This is true in any relationship, don’t you think? In the beginning, everything seems so ideal. My relationship with MoMo has been no different than when I hire a new employee. Everyone in the salon exclaims, “Oh, she is the ideal person who will fit into our team!” I always answer, “We won’t know a person’s true colors until she begins working with all of us on this team. To have high expectations will lead us into disappointment. Just remember, no one is perfect. Everyone has issues.”

Well, it’s been four months since MoMo arrived from Korea. I’ve been putting in hours every day to get her acclimated to her new life and to help her overcome fear, anxiety, and lack of trust. Getting to know her and earning her trust has been one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. She still displays a sweet disposition, polite manners, and a fun-loving personality. I felt like she was my dog and my good friend and we were stepping forward into a happy life.

BOY, WAS I WRONG!

I was wrong in assuming that MoMo has graduated from the frightened and insecure dog into a confident dog in just four months. Now I realize that my over-confidence in her abilities and skills got us into trouble. Here are some things that happened.

Scene 1: Socialization at the Dog Park

I decided that it’s time to get MoMo involved in socialization skills with other dogs. I took her to the fenced-in dog park at Luther Burbank Park. We walked in slowly and let her sniff around to get familiarized with the new environment. She seemed fine so I released the leash from her collar. She saw three big wet dogs who had just emerged from the water and playing with each other. MoMo ran up to them. They immediately saw that she was a newcomer and started to chase her with ferocious speed. She ran as fast as she could, but she was no match for them and the three dogs jumped on her. Oh my gosh, my heart was beating so fast trying to figure out a way to get her out. I finally managed to isolate the shaken dog, leash her up, and walked out of the dog park. I apologized to her for what I’ve done. What made me think that she was ready to play with big dogs?

Scene 2: Stairway Fright

One hot evening, MoMo and I came home from a walk. We went to take the elevator up to our third-floor condo and saw a sign on the elevator door, “OUT OF ORDER, PLEASE TAKE THE STAIRWAY”. I walked MoMo to the foot of our stairway and said, “Let’s go up”. As soon as she saw the stairway, her body tightened up and she began pulling away from me. I said, “Come on MoMo, you’re not afraid of the stairs are you?” She resisted me with all her might as I tried to pull her up the stairway. She is so strong when she doesn’t want to do something, she can easily knock you down. On the third try to pull her up the stairs, she was so frightened that she bit her tongue. As I saw the blood dripping out from the corner of her mouth, I knew I pushed her beyond what she was able to handle. I thought, “Oh, oh. I’m in trouble. How am I going to get her home?”. There was only one answer… It would require me to carry a 32 lb. dog up three flights of stairs to get to our condo on the third floor. I decided that I would have to do what I needed to do. To make a story short, I did manage to carry a scared stiff dog all the way up to the third floor. Whew… that was truly frightening for me too.

Scene 3: Slippery Fall

It was a hot Sunday evening. MoMo was dusty and hot after running around with all her small dog friends at the park. I saw a dog wash area where dogs were being hosed down by the water before leaving the park. I thought, “this would be a perfect thing to do for MoMo. At least she can get her feet cleaned plus get cooled off from the heat. As I walked her into the area and turned on the water hose, she got frightened and pulled so hard to get away that my feet slipped on the watery area and I fell while still hanging onto her leash! I was not hurt except for a cut on my ring finger where the diamond on my wedding ring cut into my finger. After arriving home, I realized that my finger had swelled up so much that I was not able to get the ring off of my finger. I knew that I would not be able to wait until Monday, so I went to the Fire Station and it took two Firemen to saw the ring off my finger! I got home around 11:00 PM and MoMo was waiting for me by the door. She followed me everywhere, looking at me with a worried look on her face. I knew it was not her fault, but it was hard for me to be nice to her. I ignored her but she stayed right by my side. I really felt bad but I said to her, “Do you know how much trouble you are causing me?” She had the saddest look in her eyes but I didn’t give her a pet on her head as I normally would have. Instead, I just ignored her.

I could never understand when I heard that so many people returned their rescue dogs back to the pound after living with them for a while. For the first time, I realized how much love, compassion, commitment, and hard work it takes to care for older dogs that come from abused backgrounds. They know nothing about anything. Everything is new and the learning curve is so scary to them. It was wrong for me to assume that climbing the stairs, getting wet by a hose, or socializing with others is normal and should be expected.

