Uncategorized

Saturday was a fun-filled first day of signing at Saks Fifth Ave.  I met so many great people and  signed lots of ornaments.  The City Dogs were a hit!  Looking forward to  my next event at Lord and Taylor where I will be signing copies of my book A Very New York Christmas and  my  ornaments, including their exclusive Lord & Taylor window  design- a limited edition of 150 pieces. Enjoy their classic window display with Santa, the Statue of Liberty, a  lady in mink,  and a father and daughter. Have their doorman hail you  cab  , but before you leave  go around the corner and get  a hot pretzel from the  vendor that is on the side!

Until the next sketch!

With my first signing coming up tomorrow at Saks I thought it would be a good idea to provide a list of the new 2009 ornaments that they are carrying.

So here they are:

•The custom  Saks dog in a shoe and ball both limited editions for 2009 only!

The City Dog collection:

•Tip the bellhop Yorkie

•Beefy the Pug

•Dumpling the Pekingnese

•Checkers the Pug

•Cup of Joe Chihuahua

•Liberty Retreiver

•Scotties on Ice(there are presents on the backside of tree)

•The City Dog ball- includes a dachshund on a vendor cart and painted versions of all of the above.

•Fashionista Dog ball- includes Coco retreiver, thimbelina chihuahua,aBonetique, and more!

•Bone-ified Travelers ball- with a dog couple sharing a romantic meal in a cafe, a gondola ride full of dogs, Can-Can Scotties and more!

Other new molded designs that Saks has this year are:

•NYC in a bag- all the various landmarks coming out of a cute red shopping bag saying For You!

•A Chestnut Vendor

•A Playbill

•A Black& White Cookie- a friend of mine in publishing ad I used to always share one after work- she got the chocolate- I got the vanilla!

They also have the Times Square Ball, Central Park Ball, Statue of Liberty, and are carrying in the store the Thanksgiving Day Parade Ball.Hope to see you there- if you can’t make it and want something signed you can  call the trim department (212) 940-1487 or x2487 or x2728

and  I will be happy to sign it for you.

Until the next sketch!

The holidays are here! My personal appearances start  this weekend at Saks Fifth Ave across from Rockefeller Center.  This is always my favorite time as I get to see again those collectors who come back each year.  It is always an honor for me to see everyone.  This year I will post pictures to my blog , so  stay tuned!

I am also excited to be introducing my new dog lineand as a special treat- my little pug dog Posey Pugglesworth will be joining me  at my Bergdorf Goodman appearances.  Dogs add so much to our lives  and I hope that I have captured their spirit in the ornaments.

Here are the dates again for November:
Saks Fifth Avenue
November 7, Saturday; 1:00-4:00 pm
New York City

Lord & Taylor
November 10, Tuesday; 5:00-8:00 pm
Fifth Ave. at 38th St.
New York City

Bergdorf Goodman
November 14, Saturday, 1:00-4:00 pm
New York City

Bloomingdales
November 21, Saturday; 1:00-3:00 pm
Lexington Ave.
New York City

Waldorf Astoria
November 27, Black Friday, 10:00am-12:00 noon
New York City

Bergdorf Goodman
November 27, Black Friday, 1:00-4:00 pm
New York City

Saks Fifth Avenue
November 28, Saturday; 1:00-4:00 pm
New York City

Borders Bookstore
November 30, Monday; 6:00 pm
Park Ave. at 57th St.
New York City

At the end of November I will be emailing  my December dates.

Also of note- I  designed  a cover for the 2009  Fiction  Nobel Laureate winner Herta Muller. Her book is called The Appointment.

Until the next sketch!

Saks.com has just featured my Times Square ornament on their holiday main page !

What an honor.  My ornaments are now available  in-store and online from them.

One that you should especially check out this year is  the Saks Custom 2009 design.  It is really fun. I have been doing custom balls for Saks for the last 5 years and normally I feature the building front and center. This year I wanted to switch it up. The theme is the saks elevator featuring  a very new york moment: a stylish mother, father and daughter(hugging her American girl doll) sharing the lift with Santa and the Statue of Liberty.

