Yes," Christmas Chaos" was a bit chaotic...

Not every story has a happy ending, but making lemonade is what it's all about, so...
Here are some pics from my Christmas Chaos craft fair last weekend..sorry about the lack of quality in the photos...I didn't have the camera set correctly, but you'll get an idea..
There were several good  crafters here...

I gibbled up my back on Saturday night, so missed Sunday...and I was going to go around and get everyone's name for posting here, so you'll have to be content with the pics, sorry...to the crafters and my readers


   This lady had the most interesting take on neck pillows..see the animals at the top of the display?  They are all  stuffed in the body area, and the legs, heads, tails, etc. are hanging down on either side..very cute!

This is Naomi, who ordered this custom Dumbo hat from me..she has a thing about Dumbo...what can I say?



Here is a stained-glass artist whose work I quite liked...many original designs, instead of the usual five patterns reconstituted that you often see at fairs...I put a premium on originality, what about you?

 

This woman does silver 'weaving'...don't know what the technique is actually called but that is what it looks like..if you look at the  mandrel in her hand, you can see that she uses a needle to go in and out around it with silver wire, very fine stuff, and the results are so cool....very medieval looking, and she does some nice copper pieces, too.

Here is a pic of my friend Sue's table...she does a variety of crafts, from knitted baby things to beautiful miniature orchid arrangements..they are made from polymer clay but the constant question is "..are those real?" They could be, they are so beautiful, with hand-painted details...we are always on the lookout for tiny cups and bowls to  hold her arrangements, and we have gone to beautiful Port Renfrew, on the other side of the Island, to pick up driftwood that Sue also uses in her compositions...see top row...

And lastly, my display, which looks very dark and dreary in this image, but actually wasn't too bad..

I am still in rather bad shape, back-wise, seeing a chiropractor, and keeping my fingers crossed that my other three day fair, starting this Friday, is still feasible...cross your fingers for me...

Holiday Presents to Myself...

I said in a previous blog entry that I would share my few purchases from that semi-disasterous first craft fair- and here are the first ones..
the woman who created these used tiny bits of stained glass the way most people use tiles in mosaics-glued to a piece of glass, then grouted when complete! With such a beautiful result, each approx.5X7 inches.....When I first saw them I was surpised they were framed, with backing cardboard and easel-type stands-it seemed to me that you would want the light to pass through them-so that's what I did with mine-removed the backing stuff, and, though I tried to remove them from the frames , it couldn't really be done without damaging the edges, so for now, they'll stay framed until I can arrange to have them redone or find the wherewithal to do it myself- my idea was to frame them in thin black metal, one on each side of a centerpiece of clear glass (patterned) with hanging eyes at the top, so it could be suspended by clear strong fishline in a window..but till then, I can see them this way, more or less through my wildly blossoming Christmas cactus..another picture of which I included, just because.

Piggie Tuesday..a Stained Glass Pair O' Porkers

Today, for Piggie Tuesday, I'm showing off a stained glass assemblage made for me by my stepfather, Jim. I guess he was in his mid-80's when he made this, and he sent it from California, and, like all the pieces of stained glass he made for me, it arrived perfectly intact..astounding, really..
That curved line you can see running through it is actually a clear fishing line, when I used to hang it up..but I like it low in the windowsill of my little dining area, so that I can appreciate it as I'm having breakfast.