I’ve been trying to come up with new critters for the critter boxes,  when it struck me…….

The ultimate low maintanance pet………goldfish.  They’re kinda fun to make with the big eyes and lips.

This weekend is going to be great,  we are going to Madison to stay for the weekend.  Staying at the fancy schmancy  Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club to boot.  We decided to stay as The Detroit Cobra’s are playing the High Noon late Friday night,  and there is nothing worse than driving the hour drive back to Rockford when all you want to do is sleep.   Plus it will be great to just  get up and walk to the farmer’s market (our first one of this year…..kinda shocking).

So eek I can’t wait roll on Friday………yippppppeeeeee

So this time every year my hubby’s work has a bit of a Christmas party involving schtuffing yer face with food and swapping white elephant gifts (who exactly came up with the term of white elephant for a gag gift?  I mean it’s kinda odd right? It could just as easily be say a chunky chicken gag gift?  or am I overthinking this?)

Anyway back to the story,  last year I made him a little scientist for the exchange (and the fact it kinda resembled his boss was merely a coincidence  I assure you………..ahem)  and this year I took a little break from my crazy show crafting schedule and made him a little Marie……..

Above is the lovely Marie and below is my homage to her in wool……

I hope she isn’t to offended.

So I’m back to stabbying frenzy for Saturday’s show.  It’s the Craftacular in  Madison Masonic Center at 301 Wisconsin Avenue and will be on from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.  I can’t wait for this one as I adore the regular vendors and the organizer of this show so much,  it’s always a good time and really has quickly become a holiday tradition for me.  I hope if you are in the are you will stop on by and wish the Critters Happy Holidays………

Yaaaaaaay I got my hotel room booked for the weekend,  I had been a little worried about getting a hotel room in Chicago for the Bucktown Bazaar…….It had been a little difficult to get a reasonably priced room in Chicago for Thanksgiving weekend,  and yes I am sure the hotel is beautiful! …but $325.00 on my crafter’s budget just wasn’t going to happen.  But yaaaaaaay Hotwire came through for me once again (love that website!!!)  so we are staying in a fantastic hotel in the loop,  and I am as excited for that as the Bucktown Bazzar………..well, maybe not!!!!     But I am so excited for this weekend in everyway and it’s lovely icing on the crafting cake to have a nice hotel to schlep back to from the show……yaaaaaaaay!!!

I had a fantastic past weekend too…….we went to Madison for the first time in ages and dropped of some Christmas goodies at the wonderful Anthology.   Then headed to whole foods to place my Christmas dinner order,  they do a fantastic turkey and the works dinner and it’s all basically good to go with very little input from me (thank god for whole foods).  Then we enjoyed a few pints of some fantastic Belgium beer from the Monroe Street Bistro yummm.  So it was a fantastic weekend and I definately felt much less like a crafting shut in for it……

So remember this weekend is the Bucktown Bazaar………hope you can stop by and say hi

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?