Triad Craft Fair is over!

Saturday & Sunday Craft Fair, but what a beautiful morning!

Well, we survived the first of a long list of Fairs coming up. I have to say I'm not happy with a lot of things, mainly with the set up itself (set up time was only 2 hrs) that was rough....but I am extremely happy with the customers and the other vendors! They were so friendly and open to sharing information without that competetive evil glare :) And I'm sure I'll see returning customers at up coming shows. YEAH!!

My son and daughter are God Sends, when it comes to helping out. And of course, Lil Orchid is my best asset and model...not that I'm prejudice...she's only the sweetest, most well behaved little Beauty.

After we unloaded our cars and then repacked my son for his return to school, we headed back out.

We were invited to our sweet friends "Trunk or Treat" at their Church. Lil Orchid had so much fun! And congrats to all the people that decorated their vehicle trunks and gave treats to the kids!

Gotta Go, MORE SEWING AHEAD!!

Columbus Day

October 10th A Big Happy 75th Birthday to My MOM!
Happy 83rd Birthday to YeYe, and Happy 14th Birthday to my nephew, Dakota !
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Has been some crazy days....working on inventory for some upcoming Craft Shows in IL & MO.

Kokeshi dolls on Pillowcase dresses, Matryoshka Dolls on Overalls,

Woodland Gnomes on Overalls, crazy Owls on Totes

and embroidered denim Patches on knit hats.

17th Triad H.S. Troy,IL (over 250 vendors)
October 24th 9-4pm & 25th 10-4pm

29th O'Fallon IL Arts & Crafts Ofallon H.S.,IL
Nov.7th 9-5pm, & 8th 10-4pm

17th Tiger Band Arts & Crafts, Edwardsville H.S, IL (over 290 vendors)
Nov. 14th 9-4pm, & 15th 11-4pm

28th Crestwood Sunset Hills Craft Fair-Lindbergh H.S., St.Louis MO
(over 490 vendors)
November 21st 9-4pm & 22nd 10-4pm

29th Holiday Arts & Craft Fair - Belle Clair Fair Grounds (over 400 vendors)
November 27th 3-8pm, 28th 10-4pm, 29th 10-4pm Thanksgiving Weekend

21 st Olde Alton Craft Fair Alton H.S.
December 5th 9-5pm & 6th 10-4pm

Mid Autumn Moon Festival

My son was in for the weekend,

he was in for one of his HS buddies weddings

"Congrats Chadd & Sarah.

It was cousin Maddie's 6th Birthday..what a sweetie!

Went to a huge subdivision sale...found over 80 wooden shapes,

I'll paint them for my Kokeshi Dolls.

And don't forget we celebrated

the "Autumn Moon Festival"

Strange Folk Craft & Art Fair

Work very hard to have enough Unique items for this sale. My son is coming in from school and of course my daughter has been working just as crazy with her talents and helping me with mine.
Setting up was not an happy event!!! I requested and paid for a 12 x 12 ft space, couldn't even fit my 10 x 10 tent in the marked off space....very, VERY ANGRY vendor on my right hand side, luckily the ladies on my left shifted their tent over and we all fit (tight, but fit!)
It was a good sale even with the down pours of rain.

I was so excited when some returning customers came to see us and had their beautiful daughters dressed in their Overalls I created. But I have a request........please

my camera messed up and I lost the photo I had taken of the sweetest little one, with the cutest dimples wearing the "Butterflys in Flight" overalls.....Please could you email me a photo! You mentioned you had some taken of her for the family, please I hope you read this.(you bought her the "Too Cool Smilin Skulls" jean jacket that same day)

Strange Folk is all about Recycling...Upcycling, Reuse...

Lil Orchid loved the giant Igloo made from milk bottles.

Apple Picking Time !

Been sewing alot of Fall/Autumn Outfits...ya know, apple picking, pumpkin picking and that fall harvesting stuff...scare crows, fields, farms, corn, etc.

Lil Orchid went apple picking

with her little classmates...mmm......Crunch!

Labor Day

How Perfect!
Labor of Love, check out My ETSY Store
for a look at some of my newest Creations for the Fall.
ENJOY THE HOLIDAY....

Sneak Preview

Where Have I Been?

What Have I Been Doing??

I mentioned I went to Southern Missouri to use the work shop of YeYe & Great Great. We Planed, Cut, and Sanded Wooden Blocks & Wooden Cards...all sizes from 1 1/4 to 3 inch. Lil Orchid loved scooping up the wood shavings, but wasn't to keen on the sound of the tools.

RECYCLE UPCYCLE

I finally found a use for the few good pages of vintage and newer books that have been torn, colored, and water damaged. Alot more work than anticipated. They can be played with or used as room decor. I love Vintage Artwork, it has such an innocence about it.

When we tired of cutting, and sealing the blocks......We worked on something else -

Stuffed Little Ladybug Dolls with hand painted heads. CUTE!

Thank You Thank You

A few of the things I've worked on was a daring Tom Sawyer Overall, custom made for a little girl in a pageant to wear while singing her talent.

I also custom made for size,

these adoreable Hearts and Skull Overalls w/skirt.

This little sweetie wore my Sweet & Juicy Watermelon Dress and won "Best Dressed" in her local Watermelon Festival Pageant. Don't you just LOVE those Curls! What a CUTIE!!!

August....another Crazy Month!

August..another Crazy Month
I promise not to mention the scary moments when the van brakes went out and how much it cost!
I promise not to mention the clutch going out on the lawn tractor ($400).
I promise not to mention mowing 3 acres with a push mower and weed wacker.
I promise not to mention the A/C going out in the hottest days of summer, and the five fans in my bedroom!
I promise not to mention my Mom's A/C, Well Pump going out or the tree that landed on their tractor after one of nature's summer storms.
I promise not to mention YeYe's upcoming knee replacement.

But I will tell you about how Lil'Orchid

resumed her duties of straightening my thread.

We visited the County Fair for the 1st time sinced we moved here.
A fun night and the 1st time Lil' Orchid rode a Merry-Go-Round.
She also decided to sing in the Jr Talent Competition that was being held that night.
(she is so funny and shy with people but give the girl a microphone and she'll sing her heart out)
After entering her we found out Jr. meant 0-14 yrs old. But she wanted to sing. She placed 4th out of 13 acts, and we were also told she is the youngest participant ever recorded at the County Fair Talent Competition. She had so much fun and was amazed with all the flashing lights from the stands and rides.

We got to see my son for a day when he returned from his intership and returned to Grad School.

We were invited to my niece, Alexandra (Allie)16 th B-Day Party. It was a costume party with the theme Alice in Wonderland's Tea Party. My brother did great with his decorations and I thought I did a fantastic job Saturday working on our costumes for Sunday! If you don't agree, "then OFF With Your Heads".

Lil Orchid was the sweetest Queen of Hearts, mom-mom was a 3 of Hearts while I was the White Rabbit.

"Hey, who painted my roses RED"





He got to come home on another weekend so we all enjoyed another Cardinal Game which included meeting the 2008 winner of the America's Got Talent, Neal Boyd, he's a big Cardinal fan too!

But the most important date in August was August 22, our Forever Family day, 3 years!
We celebrated like we did over there, we ate pizza!