Katherine Center's Blog, page 11

crazy cross-Texas love

So last week I fell into a crazy infatuated love.  With a chair.  A chair I found for 15 dollars on Craigslist.  But not Craigslist in Houston, where I live. Craigslist in Austin, which is 3 hours away.  What was I even doing looking at the Austin Craigslist?  But somehow it happened.  And you know how it is with love:  Once it's got you, it doesn't let you go.

Now, I know very few people who will drop what they are doing to drive across Texas for a 15 dollar chair.  I am one of them.  And my...

en fuego

Dear Kelly Rae Roberts,

Thank you for setting me on fire.

I've made another collage, and now I'm walking around today with an excited kind of tickle in my body.  It's that same feeling I get when I'm in the groove with a story–a feeling of creation, of expression, of doing something that only I can do.

It's nice to use all the senses.  For me, writing is really about hearing.  It's about the music and rhythm of the language.  I hear the stories talking, and I write them down.  But collage, of...

before & after

The furnishings in our house have been going downhill for a while.  Kid life has been hard on my decorating skills.  We have a great time here and laugh a lot.  But let's just say, decor-wise, my house is not even in the neighborhood of its potential. 

And so, one by one, I'm going to tackle little projects to try and perk our decor back up.  

For example, today I hung some paper lanterns that have been in storage since our wedding–nine years ago.  They're from Restoration Hardware, and we...

i love radio

This morning, I did a radio interview with Christopher Gabriel on his program for AM 970 WDAY in Fargo, ND, and it was SO MUCH FUN.  

The interview is up at Christopher's radio archives.  Listen HERE!

Posted in events, everyone is beautiful, Get Lucky, news!, random, the bright side of disaster Tagged: Christopher Gabriel, radio interview, The Christopher Gabriel Program

body poems: $1

I'd love to have a body poems booth.  Maybe just sit out on the front lawn on nice days with a sign like a lemonade stand that says, Body Poems: $1.  And anybody who needed to tell herself something could just stop by and get painted.  The first time I ever painted words on someone's body, I had this thought: How can I do this for a living?

And then I went to Lovebomb, and a whole group of women agreed to let me paint them. They chose the words, and I did my best to do them justice.  I spent a wh

how hands can make sunshine

One day, in Oregon, we made collages.  

My collage.

It was all because of Kelly Rae, who shared both her artistic process and her giant suitcase of cool collage stuff (like vintage letters, postcards, ledgers, envelopes, stamps, sheet music) with us.

Ali Edwards' collage-in-progress.

When I saw the paints and canvases come out, and when I realized what we were about to do, I could barely wait to get my hands on all those beautiful old things in Kelly Rae's suitcase.  And I'd brought along an old LIF

lovebomb

Last spring, I got invited to go with a group of women artists to the Oregon coast for a retreat called Lovebomb.  And of course I said yes.  Even though Oregon is a long way from Texas.  And even though I've done more than enough traveling lately.  And even though I only knew four of the 14 women who'd be there.

I'd heard too many great things about the first Lovebomb (last year) from my friends Karen and Brene to say no.  I felt honored to be asked.

And then, as time got closer, I felt nervous.

you can make butter

Today, when my daughter saw I'd bought some heavy cream at the grocery, she asked if we could make butter.

So we did!  

We learned how to do it when she was in pre-school, and it's super-easy!

Here's how:

Pour some room-temperature heavy whipping cream into a small glass jar (like a baby food jar).  Screw the lid on tightly and shake.  Just shake and shake–about five minutes.  At first, you can hear the milk sloshing around, and then, suddenly, it'll sound like there's something in there.  And there

advance readers' edition

The AREs for Get Lucky are all printed up–and just arrived in the mail at my house.  It's still a 6-month wait for the actual book, but it's always a thrill to see the AREs.  It's amazing how different the words look on the pages of the book.  The new layout seems to change the rhythm and the sound of the language. I've been so used to 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of white paper–double-spaced in Times New Roman.  And then suddenly, pages are different:  the font's different, the spacing's different, the l

where have i been?

I try not to forget to count my blessings.  And one of them–two years in a row, now–has been getting to go out to the Texas Hill Country  to stay in the gorgeous country house of one of my mom's dear friends.  

I got to go last year when I was finishing up my third novel, and spent almost a week there writing a good 1/3 of the book in a total and delightful fiction frenzy.

It's just so unbelievably charming there. And whimsical.  And tidy.  And scenic.  And friendly.  And everywhere you look, ther