Country Living Fair 2008

We went down to Columbus, Ohio on Friday for the 2008 Country
Living Fair.
It was Phenomenal again this year!!! Bigger and Better!!!!
Even in the POURING down RAIN~ we had a great time!!!!

Here's my AMAZING Matthew chowing on some Grilled corn~ he
deserves a medal for trudging through the rain to many, many booths, carrying all of my
fun finds :)

I thought this was kind of neat~ I loved this booth and the GOLDEN pumpkin is
such a cool idea.

Aren't these so neat???

This year the fair was at The Ohio Historical Society in the Historical Village.
They decorated many of the buildings with the "CL" touch.


And next I wanted to share some pics of my MOST FAVORITE THING THERE!!!
The EARTH ANGELS
Artist SHOWCASE Tent!!!

A Nicol Sayre ORIGINAL (Gulp!)
and I got to meet her at her tent!!! WOW!!!
She's such a sweetheart!!

Don't you just want to take them ALL Home???

So the Fair was Amazing. We got in line at 9A.M. and they opened the gates at 10A.M. ~the line was so long we couldn't even see the end of it~ and we met the nicest lady who let us share her umbrella. I can't believe everyone loves CL so much that they stood out in the rain for the fair~ just goes to show~ if you build it, they will come.
The highlight for me was of course~ The Earth Angels Toys tent, it was so mind-blowing to see so much artistry and creativity all collected in one tent! And many of the artists were there, which made it even better. I spent at least an hour and a half in there just searching for the perfect finds~ and I think we waited in line that long too. LOL
It was a favorite of many of the fair-goers I think.

We ended up staying till 2 P.M. and then we headed down to Lebanon, Ohio for
some serious antiquing.
We discovered Lebanon, OH last year when we attended the CL Fair
when it was in Mason, Ohio.
We hit all of our favorites: The Broadway Antique Mall, The Shoe Factory Antique Mall(which is going to be on the Sci-Fi show Ghost Hunters!!!), and a favorite little shop there called
William and Mary.
Anyhoo~ I am going to have to get busy taking pics of all of my finds!!!
I did tons of re-decorating yesterday~ so fun!!!
I will take pics soon and share :) So stay tuned :)
And last BUT not least,
Speaking of FINDS...I wanted to share some pictures of my NEWEST and TRULY favorite
EBay find...

Isn't she perfect in EVERY WAY??? I have
wanted one of these little ladies for SO SO Long and I am so happy to
be able to admire her day- in- and- day- out on one of my little shelves in our family room.
She's just beautiful!!!

New Kids on the Block+ the mall= is it 1991????

Yesterday we went to the mall for the first time in years and years.
(I'm just not really a "mall" person anymore I guess)
But I was in search of some better-than-offered-online tickets to the upcoming
New Kids on the Block concert for my BFF Kelly and I.
We have seen them 7 times in concert(all between 1989-1992~ and always with our moms, thanks mom!).
Anyhoo, they are coming to Cleveland on Oct.3, 2008 and we certainly aren't going to start missing their shows now!!!!
When I was in middle school, every inch of my walls and ceiling was covered in NKOTB posters and pinups. Kelly and I would watch their videos endlessly. We were totally obsessed and it was so so much fun!
I am so happy they are back together and can't wait for the wave of nostalgia to run over me when I am standing beside Kelly at their show and I am listening to Jordan belt out "I'll be Loving you Forever" it is going to be AMAZING!!! I am psyched!! WooHOO!!!

And the mall was actually kind of fun.
I really like Macy's a lot!
Their Martha Stewart line is so great!!!!

Halloween Ribbon Tree Topper Ornament

Today I crafted a wee bit. I have been thinking of making a GIANT Halloween
ribbon to use as a tree topper and I think it came out kinda neat!
I made one for my etsy shop too.

Halloween Wand

I also made a couple Halloween wands~ these always come out so cute
and as I find great Halloween pics, I am always
thinking~ "oh that would look cute on a wand" LOL.
This picture is fabulous!!
I bet these 2 had a swingin' time at the party!!!

