A few issues back, I was flipping through New England HOME Magazine—a perk of attending a Luxury Home Design Summit in Cape Cod in 2023—when the Shop Visits page stopped me.

It described a new store “filled with nubby sofas in putty and pebble hues”… but “ottomans are where the owner steps out, unleashing the color wheel… where “cushions, accessories and wall art are equally vivid.” 

It felt like a personal invitation!

So I sent the owner a package including the WHERE Women Create issue that featured my pillows and wall hangings, a small sample showing the texture and quality of my materials and stitching, and a request to bring a trunk show to Craig Anthony Longhurst’s shop in Kent, CT. 

Then I waited.

After consulting my business advisors about next steps, they suggested following up until I received a no. Immediately after that meeting, I sent an email message reiterating my offer and heard back within minutes.

It’s much easier to respond to an email than it is to generate one based on a physical mailing no matter how attractive.

Anything sitting on your desk waiting for that gesture from you?!

You may remember what happened with the Letter of Agreement I mentioned in my August issue. Once I attached it to a second email, I received it back signed shortly thereafter.

So now, I’m in the throes of preparation.

And I’m loving every minute of it.

I’ll be at Craig Anthony Longhurst in Kent from 11am – 4pm Saturday, October 24, with nearly 40 pieces of my work.

The high school student I hired will be here a few more times before her semester starts to help me measure the pieces and get the unmounted designs onto foam core for presentation. 

I found lovely backing fabric at Mood in August, which the seamstress now has to stitch to my designs to create the cases. Craig will provide kapok inserts.

There is something deeply satisfying about seeing the collection evolve.

And then, of course, a couple of pieces of the puzzle have come apart.

I’ve had the use of my daughter’s car for a few months, but she’s taking it back and will be garaging it in the city for the near future. I’m now in the market for a vehicle of my own to transport me to Connecticut and back.

An unexpected twist.

I also reached out to my friend who lived in Litchfield County for decades to see if I might bunk with her overnight.

Turns out, they sold that house and are on their way to be near their children in Colorado.

Woman plans, God laughs.

I’m not sharing the chuckle.

I have mini-panics when plans go awry. I know that by October 24^th I will have worked out the kinks, but I get nervous.

Fortunately, I have time.

And resources.

And, apparently, a growing ability to figure things out as I go.

And maybe that’s part of what preparing for an opportunity really is.

Not just making lists and measuring pillows and finding a place to sleep. It’s discovering how quickly the certainty you thought you had can disappear—and trusting that you’ll figure out what comes next.

Meanwhile, I’m thrilled to have my inventory organized, to see and touch what I’ve created over the last few years.

I haven’t had a public sale for almost three years. That fact makes this trunk show feel bigger than a single Saturday in Kent.

It feels like a return.

So I’m preparing—one pillow, one wall hanging, one twist at a time.

Please stop by and say hello!

Saturday, October 24
11am – 4pm
Craig Anthony Longhurst
27 N Main St
Kent CT 06757 USA