Fabric Buffet

Fabric addict that I am, it's quite apparent that I won't be needing to buy any fabric in the near future. These fabrics came from a freecycler, an etsy store destash sale, and from a friend's aunt.

Ducks Quack and Eagles Soar!

Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar No one can make you serve customers well...that' s because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey . He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment. .. This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I 'll take a Diet Coke.' Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.' As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.' And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts... 'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.' 'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.' 'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said. 'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.' Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting. Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.... The ball is in our hands! A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... let us do good to all people. Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Support Indie Artists and Crafters-Sept.4th FFAW on etsy

Today, September 4th, is firstfridayartwalk on etsy.com. To shop, do a search under "all items" then use one of the following: firstfridayartwalk, FirstFridayArtWalk, ffaw, artwalk, walk. My suggestion would be to use artwalk..it seems to include all the listings and more.~Since I've been making things with my hands most of my life, the work and play of individuals and their ability to sell directly to the buyer, is something I hold dear to my heart and value strongly. May the blessings be!

Four Corners of the Sanctuary...

Four Corners Sanctuary...not officially named but still-that's how I think of my sewing room/studio. This morning I definitely knew that the day had come to get some organization going on in there. Fred just got bitten by fire ants on his legs. I heard him in the garage starting up the weedeater...things got quiet and then he made a mad rush to the shower. Well, to be very honest I thought he might of had an "accident"...no, not really, but the headlong rush did not bode well. For those of you who have never encountered fire ants or been stung by them-it's a really painful experience. Yikes! And when everything clears up there are still scars.

Blue Asphalt and Flowers

The jeans bag is made from an upcycled Blue Asphalt jeans skirt with all the pockets and loops intact. The strap is an upcycled belt with the rivets intact. I think I'll make a coin purse to include with it. The floral purse is made from an upcycled dress; the interior of the bag and the coin purse are made of new fabrics. They did not turn out quite as planned...I'll just keep on trying to improve my technique.

Sailing Squadron Sunset

Beautiful picturesque sunset views of the bay at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron gratis Warren Kahn.

Never miss a sunset!