Wednesday, January 4, 2012

reflecting on 2011

2011 is complete and 2012 has begun.  I feel I have to take a minute or two..or three...to sit back and reflect on the past year.

January- inspiration and new beginnings
-spent a week in NYC at Printsource & Direction
-shopped LA and attended my first CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) trade show
-met a new and exciting client - GCD Studios (I can not begin to tell you how excited I am to be working with them!!!)
-reconnected with my dear friend Suzan and her family while in LA
-traveled to Ohio and spent precious time with my family

February- focus, design and produce
-Bonjour!, my third fabric collection shipped
-Otthon magazine used my pillows in their February issue - a great layout!!

March- stepping out and being inspired by the unexpected
-spent a day with 3 very cool Hungarian kids teaching them how to silk paint (I had so much fun, I want to do it again this year!)
-reconnected with an old employer and started consulting with them
-took a guided architectural walking tour of Budapest and learned a ton! I live in an amazing city!
-attended TEDx in Budapest and was totally inspired

April- a month of love & celebration
-traveled to Hungarian wine country with friends, laughing and tasting yummy reds!
-reunited with my hubby after 3+ months apart! It was a romantic rendezvous on my birthday!
-threw a surprise birthday party for my father (with a ton of help from my little sister!)
-focused on painting black and white florals which ended up going to my NYC rep...there are over 100 paintings now...stay tuned for what I will do with the original paintings
-Ipop launched 2 of my magnet collections-Lazy Days and Bonjour!

One of the very many black and white paintings I did this year.
This one framed as a thank you for some very dear friends.
May- travels, inspiration and reconnecting
-I was interviewed by Provence Sun about my "Bonjour!" collection (May/June issue)
-attended Surtex in NYC and worked the Group Four Design booth - very educational and a ton of fun!
-ran into my friends the Gulassa Sisters while at Surtex - I miss you two!
-was inspired at the NYC Folk Art Museum - an exhibit of quilts
-Spent 3 wonderful days in NYC with my hubby (We have been to many places together but never NYC)
-Finally walked the Highline in NYC

June- time to put my nose to the grindstone and focus on designing
-worked on a catalogue for a new client-Europe2You
-redesigned my logo
-created a ton of work for my NY rep

July- juggling work and play
-reached my 500 print for Group Four Designs! (I am now at 630!)
-was interviewed by Xpat Loop
-spent a long weekend in Sumegpraga Hungary with Steven and my good friend Evi. I even saw my first Buddhist meditation center, Béke Sztupa.
-enjoyed a wonderful time with my Estonian friends (they are more like family) who came to visit
-I became an Aunt!!
My beautiful niece Josie and me.

August- being inspired by foreign and familiar places
-spent a wonderful 10 days in Beaucaire, France (this is where my collection "Bonjour!" was born)
-designed "Exotic Bohemian"

September- inspire, design and produce
-Phase 1 of my website redesign launched!  (Phase 2 is coming soon!) 

October- surprises & love
-started designing for Society6!
-felt very loved when Emily from Seattle visited me in Budapest
-visited the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with Emily

November- hard work pays off with multiple projects launching
-designed a ton of work for Soicety6
-my first scrap booking collection "Home for the Holidays" for GCD Studios launched in Michael's!
-received a precious gift - a quilt made my grandma with my Bonjour! fabrics
-Ipop launches Love Song magnet collection
-enjoyed a lovely hike & hot wine in Normafa with my good friend Erika. (I am sad she is leaving Budapest soon)
-spent my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving) in Cincinnati with family!
-made a visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum and saw a wonderful exhibit!

December- a month to reconnect and plan for 2012...
-Lokalwear t-shirt project launched!
-spent the month in Seattle reconnecting with friends and business contacts!
-had the nice surprise from my NY rep who just happened to be in Seattle- spent the afternoon eating and shopping
-spent time talking about the future with a very dear and wise friend
-saw a fantastic exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum
-partispated in FAM (Fatto a Mano) in Seattle!
-had the best Christmas morning doing what I love the most - painting with a friend in our pj's next to a fire in the mountains while our husbands cooked breakfast (see photos below)
 Artwork by: Bonnie & Diane
Thank you Josephine for inspiring this post.  This is so helpful in planning for next year and for remembering accomplishments and events often forgotten from last year.  
Cheers to a successful, happy and healthy year full of love, laughter and possibilities!

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