Wow,  what a fantastic weekend………..so many fantastic vendors and appreciate shoppers I hardly know where to begin,  how about with a piccie?

This was at the very start of day one and I am so very glad I remembered to take a piccie as a lot of my critters found lovely new homes this weekend.   I did a few awesome trades with the other vendors which of course means Markie took them away for Christmas (would someone please explain how me setting up trades and swapping my lovely critters means Markie has got me Christmas schtuff?  because it’s confusing to me but somehow seems logical in his mind…. harumph)

Anyway I fell in love with Steve Tomashek’s Miniature Menagerie booth.  Steve whittles the most amazing little critters out of teeny bits of wood and also takes whimsical pictures of them……..loved them all to bits,  so Mark got to pick out some of them (fingers crossed it’s more than one)  for me for under the tree yippppeeeeeee.

SwallowKisses booth was behind me (very exciting as she has long been an etsy favourite of mine) I got a completely cool birdy hair clip and a peony flower pin and I LOVE them.  I also got the cutest pine cone necklace from Charmaine Anthony her jewellry was so gorgeous I was drooling at her booth…….but fell in love with the little pine cone.  I also snagged the coolest felted wool scarf from SteveSews! which I did actually keep and not permit being a Christmas gift, very essential  as Sunday was the heaviest snow storm we’ve had this year which meant that the field house was more than just a wee bit nippy…….. and made our drive back to Rockford just a little bit interesting.   Weenerware was also there (another of my favourites ever since I snagged a bottle cap pin of hers from the art-o-mat  machine a few years ago) Markie won the auction for one of her fabulous bracelets (it’s so cool, wait till you see)  but guess what?  yup  not till  Christmas…………sigh.   So thank you so much Bucktown Bazaar and all the wonderful shoppers and vendors for a completely fabulous weekend in Chicago,  my head is still spinning from the support and wonderful comments I received.

Now it’s back to work as this weekend is the rather fabulous Craftacular in Madison

Thanksgiving is such an odd holiday………but it does mean a parade!!!!! woooohooooo

and my favourite ballons have got to be…….

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!  I hope you have a fantastic day of over indulging in lots of yummy goodies……I may even take a stabby day off………maybe……….

Honestly how mental are cats?  and that really is a rhetorical question………..check out Kirzstie

I’m trying to get ready for the Red Sled Holiday Bazaar practicing setting up my booth and persuading the critters to get packed up (not their favourite part of shows) when Kirzstie decides the table is his new den.  His favourite place ever………and no I may not approach it……….what a pest!!!!  I guess he likes my new table cover as much as I do.

Remember tomorrow  to come see me if you are in the are in the area,  I’m in the main hall booth #38 so you cant miss me and seeing as how we are experiencing our first snow of the season today  (boo) and more expected tomorrow I’m thinking we will be there very early to not risk the roads.

“Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder, treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.”

Happy bonfire night to everyone in the UK.

I guess folks that read my blog with any kind of regularity know that I really don’t get political here……but I would just like to say Please, Please Vote…….I’m so sick of all the electionioneering that’s been going on since forever……. but this is it,  the finale,  the whole point of all that crap so what you reading this for? get to it!!!!!

Ok I’m over my little rant now so I will show you what I’ve been working on for the last couple of days

I loved how the elk turned out that I made for a customer last week so I wanted to make more of these lil cuties for the shop,  and for the upcoming shows……I also gave each one a little collar with a real mini jingly bell attached just for that extra festive touch.  I’m not sure how many of these guys I will make,  so if you want one I highly recommend you snag one now…….I’m thinking of them as limited edition for the holidays.

number one – If you have a little bit of a journey to your craft show, make sure you leave with plenty of time to give yourself as much time for your set up as possible………I thought we had done this but see number two

number two -  Make sure to get really good directions to the venue where your craft show is taking place,  or else you will drive around like a crazy person randomly shouting out the names of the passing cross streets hoping that something sounds familiar,  even though you have never been in the neighborhood ever……whooops

number 3 – I LOVE doing craft shows,   I had such a great experience at Indie in the windy city.  The other vendors were wonderful and the shoppers were fantastic and  it has really left me excited for this weekend at the empty bottle.   Above is a picture of Markie (who was the perfect helper all day thanks Markie) with my booth set up,  I had it set up showing the chaos effect in action,  actually I guess I learned 4 things this weekend….. how not to set up my booth but again see number 2.

