I LOVE CAPE FEAR STUDIOS!!!

Apparently I am not alone in my LOVE affair with Cape fear Studios.  As you can plainly see from the award above,http://www.capefearstudios.com/  was voted Best Art Gallery AND Best Place to Buy Local Art by the readers of Up & Coming Weekly.

I served my first four hour shift at the retail desk there yesterday as a new and PROUD exhibiting member.  Now that I have that accomplished, I can add my items to a display case just in time for the upcoming Fourth Friday Celebration there on September 27th from 6 pm to 9 pm.  I am feverishly designing and creating new pieces to offer exclusively at the Studios.  Here are some of the artists who were actually working in the studios as I was watching the retail end.

 Gail Harris was finishing off a spectacular work in oils.

 Kathy Moore was loving her expression in watercolor.

 Jill Dieffenbach was labeling her pottery for display and sale.

 A High School student was working on a fused glass piece for her school project with Lois White pictured below.

 Karen Moore truly enjoys her time at the easel and we can see why.  Another of her masterpieces is pictured below.

All of these amazing artists were working there plus others who are camera shy so see what an adventure can be had by stopping by
http://www.capefearstudios.com/  
148 Maxwell Street   in downtown  Fayetteville, NC
 any weekday  from   11 am to 5 pm  or
Saturday  from  10 am to 4 pm.....closed Sundays.
There are also the artist's receptions and contests on Fourth Fridays which really draw a crowd.
If you want to see why we were voted the BEST then come and see for yourself.  You will be glad you did.

Video

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=316320035173234

Check out this awesome short video at my spot in the City Market Taken August 31, 2013

It's a Wonderful Life

Having been motivated by a customer/friend at the Downtown City Market for the past two weekends, I am here "blogging" at long last.  Thank you Valerie!

What a fabulous "RIDE" the past year has been for me and my family.

The photo up top is my new "footprint" at the City Market at the Museum in downtown Fayetteville, NC.

www.facebook.com/CityMarketAtTheMuseum

  It is my permanent vending location. I have been set up there since the onset of the venue last April 2012....over a year now.  On those rare occasions when I can't make it out there on a Saturday I feel like something is "missing" in my life.  I have made so many friends out there.  The vendors are awesome folks who are like family to me.  Alot of my consistent customers are now my friends.  I have so many wonderful experiences at the Transportation and Local History Museum every week.  Albeit has been rather warm some of these Summer days and rainy on a few others.  It still amazes me how loyal our customers are to all the vendors.

http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/things-to-do/family-fun/6221/fayetteville-area-transportation-museum-and-local-history-museum

Here is my Latest and Greatest News so far on my journey here in NC.  As of  August 30, 2013 I have been accepted as a juried exhibiting ARTIST at Cape Fear Studios
 http://www.capefearstudios.com/
It is the primo source of Fine Art in the region with working Artist's studios right in the building.  My biggest joy is that there is a large classroom area where I can get back to teaching Beadwork at finally.  My sabbatical is over hopefully.

Also, even though the application fee is placing me in a grave financial bind and I am flying on blind FAITH the next couple months, I will possibly be returning to Ft Bragg for the Yule Mart again this year.  IF THEY JURY me in.  Application went out in today"s mail.  It will be at a NEW LOCATION with a new association running the show.  The new promoters is the newly created Association of Bragg Spouses...no longer Officer's Spouses.  New location will be :
Ritz-Epps Physical Fitness Center, Bldg C7215 Ft Bragg, NC
Dates of the venue this year are November 22, 23, and 24 2013
I so enjoyed doing the two day show last November I know this year will be even greater and more fulfilling!

The grandchildren are growing and maturing way too quickly for my taste, but I am still BLESSED to be able to spend time with them after school during the week.  Also, my wonderful grandson, Mylz still accompanies me downtown and helps me with my little shop on Saturdays.  His news is that he is on the soccer team for New Century International Middle School.  Ella is so intelligent for a second grader it is scary.  After First grade, she can read almost as well as I can....AMAZING!  She just turned 7 years old on August 2nd and Mylz will be 14 on January 6th, 2014.  He is in 8th grade.

My daughter has a new position and location for her employment.  She is now local, at Ray Price of Fayetteville and is the Finance and Insurance Manager.  They are the exclusive dealers for new Triumph and Ducati motorcycles in the area.  She is prospering and thriving in her new career.

I still struggle daily with my poor crops.  My mini garden is under siege as before by the pesky squirrels.  I have 19 tomato plants and have yet to get a mature tomato from any of them.  They even ate an eggplant but I managed to salvage a small one for myself (pictured above) before they demolished it.  they also confiscated all my pears and figs.  I purchased a sonar box that was supposed to remedy my plight....not so, MY squirrels are wise to everything meant to thwart them....I believe they must have master's degrees in veggie thievery.  I am keeping up with lawn mowing...saints be praised.  We have had a  very mild Summer with a whole lot of rain so we are truly blessed.

