EDITOR'S NOTE   THE ACCIDENTAL ENTREPRENEUR “We must let go of the life we have planned to accept the one we have waiting for us.” joseph conrad A New Year, a new spirit, a fresh start… As an entrepreneur, I am always finding new creative ventures and new approaches to the tried and true. As I enter my sixth year of publishing, I am excited to bring you the new look of La Vie Claire. Our redesign embraces a year when our Nest envelops us in beauty, when we Bloom where we are, when we Indulge our dreams, Inspire others, and Imagine our futures. We invite you to linger over more stories, more poetic images, and more uplifting messages—all to support you in your creative endeavors. As I reflected on the fifteen women featured in these pages, I had to ask myself, what is an entrepreneur? A close friend once told me it was not a good thing to identify oneself as an entrepreneur as so many don’t succeed, and I realized that is one of the remarkable things about entrepreneurs—they seize opportunities, take risks, push the envelope, and sometimes they fall. But you cannot keep an entrepreneur down. Consider that two of Henry Ford’s car companies failed before he went on to build one of the most successful corporations in America. Entrepreneurs have the courage to believe in themselves. My mother instilled in me the belief that I could be self-reliant. When I moved to Nantucket, a single mother, and opened my inn, I had an idea for the shoulder seasons that would set me on the path I would follow. I started learning vacations that consistently sold out, welcoming women from around the world. When the owners of Nantucket Needleworks, my yarn supplier, declared they were retiring, I purchased their company and launched the Claire Murray company. I was ready for a new opportunity as my work was being discovered, and it was important to find a way to make my products available to a larger audience. Today they are sold worldwide. As the ladies featured in this issue prove, we all come to our entrepreneurial lives by different paths. Like me, Susan Branch moved to an island to start over and found a way to unite all of her passions—the heart, the home, and her art. On a whim, Diana Rupp left her California publishing job, moved to New York City, and was soon living out her crafting dreams, opening her MAKE Workshop studio.   Subscribe to La Vie Claire Return to Claire Murray Home Page

Meet Claire Often an entrepreneur is born when there is a need that requires filling. Leeda Marting discovered her calling when she couldn’t find the planters she wanted for her petite New York City balcony, so she decided to source her own supplies and launched Charleston Gardens. So, too, the women of HuePhoria, dismayed by the dearth of party spirit in wine stemware, painted their own glasses and now distribute them across the country. A frustrating search for a customized cake prompted Lori Karmel to buy We Take The Cake in Florida and take it national. Occasionally women are born into their entrepreneurial roles, as were the Antinori sisters, who are poised to take over their family’s six hundred year old wine business, and the Costa sisters, who now head Fragonard. Jennifer Mull bought Backwoods outfitters from her father, expanding the stores to become venues for both outdoor and cultural experiences. Sometimes entrepreneurs enjoy one career before going into business, as did esteemed floral artist Paula Pryke, who was a history teacher before allowing her passion for flowers to blossom. Angela Jia Kim enjoyed a renowned career as a concert pianist before starting her company, Om Aroma, born of a desire to create truly all natural skin care products and as a way to establish more balance in her life. When we empower ourselves by believing in our dreams and thinking ourselves worth the risks involved, we are in a position to help others, whether by sharing our experiences, contributing to char ities, or donating the products of our creation. As Edith Wharton said, “There are two ways of spreading the light: To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” P.S. I believe women innately want to help others. In the past, I have designed rugs for charities, and this spring I have added rugs like Forget Me Not (see p. 6) to my collection for Alzheimer’s as well as Hospice and Palliative Care. For more information call 800-252-4733 or email cmurray@clairemurray.com. P. S. We’d love to hear your thoughts about La Vie Claire. Please send a note to Claire.