July 7, 2008 - New Cement and another day at the People's Market

The first two photos are of my new cement driveway and front walkway. We are SO fancy now! I actually have two cement front porch steps like fancy people on the East side of town! (our temporary front step only lasted 10-11 years. Thank goodness it was just temporary!)

The July 6 People's Market was the best yet! Tons of people visited (but less vendors came) and bought better than ever before. But the highlight of the day had to be the Aztec dancers. Those are the other picture, you thought I just wanted to show the orange port o'potties didn't you!

The costumes are fantastic but my favorite was a little boy (about 4 years old) who danced his little heart out and won the admiration of everyone watching. He was dancing next to what I would guess was his mother. His Dad (just guessing) was carefully making sure there were no sharp sticks in the grass around where his family was dancing. They danced one dance then some females of the group picked out some of the better dancers who got to go to a center circle and dance. This little guy was picked to go to the center and he was so thrilled and kept turning around to wave to his Mom. He danced with such concentration and exaggeration that he had two of us post-menopausal women crying! My video part of my camera didn't seem to work but with the two pictures you can at least see how decorative the dancers were and the little boy next to his kneeling Mother! Oh, my little booth again with the new "recycled" sign had to have a picture taken also.

News flashes:

I've been invited to participate in the "Rocky Mountain Art and Antiques Show" at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on November 14, 15, 16th. The promoter who approached me said my work looks more like art to her than just jewelry so would I please consider doing a booth! Now that is a compliment! I think I'll do it!

It's June 30th and it is HOT, HOT, HOT

Speaking of HOT: I spent last Thursday at my oldest nieces house and played with her and her two daughters, my grand-nieces! What a fun day. I ask Karmen the 5 year old, if she would write a note to her mother on the top of some origami paper and I would make the words into beads to make a necklace for her mother. Karmen wrote: / I love / you / Mom / from / Karmen / age 5 / - six beads in all and made them into the necklace on the right above. My niece wanted it to match a brown and green ring she has. Imagine wearing this necklace when Karmen is a Mother herself and remembering the sweet girl struggling to write her best and her smallest for her Mom!

Karmen wanted a necklace also so the blue on the left is hers. She wrote, 'My favorite things are, Mac n' cheese, cats and dogs, playing, drawing, nintendo, my bike, Ava (her little sister), and blue! It made 14 beads in all and of course I had to put everything blue into the necklace - blue dogs and cats, frog, hearts. Again, all in Karmens own handwriting that can be viewed and worn for years and years. I have made beads out of maps, book covers, magazines, sheet music, love notes, tissue paper, wall paper, scrap cloth - if there is anything you have that you'd like to see put into a necklace, leave a comment and email address and I'll get right back to you!

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The People's Market last Sunday was great! A lot more vendors and a lot more visitors. It was fun. The pleasant morning temperature, however, soon faded into a roasting oven, but by about 2:00pm the breezes kicked in and it didn't feel quite as bad. I love meeting all the people and seeing everyone's ideas. You really ought to come out and have a look. And thanks to the young girl, whose name I have forgotten, for that wonderful acapella song she sang at the end of the day - It gave me goose bumps! Next life I want to come back as a singer!

New hint from this week:

"Quilling! What in the world is that", I said. One girl suggested I look it up on the internet and try it because that was the next thing I would probably get into since I do all those paper beads!

So does anyone out there have any suggestions of a good place to go to learn quilling? I looked at some pictures of quilling but need more information, inspiration and lessons!

June 22 People's Market

Well, this market day was rather slow. But still I would rather sit 5 hours outdoors in beautiful weather selling and watching people than be indoors all day! The weather was spectacular. This first picture is a surprise picture taken by my husband as I was setting up in the morning. The wishing wells to my left belonged to the only other people there before me. And no, I did not wear the hat all day long! I tried an experiment and just laid out a few necklaces but all of the earrings I had on hand. I thought more people would buy them because of the lower price for a little souvenir for the day and because of all the young girls that come to the market. Did it work? No, not really. The earring themselves didn't seem to draw people to well...

But next week I will have 4th of July themed items and mostly bracelets. I think bracelets along with the paper bead necklaces will be the highest selling because of the prices and uniqueness, but we will see! I am definitely learning! The 2nd picture is of my point-of-view from under my canopy out to the center of the market. It is near the end of the day so people are sparse.

The park is so beautiful because of all the very old, huge trees. Just a few steps to the west of the market location is the entrance into the Peace Gardens. The walk through the Peace Gardens should be part of everyone's Sunday morning reflections!

Interesting happenings of the day:

I had one lady come to my booth who, after looking at the paper beads, said that she had just been to a wedding in Green River, Wyoming about a week ago and someone had given the bride a necklace made out of a map of Wyoming. She said it was so beautiful and maybe I should try something like that. I said, "I made that necklace!" I then asked, "Did you see it close and see I cut it so that some of the names of cities and such showed up on the beads and that it was five strands twisted together?" She said "YES, that was so clever"!

My cohort at work gave me a map of Wyoming asking me to make that necklace for him to give to his girlfriend because she was moving from Wyoming to Utah. When he came to get it he said he was in a hurry because he and his girlfriend were on their way to a wedding in Green River, Wyoming!!! Now what are the chances of having that happen? But now I just need to ask him about which girlfriend got the necklace... OR did he get married????

Anyway, I also want to say thanks to the brave man who said I looked 42 years old! It's pretty sad when that is a really exaggerated compliment! And actually his dog liked me the most!

Well, I'm off to make some 4th of July bracelets - catch you next time!