Halloween Wand

This little girl is so adorable~ with Her cute striped witches hat!! and even
her doll has one too :)

I am really really looking forward to going to the CL Fair this week!!!!
We are going down on Friday and I just can't wait to see
all the neat booths, especially the Earth Angels Toys booth!
I will take lots of pics and hopefully have pics of a few
treasures I get to bring home with me :)

Have a great week!!!

Gettin' My Craft ON and Mid-week Etsy Shop Update

Queen of Halloween DELUXE Witch Hat Tree Topper

I have been a busy bee today!!! I took the day off from work~ I guess going back
yesterday after the long weekend was just too much of a shock to my system, LOL.
I just wanted to stay home and get my Craft ON! And that is exactly what I did :)
It's nice to take a day all alone and hide away and make FUN things.

Sweet and Sinister Halloween Ornament

I must admit that I have a problem...I am in LOVE with these German China Doll heads!
I FINALLY found an affordable one on ebay~ and I won it!!! Which I don't know when the last time any of you actually wanted to win something on ebay was~ but it is seriously almost impossible unless you have some wicked high-speed computer or something~ those last minute bidders kill me! Anyhoo, I saw this fab little doll head and I just kept bidding~ against five other people(they are hot little items I tell ya!) and I was successful~ how fun is that???
Of course I will share pics of her here when I get her...I can't wait!!!

Halloween Pixie Ornament

I was glancing over at my craft room shelf the other night while holding something I was gluing in place for like ten minutes~ and I spotted this box of nests that I keep around~ I guess you just never know when you are going to make some fairy, bird, or God only knows what~ a "home." So I keep a lot of these nests handy. Eureka!
I got an idea to make Halloween-style nests for these little Halloween pixies!
I think they came out cute!
My pic isn't that great~ but trust me~ there is a lot of glitter going on here :)

Halloween China Doll Head Ornament

See, I told you...obsessed :)

Queen of Halloween
Witch hat Collage
Trick or Treat

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS last couple days to this week...it's almost Friday!!!!

Sweet and Sinister Etsy Update and Swap Sneak Peak

Queen of Halloween Witch Hat Collage

I know it is Labor Day weekend but around our house you'd never know it!
Because everything is popping up in oranges, black and cream!
I spent TONS of time crafting this weekend and have loaded my
Etsy shop with Halloween Delights!

Halloween Ornament

I decided to decorate our house this year in a "Sweet and Sinister" theme for Halloween
and it has influenced my crafting too. I just can't get enough
of these sweet little doll head images~ but I like kinda making them
look romantic and dark too.
Sweet and Sinister!

Queen of Halloween Collage

These are probably some of my FAVORITE new creations!
These Queen of Halloween collages are just so neat!
I was asked to make a Halloween version of the Queen of the Nest Collages I made
last winter and this was what I came up with. I gotta say, I love em~
and they are all different!

Halloween Wand
"Forget the Ghosts, Beware of me"

That just cracks me up. Some mornings I really feel that way. LOL.
Maybe I should carry this wand~ put it on my desk at work :)

I was just having too much fun taking these pics and I added in a few
extras to make like a little vignette~ that cabinet card is of
my Great Grandma Weaver~ I just LOVE it!

Gypsy Mermaid's Witches' Cupboard Swap Sneak Peak for Sarah

This is a little sneak peak of one of the handmade items I am sending to Sarah for
her swap~ your package is on it's way this week!!!!

I hope that you had a WONDERFUL LONG RELAXING weekend...
Happy Crafting!

Halloween Inspiration

I was so fortunate to get into this FABULOUS Halloween swap hosted by

Gypsy Mermaid Life. She was so sweet to let me in~ even though I contacted her after the deadline. (Thank You!!!) I am so excited to have Sarah, The Gypsy Mermaid herself, as my swap partner for this one!

