Did you have a Magical Childhood?
Did you have a Fun Aunt?
Did you have a mentor who made you the hero of your own story?
As a child I was drawn to books and stories about magical beings, guardian spirits, talking animals, and unlikely heroes…and heroines.
It takes courage to bring your creative identity over the bridge from childhood to adulthood, and even more to make it a livelihood. Our creative bones are strengthened as we mature, by those artistic angels who have tread the path before us, who reach back to pull us forward.
I had a fun aunt who was an artist. I spent a summer with her in Temecula California, as a kid. She lived in a trailer house in the middle of a wildly exuberant flower garden, next to a forest, in a shimmering hot valley. A stream splashed and burbled on the edge of her property, full of tadpoles and long-legged birds.
At sunset we watched the colors in the sky until the stars came out….then we waited for the dancing fireflies and the singing frogs. At bedtime she left the windows open so we could hear the owls hooting. During the day we would go looking for fairies in her garden. She painted her own greeting cards and tablecloths. She painted her garden on her ceramic teacups and saucers, and then we had tea parties under the lemon tree…with giggles and extended pinkies.
She was one-of-a-kind, and she showed me how to be a playful creative adult. She was a dreamer, and she encouraged me to use my imagination to dream a creative adulthood into being. I only stayed with her one summer, but her fierce commitment to being an extravagant visionary has stayed with me. I try to share that spark whenever I can.
The best way to find your inner Fun Aunt is to share your playtime with someone who has a nascent twinkle in their eye. My Great Aunt is long gone, but I like to think I inherited her twinkle.
On behalf of our caring customers we have rushed a $1000 donation to Doctors Without Borders, who are on the ground in Turkey and Syria, treating survivors of the devastating earthquakes. Thank you for supporting our charity program through our family business, so we can respond to emergencies such as this.
Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul
p.s. If you’ve been noodling about joining me at Bear Camp in Alaska, the trip is almost full, so call Aly and put down a deposit today!
Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 15 – Virtual lecture for Victoria BC Quilt Guild
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
Mar 21-24 – Washington DC
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska – Sign up Now to travel with Luana!
Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.
See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.
Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.
Share Post:
