By some accounts, Blue Monday was this week. What is Blue Monday, you ask? It goes back to a campaign created by Sky Travel in 2005. It’s the day you realize that you need to take action. It is a pseudo-scientific calculation that considers weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action.

I think it is when you look ahead and see all you have set to accomplish this year and start to feel overwhelmed when you have not really gotten started. I am seeing this in some of my clients and ICAP members who already realize that they have got too much on their plate. And, yes, part of me feels this way sometimes, too. What I start down that overwhelm path of thinking, I remember the “whelmed” model that one of my husband’s clients came up with. Whelmed is that space between underwhelmed and  overwhelmed, where you are in “the zone.” People who are whelmed are clear about what they do and are determined to get it done. I can always tell when I am in the whelmed zone. I feel really productive, energized and thrilled at what I have accomplished at the end of the day.

Here’s a favorite quote that sums up for me the feeling of being “whelmed”:

See the ICAP blog at http://www.creativeartsprofessionals.com/weblog/

Your Best Year Yet!
Jenny Ditzler
Grand Central Publishing; $13.95

One of my favorite planning resources is Your Best Year Yet! by Jinny S. Ditzler. I have been using this little book for years and recommend it each year, getting back lots of comments about how useful it is. The book offers a framework to define your personal values, identify the various roles you play and create goals for those roles. Here are some of Jinny’s questions plus a couple of my own:

What did I accomplish?
What were my biggest disappointments?
What did I learn?
How do I limit myself and how can I stop?
What are my goals for next year?
Where do I need to find education or support to get there?
How can I make sure I achieve my top goals?

I find one of the most empowering aspects of Jinny’s system is the look at the successes of the year. It allows you focus on your successes and not get weighed down by what did not work. It also lets you get off the treadmill of working on your business to see if you really are on course.

Here is a quote from the book I particularly like: “We must prepare our soil before we’re ready to plant the seeds we want to grow in the new year.”

Look for this book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Do you have any traditions that you follow for the end of the year and the beginning of the next? I have several. Once I have revisited 2014, I think about what 2015 will be. Then I put pencil to paper so I have some way to measure what I have planned. My planning might take the way of graphs, pictures, drawings or lists. Those of you who know me know I will using one of my favorite resources  – Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler. If you are not familiar with it, I have included a review in this week’s ezine (feel free to click here to sign up for it and scroll down on the right sidebar or you can read last years here.) I am not big on “resolutions,” instead I pick a theme or word to guide me through the next year. Watch for the ezine next week where I explain the word I have chosen and why. Do you choose a word or theme? Do you find it makes a difference?

On a personal note, my tradition tonight will be to empty a big bag of black eyed peas in a large pot of water on the back of the stove to soak overnight. Tomorrow I will be cooking a batch of “The Best Ever Black Eyed Peas.” They won’t last long, as all in my home are fans and several of my neighbors will be over to take home a sampling.

We opened up registration for our Creative Passion to Profit Bootcamp recently. If you want to turn that creative passion of yours into a profitable business and don’t know where to start or you are ready to play a bigger game, think about joining us. You will be glad you did. The program starts Jan. 12, and we decided to run a two day special today and tomorrow in case you missed our Early Bird Pricing. Here are more details.

Whatever your traditions, I hope you end and start your year on a good note.

CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 4, 2014 – Pantone, an X-Rite company and the global color authority, today announced PANTONE^® 18-1438 Marsala, a naturally robust and earthy wine red, as the Color of the Year for 2015.

“While PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, the captivating 2014 color of the year, encouraged creativity and innovation, Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

“Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal, while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.”

Marsala for Fashion
Marsala was a hit on the Spring 2015 runways with fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2015; Daniel Silverstain, Hervé Léger by Max Azria and Dennis Basso incorporated the hue into their collections. The impactful, full-bodied qualities of Marsala make for an elegant statement color when the color is used on its own or as a compelling accent when paired with many other colors.

