Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Sunday Bazaar and the Blustery Day

The debut of the East Village Sunday Bazaar exceeded all my expectations! Lots and lots of people came to check it out and it was a fun, successful day. Got to meet new people and see a few friends I've been missing. My spot was right next to the gals from Porch Light Antiques (great stuff!) and I learned that their new store, right on East 6th & Grand, will be opening at the beginning of October (can't wait!). Got to chat with some SASS friends, as well as admire the amazing art of Kay Sperry of Sweetwater Studio, listen to good live music, and partake in some people-watching in between taking care of customers. It was great to see how many people showed up! Thanks to Amy Hassebrock of aimee for spearheading this awesome event.
If you missed this Sunday, don't despair, because you have seven more Sundays to get down to East 5th Street (between Walnut & Locust) and check out all the goodies. Noon to four, rain or shine--or wind! And yes, there was a moment or two when I held on to my tent and hoped that it didn't blow away!
(P.S. I was totally going to post photos but something is up with either blogspot or my laptop and I can't get any uploaded right now...so will try to remember to post some real soon!)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Countdown to the big book sale....

I really love the month of September because it means the big Planned Parenthood book sale! This has always been one of my favorite events, even back before I became a maker of stuff. There's just something about it....all those books in one place, never knowing what I might find. I get excited just thinking about it. I don't even mind hauling heavy boxes full of books out to the car and then unloading them again at home. Even the challenge of trying to make space in the house for them (and keeping it on the down low in the hopes that the husband won't see just how many books I've brought home) is fun. I always find lots of good stuff there and I can't wait to get home and start giving these old books a makeover. The book sale starts one week from today, and I will be there first thing on Friday morning (yes, I even took the day off work for this very important event). And I will make at least two visits to the fairgrounds this year. Can't wait!!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

At Summer's End....


I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend already. Another summer gone and I know fall won't last long enough (it never does here in Iowa) and I am so not looking forward to winter. Here's what's happening in my little world...

Last Saturday's Market Day was great. Met lots of nice people, sold quite a few journals, and even had a few folks offer to give me some old books to work with (what could be better!). Already looking forward to September's Market Day on Saturday the 25th. Next up for me is the East Village Sunday Bazaar, which begins on Sept.12 and is every Sunday (rain or shine!) through October. I think this is going to be a great event and I hope lots of people will take advantage of it and come out to see how great the East Village is and SHOP LOCAL! There will be art, handmade, antiques & vintage, furniture, and food, wine, and music. What more could you ask for, right? Bazaar hours are noon to 4 p.m.

Some sad news this morning: my cat Lucy is having some health problems...although hopefully not as serious as her brother Ricky's thyroid condition. I'll be spending some time this weekend making sure she is eating and using the litter box. Hopefully it won't end up being anything that can't be treated. It's hell getting old, as many of us know, and Lucy and Ricky are fifteen now. I can't imagine my life without them. Nobody else has put up with me that long (other than my mother and I guess she had no choice!). I will do whatever is best for these furry creatures that have been there for me so many times when no one else has been. (Yes, this is the part where you think, hmmm....crazy cat lady? Yes. I am.)

Okay, back to happier thoughts....today I've been working on a little book recycling project. My darling and sometimes destructive son seems to have a penchant for destroying books: tearing the pages out, bending them, stomping on them, etc. So instead of tossing the poor ruined books into the recycle bin...you guessed it, I had to make something out of the pages that were still in one piece (good thing those board books can take a lot of abuse). I also used it as an opportunity to practice the single-signature binding and I like how it turned out. I just used a few papers that I had in my stash, a few stickers, some photos, and my own handwriting. I kept it simple and finished it in 24 hours (in between laundry, vet visit, playing outside, etc.). Here's what it looks like....



And here's what the cover page and then the last page look like.

...the picture on the last page is one of my very favorites of my little man. It is getting harder to get a good pic of him because he doesn't stand or sit still for very long!


That's all folks! Enjoy the last days of summer, and here's hoping for a long and lovely autumn!