This month, to celebrate my birthday (July 4) and time in my creative life, I’m offering a special bonus with every purchase from my Etsy shop—a copy of the magazine WHERE Women Create, that has a 14-page feature of my work and a beautifully photographed, in-depth look at my studio and process. It’s my way of expressing my gratitude to you for supporting my journey.

Flashback – The Seeds are Planted: The year was 1970. I was 22, working as a set designer at the Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre. Our director, Jim Cavanaugh (still reading my newsletters at age 93!), invited me and fellow designer, Noonie Shear, to display our pen-and-ink drawings in the refreshments area.

Our prices ranged from $2-$10—and when a stranger bought one of my originals, I was ecstatic. Someone I didn’t know wanted to own something I’d made. I was hooked.

I would continue to exhibit and sell my work for the next 30 years.

The Egg Years: By 1973, I was showing work at the Pink Tent Festival in Stamford, CT. My Ukrainian Easter eggs sold for $8 apiece and were presented to the customer encased in a Stew Leonard’s egg carton. (Here’s a link to my newsletter telling how I upgraded that packaging with the help of Faith Ringgold.)

One buyer, a Bloomingdale’s Special Events Coordinator, invited me to teach a workshop at their Stamford store the following spring. That invitation was the first of many unexpected delights that greeted me when I showed up with my wares. 

 

I was sure at that moment that I had made it.

Looking back over the decades I’ve learned that there are pivotal moments like this, which carry me to the next big wave, but re-invention is constantly required.

At the height of this chapter, I exhibited my now $250 eggs at juried shows like Crafts at the Castle in Boston – bringing in over $10,000 in a single weekend. When I was rejected from that show a couple of years later, I chose to pivot. I could no longer tolerate jurors deciding my fate.

Unexpected Honors: Over the years, opportunities found me—sometimes in remarkable ways as I continued to show up at regional events. Early on, a business card someone picked up from my booth at a craft fair led to a White House invitation. My hand-painted egg, on display at that Easter Egg Roll, is now part of the Smithsonian Collection. 

 

Magazine editors took notice, too. My decorated eggs appeared in Country Living, Victoria, and Country Home. A craft book publisher also sought me out during a trade show in Columbus, OH, leading to my first book deal: Decorating Eggs (1996).

 

The I’ll Never Do This Again Recurring Thread: Of course, there were also the learning days that were excruciating, but important. I made Christmas tree ornaments from eggshells that were available at a lower price point than my intricately decorated art pieces. One was $39 with an offer of 3 for $100. One customer misread my signage, picked up three of my more expensive ($125 each at the time) and highly delicate eggs in one hand and extended a $1.00 bill with the other. I quickly corrected her error, much to her dismay.
 

My next display featured my eggs behind glass and with clearer pricing.

I even went big with my booth, hiring an FIT student to create a theatrical setup that required a rented van and a small crew. Gorgeous? Yes. Profitable? Not exactly. It was a new fair in New Jersey, and attendance was thin. I used the display only once, but the pieces lived in my basement for years.

A New Chapter in Thread: After a 20-year pause — during which I gave talks nationally after the publication of my book, Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur, and coached other creative women — I rediscovered my own artistry in 2020 through a wool appliqué workshop. The Penny Rug Pillow technique lit a new creative fire, and I began stitching a body of work in this medium. 

Craft shows are in my rearview mirror. I no longer own a car, and standing all weekend at a fair isn’t in the cards. Instead, I opened an Etsy shop and began sharing my art (and my stories) on Instagram.

It was there that WHERE Women Create discovered me — and featured my textile art in a stunning spread. That magazine is my birthday-month gift to you with every purchase in July ($18 value).

Since July is my birthday month, I’m celebrating by sharing something deeply personal — 29 textile pieces I’ve created over the years, each one a thread in my ongoing journey as an artist.

Even at this stage of my career, diminishing voices are ever present. I’ve learned to ignore the ones that say, “Just give it away!” and to honor the path that brought me here — from my first sale in a college theatre lobby, to Bloomingdale’s, the Smithsonian, and now this moment.

If a piece speaks to you, I hope you’ll consider bringing it into your home — not just as art, but as a story, stitched and shared.

I truly love hearing from you! Please feel free to comment below or send me an email with your thoughts, questions, or birthday wishes.