swallowfield

i survived renegade '08

we're back! and i have to admit that i feel sort of overwhelmed thinking about how to write about what we experienced this weekend.

when we got to brooklyn on friday evening i was feeling calm, optimistic, happy and organized. we stayed with good friends and had a nice evening of wine and thai food after the kids all tucked in for the night. their brownstone in brooklyn is lovely and homey and makes me dream of living in the city, someday, in a house like theirs.

saturday morning was a blur of getting there, set up and busy-busy-busy, then the fair was hot and bustling. really, really hot. friends visited, sales were steady and great. i was so happy to meet julia rothman and grace from design*sponge when they came by our booth. my kids were happy to get to go and play in a water park with their buddies.

the sunny hot day turned to a torrential, epic rainstorm around 4:30 or so. i'm not even kidding. there was scary lightening and hugely insane amounts of rain. i lost some work. we were stuck in our booth until after 7, when the rain let up a teeny bit and we booked it for the car. i felt terribly for the vendors who lost more work than i did - some lost so much that they were unable to come back the next day. my kids were super troopers and were cheerfully optimistic about getting everything into the car, plus they loved being in the rain and splashing around.

the rest of the evening and the following morning were spent trying to dry everything off and clean and salvage what we could.  there were definitely some moments of sitting in the dark and feeling tearful, wondering if we'd go back the next day. we decided to give it a try, and went back on sunday armed with tarps and low expectations. there was a quick thunderstorm around noon that almost did my mental health in, but then it became sunny and lovely and busy for the rest of the day.

i think someone could make a nice little profit selling 'i survived renegade 08' merchandise. in my mind's eye i see raindrops, a tidal wave, lightening bolts, upside down tents, little bits of yarn and plush owls floating in the water.  i heard several people talking about the idea... let me know if someone does - i'll wear a tee with pride.

i was really pleased with how i did overall, and also feel completely exhausted in a bone-weary + slightly pathetic sort of way.

i'm sure there's much more to say, but i'm too tired to talk about it. :)

renegade craft fair: this weekend!

this week has been a blur of prep for renegade, but i think aprill and i are finally ready to hit the road in a few hours.
stop by and say hi if you visit the fair!

i'll have 28 original collages, a mess of prints at special prices, and a whole bunch of new necklaces with my designs on them. i am really excited about the necklaces. they sidetracked me in a weird way when i should have probably been thinking about other stuff, but now that they're done i think it was worth it.

 

ps: part 1 of 3 of the design*sponge regional roundup on portland, maine came out this week, and i was so happy to be asked to be a part of it along with some of my local favorites. can't wait to see the next two installments!

 

i hope you all have a great weekend! i am loving the gorgeous weather and blooms everywhere.

travels to south carolina and savannah

::important announcement to those of you on dialup (hi, mom!):  stop here so you don't get terribly annoyed with me, because this post is unabashedly picture-heavy.  i had so much lovely stuff to share i just had to make this a big old picture and link-laden extravaganza. (mom, i'll show it to you some other time. :)  ) thank you, carry on. ::

hi everyone! happy thanksgiving to you, if you celebrated it. i have loved seeing pictures of everyone's pretty tables and gatherings.

this year we went down to south carolina to see some of my family, and had a relaxed + yummy dinner and some wonderful adventures, including some time in savannah.

in savannah we walked a lot + enjoyed the incredible architecture and foliage everywhere, and we visited many places you recommended - thanks for the tips!  the first stop was back in the day bakery, which really does have the world's best cupcakes, plus delicious sandwiches on homemade, scrumptious bread. oh my. 

then on to @home vintage general (they also have a blog,) where liz demos, the owner, is as lovely as her shop - she graciously allowed me to snap some photos of her glittery + fantastic holiday display. i showed remarkable restraint and left with little besides several boxes of "sparkle christmas snow," gifts for my local, fellow holiday-loving pals.

the highlight for me was a trip to shop scad, the student store for savannah college of art + design. it was full of incredible stuff and i could have spent the entire day poking around. did you know scad has a distance e-learning masters program? i do, now! too bad it's way out of my budget at the moment.

in south carolina we poked, hiked, explored and gathered, and my intrepid offspring swam every day (usually while i was huddled in a fleece, drawing.)  we cooked a pretty amazing feast, too, which included my contributions of molly's tarte tatin and warm butternut squash and chickpea salad, both of which were delicious.

my dad's house borders a nature preserve, and there are many lovely places to see there.  i drew a bunch and  found lots of new inspirations. giant acorn tops! prickly things! giant pine cones! all so good.

we came home to brrrrrr temperatures of around 29 degrees, frozen leaves still to be raked and weeded from the gutters, two cats who were almost pathetically happy to see us,  and lots of etsy orders to be filled and packed up for the mail tomorrow. all's well. and there is much to be, well, thankful for.