Going through these experiences with MoMo taught me that it is no different in human interactions. We assume that everyone should think, act, and behave like us. We must remember that we have to help others by meeting them where they are at vs. where we are at or where we want them to be. If we can experience what it feels like to walk in their shoes, we will be able to show more love and understanding in every relationship we have in life.

CELEBRATING THE SMALL VICTORIES

Here is some good news:

MoMo is a Life-Long Learner, She is doing very well in her Level 2 Dog Training Classes.

MoMo has learned to chase after tennis balls.

MoMo continues to be sweet and polite inside our home.

MoMo is quite charming in how she snuggles her face between my legs and asks for a pet and a body rub.

A BIG THANK YOU

Thank you to all who donated funds for MoMo’s mission to help other dogs left behind in Korea. We sent a check for $1,200. to Ginger’s Pet Rescue.

If you got something out of what you read, please let me know. I’d love to hear what you have to say on this topic.

Do you remember how bad I felt for MoMo that she ended up in a training class being the only grown dog in the class? I’ve been thinking about why I felt that way. After all, she is a dog and I’m sure that she didn’t feel as bad as I thought she did. After thinking about it, I realized that I was reflecting on my own painful memories of being brought over to the US by my mother at the age of 11 years old without any preparation for entering a new school in a new country where only English was spoken. I had no idea how humiliating it would for me trying to fit in as an immigrant. It dawned on me that MoMo and I are both immigrants, and watching her trying hard to adapt to her new life in a new country has brought back the pain I felt many years ago.

I want to share with you a story from Chapter 17 of my book, Keiko’s Journey. I think you will see why I felt so sensitive about MoMo entering her first class in her new country. After you read my story, will you let me know the close bond I have with MoMo is because we are both immigrants and I understand the pain she is feeling … because I’ve walked in her shoes many years ago?

Chapter 17: Survivor

I don’t belong here. Dirty school grounds, books marked with scribbles, rude students with brown and blond hair. What am I doing here?

It had been three months since I was thrust into the fifth grade class at Highland Elementary School. I sat in class, in total silence, not understanding very much that was being spoken. I didn’t have even a friend to play with during recess. Even though I was totally isolated, I did my best to at least follow Mrs. Baldwin’s orders. I saw that she was frustrated and didn’t know what to do with a student who only understood and spoke the Japanese language.

After a few weeks of attending school, Mrs. Baldwin approached me before class started and said, “I need to talk to you about something. Can you step into my office?”

I followed her obediently. “Your Japanese name, Keiko, has been difficult to pronounce by the students in your class. What do you think about changing it to “Kay”? It will be much easier for students to call you with the correct pronunciation if you have an American name. Is that okay with you?” I nodded my head and answered, “Yes, Mrs. Baldwin.”  

Finally, the day came when Mrs. Baldwin pointed me out in the class. She asked, “Kay, can you answer a simple question for me?” Every eye in the room turned to look at me. I’m sure if someone had dropped a pin, everyone would have heard it. 

            My face felt hot and flushed. I felt like hundreds of eyes were piercing through my body. I took a deep breath and nodded my head, “Yes, Mrs. Baldwin.”

“Kay, we are studying about the state of Texas. Agriculture is very rich there. Can you tell me what they grow in Texas?” 

I stared intently at her and was sure that my eyes were blank, as if they were saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” 

She paused for few moments, waiting for me to reply. When I didn’t respond, she went on to say, “Okay, let me give you a hint. The color is white.” Again, I didn’t understand what she meant. I had a sudden urge to run out of the room, but I forced myself to stay seated. “Let me give you another hint. It’s fluffy. When you blow on it, it floats away.” At that point, I raised my hand and shouted, “Snow!”

The whole room broke out in laughter. The teacher hushed the students and said, “The answer I was looking for is cotton.” The students resumed laughing again.

I sat there with tears streaming down my face. I was not used to being laughed at. Why was I being subjected to this humiliating situation when I had been a shining student at the top of my class in Japan?

The closing school bell rang. As I stood up from my desk to leave the room, Mrs. Baldwin came over.  She said, “Kay, I’m sorry you had to go through a hard time in class today. I know how difficult it must be for you to start all over in another country.” I nodded, trying to hold back the tears that seemed so close to running down my face.

