Twelve years ago I went shopping at the Austin Junior League Christmas Bazaar, and I discovered this incredible jewelry line. Full of texture and color, I was instantly drawn to it and started chatting with the owner. The designer, Cynthia Bloom, and I hit it off immediately. As we became friends, it was funny to realize that we were also neighbors, both living in Austin's coveted 78704 neighborhoods for 30 + years,

Spring is my favorite month of the year and our Shumard Red Oak has almost all of its fresh green leaves on it!  (I'm sorry for those still suffering through winter, but maybe this post will put a spring into your step!) I also love the month of April because it's my wedding anniversary and birthday, back to back, and this year I've been working on my garden to get it all ready for the special occasions. I love nature and it feels great to get back to gardening.

Happy Texture Tuesday!  With all that's going on in our country and the world, I thought I'd give your mind (and mine) a break with this week's Texture Tuesday.  I feature three textile art pillows I've submitted to apply for art exhibitions. Some exhibitions your work gets accepted, and others it doesn't. I'm currently waiting to hear back from two. I thought you might enjoy seeing the creative process that goes on behind the scenes in the Deborah Main Designs studio for each art piece I handcraft.

[caption id="attachment_12621" align="alignnone" width="584"]"Fit for a Queen" by Simmang Design. "Fit for a Queen" by Simmang Design.[/caption]

No, it's not the third day of Christmas yet. And no, sadly my true love did not send me this beautiful necklace above. But I just couldn't wait to share with you this fabulous piece by Simmang Design that I just happened upon this weekend when I popped into a fun little holiday show in North Austin at Just Jill Beauty & Wellness.  I had no idea that, on what was supposed to be a lazy Sunday, I was going to have so much fun and a little impromptu pampering at a local event.

For this week's Texture Tuesday, instead of three French hens, I bring you three Italian blue Goldstones. Originally designed in 2013 for Austin Fashion Week by Jillian Simmang of Simmang Design, this regal necklace features three glass stones and a host of other textural details.

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Look at all those shopping bags my friend Leslie Hyland Rogers is dashing out the door with!  Leslie, founder of Symphony of Soul, and countless other new and old friends, made my first Holiday Open Studio & Sample Sale such a success that I've extended it to four more times in December.  I haven't had an Open Studio since 2011, and I think it will now be an annual or semi-annual affair.

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[caption id="attachment_12451" align="alignnone" width="584"]This photo was taken by JD Walker, owner of Flowers & Found Objects, our newest store in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He has a beautiful display of our Ornamental Charm Series. This photo was taken by JD Walker, owner of Flowers & Found Objects, our newest store in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He has a beautiful display of our one-of-a-kind Ornamental Charm Series.[/caption]

This week's Texture Tuesday (no new post this Friday) is about my studio as I'm busy preparing for my Holiday Open Studio & Sample Sale and YOU are invited!  I'd love to see you, celebrate the holidays together, and show you where I create my artwork.

Texture and color are everywhere in my tiny South Austin studio. So much that I need to do a bit of culling. It seems you CAN have too much of a good thing. Especially when you're a collector, or in more primal terms, as some south Austin stitchers like to say, a "fabric junkie".

I confess. I have A LOT of stuff!!! (But I am not a hoarder, so don't judge) :-)

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Well, I haven't looked at the news today, but so far, I've not been able to do Friday's Flowers & Trim for 3 weeks now due to terrorists attacks. I'm praying there was not one today (as I have some happy and sad news to share on the creative front) and my thought's continue to be with all those families whose lives have changed forever.

So, today I'm trying to get back to some normalcy with my weekly summer posts.  This Friday's Flowers & Trim is RED!!  And there's an extra special reason why it's RED.