Even though rain was predicted, yesterday was another beautiful day for the Farmer's Market. When this guy showed up in front of my booth to eat fire and do other stunts like get out of a straight-jacket, I was really excited and snapped this picture with my iPhone. I was very entertained by his act.

However, the second time through his act was not as impressive and the third time seeing him get out of his straight-jacket was just plain boring. It was then that I realized that my bottlecap magnets couldn't compete with this kind of street performer - there is usually just musicians. Big crowds of people stopped to watch and clogged up the area so even if people wanted to shop, they couldn't. Oh well, I still had good sales in between acts and something really exciting happened before the performer started. A woman from LA who was in town for a conference bought a bunch of my necklaces and magnets wholesale for her vintage store called Flounce. AND, her friend recognized me! She exclaimed how she couldn't believe she was meeting me just randomly on the street here while she was in town and how her friend was going to be so jealous. I felt like a real celebrity! It was pretty weird, but cool.

At the market on Saturday, I got to see my friend Lisa who has been MIA for awhile. Not only was it wonderful to see her, she brought me my long awaited prize from her blog contest, a beautiful purple rose and cute bon bon hairclips. The prize also included an adorable purple bird, but I think one of the cats grabbed it because I can't find it! I hope Lisa isn't horribly angry with me, I'm sure she won't be, she has three cats of her own and knows they can be big trouble sometimes. If you are interested in checking out more of Lisa's Stabby Critters check out her blog.

One of my favorite things in Madison is the birds designed by Dr. Evermor. They hang out on Paterson St and are several stories tall made entirely from scrap metal welded together. A few summers ago I was at a tiny craft show with a woman (I can't remember her name, sorry!) who had taken a photo of them and made a screen to screen print them on things. I had her print it on a blue polyester dress I had just purchased from a thrift store, but turns out the dress wasn't very flattering and I only wore it a few times. Finally, now that we are moving I was faced with the decision of what to do with the dress. I didn't want to get rid of it because of the birds, but I knew I'd never wear it again. Then, I also found a frame that we were trying to decide if we should keep or not. Viola! Two just okay things together equals one awesome thing! I cut the birds out of the dress and framed them. Now we can hang it on the wall in our new house and admire the print and be reminded of Madison. Even Pimper is enjoying it!

And finally, today my very first original painting purchase showed up! I bought this ORIGINAL Susie Ghahremani painting. I've wanted one for a long time and was able to snatch this one up before it went on exhibit in LA. I love all of her work! You can see more on her site boygirlparty.

This past Saturday was perfect for the Farmer's Market - sunny, warm, and not windy. I had good sales, had some friends stop by, and got to catch up with some of the other vendors there. One surprise was that I got my Facebook make-things-for-people thing from Rosy of ReCreative Crafts. She made me this awesome mix-tape pouch out of felt and embroidered all those details on by hand. So cool! I love it!

Since then, it has been hot. Humid and hot. In this weather, I don't want to do anything but sleep. We don't have air conditioning and this house in general doesn't have great air flow, so sleeping is the only way to be comfortable in this heat. Instead of sleeping the day away yesterday, I glued magnets to all the bottlecaps that were waiting for them. Here's one tiny tray:

Yikes, I haven't posted anything in a while. That is partly because I have been spending a lot of time collecting boxes...

and packing boxes.

I've also been working hard to try and use up all my best dishes for frames so I have less to move. Also, frames have been in pretty high demand at my stores, so I'm trying to keep up. I have some fears that there won't be good deals on plates to break in Carbondale. An irrational fear, right?

Everything is topsy turvy here. We were supposed to close on our house yesterday, but there are some problems with the paperwork on the seller's end that we are waiting to get worked out. We are here drumming our fingers waiting anxiously. There is so much work to do! Buy a bed and furniture, move the pets, set up new bank accounts and utilities, scope out thrift stores. I just want to get started already!

Even though all this has been unusual, I felt really good about applying for Renegade Chicago, Strange Folk Festival, and DIY Trunk Show. That reminded me that my life as a crafter will continue even in a new town. Also, all the work I've put in to traveling to further away shows the last two years will have paid off.

If we don't take off to close this weekend, I'll most likely be at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. It is supposed to be sunny and nice! We haven't had many nice Saturdays here in Madison this spring. I sold a bunch of bowls last weekend, so I'm working on restocking those inbetween breaking plates and packing. I'll try to post more pictures of them as I make them, because some are turning out really awesome.

Another piece of fabric I found at the Dig and Save on my last trip was a blue and green and tan fabric shower curtain. I brought it home and found that it went perfectly with this tan polyester double-knit fabric that I have so much of! Finally used some of it to make this rug!

Sea and Sand Rug

None of this new is really all that good or bad, but just kind of meh.

Good news, I went to the Dig and Save on Friday. Bad news, I was disappointed with the selection of sheets available. Good news, I did find the ever-needed brown and red fabric. And more good news, I found a really pretty gray sheet with light gray pinwheel flower-like designs that I used in this new rug.

Gray Speckles Crochet Rug

Good news, I played yogaball (a game my friends made up that is a cross between tennis and volleyball and is played with a giant exercise ball) on Sunday and had fun. Bad news, I jammed my thumb on my crocheting hand and it hurts a lot! Good news, I can still crochet.

Apologies to those of you who are missing me at the Farmer's Market, but the weather has just not been cooperating. Hopefully this weekend will be EKRA-friendly.

I found this pretty pink and white cotton knit sheet at Saver's a while ago and couldn't figure out what to do with it. I cut it up last night and since it was a king-sized sheet, it made so much yarn, that I crocheted it up all by itself. It reminds me of the peonies that are blooming outside my house right now, only this one is better because it won't die and it doesn't have any ants on it!

Perfect Pink Peony Crochet Rug