The Top Ten

Here is something that has not happened in the annals of the Top Ten List. I have had repeat artisans on different lists but I do not think I have ever had multiple items from the same artisans on the same list...

until today..

Golden Earrings by Unquiet Design

These are stunning. Heidi has such an eye for putting together vintage and non-vintage items and making some truly beautiful work. I already own a pair of her earrings and the ONLY reason I don't own these is so you can see them. You may thank me later.

Wheel In the Sky earrings by Unquiet Design

See above - these are so lovely.

Do Not Rest On Your Laurels by Unquiet Design

I used to have this obsession with earrings. They are my favorite piece of jewelry. The items in this shop may awaken that sleeping beast!

Little Painting by Chicago Jewels

This is actually a pendant but it has a very unique something that i can imagine wearing it with any number of scoop necked sweaters.

White and Yellow Dresser by Chicagoan

This is such a bright and happy object - I would not pay the asking price but maybe someone would and I think it's worth taking a look.

Breezy took me up on my offer to be a guest blogger and sent me a wonderful post. Stay tuned because it will show up on the blog soon. For the rest of you, please feel free to write an entry and send it to me via email and you, too, can be a guest blogger!

Victorian Bustle Gown by Countessa

Obviously you are going to need some God sent or man made construction to keep the dress up but overall almost any figure will be flattered with this dress.

Copper Earrings by Peacock Beads

I love the color and I love the shape!

Art Deco Moth Pendant by Chinacherie

This is a beautifully crafted piece and I would love to have it!

Tote It by Loop the Loop

I have to carry the jewelry in something and it might as well be something this cool!

Lace Hoops by sweet findings for you

Seriously? You had to ask?

This will have to serve as my earring fix. I didn't know this many earrings would be on the list - you'll just have to deal with looking at beautiful, colorful, shiny objects of handcrafted goodness!

Please support local artisans in your area so they can continue to share their craft with the world!

The Secret Life

Am I the only one done with 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'? It started out as an interesting concept and has now dissolved into a farce with really bad acting. One teenage pregnancy would be enough but the little circle of friends now has another teenager pregnant. (Why don't they just make a pregnancy pact so we can have it all over with in one season?) I suppose it's going into the abortion/adoption/keep the baby drama but I can't get over the stale writing and the bad acting. And I find the Ashley character terribly annoying and don't know anyone who has a teen like that or anyone who lets a teen act like that and if any of the creators have a kid like that or lets their kid behave like that well, then, it should be kept a secret.

I am not so far removed from high school (or reality) that I didn't know there were pregnant girls in high school; there were, but seriously, I can count the conversations about sex my friends and I had and still have most of both hands left over and some of us were active.

And why aren't those kids ever in class? They are never in class. They're always in the hall maybe if they had a class they'd get their minds off of sex. Perhaps gym class would be a good place for all of them.

OK, enough of standing on that particular soap (opera) box. On to the important stuff...like knitting projects. I'm taking a little breather from the granny square afghan. I have 14 squares to go on that and will finish it this week so I can mail it off. The stash bust is still on so I am making another square afghan inspired by one I saw in a book. It uses knit, crochet and sewn squares. I don't have the sewn squares but as you can see by the stack on the left, knit and crochet I have. It looks like it's going to be mainly blue, but that's just because you can't see the yellows, purples and other colors that are in there. Also, it's supposed to have 42 squares and I'm up to 17 so I still have some ways to go and I and certain I will run out of the purple skein I am working on and then there's this buttercup one waiting in the wings.

I don't know if this has happened to you and maybe it's just something playing in my mind but have your ever started a skein, made all sorts of things with it and the skein just never dies? That's how I feel about this purple skein. I've made five squares so far and it was a skein that had already been started so something else was made with it and I can't tell when this puppy is going to end. The same thing with the blue skein I was knitting with before this. No wonder my stash is so big.

Here's another thing: showing some love for the crochet. Yes. I look forward to making the squares. I even started a crochet afghan until it frustrated me. It gets the same hook knitting gets - I will start over three times and if I don't make it to the end, I move on to another project. I have made a crochet afghan before - within the past few years but nothing since then. I will make it one day because I'm loving the crochet.

Don't worry - knitting still rules. More variety. More diversity of stitches. But crochet is faster (and you know I need to be faster.) Now, i know you crocheters out there will say there is a great deal of variety - OK. I have yet to discover how diverse the stitches can be, but I do have a crochet stitch guide by the wonderful Erika Knight so I am certain to find out.

In the meantime, I have to and reschedule the DVR to take off that show that could have been so useful and now is just dribble - and then I have more work to do!

No Rest for the Wicked

I contemplated taking the afghan out of the bag and then taking the photo to show you how nice it is. It's very close to the wedding afghan I made before but not quite as big. But getting it into the bag was a bear and I didn't want to take it out just to put it back. This is a gift for someone so I figured I could take a picture of the recipient and the gift and then they could try and get it back into the bag!
It's another blue afghan and it consists of twenty squares and it's 4x5 (or 5x4 depending on how you hold it) and the squares are 12" so it's about 48x60 a nice cozy size.

I was looking into what craft shows I can enter in and my goodness, the booth fees at some of these places! I haven't run into on that is less than $100. I thought I might try and drop in one or two of them - but I don't think I can. I have to plan this for next year! In the meantime, I really have to get my show established so artisans can have a more affordable place to exhibit and sell.

The problem I'm running into is finding the audience. I know when we do the Pleasant Home show we have a nice crowd the first day but the rest of the week, including the next weekend, is a little slow. With the small amount of shoppers, I can't get vendors. My thought was to go strictly charity fundraising and offer the show as a way for Not For Profits to raise money. I organize the show, they get their donors there, and the vendors give 10% percent of what they make. There would be food and give aways (no raffles in the Methodist church).

With the fees the way they are, vendors will need to find relief somewhere. why not feel good and raise money while doing it?

In any case, I am not ready to give up on the idea of a successful craft show so I have to figure out what I've been doing wrong. I will hang in there a little longer. For the last show, I got some of the people I went after getting but not enough - and it didn't help that the power was out in half the city - including the power going out in the church.

Maybe God's trying to tell me something...