I plan on getting in some serious crafting time this weekend working on new Halloween items for custom etsy orders, My Lollishops shop(the buzz is Lollishops will be opening before Halloween~ very fun!) and of course I am going to work on many fun things for my new swap partner :)

So, a little inspiration....

All of these photos are from Christmas Traditions, one of my FAVORITE stores on the web for all things AMAZING and HALLOWEEN!

What an envy-worthy collection!

I have been having a hard time not buying these new pieces from Nicol Sayre~ I find myself swooning after them~ maybe these could be an Anniversary gift from my husband..hint hint..Matthew, I want these :)

I love this little vignette, so magical!

When I am really really old and they have to come in my house to get me out~I hope they find me under a pile that looks just like this, LOL.

Happy Crafting!!!!

All I want For Halloween Is...

I went to Michael's Craft Store the other day~ officially one of my favorite
places to load up on Halloween decor~ and I started my wish list for this year!!!
Check out this AMAZING black glitter chandelier kit by none other than Martha Stewart herself. It looks so neat and fun to make!!!

Next, this honeycomb kit caught my eye(also by Martha)
I just love the vintage cutouts!!!

and of course what would a Halloween wish list be without the treats???
I just think these cupcake stencils are sooo neat!

Also, Michael's carries the Spooky Town village by Lemax that I collect.
They have some Fabulous new pieces for 2008.
I was glad to see they are carrying some more traditional pieces this year to add to my "town."
The last couple Halloween's they have been adding scarier-type pieces, and I see this year they have some kinda-gory haunted wild west themed pieces.
I think they are all super-neat, but those wouldn't really go with my current pieces, and I have a small fortune invested in them at this point.
I originally started collecting this village around 2001, when the pieces were more true to life. My set up consists of a little haunted-but-not-too-scary town with little trick-or-treaters and a fun Halloween house that is hosting a Halloween party.
It is the highlight of my Halloween decor every year!

I just adore this Full Moon Apothecary shop~ it is animated, the witch circles around the top!
Also, it lights up and makes sounds~ too neat-o!

And this would be the creme' De la creme' ! I think this piece is so
cute! All of the characters move and the whole thing lights up and makes sound.
I am going to have to hit the lottery~ that is just all there is to it :)

Happy mid-week...and Halloween wishes!!!!

Is it October Yet?????

For those of you whom are beach bunnies and Big Kahunas~ BEWARE!!!
I am busy at work in Canton, Ohio wishing and praying for AUTUMN!!!
Every year towards the end of August I get a serious case of ants-in-the-pants for rustling leaves and candy corn. I even started scouting out my local haunts(pun intended ;)) for Halloween decorations, like I don't have enough already, LOL.
Side note: Get with it JoAnn Fabrics Stores!!! I am so mad, been over there twice and not a witch or ghost on the shelves yet!!!
See, I secretly LOVE when the stores get flooded with Holiday decorations early~ I embrace it! I love Halloween and Christmas and really enjoy shopping for holiday things. I am so envious of the people that live near all-year-round Christmas stores, especially the ones that have a Halloween room or two. I have been lucky enough to hit a couple of those while on vacation and they are so so fun.
Anyhoo~ now that the nights are finally getting colder(in the high 50's- see my wishes and prayers are working :)) I have been in the mood to craft again~ finally! For awhile there I thought something might have really been wrong with me, LOL.
So these are the few fun things I made yesterday~ note all the doll head images. Ever since I saw one of these images in the latest issue of Somerset Life magazine~ I don't remember the artist, but the article was about dying papers and making tags~ anyhoo, I loved the image and so all summer I have been searching ebay waiting to find the perfect China doll head to bid on...the trouble is they are pricey~ so I "retrieved" some images of ones-in-particular that I loved but couldn't afford and started using them in my artwork~ I think they are so versatile and sweet. Just love em'!
Anyhoo, I hope to be back in the swing of things now and I will start posting more often again~ Promise.
Here's to Fall...and Crafting!

Boo!

Collage Witch ornament

All available at my etsy shop.
Happy Crafting :)