Happiness is: WHERE WOMEN CREATE!

Happiness is: Finding your way.

Setting out on a new adventure...

in search of exciting, inspiring things...

discovering wonderful places to explore...

and beautiful sites to see!

Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon?

The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon,

It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon...

We can sing a song...

and sail along the silver sky!

For we can fly!

Up, up and away,

in my beautiful,

my beautiful balloon!

If you hold my hand we'll chase your dream...hee, hee, I can't remember the rest of the words to the song!

Now, I suppose you are wondering what this is all about!

Well, it is finally here! ~WHERE WOMEN CREATE~ and it has blown in on the wind like a ship set out to sea,

carrying it's creative bounty to all!

First there was the book, "Where Women Create" by Jo Packham and now the quarterly magazine! And it is everything you could have imagined and more!

This magazine, hmm, I feel funny calling it that, it is really more like a book, and let me tell you, cover to cover yummy!

Where Women Create is a place where beauty and clever creativity abound! Jam packed with delicious photos, words of wisdom

from artist's you know and love and my favorite section, Where Women Shop the place to find exclusive limited edition objects of desire by the featured designers, like Jenny Doh! Karima Cammell! Jill Schwartz! Denise Sharp! Lisa Kaus! Debbee Thibault!

and A Creative Woman, print on canvas by your's truly, along with my new column Studio Chic, as well as works and offerings by Anna Corba, Jody Battaglia, Kaari Meng, Jen O'Connor, Shelli Gardner, Mary Jane Butters and the list goes on! Quite the roster!

Then there are all the additional goodies like the Silver Suitcase Society, which is your passport to the creative journey!

I can't begin to tell you guys how wonderful and supportive you are, and in celebration of the launch of Where Women Create, I want to show my appreciation by giving away one ~FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION~to the magazine as first prize! A $60.00 value!

As second prize, a Where Women Create tote bag with a

little box of treasure inside!

And as third prize, another tote bag with a WWC pen so you can sketch out all of your creative ideas!

The magazine is truly a little slice of heaven to be poured over again and again! Every time I look at my already well worn issue I see something new! Find your way to the place where women create, really, you owe it to yourself! I will pick the winners on Sunday, November 30th, good luck to you all! Visuals details: hot air balloon created from a champagne cork basket, antique fashion plates, some hemp string and cardstock, old European paper maps, antique books and a wooden pointing "He went that way!" hand found at a thrift shop. You can pick up a copy at your local craft store or order the magazine on line at www.stampington.com or www.wherewomencreate.com

Happiness is:

A pretty dress!

Stay tuned, something fabulous is coming!

Happiness is...

a pair of shapely legs!

And the mystery continues!

Happiness is...

Blue hair!
I have a secret to tell...

Something fantastically quixotic is on it's way to you!

Trick or Treat!

I'm going to tell you all a story.... hope you don't mind if I start in early on my Halloween treats! I really just can't hold out any longer! No kidding, I have had a sweeeeet tooth for as long as I can remember! As the days begin to grow shorter and the nights stretch out longer,

I am reminded of a story my Uncle once told me. I'm sure you are familiar with Jack O'lantern,a mostly respectable chap, descended from a long line of O'Lanterns. But do you know how that poor guy ended up in such a predicament? When he was but a young boy round abouts 1868 I'd say, he snuck into Mrs. W. Hazel's pumpkin patch,

and sure enough, she caught him! Little did he know the W stood for Witch, as in Witch Hazel! She nabbed him red handed with her best and most prized pumpkin, the particular one she had high hopes for at the upcoming County Fair! There on the very spot that he stood...ZAP! Well, you know the rest!

Now that Jack he was a handsome devil he was and he had himself a gal, yes quite a girl. A most fetching lass and devoted, she carried his photographic image with her every where she went. A smart and snappy dresser too, very fashion forward for the times!

Mmmm, Yummy, yum yum!

She wore THE largest silk rose and THE most exotic feathers in her fancy top hat,

and on special occasions she would wear a brooch made out of a shrunken head! Some say it was her ex, but I guess we'll never know for certain!

And on her crow toed boots were two shiny cut steel buckles, Oh how they did sparkle and Click, Clickety ~ Clacked when she walked down the street,

you could hear her coming a mile away!

CHOMP!

Around her neck was a tangle of necklaces, one in particular was very important, a locket given to her by her mother when she was just a girl of sweet sixteen.

It holds a portrait painted by her father, she wears it every single day with out fail,

she likes to keep it close to her heart.

CRUNCH! ...chew... Oh, where are my manners?!...chew...I have neglected to tell you her name! It is Jill, Jill O'Lantern! You see along the way Jack and Jill got married!

Just look at her admiring her pretty, pretty orange pumpkin self!

And I will tell you a funny secret about ole Jill, but keep it to yourself, else she would have my head, so to speak! Come here, lean over real close so I can whisper in your ear...

tucked away in her handbag, among the collected calling cards and coins (she keeps for emergency penny candy cravings)

is her pet frog, Herbert...

MUNCH! MUNCH! Chew, chew.

thats not even the funniest part.

Every once in a while a passer by might hear the occasional RRRiibbittt...

and Jill, being ever so delicate and ladylike, puts her dainty gloved hand to her lips and says,

Ooops! Pardon Me!

Hee, hee and no one is ever the wiser!

Mmmm, CRUNCH! chew, chew.

Well, to make a long story short, the years passed by and the fair Jill grew older, as we all eventually must do.

But she never, ever forgot about her beloved Jack.

Every once in a blue moon,

she would get out his favorite book of poetry and

just quietly read,

thinking sweet thoughts of him.

And when the sun began to set and the candles burned way down low,

CHOMP! chew, chew.

She would take one long deep breath...make a wish upon a wish, times two,

blow the candles out with a Prrbbbttt...and wander on upstairs to bed.

Happy Halloween to all and to all a Goodnight!
Visuals details: Antique french dress form, Victorian mourning dress adorned with tiny jet beads, jet, ruby and pearl strands, circa 1870 black leather boots,collapsible eye glasses on chain, large carved craft pumpkin, nose sculpted out of polymer clay, rubber frog hand painted to look realistic.