With the ever-growing popularity of floral prints and striping, variations of this hue will undoubtedly carry into men’s and women’s clothing throughout next year. Marsala is also a popular choice for jewelry and fashion accessories, including handbags, hats, footwear and the burgeoning market of wearable technology.

This highly varietal shade combines dramatically with neutrals, including warmer taupes and grays. Because of its burnished undertones, sultry Marsala is highly compatible with amber, umber and golden yellows, greens in both turquoise and teal, and blues in the more vibrant range.

Marsala for Beauty
An incredibly versatile color for beauty, Marsala is an appealing and sophisticated shade that’s flattering against many skin tones.

Marsala pairs exquisitely with monochromatic mixes of peachy pinks, and sparkles against antiqued gold metallics, offering an assortment of lipstick and blush options. Marsala illuminates a range of smoky-neutral color combinations, making it a captivating eye shadow color that can be worn from morning until night. Add an overlay of bronze for a dramatic look that suits any eye color, or use Marsala as a go-to finishing touch on nails.

Marsala for Interiors
Complex and full-bodied without overpowering, Marsala provides a unifying element for interior spaces. Add elegance to any room by incorporating this rich and welcoming hue in accent pieces, accessories and paint. Marsala’s plush characteristics are enhanced when the color is applied to textured surfaces, making it an ideal choice for rugs and upholstered living room furniture.

Nurturing and fulfilling, Marsala is a natural fit for the kitchen and dining room – making it ideal for tabletop, small appliances and linens throughout the home. The hue will be especially prominent in striping and floral patterns found in printed placemats, dinnerware, bedding and throws.

Marsala for Graphic Design
A rich contrasting color, Marsala is ideal for use in graphic design and packaging. Eye-catching, but not overwhelming or bright, consumers are immediately drawn to the hue, making it an alluring shade at point-of-purchase. As packaging becomes increasingly more artistic, Marsala will be a natural fit for both high- and low-tech materials, including on-shelf periodicals as well as printed assets, like calendars and stationery.

Cross-Referencing to Other PANTONE Libraries
PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala can also be cross-referenced to all other PANTONE Libraries, including PANTONE PLUS for graphic design. For cross-referencing information, see www.pantone.com/ColoroftheYear.

About the PANTONE Color of the Year
The Color of the Year selection requires careful consideration and, to arrive at the selection, Pantone combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the fashion and entertainment industries – including films that are in production, the world of art, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, the availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.

For 15 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. Past colors include:

• PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
• PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
• PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
• PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
• PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)
• PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa (2009)
• PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris (2008)
• PANTONE 19-1557 Chili Pepper (2007)
• PANTONE 13-1106 Sand Dollar (2006)
• PANTONE 15-5217 Blue Turquoise (2005)
• PANTONE 17-1456 Tigerlily (2004)
• PANTONE 14-4811 Aqua Sky (2003)
• PANTONE 19-1664 True Red (2002)
• PANTONE 17-2031 Fuchsia Rose (2001)
• PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean (2000)

About Pantone and the Pantone Color Institute Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global color authority and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. Pantone products have encouraged colorful exploration and expressions of creativity from inspiration to implementation for more than 50 years. Through the Pantone Color Institute, Pantone continues to chart future color direction and study how color influences human thought processes, emotions and physical reactions. Pantone furthers its commitment to providing professionals with a greater understanding of color and to help them utilize color more effectively. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com. For the latest news, trends, information and conversations, connect with Pantone on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and the Pantone Blog.

About X-RiteX-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com

What do you think of the selection? I love it for its brown undertones to the red.

Quilt Market is always filled with excitement, whether that is seeing something new or reconnecting with long-time friends. It is like a grand family reunion and your family gets bigger each year with new members of the “quilt/textile sisterhood”  sharing their new creations. Here are just a few of the sights I took in.