There is a reunion of my eighth grade graduating class coming up in October that I will unfortunately not be able to attend.  It has reunited me with several "old" friends who were absent but never forgotten from my life.  Sure wish I could be there "kids" but finances just won't permit.  I never got to the "Rich and Famous" status I had always dreamed of.  I will be there in spirit though, you can count on that!

Once again, I promise to try to BLOG more often....I know I know.  Happy Trails to all of you.  Autumn and the cooler COLORFUL weather is nearly here along with all the fun holidays and joys of the season.

So Much for Keeping Up! PFFFFFT!!!

YUP!  This is my Life now.  I be either making pieces to sell at City Market at the Museum in Fayetteville, NC or I be selling there every Saturday and Fourth Fridays too.  That's me, from a fabulous "up" shot taken by my loyal partner, grandson Mylz....we have sweated through many a hot morning this summer peddling my wares.  The fabulous Harley Davidson shirt is courtesy my loving daughter, April as my Mother's Day gift...I LOVE IT!!

We put up and take down that canopy from Harbor Freight Tools mostly by ourselves...the wonderful vendors we sell with are so super at assisting us when we are in need.  I just figured out it has been 5 months since we first set up at the Transportation Museum....wish I could say we were rolling in the wealth....but I cannot.  It is sure a wonderful way to make new friends though!

We have been invited to a couple of Juried Events before Christmas...one in particular looks highly appealing but it is $175 up front and will mean two days totalling 21 hours of selling....that's pretty darned demanding.  You can tell I am new to this whole vendor life...then too, I am only one person and I am realizing very late in life that I can only do so much on my own.  So my inventory can only be what I can produce....is that enough for a huge show???  Points to ponder.  I had given serious consideration to doing the International Folk Festival but backed out of that one.

So now you know where I have been keeping myself all these months.  No moss growing on me from lack of activity even though it be of the more sedentary variety.  The yard has been kept up albeit rather poorly.  At least the neighbors aren't leaving threatening notes on my door or calling the Health Dept.  I mow the grass and trim the edgings as much as my feeble body will allow.  Now that the weather is finally cooling. it is easier to get out and do the yard work.  I sure have progressed immensely from that depressed, sickly, crippled old lady living alone and deserted in the desert a year ago....I am soooooo grateful for my grandchildren and daughter's family for that improvement in my lifestyle!

Have I unpacked all those zillions of boxes in my storage room and garage?  NOT EVEN!!!  I watch that show Hoarders & picture all the junk from those boxes packed into my poor little house & it freaks me out...plus, let's be honest, I HATE UNPACKING even more than I hated PACKING all that garbage.  Procrastination is a fine art of mine!

So that's my latest scoop on what's new in my world TODAY....no more promises on how loyal I am gonna be to posting more blog entries.  When it happens, it happens....take care ya'll.

I AM BAAAAAAAACK!!

Here's my little Squeakers, taking in the cards & flowers from the best Mother's Day ever!!
I have been so remiss in posting on here...shame on me!!  Squeakers is now 4 years old....I have been in my new home over 8 months....most everything is still in boxes.....I have been selling at the City Market in downtown Fayetteville every Saturday for about 6 weeks now....I mow my own lawn, work in the garden pulling weeds, planting, watering, raking leaves.  WOW!!  I  AM  ALIVE ! ! !  At Last!
I realize I will have to be doing a whole lotta De-Stashing of my yarn & Beads on Etsy  REAL SOON!!
But here's the kicker of all kickers...I am applying for a part time J O B to be able to supplement my disability income so I can SURVIVE!!!
YUP!  I can do it!!!!  I KNOW  I  CAN!

That's me at the set up downtown on the very first day we were out there in March!  We have since added a 10x10 canopy that has to be put up & torn down at each setup.  Mylz is my loyal companion for all these outings.  If we only could make some money at it things would be MUCH  BETTER!!!

Well, thanks for sticking with me.   I will really try harder to post more on here!!

Mother's Day 2012

My daughter, April and I in a Huge HUG for the first Mother's Day we have been able to share in ten long and miserable years apart!

What Fun we all had at Dairy Queen after our heavy workout at the bowling alley!

I could not believe how my health and body has healed since moving back to be with my family in NC...I actually bowled(well, I threw the ball down the alley without pain or falling!!  BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!!

I still know how to really celebrate a holiday with a good old Dairy Queen Chocolate dipped cone too!

SANTA came to Daughter's House EARLY