Maker Market

Today was another craft show.  I was looking forward to this one, as it was outside and in the parking lot of a coffee shop, which meant good coffee only steps away!  I love my neighborhood so much, and today's event just made me so happy.  A friend started this show, the first Sunday of every month May-September.  I was supposed to do June but after having impromptu throat surgery, I had to pass on that one.  So today was the day.

My first ever show I had NO CLUE what I was doing, but now that I've done a few every year, I'm really getting the hang of it.  I know what to bring, I know what usually sells well, I know how much to make, and yet still always make way too much!  Getting the tables set up is pretty fun, I'm always perusing Pinterest for ideas. 

 This show I had two smaller tables, which I covered with vintage table cloths (one was a kid's sheet) and I used my wire baskets I have for shows, along with Otis' toy drum, and my Irmi giraffe.  He's been holding clothes in Otis' room, but guess what fits on him pretty well?  BIBS!  I love how it turned out. 

I also used my tent to hang clothesline and I hung up some tag blankets and bibs on the side.  Last but not least, my trusty vintage sheet bunting I stole from Ingrid's bedroom way long ago.  It has since been taken over for hanging at my shows. 

 

I did pretty well today.  My goal was to make enough money to buy this pair of clogs.  My god, red and cute and Swedish, I just died when I saw them.  But money doesn't grow on trees and we need a new floor in our kitchen so I couldn't just buy them straight up.  Well, I could, but I'd feel guilty later...Now I don't have to!

The Cowpokes

Not even October 31st and I'm already Halloweened out.  Last night was Ingrid's school Halloween dance.  So...costume time #1.

 This morning we went with our neighbors/best friends to the zoo, where they were having a Halloween event with Trick or Treat stations and carved pumpkins all over the zoo.  It was fun, but COLD.  So we threw on our winter coats and realized you couldn't even tell the kids were dressed up.  Hmmm.  Costume time #2 was a bust.

Thanks to Jennifer from Oliver's Forest for lending us this amazing vintage Health Tex western shirt!!

 We had a few hours between the zoo and our neighborhood trick or treating, so I came up with a plan to keep them warm and show their costumes.  Which involved many layers of shirts and fleece jackets under their cowboy shirts. And remembering I had a cute vintage Wrangler jean jacket for Otis!  I'm glad I saw it hanging up!  Finally, costume time #3 seemed to work right!

I made Ingrid wear the only pair of tights she owns, which are orange.  She cried that she was going to look like a chicken!

 That was the only picture I think I got of Otis wearing his hat.  For someone who runs around screaming "AT ON! AT ON!" and grabbing everyone's hats, he was not impressed with his cowboy hat.  Oh well, with the bandana on he still looked like a cowboy. 

But now we are exhausted from running around all day and eating too much candy.  Tomorrow there are more festivities, but I don't think I can handle a costume time #4.  I'm done.

 

Busy Weekend

Saturday was our block party.  I love that we live on a block where most of the neighbors know each other and they would go to so much trouble to set up a block party like this!  The neighborhood firefighters came with a huge ladder truck and handed out sticker badges, plastic fireman hats, and bracelets to all the kids.

They were supposed to have a bike decorating contest but I never did see that happen.  The kids had fun riding bikes in the street anyway.

One of the neighbors plays the guitar, so he set up and Ingrid another little girl danced their hearts out.

There was food, beer, chatting, getting to know the neighbors, and of course everyone commented on what a cute and mellow baby Otis is.  He's a hit wherever he goes.

Yesterday was, in my opinion, the best day EVER.  Brendan took the kids to Irish Fest for the whole day!  I was alone at home for hours and hours!  I cut out 24 bibs and have finished them all except for the Velcro.  It was so awesome to get so much done!  The reason I had 24 bibs cut out was for Art Vs. Craft, which I realized I haven't said anything about yet!  (I started an Applesauce Crafts blog so I posted there.)  It's my first craft show and I'm super excited about it!  It's the weekend after Thanksgiving and there are tons of people hungry for DIY gifts for Christmas!

Anyway, at Irish Fest, Brendan entered Otis in the Red Hair Contest.  Sadly, he did not win, but how funny!  Brendan used to get entered in the Freckle Contest when he was a kid! 

Parkin' It.

Yesterday was the perfect day.  The weather was breezy and in the high sixties, which I would take over the scorchers any day.  If I could have a summer filled with this weather, I'd be a happy camper.  We packed up the stroller with food, drinks, a package to mail out at the post office, and the diaper bag.  Otis napped in the Moby, Ingrid talked about all sorts of nonsense in the stroller, and we made our way to the park.

This park is awesome, I'm hoping we can find a house pretty close by when we go to buy one.  It's got a playground, an amphitheater where they do live music in the summer, a lagoon with lots of ducks and people fishing, and tons of trails to wander on.  Also, the trees are ancient and enormous, which I love.  I love to look at big gnarly tree trunks and marvel at the fact they are so old.

Ingrid was pleased that there were other kids there.  She ran around chasing them, but not really playing with them.  She hasn't gotten to that point yet, I guess! 

Otis layed on a blanket and put his toes in the grass. 

I sat back and enjoyed some coffee and we stayed until lunchtime.  We came back to eat lunch and take naps, but Ingrid suddenly got a second wind so only Otis got to nap, lucky dog.  He is finally taking naps on his own, he slept for three hours!  Good kid!  Then we went back outside to the backyard, did some weeding and sweeping, and stayed out until dinnertime.  I love summer!

Taste of Ann Arbor

Yesterday we took advantage of living so close to downtown Ann Arbor and walked there for a street festival.  There were tons of tents from all the local restaurants and we got to try ribs, corn, beans, pad thai, and of course cupcakes!
It was so crazy weatherwise yesterday.  First it was sunny and bright, then gloomy, then pouring rain, then back to sunny.  We walked while it was sunny, got there to gloom, and stayed through the rain.  Ingrid could've cared less about the rain, she was just enjoying seeing everyone, listening to the music, and eating tons of food.

A lady from the paper was taking pictures of her, so Ingrid is now online in a slide show about the event!  Check it out here.  She's about 58 seconds in.  There will be pictures in the Sunday paper, too, so we'll have to get it next week and see if she made it in there, too.

 Once again so glad we moved and so glad we live where we do.  I enjoy our time here in Michigan so much more now that we're by things!!