CATCHING UP…

Now that the summer frenzy has calmed a bit and the cooler weather has kept me cooped up indoors, I've been working on editing photos, finishing projects, and catching up.

I figure a little late IS better than never
to post some pictures of the last two weeks of Market Place Thursday in Wausau.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1



Jody & Amanda



We invited our friend Patti to play and sing in our area of the market.

She is super talented and we loved having her there!



Miss Patti



It was a gorgeous sunny September day and sort of difficult to think of wearing wool hats and gloves, but here in Wisconsin I guess it's never too early to debut cold weather ware.



Vintage beret and mohair gloves embellished with hand-knit flowers and vintage buttons.

 

Fingerless wool gloves embellished with felted wool flowers and vintage buttons.

Nothing pleases us more than when our customers show up wearing things we've created!



Pam wearing a Creative Looks by Jody necklace and bracelet



Melissa wearing a Happy Heart Studio bird and nest necklace. 

Deb wearing a Happy Heart Studio vintage element necklace

 These twinkle toes belong to Amy, Melissa and Jody.

 

So Fun!!

Thanks again to Patti for sharing her wonderful talent with us for the day,



and for keeping us forever entertained!

 



MORE CATCHING UP…

Here are some images from the final Market Place Thursday
of the season on September 8.

There are a lot of things we're going to miss about the market...

We will miss having an excuse to see our  (old AND new) friends once a week.

(Love these fun ladies modeling their embellished hats!)



Melissa

 

Amy



We will miss the entertainment of endless people-watching.

(This girly girl was wearing a fancy tutu - SO cute.)

We will miss seeing our market neighbors every week.

(We loved getting to know them.
They brought us a loaf of homemade bread and cookies on the last day!)

We appreciate all the wonderful words of encouragement and support from our customers and new friends. The market was a fantastic experience for us, and has led to many exciting opportunities in the near future.



Hope to see you next year at the market!

STUDIO PROJECT

I've just finished this wedding guest book, for a bride who requested a vintage-style guest book

that can be later enjoyed as a coffee table book in their home.

It is made from the hardcover of a 1925 wildflower book

in the exact color of the bridesmaid dresses (a lucky Goodwill find!).

It is embellished with snippets of fabrics from the bridal dresses.

A charm with a photo of the couple dangles from the metal binder ring.

Vintage elements include a satin button cover with pearls and rhinestones,

button, and stanza from a hymn.

I looooooved digging through my stash of vintage ephemera and embellishments

while working on this project.

Just up the road is a farm stand

where I buy my pumpkins and gourds every year.

It's fun to drive by and see people choosing their pumpkins. 

I wish this time of year lasted longer than it does.

Whew.  It sure has been a crazy and hectic, but utterly entertaining and fun run of things the last few months.  Can’t remember a point, in my recent history, when there was quite this much going on.  It’s a good thing, actually.   There was a time in my life when I spent way too much time waiting around for something to happen.  So I’m making up for lost time.

I AM feeling a bit guilty about not keeping up with my blog like I should.  And I’ve not been paying enough attention to things like cleaning.  Cooking.  Weeding.  Organization.  Relationships.

This year’s Market Place Thursday season is officially over for us.  Jody and I had such a wonderful experience there this summer.  It went way beyond our expectations, both personally and professionally.  It seemed to take more time than we had anticipated preparing for the next week, which began the attention deficits mentioned above.  I also spent priceless time with my family this summer; time I would not give up for anything.

I’m turning over a new leaf this week.  Catching up.  Slowing down.  Putting the suitcases away for awhile.

I have pictures to post and creative projects to tell you about.  I’ll be working on that.

I’d like to take this time to say thank you for visiting my blog, and for your continued support of my artistic journey.  It means so much to me.

I’m really looking forward to a fun evening tomorrow...

I will be the featured artist for Trend Night
at DermMania in Crystal Lake, Illinois!

 Come check out my handmade jewelry and artwork.



Window Display at DermMania



The event is from 5-8 PM at 5899 Northwest Highway (Rt. 14), Suite F.

I'd love to see you there!

Well here we are…

tomorrow is the last day of Market Place Thursday for the season.