So this weekend I am extremely excited to be back in Chicago for

So if you are in the area please stop on by and say hi to me and the critters.

It’s toad

Making Bub and Bob got me thinking about all my other favourite cute computer game characters which of course inevitably meant I absolutely had to make toad from Mario fame.

Wahooooo is his catchphrase,  it’s also mine as I am full of nervous energy or maybe it’s anticipation for the craft fair tommorrow in Chicago.  I’m pretty much organised as in everything is packed up and ready to go but I keep feeling the need to recheck the boxes…….eeeeek do I have everything?  oh shoot did I remember to put the (insert essential of your choice) in?    I am so freaking out which definately means I need to get much more craft show experience……..oh well at least I am working on remedying the situation right?

So if you are in the Chicago area please stop on by and say hi

Fall Handcrafted Market!!

Saturday, October 4^th 10-4p.m.

The New Friendly Towers

920 West Wilson Ave., Chicago

eeeek I am so excited…….

I mean I already told you I’m a geek right?  Lets face it I’ve  made Mario’s, Yoshi’s, Star wars characters and battlestar Gallactica dogs/cylons and I loved every minute of making ’em.   But these guys I had to make just for me……

So if you don’t know who these 2 bubble blowing dragons are then you just failed the geek test.  It’s Bub and Bob of course……..my favourite computer game and computer game characters EVER!!!  They are just so cute and here is the pic I used to create ’em

awwwww aren’t they cute I’ll list them in the shop soon.

So remember this Saturday I’ll be with the critters in Chicago for the Indie in the windy city craft fair and next week we are doing the Handmade Market at the empty bottle in Chicago eeeeeek how exciting 2 shows in a row……..hope to see you there!!!

That’s my funday……..and it really was last Sunday.  We attended the completely brilliant Willy Street fair in Madison.  Lots of fun was to be had from watching crazy people dance

to listening to every type of live music on every street corner…..from rock, pop, folk but these blues/jazz guys were my favourites

I really wish I’d gotten their cd……..how typical of me not to think about it at the time.

My favourite aspect of the fair (of course) was the arts and craft booths (huge surprise huh?) There was a guy outside Fat Pinky Glass actually making glass ornaments….he was fascinating to watch and I so wanted to have a go,   I’m not so sure he would have been that keen to let me take charge of molten glass and fire though

How cool is that?   and of course my favourite Madison Crafters had booths

Ekra and glitterworkshop both had brilliant booths proving that they both have been very busy over the summer with lots of new fun schtuff on show.

So that was my weekend how was yours?

the end of summer?  really?    aw say it ain’t so……..All last weekend I listened to all the gloomy gus’s ending every sentence with “  this is the last nice weekend so you had better do *insert chosen outdoor activity* now” and at the time I rolled my eyes and laughed internally thinking how can you possibly know that?  the weather is glorious how can it possible change so quickly?………oh yeah I forgot we live in the Midwest.   It rained all day yesterday and I don’t mean intermittantly or showers or what ever else that might mean to you…..I mean it didn’t let up raining hard all day (they say it’s the tail end of  hurricane Gustav) and today is looking kinda grim too……….pooooooo I’m not ready for winter I refuse I tell ya!!!!! I feel like I didn’t get my fair share of summer dammit!!!!!

Oh well I guess it makes showing some of my Christmas goodies a little more appropriate what do you think about Rudolph?

or how about a christmas tree pin cushion?

I’m loving the trees……I found some miniature terracotta pots in an art store and got the idea instantly,  but even still they look much better in reality than they did in my head… and that so rarely happens to me.

This weekend Markie is of to Gnomefest a bike ride weekend extravaganza (yawn) so I’ve got the whole weekend to myself………guess I’m going to be sewing a lot of donuts.