Bluegrass Publishing Inc

Take time to listen to the rain!

Last night and today it's raining cats and dogs; actually today is more like the monsoon weather I experienced living in Hawaii years ago. Torrents of rain against the roof and then soft drops soothe me, as I sit here listening. I am reminded of a beautifully orchestrated song by Nora Jones, "Come Away with Me"...a sultry blues number that talks about the rain falling on a tin roof. Though no tin roof, my house is designed with skylights—they are my little windows to the sky.

 
Listening to this thunderous, yet gentle song from the heavens, reminds me that God has provided us some natural stress relief from the hectic days we lead—yet how easy it is to ignore such a simply wonderful gift. As I sit here this afternoon, I am being lulled into such a peaceful time, as the rain intensifies and then calms and then repeats the pattern. What a lovely blessing to my spirit; relaxing and renewing!

I’m thankful for renewal…it’s a time to reflect on the status of my life at present and seek the vision for things to come. There are exciting things happening at Bluegrass and the circle of our family is growing. More about that soon! :O

 
Speaking of things to come—Thena and Sharon are working on a product whose time has come and we are all extremely looking forward to sharing it with you. Well, I say product, but actually that should be plural. You’ll find out!

 
The genius of my Bluegrass family never ceases to amaze me. Misti is already working on a new book that is certain to be a blessing for all you scrappers out there. Fast, fun and creativity to the max!

 
Expand the passion… that’s Veronica Hugger’s tag line at NSA! (We proudly sponsor their database.) However, it’s our goal, too and WOW!—do we have some great things coming for scrappers, cardmakers, digital fans, crafters, moms and everyone else who doesn’t do anything of the sorts.

 
Oh, the place’s we’ll go…it’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come in less than 3 years and it’s getting better all the time! Our Bluegrass family will soon bring you masterpieces from all four corners of the country and many places in-between. One more thing—we’re going British, very soon!

 
Spreading the “Word”—has become such a novel idea!

 

Stormy nights...

Oh how nice to hear the rain on the skylights and sit snuggled and peaceful with a friend. I am so enjoying this moment in time!

Are you looking forward to a new season?

Today seems like the start of a new season. I heard my daughter say it was cold outside as I lowered the thermostat to cool it down in our home, where it was nearly 80. As I thought about it being cool, I was glad that fall is coming soon. The landscape will turn with magnificent oranges, reds and golds and as quietly as the leaves fall, the season of winter will arrive. I love the beauty of fall and the solitude that winter brings. It is like a breath of fresh air as the earth lies in rest for awhile, with the anticipation of a glorious Spring.

Things change and so do we--either by choice or necessity we move from one season of life to another. Today the seasons really seemed to get me thinking about my life and how the change of seasons is symbolic of life's journey. "One season following another"...so the song goes. I am excited for the changes that the Lord has been bringing me through. It's been a whirlwind three years. November 12th marks my 3rd year in business...too cool! Who woulda thunk it could be? It is totally awesome what God can do when we keep our focus on Him! :O

The last few months have been a time of reflection for me. In some ways things really slowed down and in other ways there was not enough time to do all I want to do or other people wanted me to do. I am excited about the coming seasons for many reasons and hope that the changes we are bringing to our company will be full of blessings to all the Bluegrass Family.

We have many wonderful things in the planning stages and with God's guidance we can bring them to fruition. I am excited and joyful at the new friends that are coming into my life, both professionally and personally. I see the journey unfolding and it's pretty amazing at all the energy and creativity that is flowing. The ideas just keep coming from many directions and I can't wait to share them  with you all. :)

O.K. I' have rambled long enough. But it feels good to actually be writing, it has been awhile--too long actually. It is a passion for me. Well, after all that, may you have a blessed Labor Day, full of rest, relaxation and play! My daughters and I will be going to Paducah to play at the park and just enjoy the day together and then look forward to a great week.

My prayer is you will think of all the exciting opportunities the changing season is bringing. Who know's we might be able to share them together.

Hugs,
Linda

Thanks Sister...

Thanks Thena for staying up half the night working together updating our blogs. What a team! Only wish our other sister was home...guess she's out kicking up her heels at the party! LOL Wait til she hears our news... boy is she going to be surprised at how busy she's going to be. :) Time for bed, maybe get to meet someone tomorrow! :)

Hugs...

Wrap up with this Quilt!

If you're looking for a great read..."Tinsie's Story" is absolutely delightful. Told from the perspective of the "quilt", this easy read will leave you wanting more. But don't worry, the sequel is already in the works. Tell your quilting buddies or surprise them..."Tinsie's Story" is sure to be a welcome gift!

September 18th - Christmas is Coming!!!

Christmas is coming! Thena and Sharon's new book... coming soon! "C is for Christmas" is a double blessing with not only wonderful poetry penned by our own Thena, but charming and nostalgic digital art for both the digiscrapper and traditional scrapper, too! A real joy and a great gift for all your scrapping and cardmaking family and friends--and don't forget yourself!

Get Inspired!