In case you missed one of our theme days, not to worry, 

we will be bringing everything back tomorrow:

* Purses & Clutches * Purse Hooks

* Duct Tape Purses * Credit Card Cases

* Cell Phone Pouches * Wristlets

* Coin Purses * Key Finders

* Embellished Hats * Jewelry

* Lanyards * Eye Glass Chains

* Canvas Paintings * Nature Inspired Jewelry

* Herb Tags * Outdoor/Indoor Tile Coasters

* Terra Cotta Luminaries * Vintage Jewelry

* Bubble Wrap & Silver Ware Jewelry * Turquoise Jewelry

* Flannel Flower Pins * Cowboy Hats

* Vintage Magnets * Coffee Koozies

* Stained Glass Tags * Stained Glass Wine Sets

* Inspirational Themed Jewelry * Book Marks

* Blinged out Dog Leashes * Pet Themed Jewelry

* Stamped Dog Tags (special order only)

* Much more!

TOMORROW IS CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY -

SAVE 10% OFF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE!

After the Market around 2 PM, Jody and I invite you to join us for a get-together

to celebrate a fantastic market season! 

Bring a refreshment of your choice and a lawn chair and let's have some fun! 

We really appreciate all of your support this summer!

I was up with the sun this morning.



So grateful I didn’t miss this.

I've been trying to do a post about our day at the market two weeks ago, but keep running into technical issues.  So in order to keep my sanity and composure, I decided to split it into two separate posts and (*fingers crossed*) I'm hoping that will do the trick.  So here's the first of two posts about our day at Market Place Thursday with our theme "Git Yer Cowgirl On"!

Here are some of the creations we featured last week:



I bought these boots for 50 cents at a rummage sale last week!



Art journals are a popular trend, and make wonderful coffee table books!

I've said before that one of the things we love the most about market days is the comraderie between our customers and also other vendors. 

Here's one of our favorite visitors, our peace loving friend Patti modeling a newly released embellished hat.

Please check out the second post about our day at the market to see more pictures!

This is the second of two posts

about our day at the market with the theme "Git Yer Cowgirl On"...

Here's a lovely lady we see almost every week, and she always looks amazing and trendy.

She wears a fun feather in her hair so we took to calling her "the feather lady"

(we learned her name is Vickie!).

She was wearing a super cute necklace last week.

We love when our friend Amy shows up each week wearing something adorable,

and here she is sporting her new embellished hat.

These attractive and totally cool ladies are sisters, and I really admired their style.

They graciously let me snap their picture.

Our loyal customer and friend Deb was wearing a turquoise bracelet

that belonged to her Grandma.

It was beautiful and right on trend.

We enjoyed the challenge of making stuff with a Western theme

and agree that there will be more to come!

We've even been seeing more of it in magazines and catalogs.  So...

"Git Yer Cowgirl On!"

Guess who made the front page

of the Wausau Daily Herald? 

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20110826/CWS03/308260094/Entrepreneurs-head-downtown-promote-new-products-400-Block-weekly-marketplaces

We're having so much fun with this!

Well hello there.

It's been a whirlwind.  Looking forward to the next three days.

At home.  The place to myself.  No plan.  No deadline.  Nowhere to be.  And nothing to pack.

P.S. - I've been trying to get some pictures posted from last week's market day,
but have had technical difficulties.

Please do keep checking back in the next couple days and they'll be on here,
plus more from this week's market!

COME SEE US AT MARKET PLACE THURSDAY!

Our theme this week is "UP-CYCLE".

We had fun making new items from ordinary objects and things that some people may recycle.

We will have original works for sale

from Happy Heart Studio and Creative Looks by Jody:

* Vintage Jewelry

* Duct Tape Purses

* Accessories made from old sweaters

* Jewelry made from Bubble Wrap

* Embellished Hats

* Sterling Silver Ware Jewelry

* Much more!

The 400 Block, Downtown Wausau

9 AM to 7 PM

Entertainment provided by Chicago Acrobats

Git Yer Cowgirl On!

Modeled by Stephanie Lange
Photo by Amanda Rager

Come on down to Market Place Thursday and enjoy the day with us! 

Tomorrow Jody and I will be featuring some really fun accessories
with a western flair:
  * Turquoise Jewelry

* Flannel Flower Pins & Barrettes

* Blinged Out Caps & Cowboy Hats

* Western Jewelry

* Eyeglass Chains

* Trendy Lanyards

* Leather Cuff Bracelets

* Much more!

At The 400 Block in downtown Wausau

9 AM - 2 PM

See  ya'll tommorow!