”I want to make sure that you won’t be embarrassed again. Let me explain your assignment for tomorrow’s art class. We will be drawing and coloring pictures for our upcoming Christmas holiday. It’s a contest. The chosen artwork will be posted on the bulletin board in our school lunchroom. If you have crayons or colored pencils, please bring them with you to class. Do you understand what I just said?”

  I nodded my head and replied, “Yes, Teacher.”

The minute I arrived home, I ran into the bedroom and flopped myself on the bed and cried. Mother came in and asked, “Keiko, what’s wrong, why are you crying?”

“I’m not going back to school and you can’t make me!” I screamed, tears running down my burning cheeks. 

“Tell me what happened that made you so upset,” Mother asked as she gently stroked my head. 

“All the kids are mean and they laugh at me because I don’t understand or speak their language. They treat me like I’m dumb. But, I am not, Mother!” I blurted out, as my body shook with anger. “I hate America. I want to go home to Japan. I miss my teachers and friends. They are waiting for me to come back.”

“Keiko, I know how much you miss Japan, but we aren’t going back. I promise, if you accept humility and try hard in school, your life will improve. I know you can do it. You are bright and you have good study habits.” I stood up and let Mother wipe my tears away. 

I walked over to the closet and took out the gray suitcase I brought from Japan. When I opened its cover, I found the art supplies that I used in Japan. Old memories returned. I had previously been selected to represent our school in the citywide art contest. My artwork was often displayed in the largest department store in the city of Kokura. I carefully took out the oil paint and the watercolor set and touched them. Memories overwhelmed me with sadness. It had been over six months since I painted a landscape, flowers, or a bowl of neatly arranged fruit, sitting side-by-side with art contestants from other schools in the region.

The next day, Mrs. Baldwin stood in front of the class and announced, “Students, do you remember what I said we are going to do in class today? We will be drawing and coloring Christmas objects. You may pick your choice of what you would like to draw – Santa Claus, Christmas trees, snow-covered villages, or anything else related to winter or the holidays.” The students showed their excitement by yelling in unison, “Yeah!”

“If your artwork is chosen by Mr. Hall, our principal, you will have a chance for the whole school to see your talent. The winning artwork will be posted on the lunchroom’s bulletin board. Good luck!” 

Everyone in the class took out their boxes of crayons and began drawing and coloring their art work.

I quietly took my watercolor set and drew a snowy forest scene where deer roamed. I closed my eyes and imagined I was in a Japanese forest in the winter time. I could smell the scent of the pine trees in the calm and pristine wooded area. I drew, colored, and shaded the trees. I added slender silhouettes of the roaming deer. The scene was unfolding and coming alive on the paper that lay in front of me. I had not had a feeling like this since I left Japan.

“Students, it’s time to stop working. Please hold up your artwork so everyone can see.” 

I looked at the scribbled red Santa Claus figures and reindeers other students drew, and I saw how different my work was. Everyone drew figures with stick limbs. They were all brightly-colored with red and green crayons. I was the only one who painted a snowy forest scene that required creating many muted shades with watercolors. 

When I held up my art work, Mrs. Baldwin came walking to my desk and exclaimed, “Where did you learn to draw and color like this?” 

All the students looked at my artwork and, in unison, exclaimed, “Wow!”

I knew I had made up for the humiliation of replying “snow” in yesterday’s geography class. 

My forest scene was chosen as the first place winner by Mr. Hall. He had it framed and hung on the wall of the lunchroom. The sign next to the painting read, “Painting by Kay Esaki, First Place Winner.” 

            I ran home after school. I flung the door open to Baachan’s house.

            “Keiko, you’re home,” Mother greeted me.

            “Mother, I’m sorry that I’ve given you so much trouble. I’m ready to put all of my effort into becoming a good student in America. You will see.”

            “Keiko, why this sudden change of attitude?”

            “Mother, I found out today that I can be good at something, even if I can’t speak or write English. The snow scene I drew in class today won first place in the student art contest!”

            “I’m not surprised. I knew all along that this would eventually happen.” Mother looked pleased and beamed with pride.

            “That’s not all, Mother. Mr. Hall, our principal, called me to his office today and told me how much he loved my artwork. He then asked me if I would like to draw a large mural on the lunchroom wall!”

