoy one-on-one's with me--grammies to babies. Yellow strikes me as lightning with ideas for new designs. Watch for Cyrena, a baby chick dolly. And green signified that I was a good manager of my business from marketing to profit. Write a blog about it! But the recycle bags represented the "knife" in my doll-making journey. I operate in messes - on the dining room table, in the sink, in the sewing room and in my patterns. How do I fix it? P. O. D. (Plan of Day) -- a time management plan for each day - so much dishes and laundry, that much playing outdoors (where I found a pinecone that reminds me that I need to put Piper on the inventory list), and how much time to build inventory and to work on orders. There is room to bend, but managing my time and work in clear and clean space is the goal. Thank you Marianne; we joined Twitter.

This all culminates with the message you will hear and see when you visit #24 on Open Studio Weekend, May 23 and 24. I love what I do and it shows! On the way home, we stopped in Randolph to see the family, especially our star lacrosse player in action on the field. Soon on arrival, I felt a hug from a cute redhead with her little one smiling aside her, now growing faster than the daffodils. Ally and Bella were Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival neighbors when we used to do fairs. We have a big connection. Bella owns Jennifer who Silvio hated to see go to the Guilford Welcome Center, View image and she and brother Kai made Decorator Dollies with me and still cherish them. We just planted forget-me-nots under the Bundle sign so you won't forget us either! I remain connected to my doll lovers, so I will just stay on my tasks like a good girl with Lew, my pal, helping me not trip! Now Zoe says, "Share your traditional afternoon orange and see how your P.O.D. went today!"