An artsy shot of the market scene



Jody and I are just having the best time at Market Place Thursday this summer. 

There hasn't been a single Thursday yet when one of us hasn't said "this is so much fun!"

We're being challenged creatively by our weekly themes.  And any free moment you will find us frenzied in our studios, making new pieces so our regulars have something fresh to see.  

The highlight of our market experience truly is the camaraderie of our patrons and vendor neighbors.  We look forward each week to seeing them, and we always notice when someone's missing!

There's such a good vibe in this downtown area during the market...a little bit artsy, a little bit laid-back, a little bit granola, a little bit of good ole Wisconsin, and a lotta bit of good ole FUN.

This week's entertainment was provided by Aerotek BMX.

One of our friendly and talented neighbors

makes these sweet custom embroidered flower jackets.

She has a whole stash of vintage trims and ric-rac

to choose from...

Here's our friend’s daughters “enjoying” the splash fountains.

I’ve been tempted to walk through the fountains myself

on really hot days, but I’m a cold-water-sissy
and I'm usually wearing a skirt.

There are lots of kids sporting blue moustaches, compliments of the snowcone guy.

Anyone walking around with a guitar is just cool.

Another vendor makes these dog outfits.  Love them!

These lucky little guys get to ride in their own stroller. 

Hmmm...wonder if they left the market with new outfits.

JOIN US TOMORROW AT MARKET PLACE THURSDAY!

- The 400 Block, Downtown Wausau -

From 9 AM to around 7 PM

This week's theme is Vintage Style!

Jody and I will have original works for sale including:

* Jewelry Made with Vintage pieces

* Vintage Fabric Flower Pins & Barrettes

* Vintage Style Magnets

* I.D Badge Holders

* Eyeglass Chains

* Coffee Koozies

* Tin Ornaments

* Much more!

Entertainment: BMX Aerotek Show

Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time.
~Deborah Chaskin

It’s been said that you can judge someone's character by looking at the friends they surround themselves with.   The last few months I've treasured spending time with the sweet souls who mean the world to me.

I've discovered that it’s good for the spirit to spend time with old friends, even if it’s just one evening every twenty years or so.  And it’s a great comfort to see that despite our life experiences, we are all very much the same people we used to be.

It’s humbling to reconnect with the best friend I swore I’d always stay in touch with but didn't, and my heart breaks that she’s going through a tough time and I wish I’d been there to support her.

I'm so blessed that two of my best friends are my Mom and my Sister, and I can tell them absolutely anything without fear of judgment.

I'm so fortunate to have found a friend who is a kindred spirit, but is also different in ways that we compliment each other perfectly.

I now realize that I don’t have to live near someone, or have ever met them in person, to consider theirs a genuine and lasting friendship.

People can be friends despite a world of difference in lifestyle and religion.  It's fun getting to know each other and finding common ground, as long as no one tries to convince the other they are wrong.

Age means nothing.

It may take time apart to heal and process, but the connection can still survive.

I've learned that jealousy is a friendship killer, and it’s okay to walk away from a relationship that requires too much effort to make it work.  And I don’t have to feel guilty about it.

I’ll never again judge someone too quickly…they may just turn out to be one of my closest confidants and have a profound influence on my life.

Above all I realize that I’m so very grateful to all of my beloved friends

-old and new,

far and near-

 and it’s a very good thing to tell them so.

Due to a previously scheduled event, Jody and I won't be at Market Place Thursday today.

We will be back next Thursday with some fun new stuff to show you!

See you next week at The 400 Block!

Oh this crazy summer.

This weekend my family came up for a visit, and we had fun, fun, fun.

It started on Thursday when my parents got here in time for Market Place Thursday.
Loved having them hang out with us.

At the market, the sweetest little girl was wearing these adorable teeny sandals

 and I just had to snap a picture to show you.

(I have a thing for little kid's shoes, they are just so darn cute.)

She has the most beautiful olive skin, lucky girl!

Another fun image from the market.

After the market we packed up and headed to the cabin

where we met my sister, brother-in-law and three nephews.

We spent lots of time on the lake...

and time just hanging out...

eating fried food, driving go-karts and bumper boats...

chasing bubbles...

 

we even had a visit from the tooth fairy!

 

My youngest nephew woke me up one morning to ask if I'd play with him first.

My heart melted.

 

I was in Auntie heaven all weekend.