First, Joan Ford with Hummingbird Highway introduced ScrapTherapy® Mini Scrap Grid. This printed fusible interfacing makes 9-patch blocks that finish to 1-1/2” square. The possibilities are endless with this, from a really large quilt to a small mug mat. One of the products Joan introduced was a nine-patch pin project. As you walked the floor you saw many people, including me, sporting theirs.

Andover Fabrics introduced several collections. Here are some shots of two of the lines. First is Desert Moon Collection from Lonni Rossi. The quilt shown here is called Moon Shadow and was quilted by Lisa Kaupp of Design in Motion Quilt Studio.

Also from Andover is the Handcrafted Collection from Alison Glass.

Kaufman released Carolyn Friedlander’s latest collection, Doe. Here’s a shot of Carolyn and me in her booth. The collection pieces are shown on the wall on the right. She is also wearing a skirt made from one of the designs.

Also from Kaufman is the Black & White Collection from Jennifer Sampou, shown here on the right.

This was also the 30th anniversary of Kaufman Kona Solids and they got into the spirit with a guess the color game. Not sure how many were able to name them all.

Nice to catch up with my friends Kathy Kuryla and Kay Roberts of the Franklin Quilt Company. They have a nifty binding tool that lets you create a binding and flange as one unit.

Moda always has a creative touch to tie its many booths together and this show was no exception. With the theme of “There’s No Place Like Moda,” huge color yo-yos tied it all together.

In the Beginning Fabrics had a couple monitors displaying a slide show of its new collection. Nice if you were waiting for an appointment so you could get a preview.

I just loved the orange in Heather Bailey’s booth. And, owls are quite the rage right now.

Just one of the vignettes from Pat Bravo’s Art Gallery Fabrics.

From Northcott – loved the display of color.

Cotton + Steel Collection, part of RJR Fabrics.

Jamie Fingal with her Heart & Soul Sisters Collection with Hoffman

Check out that chair in Tula Pink’s booth. Tula won a booth award this year.

Heather Bailey’s booth:

Westminster and Free Spirit samples of Prairie Chic by Jane Sassaman on the left and Feather Flock by Tina Givens on the right.

Michael Miller always inspires me and did so again.

Riley Blake’s collections

I got to give the new Bernina longarm a whirl. It was sweet to drive.

And, last but not least, I love catching up with friends. Here I am with Iris from Mistyfuse and Yvonne Porcella. Yvonne’s latest book, Yvonne Porcella: A Memoir — Defining Why, was just released.

I have got David Bowie running through my head as I am sharing the changes here at the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals. We recently made a big change to our quarterly magazine, the one you’ve known as The Professional Quilter since 1983. Instead of reading The Professional Quilter, you will now open the pages of Create Inc. We have added a tag line: your art, your business, your life. Our goal is to help you take your art, your passion, and create the business that supports you in the lifestyle that you want.

The name change reflects not only the growing interests of the professional quilter but also the expansion of ICAP to reach more mixed-media and other creative artists. You will find the same kind of valuable content with a new, fresher look.  What are your thoughts about our new name and look? 

Celebrate the Day With Quilts
Shannon Shirley
Schiffer Publishing; $24.99

I know many of us make art to celebrate holidays, such as Christmas, Channukah, or Independence Day. Did you ever think about making something to celebrate National Gumdrop Day or National Frog Jumping Day? That’s the idea behind Shannon Shirley’s collaboration with 53 artists. Each artist chose an offbeat holiday and created a unique piece to celebrate that day. The eclectic collection is fun, and I loved reading the stories behind each of the quilts and the various construction methods. (Disclaimer: I was one of the artists included in the book, and I celebrated National Culinarian’s Day.)

You can look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

I live in a home where “Sports Center,” “Inside the NFL,” and similar shows are often on the television. I am sure some of you can relate. Most often they become “white noise” to me. This weekend I happened to hear a conversation about a specific football player, whose name I don’t remember. One of the commentators said that this player needed to be more careful not to get caught up in the game around him.

As I heard that, I thought about how easy it is for us to do that as creative arts entrepreneurs. We look around at what others are doing. How do we compare to them? Is their art stronger? Are they more successful? It is so easy to do that and not pay attention to where we are.

