We made it through our last show for the year!

It was a very busy craft show, at least in the morning.

 

Here are a few

items we had displayed. The canvas paintings were taken down early due to downpour after downpour, but it was still a good show. Most other items--coffee boxes and snowman boxes-- are painted with exterior paint and sealed, so a little rainwater was no problem, plus they were under the canopy. With the landscapes hanging on the sidewall, we didn't want to chance rain sneaking down the side.  This first painting is shown without a frame, but you can see it framed on the wall a couple photos down. I guess these landscapes will give me a head start on the next show, and hopefully it won't rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Crafts/Art Show Season Again!

I work on my writing through the fall and winter, but come every spring and summer, my husband and I are busy not only with our yard, but with creating arts and crafts to tote to outdoor sales. I have to admit, I won't touch a wood saw. That's my husband's department. But I do the painting and add the finishing touches.

We just went to a show in Rochester, Minnesota, and we were swamped all day Saturday. It was probably good that Sunday was slow, because I was dragging after Saturday. Our next show will be in a few weeks--The Covered Bridge Arts and Crafts Show in Zumbrota, Minnesota. If any of you are in the area, you'll find me easily. I'll be the one sitting in a lawn chair while my husband chats and smiles. (Kidding.)

We also do some small hutches, jelly bins, vegetable bins and any size of trunk. We make these items with new wood but paint most of them to look old. My favorite planter we did had flowers painted on the front and a little humming bird enjoying them. Every planter we make is different, mainly because I can never remember exactly what I did to finish the others. This year, besides benches, planters, birdhouses and signs, we did a lot of barn doors and door screens, adding shelves, planters, or whatever we think of at the time. It's been fun. It also helps me get some reading done, since many items are done with layers of different colors of paint. I have to let each coat dry before applying the next, so I do that with a book in hand. :-)

How do you spend your summers? Any craft shows?
Best,
Deb

Though I've Been Absent, I've Not Been Bored!

Below is the blog article I was working on last fall and planning to post on Sept. 3, 2014. You know what they say—the best made plans. Before I got the article posted, pneumonia came knocking on my door. Not just once, killing the rest of September, but it came back for another short visit in October. Needless to say, the rest of October and November was spent catching up on all the duties needing done and mentioned in the following article. So, now you know why this post is a bit late. I promise I’ll try to do better in the near future.

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Those of you familiar with my yearly schedule know I don't take on editing projects for clients during the summer months, and I seldom blog. During these gone-too-fast months, my husband and I participate in art/craft shows often. He loves to build benches and cabinets, and I love to give them the look of aged heirlooms, or just paint them in a fun and lively finish. If we counted correctly, we created 102 new items this season, and I, at least, have the exhaustion to prove it.

I also love to paint a few oil landscapes or pet portraits each year, sometimes on canvas, sometimes saw blades, sometimes on the back of a wooden bench. Regardless, I find myself painting from morning to night during parts of the summer, and with as much dedication as I give my writing and editing. I love the way colors swished around this way and that can bring a world into view.

I generally still manage to keep up a minimum of one paragraph of writing per day or even one page per day; and when I don’t, I make up for it when my husband takes our visiting grandkids to the park.

Some of our grandkids spend a few weeks with us every summer, so we take them to swimming lessons. This is something we always look forward to. We pack a lot of other fun into these short weeks, too—town festivals, carnival rides, and birthday parties.

Other good news that came about this summer was an addition to our family—our youngest granddaughter, Joella.

We got through some sadness, the death of a friend’s husband and the near death of a former relative; but many appreciated prayers of hope and love were shared with their families to make these times a little more bearable.

Now September is here once again. I have five editing jobs in the queue, three book reviews to write, a bimonthly commissioned writing job, two picture books to finish, a few (ahem, strong few) novels to finish, short stories to polish, oodles of books to read, two antique sewing machines and one industrial machine to recondition, grandkids to see and life to live. I’m excited. Still, the best part of each day is snuggling alongside handsome hubby, the lights low and TV on, snacks close by, and a shared sigh and feeling of satisfaction that we made it through another day.

How was your summer?