finally a break & some crafts

you have no idea how relieved i was to finish working on saturday. the alberta street fair was, as usual, a very spirited event.....with a punk rock marching band to boot. i was not very optimistic when i arrived at the event on saturday morning. it was raining and miserable. but, just like the weather man reported the sun came out just in time for the parade. i sold most of my items, which was a pleasant surprise, and I happily packed up my tent for the last time this year....hooray!

so, what does a girl do when she finally has a day off? why make stuff of course! i was so excited to finally have a day off on sunday, that i immediately went to work on some invitations for a baby shower that i am hosting in october. a good friend of mine is going to have her first child, and it's going to be a girl. i am so excited for her and her husband, and i am also thrilled to have a reason to buy girly things.

this project also gave me a reason to use my gocco. if you don't know what a gocco is, it is one of the best small inventions ever. i love this little thing so much, and it's days are almost numbered (checkout save gocco and read all about it). anyway, this is a little screen-printer that was made in japan up until a few years ago. the company that made the supplies for the little gocco has stopped production of supplies and has shipped its last amount of inventory as of last december. so, much like the polaroid (although that is coming back now), it will soon be a thing of the past. needless to say, i am only using my supplies for special occasions, and this baby shower is definitely just that, very special.

the thing that i love the most about the gocco, is that it is so easy to use. i can make a screen and start printing in under 4 minutes, and it is child friendly! last year a number of neighborhood children used my gocco to make a bundle of christmas gifts :) for this project i printed invitations, thank you notes for the the mom-to-be, and with the extra ink and scraps of paper left over from cutting i printed some gift tags......all of it, just too cute for words......not to mention the lovely pink and chocolate brown color scheme. i can't wait for my friend to receive her little package of goodies. there will be a few more posts about this event, because i have some super craftiness planned that you just might want to read about.

p.s. WWNRD?...she would use recycled card stock, water based ink, re-purposed ribbon...oh, and she would call it card camp!

goodbye sun....hello rain

the end of summer is almost official. only 3 days left! i always dread this time of year. even though i love the fall...for the most part, and love the holiday season it just seems to be so super busy. summertime is so much more relaxing. woe is me.

the only good thing is that the summer weather seems to be sticking around in the northwest just long enough for one more outdoor event....the alberta street fair. i am really excited to set up my tent one last time this year, and mingle with the people. i always meet some very interesting folks at my events, and i know that albert street will not fail me. this event showcases a very interesting parade....enough said :0

anyway, just a little update....the lovely skirt on the right is one of the "comfy" skirts i posted about last week. i sold out of all of the skirts, purple, black & burgundy, except for one of these lovelies. if you are interested, you should stop by for a visit this weekend. i'll be on alberta near 24th.

alberta street fair

september 19, 2009

11am-6pm

muddy boot organic festival

muddy boot organic festival

Saturday, 9/12, 12:00pm - 9:00pm (vendors until 6:00pm)

Sunday, 9/13, 12:00pm - 6:00pm

location:

st phillip neri

2408 se 16th ave.

portland, or 97214

this will be the third consecutive year that i have participated in the muddy boot organic festival. this is a really great event with really great music, organic foods beer and wine, workshops and exhibits on sustainable living, kids activities and entertainment, and of course some really great organic cotton shirts printed with environmentally friendly water based inks by yours truly. one addition to the organic cotton shirts are some super awesome skirts that are made by texture clothing in bellingham. the amazing owner of texture , teresa, sews them up for me & i print them with my own lovely designs. they are truly the most comfortable skirt you will own. as a matter of fact they are called the "comfy" skirt. the skirts consist of hemp, organic cotton, and a tiny bit of lycra to make them super comfy. i am always pleasantly surprised by how well these skirts sell, as a matter of fact it is almost impossible to keep a current picture of my inventory because they tend to sell out quickly. these two photos will give you an idea of how cute the skirts are, but you really just need to stop by the muddy boot organic festival to really appreciate them.

don't get too excited about the mustard skirt on the right.....it is actually sold out, but you get the idea....super comfy waist band (there is actually a little pocket hiding in the waistband), nice a-line & drape. i currently have a pretty purple colored skirt, black, and burgundy for fall.

just in case you're interested in these skirts you can also buy them from teresa directly at www.textureclothing.com , or if you are in portland you can buy them at the master peace on hawthorne.

have a wonderfully sunny weekend!!