What a Show!

• Warm temperatures, but not hot. check!
• Sunny weather. check!
• Great show! check!

Gardens, Gallery & Gifts was great this year! I did really well, and ended up right next to my weaving teacher, Erica Dwyer of Hampden Hills Alpacas! It was so wonderful catching up with her. We exchanged lots of ideas and will make plans to go yarn shopping together some time! Erica raises alpacas and has some beautiful yarns for sale. She also survived the tornados that hit western Massachusetts. She, her family, and farm are ok but severe damage is just houses away. I'm so happy she's ok but those tornados are devastating.


Mish Mash - baby alpaca yarn in one of many beautiful colors by Hampden Hills Alpacas

I'm going to make fingerless gloves with that yarn. The many colors coordinate with my Cottage line. Here's a new scarf:

Cottage Feisty Skies Handwoven Scarf

We'll see if I can come up with more photos of the show.

It's June, It's Time for Gardens, Gallery & Gifts!

The 2nd annual Gardens, Gallery & Gifts is upon us this weekend and I am proud to be a founding member of the group that started this art show.

And now mild panic is crawling under my skin. So much to do. On the other hand, it's like this every time I do a show or the farmers' market. I swear I could have 100 years to prepare and still not be ready. I just had another idea the other day. So today I am going to do it. I'm hoping it will be the start of a new collection for me. I can only do one for this weekend's show, though.



Cottage Feisty Skies

This is a new scarf listed on Etsy. I have a couple more (need to prep my inventory for the show) but they are not up yet. Yeah, I have lots to do . . .

We had a great weekend. We took a ride out to Greenport, NY overnight on the boat. What a great time.

Overhead: "Now THAT'S what I'm taking about!"

That was me as we walked into the new tasting room at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company. Wicked good. And we brought back a growler of Havre Rouge. It's been gone for days.

Alright. Coffee is being consumed. Blog is being blogged. Ideas are fomenting. Mental checklists are having pileups in my head. Time to go. Have a great day!

It's a Destination!

2nd Annual
Gardens, Gallery & Gifts Event
Saturday, June 4th- Sunday June 5th, 2011 ~ Broad Brook, CT

Gardens, Gallery and Gifts is a two-day event housed in a gallery, a garden room, a historic barn and multiple outdoor tents - all showcasing the work of 20 talented Connecticut women-artists and artisans. On display there will be fine art paintings, drawings and woodcut prints, woven wares, gift baskets, handmade herbal soaps and other products, painted glassware, beautiful jewelry, hand-dyed and painted silk scarves and clothing, nature photography, pottery, handbags and so much more. This exhibit will also include a tour of a house with a modern outdoor kitchen, a wine tasting event, and a half acre of grounds with unique garden art. Local musicians, including a professional soprano based in greater Hartford, CT, are also scheduled to perform at this event.

Come hear the sounds and enjoy the sights of this wonderful show: it is the only one of its kind held in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, CT - a country town with a formal flair!

The show will be held on June 4th and 5th from 10 – 4 at 310 and 312 Rye Street in Broad Brook, CT 06016. Admittance is free. Please follow the signs for parking.  There will be an area for handicapped parking.

Visit us at:  http://www.facebook.com/gardensgallerygifts to learn more about each woman-artist.

Success is . . .

Dodging rain, thunderstorms, and two days of tornado warnings (I'm in Connecticut, not Kansas, Toto, so two days of tornado warnings is rare, indeed.) and a great turn out for the first annual Galleries, Gardens and Gifts.

Special Effects painted wine glasses. "The women we used to be, wish we were, will never be!"

Amber Tortoise Creations

Enjoying wine and beer tastings and food samples

My housewares display

Some of Cathy T's Landscape Designs

Some more of my tent

More pictures tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

There are two ways of looking at it - it's been a bit of a bumpy ride so far into the seventh day of the new year. My husband, after being on vacation for the previous week and me not being able to work as much as I'd like, is finally back to work, but not before tearing a ligament in his ankle. He slipped on ice while shoveling snow. Not the way to start the new year.

On the other hand, what's the new year but a continuation of your current life, a date on the calender. What did I expect - fireworks, a clean slate, a sudden explosion of energy?

It's like every other day, week, month. I'm not happy, not sad. It's a state of mind and I am ready to push forward.

It's time to work on my goals for the month - increased inventory and working with a group of like-minded women who are trying to make our businesses succeed. I first met with them on Tuesday night and we have so much in common, despite our varied experiences and small businesses. We are planning an event, "Gardens, Galleries, and Gifts", for June 5 & 6 in Broad Brook. Exciting and a new challenge for me.

So I have (vague) goals (but goals nonetheless) and some opportunities that have popped up, so it's all good!