And, worse, we are comparing apples to oranges. We do not know what that other person’s real journey has been. We only see what they show us. And, the negative self-talk starts.

Part of our problem is that we compare our “actual” to an “ideal,” what I like to call “perfect” or someone else’s achievements. Sure we can use that ideal to set our goals, but we should not measure our success by this gap between the actual and the ideal. Instead we should measure by looking back. Look at where we are today and where we started. By focusing on our actuals, rather than the gap, we are much happier about our success. This will provide confidence and motivate us to achieve more.

So when you find yourself getting caught up in the game around you, rather than your own, whether that is comparing yourself to someone else, thinking you should be further along the path than you are, stop and remember to play the game that you are in. Put blinders on, focus on where you are and where you are going, become your own master, and celebrate your uniqueness.

“Put blinders on to those things that conspire to hold you back, especially the ones in your own head.”
Meryl Streep

Maybe you have a technique to block out those negative messages that try to trap you into thinking your work does not compare. Tell us about it below on our Facebook page.

Lots of our ICAP members have published books, whether that is through a traditional book publisher or self-published. Today we can go even further and skip the printed page and publish solely in an e-book format. Regardless of the format you use, marketing is key. Yes, if you use a traditional book publisher, you are paying for their marketing expertise. To ensure the highest level of success for your book, you will need to do marketing on your own. Here are tips to market your book.

1. Call your local quilt, art supplies and book shops and ask if they will host a book signing for you. Look for unusual places to do signings. For example, maybe your book features quilts with dessert names. Try a signing at a local bakery. I remember talking with a novelist who was doing signings at the airport. Talk about a captive audience. Do not forget to promote the signing with news releases.
2. Sponsor a contest. If your book is about adding embellishments, have entrants post photos of their work on your website and award a prize. You could even have viewers vote to get more people involved.
3. Set up a blog hop to promote your book. You approach several other bloggers and ask them to review your book or to interview you about your book on their blogs. Blog hops remain a good way to reach an extended audience that you might not reach otherwise.
4. Print bookmarks that include the cover image, details about the book and a link to your website. Leave these on tables at shows, and ask your local shop owner if she will put them out with other literature. Be sure to include a link to your site on the bookmark in case someone wants more information.
5. Look for opportunities where you can be interviewed about your book. I can think of two right off the top of my head: American Patchwork & Quilting Radio Show with Pat Sloan and Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski.
6. Get others to sell your book for you. Many other teachers or lecturers offer books to their students. If your book compliments their topic, ask if they would consider carrying your book. Several years ago I sold books in the our booth at Quilt Festival for one of our members who gave a “Meet the Teacher” talk on the show floor. She did not have a booth and wanted to offer her students a place to purchase the book. As soon as her talk ended, I was inundated with buyers. This was definitely win-win for both of us.
7. Create a Fan Page on Facebook just for your book. This lets you promote the book and encourage conversation among the book’s fans. Encourage sharing of photos of quilts made from the book. Share your tips for success with the projects.

What has worked for you to market your book? Do you have other ideas to share on marketing books?
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photo credit: rickbucich via photopin cc

Carolina Lily: New Quilts from an Old Favorite
by Baxter Lasco
AQS Publishing, $18.89

One of my favorite books of the year features the winning quilts from the New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest sponsored by The National Quilt Museum. The block for 2011 was Carolina Lily. I am always impressed by the creativity and innovation shown by individual quilters interpreting one block. I was particularly taken with the tiny fused Carolina Lily blocks — more than 750 of them — that made up the background in the first place quilt, “Only a Lily,” by Julia Graber. Each of the 18 winning and finalist quilts is shown in full color along with comments from the quiltmaker. I enjoy learning more about the quilter’s design process, where the inspiration came from, and new techniques. All the quilts definitely open your mind to the concept of the Carolina Lily block and beyond. A terrific inspirational and learning resource.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.