Craft Show this weekend

I am at a craft show Saturday and Sunday. It is being held by the Charter Academy Prep School in
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The weather was a little rough Saturday as we awoke to our first snowfall of the winter. And the drive home in the blizzard left little to be desired. But Sunday dawned sunny with blue skies and all the snow melted, making a promise of a great day. Hope sales will reflect that as Saturday was a no-sale day. Not a lot of customers and very disappointing.
So I had plenty of time to walk around and view the different vendors and get their stories.
I apologize right now for the picture quality. I'm a snap and go gal and am always forgetting to change settings like Dan has showed me a million times! The artists and their products are much better-looking than my pictures portray.

Here are some pictures of the items I had for sale.

Dan made some beautiful Wardian houses from picture frames. They are so fun and can be used for a special tea cup or figurine, a seasonal vignette, or of course plants.

My cake plates. I love finding unique plates and then hunting for just the right candlestick or vase to fit underneath.

Besides my jams and preserves, I made up several different flavors of fudge, and some fruit breads. And homemade almond roca; yum!

Betsy brought along her quilts and scarf creations along with her had dipped incense sticks and incense burner bottles. She also provided her cocoa and tea mixes-in-a-jar and scented candles in cute containers.
 The other booths here are fantastic and so creative! I will introduce you to some of them and if you need more info on them or their products, you can contact me or I will add their info if I have.

Sharman makes these wreaths and ornaments. This is her first show and she will also be at the December show at the fairgrounds here in Coeur d’ Alene. I look forward to seeing her there!

Jeannine makes these cute elf hats. She has lots of other styles guaranteed to keep you warm. I need one of those hats! Her daughter makes the beaded and hemp jewelry. She only makes for family and friends (so far) but can be persuaded to go outside her circle if you e-mail her at jlneenbean.com  On a side note; does anyone remember Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch? She makes those hats that he made popular. Fun!

Ivy Rivers are the creations of Linda. She makes the most amazing snow men and these moss creations are great! I can see them on my front porch to give me a burst of color and nature when snow covers everything. Her e-mail is walkadoo@adelphia.net

Linda’s daughter, Debbie makes items for my Farmers Market. Her business is BW  Barkery and she makes all kinds of organic treats for pets along with bedding and toys. I love her eye for color. Contact Debbie at bwbarkery.com  They are from Hayden, Idaho

Sam has a studio, ‘Sam-Art’ where you can watch her create her line of jewelry. She is from Puyallup, Washington. She has exquisite items made from rocks, fossils, dinosaur bones, and crafts them with wire and precious metals. Contact her at samartiam@msn.com or visit her work at samartsamrocks.etsy.com or www.facebook.com/SamArtArtist

Garden Party Fibers is well known in this neck of the woods. Juaquetta belongs to my Farmers market and does many fine arts shows all year long. She collects her materials from different animal sources along with feathers and natural materials. She hand dyes her wools using natural plant dyes; in fact you can tell from the colors staining her fingers what colors she has done that day! At her shows she can be found  sitting at her spinning wheel, making up some skeins that you can buy or have made into her sweaters, wraps, hats, gloves, and cup wraps. Find her online at gardenpartyfibers.com or drop her a note at yarn@gardenpartyfibers.com

Bonnie Crain Pottery and William Crain Photography are a husband and wife team that also participate at the Market. Bonnie creates miniature bottles, jars, cups and many household goods. She has also recently started carving on her hand-thrown creations and coming up with some really unique pieces.
William is the photographer and author in the family. He has a great eye for detail and does great close-up work, something that I need to work on as you can see from my pictures! He has written a popular children’s book that his son Brian illustrated.

Salina at Moonflower Creations does altered art books, and felted products along with gorgeous crocheted fingerless gloves and arm warmers. Add her to your ‘Favorites’ at www.moonflowercreations.etsy.com  or via e-mail at moonflower creations@rocketmail.com

Red Rooster Crafts by Jan is a long-time member of the Market. She creates the greatest sayings on reclaimed wood and her use of font and background color is to die for. She has seasonal sayings along with poetry and humorous statements. She also sews country and prim style pillows with embroidered words. Drop her a line at redroostercrafts@yahoo.com

Crafty Cravings is the imagination of Pamela. She has a shop in Post Falls, Idaho and sells her glass flowers there. She also houses other talented crafters there and you can see her art at craftycravings.net or talk to her at crafty cravings@ymail.com

Deborah has a booth here of used merchandise. Lots of antique furniture, toys, jewelry, and glassware. I am working on Dan as we speak to see if I can bring home this 1927 vanity table. She takes consignments and is in Coeur d’Alene on Ironwood Drive. Call her if you’re looking for that special piece at (208) 704-8962

Wow! I just had some sales!! Whoo hoo! Getting closer to that vanity!

I'm Taking A Snow Day!

So I woke up at 5am to 11 degrees, a foot of snow (more in places as it was a  blizzard), and wind gusts up to 30 mph. And this weekend we will be in the negative temperatures, not counting the wind chill. Needless to say I decided not to try to make my way to work. But I feel obligated to get lots of work done at home to make up for it.
The chickens decided they don't want to roam around outside this morning. Way too much snow and cold. In fact when I opened up the coop there was a gathering of small wild birds in with the hens. Apparently they are having a snow day too. So cracked corn and  grain for all!
Still more work in the craft room. I'm taking one of my hutches down to the shop for some of the older glassware. And I have a few more boxes to go plus a sewing machine in a beautiful cabinet that was my great- aunts.

Does anyone have suggestions or ideas for coffee syrup bottles. I have cases of these bottles from the espresso stand down the street.  I was going to use them for my flavored vinegars until I found a better bottle for that purpose. Betsy can make incense holders out of some of them and we can  melt some in the kiln, but there are still alot of them. Maybe we could hold a contest to see who comes up with the best idea?
Laundry is done. Warmed up the house and made it smell good! I think I will bake some bread. Oh shoot. My packages of yeast expired in 2003. I guess when I run errands tomorrow I will buy some more.And maybe I will make some jam. That will get the house warm.
Sat down at noon and ordered tags for the seed I bought. They are an extra cost but I like having the plants I sell well marked with a description and growing information. And besides, it helps  keep all of our tomato plants names so there won't be  'mystery plants'.
Speaking of plants, I am excited about growing some new ones this year. I think I talked about quinoa in the last blog, plus several new tomatoes bred for hanging baskets and containers. And  pickling cucumbers that can be picked small or allowed to grow without developing the bitterness. And pink blueberries! Can't wait to try them. Speaking of which I need to plan where to move the raspberries and blackberries this year so I have more garden space. I want to grow them around the chicken coop with white clover between the rows for the hens. They are so good at keeping the ground 'fluffed' up and eating all the bugs. Plus automatic fertilizers! I just finished reading about a machine that takes various animal manures and put them into pellet form. This makes for an easier handled product plus it can be used as a heating fuel in pellet stoves. The machines aren't cheap though at several thousand dollars.

Wow, the wind is really blowing. Snow is flying off the roof and swirling round corners.My flamingo windsock has been flying sideways. I am glad to be inside. Dan was out plowing so the mail-lady could get to the mailboxes.

Look what happens when Betsy brings her clippers over. Spot was the last one to be trimmed and the blades overheated so she quit halfway thru. Now he doesn't spend much time outside because the neighbor dogs laugh at him!

Stay warm everybody and wish for spring!