            Mother’s eyes were wet with tears. She came over and held me tight. Her voice trembled as she said, “Your father would be so proud of you, Keiko. You went through hard times in Japan, but you learned some valuable lessons as well. No one will be able to take your good study habits and your kind heart away from you.”

            “Mother, I will try very hard to become a good student in America.”

From that day forward, I often recalled Mother’s wise words that gave me the courage and focus as I continued to grow in America: 

Keiko, you are a special girl. Your life was spared. Take your passion for Japan and focus it on America. Study hard and learn English. Do something good for the world. You owe it to your Father who gave his life in the war. You owe it to everyone who died from those horrible bombings.

To this day, as I live my life in America, her teachings have been the guiding force within me. Remembering her constant sacrifices, selfless suffering, and positive influences have been the impetus for establishing the firm foundation I built for my life and career. 

For that, I will be forever grateful.

How time flies! I can’t believe it’s been 2 months since MoMo traveled 19 hours in a plane from Korea, crated with another in the same kennel. Since that day, She’s learned a lot about life in the states. Here’s her progress report.

• She learned that grass is the appropriate place for dogs to go take care of their business.
• She can ride in the car now without shaking like a leaf.
• She now sleeps on a soft cushion instead of going by the door and choose to sleep on the tile.
• She went through a grueling 2.5 hours of getting her matted hair cut and shampooed. Her groomer, Elaine asked, “Where has she been? She has bits of concrete stuck in the roots of her fur”.
• She still doesn’t know how to play with toys or other dogs at a dog park. We are working on her social skills.
• She went through a complete physical and teeth cleaning with Dr. Winnie Peng (Cobblestone Animal Hospital).
• She now knows that her kennel door will be opened in the morning, and she can walk out into the room.

Today I want to share with you that MoMo graduated from five weeks of dog training called “Rough Around the Collar”. She was the only full-grown dog in the class. Here is a picture of MoMo and her classmates who were all puppies. I got a lump in my throat because she reminded me of when I first arrived from Japan and enrolled in a grade school. No one knew where to place me. The only thing the school knew was that I would not survive in a class with kids my own age. It was humiliating for me and I got the same kind of feeling watching MoMo in this class.

A Piece of Good News!

MoMo and I want to thank all the good people who attended the Summer Garden Flowers workshop on May 29th and the people who donated to help us with our cause. We are happy to say that $1,000. will be donated to Ginger’s Pet Rescue. We are asking Ginger to use this money to rescue other dogs from Korea so more can escape their life under extreme cruelty.

Coming Soon!

I’m planning a Summer Card-Making Camp for people who want to learn how to make beautiful cards one step at a time, painting flowers with watercolors. This six-day challenge is perfect for beginner card-makers. Dates will be announced shortly so get ready!

I want to share a story with you. Many years ago, I met a woman at a business conference. She was beautiful, well-poised, and radiated a look of health. She approached me and began conversing with me about women in businesses. It was difficult for me to concentrate on our conversation. I finally got my nerve up and asked her, “You are a gorgeous woman, what is your secret to looking so good?” She answered with a smile on her face, “I work on it … every day”. Today, I still remember her powerful words, WORK ON IT, EVERY DAY.

Today, as I teach the art of creativity to students, they often ask, “You can create wonderful art projects so fast and easily, is it because you have natural talent? I wish I had talent so I can do it too.” I reply, “I’m a self-taught artist. I got to this point because I taught myself step-by-step and worked on it every day. You can do it too, I can show you.”

I worked myself up to a point where I can watercolor a flower/foliage card in less than 15 minutes. Watch my video to see how this is done.

It’s not too late to sign up for my up-coming watercolor workshop, Summer Garden Flower Party. MoMo (My rescue dog from Korea) and I are excited to offer this workshop where 100% of your $40 registration fee will be donated to Ginger’s Pet Rescue. Our donation will be used to free another dog from Korea’s Dog Meat Trade.

Register here.

Please register here.

Thank you for following MoMo’s Journey with us. What we appreciate are the all the wonderful comments that you’ve been posting with your encouraging words and thoughts.

I’ve been concentrating on teaching MoMo to walk on a leash with me. She is a dog who has never walked with a human tethered to a leash in her three years of life. She was confused and frustrated during our walks. Another thing that contributed to her becoming overwhelmed was the smell of grass, trees, people, dogs, and the sound of cars traveling on the roads. Whew, it took all my might to hold down this 31 lb. dog.

