Look! I'm Published!

My first time! Here is my piece in Somerset Memories, Feb/Mar '08 issue on pages 66 & 67.

Hmmm, I didn't expect the picture to be so small, I guess you can't read the fine print - or the large print either! Mine is the banner that goes across both pages. I was inspired to make it by my friend and fellow ZNE-er Pam Carriker.

Here's the story for those of you who haven't heard it already:

Last year when Chel, ZNE's fearless leader and Queen, put out the call for people to apply to be on the inaugural ZNE Design Team I applied, and was accepted. Chel set up a private forum on the ZNE store site and the new design team members started introducing themselves. Being a cautious person, I lurked a little first, and read everyone else's intro before writing mine. Almost everyone's name looked familiar because I was active on the old ZNE site's forum and also on the eBay Community boards. I wrote my intro, including my name and general location. The next morning I checked in on the intro forum and found this,

"Ok, I have goose bumps, I am originally from the Seattle area, Federal Way, and my best friend in high school lived across the street from me and her name was Laurie Blau. If you are that Laurie this is too cool! I will be anxiously awaiting your reply!!!"

I was/am that Laurie! I couldn't believe it. Not only are we making art in the same medium, and not only do we belong to the same worldwide organization, but we were also both chosen to be on the Design Team - could anyone have predicted this??? We hadn't seen each other in probably 22 years! And, silly me, her name looked familiar because I had just googled her about 5 weeks previously and discovered her new married name. It was written on a piece of paper and sitting on my desk!

Anyway, at Pam's urging, I created this piece and sent it into Somerset Studio for a "friends reconnecting" theme. They chose to use it in Somerset Memories and here it is.

(There was a little confusion down at the magazine and one of the assistant editors originally told me it would be in the last "Gallery" issue. So if you remember my first post about getting published, this is actually the piece she was talking about.)