September 2013 - Page 2 of 2

Month: September 2013

6 reasons I love Quilting Happiness

I've “read” a lot of quilting books. Most provide beautiful inspiration, and that's really all I need out of them. I flip through, peruse the instructions, and enjoy the pictures.

That's all I was looking for when I bought Quilting Happiness. (Honestly, I bought it because I like Diane so much!) But it completely surprised me with several things that I haven't found in any other books, that are perfect for a new (ish) quilter:

1. The patterns don't just tell you how much fabric you need, but also how to cut it. This is one of the things that slows me down more than anything, so I really appreciated it!

2. Squaring up your fabric instructions! I've never found theses instructions any where else, and they've already changed my quilting life. (I feel kind of dense that I didn't know this before.)

3. “Squaring the block” instructions! Ok, I knew to do this, but the book gives a much better way of doing this than I was. Love it!

4. A clear explanation of sewing together curved pieces. I've been avoiding it for a long time because I couldn't wrap my head around it…but this book made it make sense!

5. Creativity exercises. Thanks to this book, I started a quilting journal, and now have a place to keep all my ideas and plans. I've already used it to buy fabric for my newest quilt!

6. A sense of humor!

(You just have to read any book that mentions hand quilting while watching Dr. Who – it's one of my favorite past times!)

What do you look for in a quilting book?

Not a quilter? For your dose of Diane-smartness, check out the workbook we co-created: Craft an Effective Blog (or get it free inside the Starship.)

(I'm trying something new with this listy review. I've wanted to review more books, for a long time, but I get stuck in writing about what I like. So I'm experimenting with a format that's easy and straightforward. Like it? Wish I said more (or less?) Let me know!)
See the usual Disclaimer here!

Adventures with Paul Jarvis, Live!

Today I interviewed Paul Jarvis about publishing (he's kickstarting his third self-published book), experimentation and the importance of creating your own ideal business.

(If you're reading via email or RSS, you probably need to click through to see the video)

Watching + Loving?

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Support Paul's new book!

For more on why Paul's using Kickstarter, read this.

For more about how to experiment, read this.

Got a question?
Ask it in the comments!

This is the first in a series of interviews about exploring publishing. Subscribe to be sure you don't miss a one!

Explorer Club of Book Lovers – September

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I’ll share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can share your list of books in the comments, or we can talk about any of the books that you want to read along with me.

What I read in August

I was completely, unexpectedly delighted by Start. This book says all of the things that I tell people who want to craft their dream business: Just Start. Make a map. Experiment! If you're feeling stuck or just not sure what to do next in your business or dream, read this book!

Another BIG winner this month was Diane’s Quilting Happiness. I'll have a full review later this week, but for now I'll just tell you – go buy this book! It's great!

Maya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom was short and sweet and full of her inimitable prose. A lovely read.

I read Dad is Fat in a day. Hilarious (although I recognized quite a few of the “essays” from Gaffigan's stand-up routine…which I love.) If you don't know who this guy is, his two recent specials are on Netflix. (Jay thinks he must be a long-lost older brother. His sense of humor is just SO me…and we're both frighteningly pale.)

(And there were more, but not worth talking about. You can find all the books I read onGoodReads)

September's To Read List

I've already finished Stephanie’s not-quite-released yet novel. AND I LOVED it. Totally addictive!
I think I first heard of Barbara Corcoran via Erika Lyremark, so I added a few of her books to my reading list. Use What You've Got came in at the library, and it's great!
Right now I'm reading The Art of the Book Proposal and Deep Writing, both by Eric Maisel.

The local book club picked Boy's Life. I have no idea if I'll like it, but I want to join the group, so I'm going to try it!
After watching (and loving) this video (and using it in Explore You), I've been meaning to read Shawn's book!
Heather wrote a book! With a knitter in it! (She shared it with the Starship, so I got an early copy.) You can pre-order yours here.

What are you reading this month?

What was your favorite book of August?

Disclaimer-y Disclaimer! I was given a free copy of Stephanie’s book. But I’m not in any way coerced into saying nice things. Or course I’m biased when my friends write a book, but I don’t mention things I don’t like. (I bought Heather + Diane’s book.) Read the usual disclaimer here.

The Adventures

Every day is an adventure. I share the view, the gratitude and the finds on Fridays, and you’re invited to join in.
You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The view

I am so grateful for:

The results of Explore You – epiphanies, clarity, experiments. This class lived inside of me for over a year before I was able to create it, and so it's effectiveness in shifting the perspective of the explorers is breaking my heart with love and gratitude.
The moments where I found + reacted in love, instead of fear
The cooler weather! Running feels good again!
Starship reopening anticipation (and the excited emails I get from new Cadets!)
This banana/zuchinni bread recipe (muffins pictured above). Everyone (vegans and non-vegans alike!) loves it.
Pumpkin Spice Soy Lattes! (to make your own, check out my recipe here)
Amazing solo-sessions. This week I had triple my usual number of sessions. It was exhausting and exhilarating. I am so grateful to be a part of the opening and flourishing of amazing women (and their businesses).
Steph's great book. Can't put it down!
Time spent quilting.

The finds

I had a great time on Pace + Kyeli's podcast. You can listen in here, as we discuss a lot of non-business stuff about being who you truly are – with yourself, your family, and the wider world.
Speaking of podcasts, I've become completely addicted to Blogcast FM and am afraid my tweets are bordering on fangirl squees. The episodes are illuminating, interesting and best of, applicable to my business. (On top of that, I ran an extra mile today so that I could finish the interview with Gala.)
Also delighted that the Good Life Project is now available as a podcast. I rarely watch online videos, but have plenty of dish-washing, spinning and quilting time to listen to podcasts!
CraftLit podcaster and Starship Captain Heather wrote a book! The lead is a KNITTER! Can't wait to start reading it!
Kim's posts on Homeward Bound are wonderful + have sparked the kind of conversations I want to be having more of in my online life.
Gotta love The Franz. She's inspiring us all to share our gratitude with World Gratitude Day.

Last minute warning (and my mission)

It's much too late in the day to write a post, but I really must inform you:

The solo-sessions are going away. Today is the last day to snag one for the rest of 2013.

There area few reasons:

My schedule is full until November (if you buy one now you can schedule it between November and February.)
I'm opening the Starship in just 2 weeks, and all new members get 2 sessions per year, so I must leave room for them!
I'm embarking on a big, new, exciting project and I need to give it room in my schedule (and brain!)

But the real, real reason is that I'm not a coach.

For a few years there I consulted on a regular basis for a few bigger businesses (bigger = bigger scope than the single-gal-operations that populate the Starship), but that wasn't my best, most thrilling work. Through the years, people have had epiphanies and crafted plans through 1:1 conversations about their businesses, so I started offering them to Starship members. Having these personal conversations makes a lot of sense within the confines of the Starship – where I already know your business, your goal, your map, your progress. Over time, it seemed to make sense to offer them more widely.

But all this time, they didn't really fit in my own business universe. Yeah, they work for the participants, and they are a lot of fun…but my bigger goal isn't to be a personal “coach.” My mission is to help as many women as possible value their work and their place in the world. It's to lead explorations into what you really want for yourself. It's to embolden you to have adventures and follow your own mission.

I can do this best through writing, group adventures, and introducing you to a community of fellow explorers.

So – it's time to retire the solo-sessions. You can snag one of the last ones here, or sign up to find out when the Starship opens (Starship members will still get 2 per year!)

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