Artisans' Alley is This Coming Saturday!

Artisans' Alley is this coming Saturday, Dec. 5th!

I hope to see you at this Saturday's 37th Annual Holiday Craft Fair, Artisans' Alley in Coronado, CA. You can find me in the same spot as last year, booth 66, down from the main entrance on G Street, and across from the "food court" area.

The fair is held on the corner of 7th and G Street, on the Village Elementary playground. If you are driving to Coronado, take the bridge, then a left on Orange Ave, and a right on 7th Street. Go 4 blocks and look for the big crowd on the right!

Artisans' Alley is one of the best Holiday Craft Fairs I've ever been to. Mostly everyone's items are handmade, unique and original! You can find something lovely for everyone on your shopping list, and you will have an enjoyable day in the process. So, come out and bring a friend or two,

and stop by my booth to say "Hi!"

Counting My Blessings

(Photo courtesy of MondoBeyondo. Thank you, it's lovely)

It's nearly Thanksgiving, and I can't help feeling the time is right for counting my blessings. To reach out into the world and offer some quiet ~thanks~, to spend some time considering all the goodness in life, and to put forth my ramblings in the right here and now. Perhaps even inspire you to take some quiet (or not so quiet) actions of thankfulness in your world too. :o)

~thanks: for having such an understanding and kind mate, one who never complains about my (sometimes) lack of helpfulness around the house, and doesn't mind cooking AND cleaning up the dinner

~thanks: for my everlasting environment of peace and happiness, close to the sea, living in the place where my heart feels fullest and happiest

~thanks: for the gift of health

~thanks: for nimble fingers and a creative mind

~thanks: for girls in my life who lift me up on wings of hope, laughter and love

~thanks: for allowing understanding in a sometimes seemingly unforgivable world (momentarily speaking)

~thanks: for giving me boys, when I was certain I needed girls

~thanks: for amazing Linda, who kneads the tightest knots out of my weary back and shoulders

~thanks: for the sweetest, most lovable dog ever on this entire planet

~thanks: for strangers and lovers of craft who support those of us who can't help but work with our hands

~thanks: for the hopefulness of tomorrow, and the promise of a beautiful, bright and shining day

A Little Snowman Told Me

...He needed to make an appearance on a sweater. So, what was I to do, but get going on this sweet sweater featuring Mr. Snowbuddy in a wooded glen of snow and fun. This is the true start to my holiday happenings, when the snowbuddies start to make an appearance.

Snowbuddies and felt making are being ungraciously interrupted by a family trip to Washington DC. Though excited about our trip, I'm nervous about being all ready for Artisans' Alley, which falls on Saturday December 5th, just one quick week after my return. My snowbuddies might be in short supply this year, so if you are thinking of coming and visiting me and a few snowbuddies at Artisans' Alley, come see me early in the day. I'll be where I was last year, in booth 66, right across from the entrance to the food court area.

I will also have a lovely selection of glorious needlefelted handpainted silk scarves at Artisans' Alley. I've had a hard time keeping these lovely scarves in stock at Austin's Gallery.

So put Artisans' Alley on your calendar, December 5th from 9-3 pm because is a fun time, and not to be missed. You can get all your Christmas shopping done all at once! Happy Holidays!

Attention: Artwear Enthusiasts!

... Etsy's Guest Curator for Wednesday (11-11) on the Storque is Beth Livesay! Who is Beth, you might be wondering? She's the Managing Editor for Altered Couture, and Haute Handbags, and my Special Friend at Stampington & Company. Beth has been my Main Gal, the person who has been accepting my work into those fantastic Somerset Publications.

And the Storque? That is Etsy's official blog about all things Handmade. There's one sure thing about Etsy, they offer so many tools and support systems for setting up your shop for success.

So, check out the Storque tomorrow and catch Beth's article. She'll be talking about Altered Couture, and it's trendsetting statement. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

FCC's Golden Hanger Awards- WOW!

And wow! again. I couldn't sleep this morning because I kept seeing those images of the fantastic clothing designs running through my head. What an evening!

Fashion Career College's 23rd Annual Golden Hanger Award and Fashion Show was last night, which showcased 18 student designer collections. Who stole the show, you might wonder? Well, for me, it was Jeffrey, hands down! All the designers were so very talented, but Jeffrey, of Junq Boutique in South Park, had such a trendy, edgy New York style. Have you visited Jeffrey's store? It's just down the street from the Grove, and it is a must visit the next time you're in that neck of the woods. (I do apologize for the photos. When you're going wild and

crazy for your favorite designs, it's hard to snap a decent photo!)

I was a vendor at the show, and I want to thank each and every one of you who stopped by my table and complimented my work. I was even asked if I'd graduated from FCC! (No, I didn't, but sure wish I had. What a fantastic program they offer!) I'm pretty much self taught. But, what a treat for me, to be in the midst of all that fashion talent.

My scarves were the big hit of the night. Here's a photo of a gracious model wearing one of my scarves. (sorry about cutting her head in half... yikes. My photography skills were obviously way off last night!) I'm trying to fine tune which sort of wearable art to make for the ladies, and I think the scarves are the clear winner. So, that's what will be in store for shoppers at this year's Artisans' Alley, coming up on December 5th.

And, on a side note, please contact me ASAP if you are interested in placing a custom order for holiday gift giving. I received 5 custom orders last week alone, which generally isn't a problem. But given the fact we've booked a 2 week family vacation to Washington, DC over Thanksgiving, it's now throwing a wrench into my works. So get those orders in ASAP! so you can reserve your space in my working time table...

Along With Busy Comes The Mess...

And that's what's going on around here! Busy, messy, and fluff are my constant companions. Probably will be from now 'til the end of the year. It's not pretty, but what comes out of it all is actually quite nice indeed. Take a look...

Here's the all purpose area for sweater, skirt, purse and pillow making plus countless other miscellaneous things, aka: the entire dining room table...

On the back side of the dining room table is the needle felting area. This is the spot for fluff galore. Also for the sneezing, eye itching, eye watering, etc. Geez, did I forget to take my allergy medicine again??

This is the sideboard. It's become my jewelry making station on one side. The other side is

display practice set up.

Do you see how nicely my Halloween decoration area looks in the center of both the

sideboard and the dining room table?! Don't you know those decorations just have to be a part of what's on display!! (Lord only knows how anyone can see anything with all the disarray)

Okay, enough of that! Here are a few of what's come out of the mess:

Here's a custom order just waiting to be picked up. This is sweetie Rosie, a lovely needle felted painting of a dear pup on recycled wool, made into a very special pillow...

Here is a new skirt I've recently designed. You know how girls love "circle skirts"?

Well, this is my answer to circle skirt times about 10. There's no way in heck this skirt will lay flat. It's just the most fun, flounciest skirt a girl could ever hope to wear. This skirt is getting a fabulous whimsical birdie + birdhouse sweater that is currently on the dining room table, pre fluff. I made up another fantastic skirt that's already at Austin's Gallery. That one is all in cupcake and sprinkle fabric. It looks like you are wearing a cake!!!

And here's my favorite... Mr. Friendly and his constant companion, Mr. Pup. Mr. Pup is actually a pocket. And, of course, in case of any question, the description of it all is on the back of the sweater. Isn't it nice when we're all so Friendly?!