I'm going to England...Next Week!

Steve recently went to England...flew in and out of Edinburgh, Scotland. He visited Durham, York, Edinburgh, and Sunderland....a whirlwind of sight-seeing and watching our elder son Mathias, a second year member of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Mathias is dancing the second male principal role in Swan Lake....okay, he's in the six cast...but he got to perform and will be doing so again on the evening of April 2 in Manchester. (Casting is listed here.) Steve said that we'd just have to frame a bunch more pictures because I had to go too! Steve is a real "wiz" on the airline websites. I'm leaving here on March 31st. I'm planning day trips to York and Chester. I return the following Sunday.

So....any other suggestions...great places for fibers? Anyone live anywhere near these places? Want to meet?

(For those who'd like to see Mathias dancing....here his Corsaire variation performed in Varna at the IBC...International Ballet Competition...during the summer of 2006. He won the Junior Gold medal.)

Another Round of Trading Scheduled for MAY!

(Click on image to enlarge.)

To tell the truth, I never thought I'd be able to trade all 163 postcards or over 110 of the ATCs...NEVER...much less in about six weeks. More honesty reveals that I never thought I'd be able to trade with fabulous stitchers in 21 different countries and in 36 states here in the USA...NEVER.

Thank you all for proving that NEVER is NOW! For proving that our cyber community is deeper, more generous, and ever growing! YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL...and TALENTED...and AMAZING!

To celebrate....I'm going to have another round of trading! The image here is of an older piece...a silk painted experiment...which is about to go under the rotary cutter and become postcards! The coming round of trading will be for NEW PARTICIPANTS! I'm especially eager to see if I can have all 50 states and a few more countries represented....so....here's the list:

COUNTRIES: USA, Canada, Scotland, England, Wales, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Cyprus, India, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

STATES: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and an APO address in Europe.

Pitching CYBER FYBER

(Click on both images to enlarge!)

I hardly slept last night. Visions of my computer screen, of CYBER FYBER trading, postcards, and ATCs faded in and out of view, a twilight sort of restlessness...stress! I shouldn't have worried. I was quite prepared....packets of information that include site meter numbers, a working budget, a mission statement, my business cards, and a list of the countries (21) and states (36) involved.

I also brought two of the 3-ring binders full of traded postcards...quite impressive! Plus, I brought yesterday's unopened CYBER FYBER mail! Fred Delk, Executive Director of Columbia Development Corportation (on right), is opening Sharon Young's, envelope from the UK. Out popped an incredible postcard that she blogged about here. Andy Witt, Executive Director of the Cultural Council (left), is opening Helina Penttinen's envelope from Finland. Not only was there a beautifully stitched postcard, but there were four ATCs...one in exchange for ATC #130 and three for the International Random trading (scheduled for Saturday, January 17, 2009!) This was a perfect way for me to introduce this part of the event!

All in all, the meeting went well...despite the fact that three people weren't able to attend. Andy DeWitt has already written an email to solicit corporate sponsors and will be writing a grant. He also said I can apply for another grant as an individual artist. (I'll be doing it!) Fred Delk has a lead for possible in-kind help with the Internet needs. (Another meeting!)

From this meeting, I went on to talk to Deirdre Mardon. Deirdre has published seven novels, numerous story stories and was recently one of the 2006-07 South Carolina Fiction Project winners. She is also the director of the Congaree Vista Guild. She's pictured below opening Yarnpunk's envelope from Alaska. Inside was a postcard and ATC of complex texture and richness...quite impressive! Deirdre needs a statement and a brief presentation next month to her board of directors. No problem...another meeting...another sleepless night and a morning of excitement! I can handle it!

By the way, the envelopes were selected totally at random. Thank you Sharon, Helina, and Elizabeth (Yarnpunk!) for providing the dazzle for these meetings!

The Exhibition is Insured!

After several telephone calls, my darling husband managed to request/arrange/confirm a "rider" on our business insurance policy for Gallery 80808 during the month of January 2009! I am proud (an more than a bit relieved!) to announce THE EXHIBITION IS INSURED!

Tomorrow is my "big meeting". I've resisted opening the trades that have arrived yesterday and today. I'm taking these nice, internationally stamped envelopes with me. I plan to photograph and blog about the meeting and feature those in attendance opening my CYBER FYBER mail! Hopefully, this will cause such a sensation that funding will easily follow!

POSTCARDS ARE ALL TRADED!

The last of the postcards is now in its envelope waiting to go to Finland! All 163 are gone. I haven't posted in several days....but....I've been busy with CYBER FYBER.

First, I've got a big meeting with all sorts of "heads" of things this Wednesday...with the head of the local Cultural Council, the head of Downtown Columbia Development, and the heads of some corporations and/or businesses that might sponsor CYBER FYBER with funds or in-kind services. I've been working on my budget, creating a packet of material about the exhibition, and preparing for the meeting.

In the meantime, Steve solved the issue with the scanner. It now works again...just won't open using PhotoShop for some reason. The three-ring binders are ready to process and accept the trades in an organized fashion...labels and everything! I'll be getting the time I need this week because Steve is leaving for England tomorrow. He'll be seeing Mathias dance the principal role of Benno in Birmingham Royal Ballet's Swan Lake. Here at home, work slows to a crawl when one of us is away.

I am thinking about doing another round of trades in May...with those who haven't traded yet. I have two more older pieces that can go under the rotary cutter. I'll post photos of them soon...before cutting! I just bought a new digital camera too....so that Steve can take my older one to England.