O! my god. WTF? That was my response when I opened an email from Rae Ann Herman, Style Editor for O, The Oprah Magazine. I could hardly believe my eyes!
My ability to speak was severely impaired when I called my sister to share the OMG moment. Oprah, we all know, is one step removed from Jesus. Seriously! Beloved by all. A global treasure.
My Embrasse Moi lips pillow was a "finalist" in O's 14 favorite things for Valentine's Day! Did I also have a sculpted heart? Indeed! Valentina, show off that she is, danced her way to the screen.
My jubilance translated to a hummingbird- manic frenzy. I was propelled to do a custom design. O! Mon Coeur - oh my heart - was created over a 2 day period. 17 hours. (These things take a lot of time and luckily, that weekend, I had no life.)
The Oprah heart was photographed and quickly sent to Rae Ann. She responded with enthusiasm and said she would also share this one at her meeting.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. Minutes became hours. Hours became days. Days became weeks. Four weeks to be exact and no word.
During this time, my entire sleep pattern shifted. No sleep the first night, so excited by the possibilities! The nights that followed were accompanied by frenzied thoughts of - what if - maybe I'll actually make some money - holy crap - how could I begin to respond to potential orders? O Magazine has 2.7 million paid subscribers. If only .001 bought something from Mommani, that's 2700 pillows.
Then I really couldn't sleep.
But I could think. And think I did - analyzing scenarios for production & distribution.
Mommani Threads is a baby, compromised of just me, a lovely seamstress, and countless friends and family members who give time and patience to my whims. 2700 pillows????
How I could retain personal touch with mass delivery? Would my sons and friends leave
their personal lives behind and work for free?
I've found that a good many things in my life show up in costume. I see something as linear, when in reality, it's meandering. It's generally, significantly more complex, winding an unexpected event to a surprise location.
Such is the case with Oprah. Parts of my perception held true . . . Oprah: recognition. Oprah: life change. Parts of my perception were not. (Like this one . . living off savings: pack your bags, we're going to Paris!)
Alas, my dear peeps, I think the window has closed on Mommani's O mag appearance. I say this with varying degrees of acceptance, but an abundance of gratitude.
My shoulder brush with fame feels more like an acknowledgement that I am on the right path. It is and has been a driving motivation to synchronize every thing I'm doing. A sweet, sweet recognition of my work.
The original O! mon coeur needlepoint is en route to Oprah as of this writing. Y'all be on the lookout for its debut, coyly tucked on a loveseat. <3