When at home, I tried to get her to play with her new toys that were given to her as gifts from my family and friends. Well, no luck there… She just looked at them, not knowing what to do with them. I was puzzled at first, then realized that she was never given any toys to play with while growing up in Korea. I tried to teach her how to squeak the toys. I said, “Come on MoMo, it’s simple. JUST PICK THE TOY UP IN YOUR MOUTH AND SQUEEZE!”. I went on to show her how it’s done by showing her through me demonstrating. When the toy made a squeak sound, she ran away.

A big breakthrough came a few nights ago. I was sitting at the dining room table doing work on my computer. I was engrossed with working that my attention was completely on the project that I had on hand. Then I heard a faint sound by my feet… “squeak…”. I looked down and there was MoMo looking at me with a small stuffed squirrel toy in her mouth. I said, “Wow, MoMo, you know how to make your toy squeak. Good Girl!” What made me happy was that her tail was flip-flopping joyfully. I thought to myself, this is her gift. This is the gift she was born with … to infuse joy and happiness into people’s lives.

MoMo definitely seems content and I can feel her confidence growing. I can feel that she is beginning to trust me. But there are times when I can sense the sadness in her eyes. I ask, “Are you thinking of all the dogs you left behind in Korea, wishing they can have the lucky break that you had to find a home in the U.S?”

An idea came to me. Why not give a Summer Garden Flower Painting Workshop to raise money to donate to Ginger’s Pet Rescue so that more like MoMo can be helped? Well, there is no time to waste so here it is!

MoMo and I hope you will come. Never watercolored flowers before? No worry, I made 2 sheets of drawn templates for you. Can’t make it on May 29th? No worry, I will send you a replay of the workshop so you can enjoy making your flowers at a time that is convenient for you. You can register here. I will be donating 100% of the proceeds to Ginger’s Pet Rescue.

Come and join MoMo, me, and the wonderful Members of my Artful Giving Community to create your own garden!

Looking forward to having a relaxing time, while making beautiful flowers with you. Register here

Continuation from when I picked MoMo up on April 7…

MoMo walked into our condo and seemed happy. She walked around sniffing and checking things out. I thought no worries because dogs are able to adjust to new surroundings quickly.

Even though she was warm, friendly, and very polite and looked comfortable in our home, I began noticing things about her behavior that worried me. Here are some of her behaviors that I didn’t understand:

She would not come into my kitchen and eat the delicious meal that I prepared for her. She just sat by the kitchen entryway and stared at me, not moving. I tried to hand-feed her some snacks, she would not take that either.

When I took her outside to the grassy area to take care of her pee and poop, she looked at the grass and gave me a look as though she was asking, “What is this? I never saw anything like this before”. She finally did her business when I found a strip of gravel by a new construction site with no greenery growing out of the surface.

When bedtime came, she didn’t want to go into the wire kennel lined with a soft cushion that I purchased for her. Instead, she wanted to sleep on a hard surface where it was not covered by a rug. I gently coaxed her to go into her kennel. She kept looking at me with her sad eyes, not making a sound. I couldn’t bear to leave her alone for the night, so I slept on the floor next to her for three nights.

Then came the most terrifying thing for MoMo … getting into the car and going for a ride. I never saw a dog shake so hard. We went for practice rides for a week and she started to get more comfortable. Thank goodness, that was a relief.

I was not used to raising a dog who had this much fear and anxiety. I thought, she must have had a terrible life in Korea where she received cruel treatment from humans. My hope was that acclimating MoMo to her new life would go a little faster… I think it’s because I’m a goal-oriented person and expect things to go on schedule … very quickly. I think some of you understand how I was feeling, right?

Then I was able to get back to my right mindset. I found a card inserted inside the Orientation folder that was given to me by Ginger’s Pet Rescue. Let me write it here for you to read. This card said everything that I needed to hear!

Thank You for Adopting Me! From: Ginger’s Pet Rescue

Now I have arrived at your home, everything is strange, and I don’t feel good.

Do not feel impatient if I don’t sleep in my new basket. Yesterday, I slept on a stone floor.

Do not be terrified f I gobble up my food. Yesterday, I had to do it to survive.

Do not get angry if I pee on the floor. Yesterday, it did not matter.

Do not be sad if I am afraid of your loving hand. Yesterday, I did not have one.

