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“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” ~ Albert Einstein
A few days ago, I got a note from Kelley at TangleUntangled telling me she had nominated my blog for the One Lovely Blog Award. What a lovely thing to do! Kelley is a newly minted CZT and has a very lovely blog herself. A part of being nominated is to share 7 facts about myself and nominate 10 other blogs. Ten is a big number, but once I reflected on it, kind of small too. I don’t follow a ton of blogs though my list is much longer than ten. It was like choosing one child over another since I really love the blogs I do follow. So, here we go:
7 Facts about Kathy:
- I am left handed but have a thinking style that is a blend of both right and left brain. That makes me unique in the world of interior design. I have no patience for “dithering” over miniscule nuances – pick one already and move on!
- I skipped a grade in school and finished high-school at age sixteen.
- I waited until I was 32 years old to go to college for the first time because I was afraid I couldn’t do it. I earned both degrees with Summa Cum Laude honors.
- My English professor at LSU tried to get me change my major to English, but writing was pure torture for me. Getting beat up in design critiques was much easier.
- I love writing my blog because I get to choose the subject and ramble at will.
- My black Cairn terrier was my “dream dog.” He is named Howie Long, for obvious reasons. He’s a good looking hunk of a dog.
Howie Long, my handsome hunk of a dog
- I am an introvert working in the world of sales and cannot remember names, faces or numbers. Really.
Now for my 10 Lovely Blog nominees in alphabetical order:
- Beez in the Belfry – Sandy is the author of my favorite Zentangle book, Yoga for the Brain. Sandy writes and I read/buy. I love that her latest effort, The Tangles of Kells, is an ebook that can live on my iPad.
- Enthusiastic Artist – Margaret Bremner has a wonderful way of outlining process and helping her readers to understand how she achieves such amazing art. Her interview explaining Zentangle is a must read and I share it often.
- I am the diva – Certified Zentangle Teacher – Laura invites you into her life and manages to make sure all the tanglers out there get their weekly Diva Challenge fix. She is a truly amazing young woman and an inspiration to me every time I read her blog whether I get to the challenge or not.
- Life Imitates Doodles – Sandy Strait may not be a CZT, but believe me, she is a powerhouse for the art form. There’s always something good on her blog ranging from new tangles to meticulous product reviews.
- Open Seed Arts – I was introduced to Carole’s amazing talent when my friend, Karen, gave me her 2011 calendar as a Christmas gift. I absolutely love her drawing style – and according to Karen, she’s a rock star beader too!
- Sue’s Tangle Trips – Sue Jacobs is so inspiring and shares her knowledge freely. I have learned and grown as an artist from Sue and her blog.
- Tangled Ink Art – Sue Clark’s blog is another feast for the eyes and mind.
- TangleUntangled – Kelley’s blog is new, but I have enjoyed every post so far, plus she honored me with one of her ten nominations. Thanks Kelley.
- The Bright Owl – Erin has been rolling out Zendala Dares for quite a while. She does an amazing job of coming up with Zendala templates and shares them with her readers. Erin takes the mystery out of working in the round and offers those who struggle with strings a little break every week.
10. WeaveABead – My friend Karen is an amazing bead artist and I love seeing what she’s working on now that I don’t get to see her every day.
Now on to the one big OOPS! I was really impresses with Margaret’s post Mo’Auraknot. My wheels were turning when I saw what she did with Sandy Strait’s tangle Exinside and mixing it up with Auraknot. What I ended up with bears little resemblance to the inspiration, what I had in my head or Sandy’s tangle. I thought it was time to work on black and plunged in without ever drawing Exinside at all. First, I find drawing on black with white a real challenge, but hey, I’m pushing my limits. It was clear by step 3 that I had made a serious misjudgment on scale here. So, practicing what I preach to all my students, I kept on going. No mistakes – make the best of what you have at the moment – just like life. No do-overs. So I am sharing this OOPS that really isn’t at all. I’m pleased with the end result. Some of my best work has begun with something that went awry and I just kept on fixing it. That’s one of the most profound aspects of Zentangle. Think about it the next time you have a tile, or a life event, that you think is an OOPS!
Boofy and our Bride
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
from the Anglican hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful”
Milestone events often inspire reflection. Though many would think it morbid, funerals often end with laughter as memories of happier times are shared. Who can forget the memorable cemetery scene from Steel Magnolias where Truvy declares “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” As my family enters the intense focus of final planning for our youngest daughter’s upcoming wedding, a sense of reflection swirls around us. Decisions large and small are examined from every angle with the awareness that we are creating memories for her. We want them to be wonderful. As she enters this new phase of her life, we also want to remind her of other times shared by her first family. Poring over the treasure trove of photos collected during the past quarter century, there are those that make me smile through tears…those capturing the furry friends we have lost.
We are mostly a dog family, though the occasional cat has set up housekeeping in our hearts. Most have lived very long lives. While it is wonderful to have them for so long, the grief can be devastating when we lose them. For a while, it seemed there were more goodbyes than we could bear. My girls said we were running a nursing home for dogs because our dogs were so old. I guess it was to be expected, but difficult all the same. There was Benji, a miniature schnauzer, the girls dubbed Bee-joo. My granny tried really hard to get us to let her have him after an extended visit. Dabber, the mixed breed who won the dog lottery. My sister found her on side of the road one night in a mud puddle, too young to be without her mother and loaded with mange. We took her despite having a full doghouse and not much extra money. One week later, someone broke into the animal shelter where she would have been taken and killed all the animals. Boofy, a very unusual white miniature schnauzer, who chose our Bride at the pet store. When her Dad refused to buy the dog, she quit speaking to him for almost a week (the only time she has ever done anything like this in her life.) One month later, we visited the same pet store and guess who was still there – and marked down to the arbitrary price her Dad said he would have paid after that fateful first visit. She had him for almost 17 years. Bert, another miniature schnauzer,the essence of a gentleman in a dog’s body. Bert always barked at the doggie door and waited until he was invited in. He once saved Boofy’s life when he fell into a freezing swimming pool by barking until I came to investigate. Bandit, my husband’s 80 pound basset hound. He was afraid of flies and camera-shy. A gentle giant in our hearts. And finally, Dudley “Booger” Dawson (from the movie Revenge of the Nerds), a tabby cat with white markings. He lived with our Bride when she moved away for college. She was his third owner and she adored him. Dudley returned the love in true cat fashion. He was a great hunter, often leaving his latest “catch” on her pillow.
My grandchildren were watching the movie All Dogs Go To Heaven recently when my granddaughter posed the age-old question -“Do dogs go to heaven?” Before I could gather my thoughts to reply, my grandson piped up “Of course they do! They are waiting for us up there.” I couldn’t have said it better. RIP old friends, we’ll meet again one day.
Dudley and our Bride
My favorite pet reading:
Marshall Saunders’ Beautiful Joe (a favorite from childhood)
James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series
Mark Levin’s Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover’s Story of Joy and Anguish
Tangled Tranquility 