Did you ever catch the fever? The inspiration fever? Seems like these days my bucket is overflowing with inspiration. It's one of those times when sleep is often an unwanted necessity. My mind keeps racing with ideas; not only mine, but others. God keeps bringing some wonderful people into my life who are very talented and creative. I'm realizing that talking with them just fuels the fire within. The vision for Bluegrass just keeps expanding and it’s so exciting!

The more inspired I get, the more hours I need in a day. It’s like a constant stream pouring in and filling me up. Organizing and prioritizing is the difficult part, to say nothing of trying to remember all I want to do as the thoughts come. I have learned that praying helps me to focus and tune in to what I need to be doing at the moment.

We’re all looking forward to Shanda returning home with great enthusiasm from CHA. I know she will be filled with new ideas and stories, thus inspiring me more, not that I lack for inspiration! Now to inspire you, have you checked out our website lately? We've been busy adding new things just for you!

My dear sisters, Thena Smith and Sharon Hammond, combined their talents and creativity to bring you "C is for Christmas", a great new book for the holidays, and as an added bonus they've included for free, a CD full of wonderful Digital Art for both digi and nondigi scrappers.

Plus, the charming, Lisa Stiglic. is debuting the first two books in her all new and original series--Pocketful of Poems…titled “All About Baby” and “Kids Incorporated”(Fun and ready to use embellishments.  Great stocking stuffers for a scrappin friend or hmmm... Yourself!

Did I mention how it seems like Christmas in July here at Bluegrass??? AND...

"LoveLines", my book of artistic wordart is now available on CD, with jpg and png files. You can add that finishing touch and you'll be saving money, too, because you can use it over and over.

We've also added a “Download Section” to our site, including some freebies to say thanks for visiting. We'll be updating those weekly, so keep checking back. We love to share. :)

Well, as you can see, with all these fun new things, is it any wonder I'm inspired and can’t sleep? The list of ideas is endless and I'm so jazzed! Can't wait to get some of my dream projects completed and maybe some of yours, too--who knows! Call and we'll talk!

I'm really excited to be bringing some one-of-a-kind things to you. I'm working on a new book that has been dear to my heart for a couple of years now. It's just taking awhile for things to fall into place.

You'll be seeing some great things from a very talented new friend, Arly, from way up north. More to come on her later. I will tell you I LOVE what she's doing and it won't be long before we can give you a sneek peek...for free, too!

Our dear sweet, Misti, is working on some very special things for all you digi lovers... and even those who are traditional will find her creations charming--just like Misti! I'll give you a hint...they'll be a true compliment to her book, "Color Made Easy". Oh yes, if you haven't purchased her new book, you're missing an incredible tool and blessing! It's great addition to your library of special use everyday books whether you scrap, make cards, craft, quilt, sew, shop, design or whatever! Be watching this fall for a fun book signing with Misti and Thena! We'll tell you the particulars as they develop. Watch the website and the blogs for news.

Watch the blog and our website for a terrific back to school idea from our joyful, Jen! (If you don't know Jen, she is the cheery voice you hear when you call Bluegrass.)

Stay tuned for CHA feedback and news from Shanda. Until then spread the fever...let us know what you'd like to see, share your ideas--you never know who you might inspire or who will inspire you!

Oh, the places we're going! Just hang around--perhaps you'll catch the inspiration fever, too...yes, it's contagious, but so much fun! We'd love to hear from you. Happy Saturday!

Join the NSA...We LOVE it!

Bluegrass proudly sponsors the directory for the NSA (National Scrapbooking Association). We invite you to join this great organization that is striving to bring the Scrapbook community together to "Expand the Passion". We think you'll find this a great resource to search out anything to do with the industry.
Kudos to Veronica Hugger for creation of such an great site.

http://www.nsa.gs/

Rest and Relax!

Rest, Relax and Rejoice! This is the day that the Lord hath made... Isn't it nice to have one day a week simply to rest our bodies and renew our minds. It seems that we all live life in the fast lane everyday and tend to forget about why we need to rest. I know that my mind never seems to slow down, so it's wonderful to have one day a week to rest and gain a fresh perspective for the upcoming week and reflect on the previous one.

It is my vision for Bluegrass Publishing's new Blog to be a place to come get refreshed and inspired. We all need encouragement and what better way to receive it than through words. We have an abundance of words thanks and continue to add to our collection.

Everyone likes to dream and with dreams come new ideas and possibilities. Bluegrass wants to be the blog for you to come to share, have fun and be blessed. Perhaps we can help to bring some of those dreams to reality.

We love words and words are what we use daily to communicate to others. Communication is the key to building relationships and Bluegrass wants to build relationships--with you! I know from personal experience that we all have have stories to tell. So it is my hope that our blog will be a place you will come to as a visitor and comeback as a friend. We want to hear your story and who knows how it may touch someone else.

Along with our desire to build relationships, we hope we can fulfill some of your dreams. We hope to share our vision as time goes on and keep you updated on news and upcoming opportunities. As your friend, I hope to hear all about you and your dreams. Bluegrass Publishing is evergrowing. We love to share our passion and love for words with you and look forward to hearing your words, thoughts, stories and ideas. Memories are timeless and so are your stories. We'd love to for you to share them and get to know you.

We hope today you will find a moment of rest as you share with us here. We hope that you will add us to your favorites and visit us often as we grow together. Can't wait to hear from you!