Have patience with me, it’s your world, but not yet mine.

If I trust you, I can gibe you the greatest GIFT I have to give… MY HEART.

Please never forget, I was a proud dog. All I need, is a bit of time to adjust.

——————————————————————————-

Wow, these were powerful messages that brought me to realize that empathy (not sympathy) was needed in this situation. I have to walk in MoMo’s shoes and understand how she was feeling, not looking at things from my point of view.

Please watch my video where I draw MoMo and watercolor her drawing.

Thanks for your interest in MoMo’s Journey. More to come….

Have you experienced a time when you felt like something was missing in your life? In my younger days, I remember that I wanted to adopt a child who was living an unstable life without love, care, or compassion. I wanted to provide a life for this child that is filled with stability, daily routines, skill-teaching, and guidance. I was not able to go forward with this because I had a full-time plus hours that I needed to spend to build my business, plus taking care of a daughter with a head injury and a son who was shy. I didn’t have a minute of time to give to anyone else at that time.

Now, years later… I started to get the same feeling again. For the last four months, since my dog Max passed away, I’ve been thinking that I want to give a new beginning to an animal who is living under the hands of human cruelty. I searched and searched, trying to find a dog who needed a new start in life. I went through so many disappointments that by the end of April, I decided to give up on looking for a dog. I felt like the universe was harshly telling me to give up because this is not what you should be doing at this time of your life. So I decided to let go because it just wasn’t meant for me and that there was nothing I could do about it.

Have you experienced something like this in your life? After trying and trying without any results, you just throw up your hands up and let the idea go?

Well, I should have known. This is one of the most powerful mindsets that we are able to practice. Lo and behold, once you let something go, a window opens and a pleasant surprise came flowing in!

Take a look, this photo was sent to me by Ginger’s Pet Rescue. The note said, this dog was rescued from a Korean meat market camp and living a life under cruel treatment.

I waited on pins and needles for the time to arrive and went to meet MoMo (the name I gave her means PEACH in Japanese) on April 7 at 1:45 PM. She survived her 19 hours of a flight packed in a kennel with another dog. She was so scared that she didn’t come out of her crate for a long time. She was finally coaxed out by a volunteer who worked for Ginger’s Pet Rescue. When she made her first eye contact with me, my heart melted. Her eyes were hidden behind tufts of shaggy hair and her body shape covered by overgrown fur was not even detectable. She looked bewildered and sad, not knowing where she was.

I wanted to hold her to let her know that everything will be fine. Sian, the lead intake coordinator from Ginger’s Pet Rescue said, “No, not yet. You have to take care of the paperwork first”. After going through the paperwork came a lecture on how to be a responsible owner of a dog who has been through brutal handlings in a Korean dog camp. I then realized that these dogs need very special handling skills to get them acclimated to their new life in the US. “Remember, everything is new to these dogs, new smells, new language, and new people. Please guide them slowly with understanding and compassion,” she said.

• 

• 

• 

Finally, it was time to go home together. Momo did not want to come with me. I gently pulled her to my car and opened the back door and asked her to get in. She pulled away from me and the open car door and tried to run in a different direction. Two volunteers helped me to pull MoMo into the back seat of the door. She sat on the seating shaking like a leaf. When my husband, Tom started the car and drove towards our destination, she got very scared even though I was there in the backseat with her, gently rubbing her back to calm her. The photo below shows how scared she was. She laid her head on my lap and remained very still during our 40-minute drive back to our condo.

What happened when we reached home? Please stay posted and I will continue to share MoMo’s Journey.

Today I want to share with you the Kaizen philosophy that I live by every day. Kaizen is a Japanese business/life philosophy that means, Life-long learning in small incremental steps. The six to-do lists for the Kaizen philosophy are 1. Take one small step.   2. Ask small questions.   3. Solve small problems  4. Take small actions   5. Give small gifts  6. Enjoy small moments.

My favorite is 5. Give small gifts.

Do you know why? Because I love making small art treasures and give them away to create a happy day for the others in this world. 

This is why I like to encourage you to make your own small gifts to make others happy…especially during these COVID months where people need encouragement from others. One thing I know for sure, people love receiving hand-made gifts.

If you haven’t signed up yet for my upcoming Zoom workshop, do it today. It’s coming up in a few days.

I guarantee you will love this workshop! Did I tell you it’s simple?

Sign-up here.