Sunday, August 21, 2011

MONA & Excellence!!!!


LOOK AT MY NEW SHOES!!!!
I won the national INDY Award of excellence for my new picture book! 
I'm getting these amazing shoes for my Author/Illustrator School visits!!!
I'll wear my new shoes for my upcoming KEYNOTE!!!
They look like me! They look like my picture books!!
People will ask me forever if I painted them myself, but no, I bought them from MONA!

Today has been a day of excellence. A day of exploration. A day of amazement. A day of inspiration-to-the-max!!!

Imagine my extreme enthusiasm to realize that Mona, THE MONA was here IN PERSON!!!
M-O-N-A!!! Here is Sister Bay. All the way from North Carolina: MONA!!! This is a one name phenom, like Beyonce. Mona. Not Mona Lisa. Just Mona. Two syllables. One name. I have been a 'follower' of Mona's work for well over a decade. It never ever dawned on me that she would be in-the-flesh, here in Sister Bay!!!!!! She's a small little power-house of a person & the color and joy are just bursting out of her!

I spurged on a pair of her hand-painted clogs. I will have happy feet for the next year, the next decade, bouncing just above the ground. (I promise the clogs are the same size. LOL! Not sure how this picture would indicate I got one in each size category??? Too silly to take more pictures and download.)

Now the new school year can get underway!!! I have my new pair of back-to-school-shoes for the new year at hand!!! Bring on the eager teachers-of-Tennessee!!! I get to be the keynote presenter next week!!! I'll be the one in the Mona-shoes! Smiling ear-to-ear! Time for my next round of AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR SCHOOL VISITS! I have new shoes!!

From there we jumped on the motorcycle and went off on a new adventure. We had discovered Silver Poplar Gallery early in the week, but it was closed...... so it was back for a real romp & we were thrilled to have the mini-tour. Here's the piece de resistance. The grand barn structure -- which we learned is actually an amalgamation of 7 barns crafted together in the minds of the Wizard of Theatre himself.

It's such a thrill to rub elbows with excellence. Imagination. Whimsy. Dreams. 










*** I've added this article to TBA's amazing international Blog hopping, Ruby Slippers!!


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5 comments:

  1. What fun to get to keynote and breathe inspiration into some newly-relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated souls on the heels of spending time with MONA!!! EnJOY every minute of this week . . . I know you will, I can see the contagion in your smile!!! Sending smiles,

    Barbara
    The Corner On Character

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  2. Happy faces, and the shoes complete the composition of happiness.

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  3. AND this week I get to speak to a quilt guild before we depart for Tennessee-teachers! The quilters have long supported me, my quilting growth and my projects. They are so eager to see the original quilts that turn into the book.

    YES!!! This is going to be such an amazing week!! I have the feet to match the face.

    Thanks to the two of you for your continued support: my Barbara & my ArtieOne!!

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  4. Love them! I'm glad you had such a fabulous experience!

    Jennifer
    Lifelong Learning

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    Replies
    1. Jennifer!!! Thanks for popping thru, following the Ruby slippers. These are special and just wearing them is indeed a fab-u-lous time!!

      Debbie

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