City of Craft!

This show is truly one of the biggest highlights of my crafty year. I am so excited!

Fat Goose! Today!

The Fat Goose Craft Fair is today! Some of Eastern Ontario's most talented makers, music, video installations, raffle, food and boozy eggnog!

I am so excited!

Winter Fair

Mulberry Waldorf School celebrated the changing of the seasons with our traditional, festive Winter Fair this past weekend. A huge thank-you to all the parents and volunteers, musicians and makers, children and grandparents who came and worked, played danced and shopped.

Busy-ness

There is a lot going on in my world right now. I am coordinating the vendors for the Mulberry Waldorf School Winterfair.

I am one of a group of organizers of the Fat Goose Craft Fair.
I am selling a the fabulous City of Craft in Toronto.
I am guest editing over at four for the day all week.
Also I just celebrated my birthday..
So forgive the brief post. Let's let a few pictures do the talking...

Guest Blogging..

Come and see me over at the Fat Goose Blog!

Fat Goose!

I am happy to be one of the coordinators of this year's Fat Goose Craft Fair. It's a great little indie sale here in Kingston, and we are currently accepting applications from vendors! Find the application details here, and don't forget to check the Rules, Regulations and Rhubarbs!

and yarn...

As promised, photos of new yarns created with fibre dyed and documented in my last post. Approximately worsted weight, slightly thick and thin. Hoping to have these up for sale in my etsy shop soon.

In the dyepot this week...

Here are some photos from a dye session I did a couple of days ago. I am very happy with the colourways I achieved, even if they are different from what I had in mind!

You can see just how low-tech my kettle dyeing set-up is. Complete with wood that needs splitting in the background.



A close-up of a swampy green colour combo.



An autumny colourway inadvertently matching a mohair blanket on my porch



And a new (for me) variation on one of my favourite blends of colour, yellow and grey.



I have done a bunch of spinning already and am excited to share photos here tomorrow. For those of you in Kingston I will be selling yarn today and subsequent Thursdays, 12-3:30, at the market at Mulberry Waldorf School.

This Just In!

Guess what? I just heard back from the good folks at City of Craft, and... drumroll... I made it into the 2011 installment of their amazing craft fair!
Hooray!

spinning.. two ways

New handspun yarn, posing here with 'Songs in the Key of Life" by Stevie Wonder. This handcarded little number was made up of some leftover bits, and will, I think, become a gift for a vinyl inspired couple I know!

weekending

School starts tomorrow, and for the most part we are ready.

But until then, it's still summer.

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

doily fever

I spent this past weekend in a state of total excitement and bliss at the wedding of two of my dearest friends. They being the artistic and crafty diy types that I know and love them to be, there were a number of amazing handcrafted decor items created for their nuptials, and many that I was lucky enough to have a hand in creating. Today's post will be the first in a short series that will detail some of these fine wedding crafts.

Early on, my friends decided that doilies would be a central theme to the celebration, and started thrifting in earnest to amass a very impressive collection of the beautiful handmade creations. From some pinterest perusing, we decided to use the bulk of them to create table runners.



beautiful close up of one of my favourites, reminiscent of a peacock tail fan



dancing the doily jig! laying out enough doilies to create 11 table runners.



handwork - all of the doilies were hand stitched together



we worked together, each at one end of the table, stitching and chatting...



The finished product!

Once I get back some decent shots of the table runners from the wedding, I will share them here..I was running around too much to get a nice one myself!

We live in a rainbow of chaos.
- Paul Cezanne

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

delivery

I've been an awfully quiet blogger so far this summer...but not for lack of activity to write about! I will write a lengthy catch-up post soon, but for now, feast your eyes on 30 pounds of luscious falklands wool, delivered yesterday, and the first fruits from the dye pot. With Azzurra's help, I went with a bit of a rainbow theme. Spinning photos to follow!

In the Community

I was recently invited by the Youth Diversion Program at the Robert Meek School in Kingston to be the first presenter in their month long series of arts worskshops for at-risk youth.
Let me tell you, these kids are amazing. When I first got there I felt a little intimidated, and the kids seems disengaged, but as soon as we got started on our felting project, they lit up. Some even started off outright refusing to even touch the wool, and by the end, there was laughter and smiles all around while everyone's hands got soapy and their arms got tired.
Thanks to the staff and students for a lovely morning!

politics

Canada woke up this morning to a new political reality. There was good and bad news.
The meteoric rise of the NDP was offset by the unfortunate majority won by Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party.
Congratulations to Jack Layton, I am happy to see you as the leader of the Opposition.

The true silver lining for me, though, was the historic and very exciting victory by Elizabeth May in her riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. She is the first Green to be elected in Canada (or the United States, for that matter!).

So, here's to Elizabeth May, an inspiring and charismatic leader. May you do great things in Ottawa!
And to the courageous voters of Saanich-Gulf Islands, I'm sorry that the rest of the country couldn't have followed in your example.


Art by Hannah Stone. For more info go to www.facebook.com/GOHANNAHSTONE

this moment

{this moment}- A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
Inspired by the lovely SouleMama

photo shoot

Fellow Wolfe Islander, Kristen Ritchie, was here on Saturday for a family photo shoot, meant as a gift for the children's grandparents.
Here is a peek at the results...

signs of spring

Our dear, lovely hen, Granny, has been brooding on several eggs for the last three weeks. Very early Sunday morning, we got our first glimpse of her chicks! There are three little ones under there, and a couple more eggs. What an amazing, magical, everyday miracle!

friendly help

I am so inspired by my friend and crafty colleague Becky Johnson's creative funding campaign over on Kickstarter, that I just had to share it with you, readers. Becky is a tour de force,and a treasure to the craft community. She is the lady behind The Sweetie Pie Press. Please visit and pledge! Becky is offering some amazing crafty, creative rewards, plus you will have the pleasure of knowing that you are helping to keep the indie craft dream alive!


photo still from video: "Sweetie Pie Press Summer Tour 2011"

this moment

{this moment}- A Friday (or saturday!) ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by the lovely SouleMama

Enjoying

My new boots, scored at Value Village!


Contra dancing, I'm the blur in the skirt and red shoes in the middle, at the Toronto Country Dancers March 12th dance.


Our brooding hen, Granny! She's got 4 eggs under there!


Hanging laundry on the line!


Another spring hat for me! Inspired by Kathy's.