What you can’t see online are all the other details- the chrysler building and empire state  emerging from a saks gift box, a skating Prometheus by the  Rock Center tree, a newstand, top and bottom are the white snow branches you see on the main floor, the facade of the store  smaller on back, and lots of snowflakes.   The doors are painted with a mirror like silver so they are actually reflective like the doors in the store. It retails for $75.00.

Each is handpainted, taking 3-5 days to complete each one!This is a limited edition of 500 balls- only for 2009.

Also new for this year is a custom Saks dog-  A Maltese sporting a Statue of Liberty hat  while lounging in an Espadrille shoe. A limited edition of 200 and retails at $42.00My first signing at Saks will be on November 7th. from 1-4 PM.

Hope to see you there!

Until the next sketch!

If anyone was watching the fantastic  Barbara Taylor Bradford interview on CBS Sunday Morning—you may have seen  a little snippet of me in it.  I created the cover for her new upcoming bestseller Breaking The Rules, and I was filmed talking to her about the design and the choice of photo. She honored me by showing me her beautiful legs!

I had  a really exciting end to my weekend as I was interviewed  by Barbara Crews for About.Com on Sunday in my NYC studio.

Sometimes when you meet people you have an immediate connection. I felt this way with Barbara and it seemed like we had known each other for a long time.  She has been  a great supporter of my work and  has been so wonderful to have blogged about my ornaments in the past.

We talked about  where I grew up, my upcoming signing events, the new ornaments  like the City Dogs, my book, future endeavors and the Golden Glow Convention.  It was great to be able to show her my process and the final products.

I also brought out my travel journals that I make on my trips- where I document my voyages in watercolors so that I can remember details when I start designing an ornament.

Until the Next Sketch!

This past weekend  the first frost hit upstate, the first fire was lit in the woodstove, I made my first pot of stew, and tomorrow is the first day of Fall.  I put some halloween decorations up around the house and will soon begin to decorate for Christmas.

I love this time of year. I love when the leaves change from  green to yellows and vibrant reds, the smell of wood burning on cobblestone streets in the village, the crispness of the morning air, apple picking, and caramel!

The end of Summer was made very memorable with a trip to Delaware to visit  Debbee Thibault at Kitty’s Ltd. Her work is so special. I even got some Christmas shopping out of the way!

In early November I will be starting my personal appearances at the department stores and will again be signing copies of my book A Very New York Christmas in local bookstores. My book is becoming a perennial favorite and makes for a wonderful stocking stuffer.

Until the next sketch!

Yesterday was a fun filled night having dinner  in Old Sacramento with  Jo Ellen Krasnobrod, the founder of Landmark Creations. The  temperature was perfect – I sat having crabcakes and mussels while watching the sunset over the river zooming with houseboats.   We mused over the special events that happened at the convention and the nice people that we met.

Earlier in the day I  enjoyed  a  very nice Gold rush themed lunch devouring spare ribs and  baked beans!  We had a  fun table and  another new glow member, Brenda, told me that she had one the raffle for my 6″ Broadway Ball. I was soo excited and happy for her.  Later I spent time at the auction where  a variety of Christmas items, from a Thomas Nast print to kugels, were being sold.

Then off to the museum where I spent another hour mezmerized by the wonderful collections contained in each glass cabinet.

Today I volunteered to help out in the Museum room and later Jo Ellen is  taking me on a special tour to Napa Valley.

Until the next sketch!

It’s been a very educational day at the convention. The museum room was opened this morning and it was like going to a magical kingdom! It was full of glass cases of every imaginable Christmas item that exists. In the middle of the room  was a runway of Santa outfits- some from the 30′s and 40′s.

Another area was  adorned with a collection of antique prints, pop-outs, advertising, and illustrations.  Wonderful Harper’s Weekly pieces- the color was remarkable.  I spent two hours and need to go back!

Later in  the afternoon  were educational talks, one of which  my friend Patrick gave on Nurnberg Lebkuchen tins. These are tins that held Nurnberg cookies similar to gingerbread.  Dressed in lederhosen, he waltzed in the room and danced the  Merry Christmas Polka with another glow member that was in  a traditional German dress. What a riot!

At night was the Feliz Navidad dinner where we were served tamales and cake tres leches.  A reanactment of a  Mexican Posadas soon followed.

Now onto room hopping!

Until the next sketch!