My First Craft Showing



Unable to have the banner I'd designed in Publisher, printed at an office supply store, I resorted to making this one around 11:00 pm, the night before my display.



I'VE  BEEN FREQUENTING THE  East Lake Farmer's Market (ELFM) at East Lake United Methodist Church. . From a previous post you will know that I subscribed to picking up a half basket of fresh fruits and veggies as well as homemade goodies every other week. This week was different in that I got to display my own craft items. This  is something I've wanted to do for a long time but couldn't get up the nerve. I enjoy being in the company of others who craft. I found it at ELFM. I was not so much interested in making money as I was getting up the gumption to actually get out there and experience the craft vending world.      

            

Most books I borrow from the public library but I was so impressed with, The Handmade Market Place by Kari Chapin that I bought it. It is chock full of worthy information and tips. It seems that every question I had was answered somewhere in her book.

ON WITH THE SHOW



A table showing my wares.



yellow tie dyed tee shirt scarf with matching yellow beads.

Here is one of my 4 cardboard models. As stated I "reuse and redesign  with discards." I found these photos in  a 2nd hand shop. They'd been taken from discarded photo albums. I was looking for vintage photos and found what I wanted. I took the head shots to Staples and had them enlarged. I then asked and was given cardboard boxes from a car parts warehouse (They have the best boxes, Sturdy and clean) and cut out the shapes.   The initial inspiration for the models came from  Bea Graansma and Carolina Gonzalez .

 

All neckwear comes as a duo. A tee shirt scarf with an accompanying  vintage necklace or a tee shirt necklace.
The lighted compacts in the forefront have vintage photos also.



**BTW All of the photos I used are from a secondhand store. I don't know any of these people. 



Neckwear doubled

 

White tee shirt  scarf worn with a decorative pin.

The neckwear can be worn together or separately. Most lengths are in the 30+" range. It can be worn long or short by doubling the necklace and scarf around the neck. Wearing it with a brooch  or pin would be nice also.

I only decorated 4 compacts. To see a close up of the others click the photo of the table above. I sold three of them. Below is a closeup of the first one to sell.




This is the backside of one of the lighted mirror compacts

 


This is the front side of the compact. I used lace, photo and cut outs from thrift outlets. I call this one "Saturday on the Town."



I didn't have a picture of the pink one showing the lighted mirror when slid open so
this is  "On the Beach".   Slide open to use the mirror. Slide the cover farther down to use the mirror lighted.





This is Lois whom I met weeks earlier. She gave me the info on who to call to get the "hook up" to be a vendor. We shared a booth this past Saturday. I was facing north and she was facing south. Look over her shoulder and you'll see my table behind her.



I am proud of myself for finally getting out there and trying it out. I'll be there again next week.

THAT's IT***

Fruit & Veggie Haul

These are the fresh veggies that were in my box from the East Lake Farmer's Market this weekend. Tomatoes,squash,purple hull peas, green beans, redskin potatoes, and peaches. This is plenty for me. I'd been picking up every week but had to change that because it was more food than I was getting to. A half box is $15 which is what I get. A whole box is $30.  Supporting local farmers and crafts people is my goal as well as getting fresh food when so many places have been deemed fresh food deserts.

Also included in my box was a pan of homemade rolls. I ate three of them yesterday topped with homemade strawberry jam that was in my last box.

The market will discontinue in October. Since I've been picking up the fresh veggies, I've been eating healthier. That's not to say I've abandoned fast food , but I seem to do it less often and at times  I find the fast food tasteless and unsatisfying.  

In addition to fresh food, various crafts people have their wares for sale. I've bought handmade earrings from one of the outside vendors and purchased items from inside the church's thrift store in the past.

Yesterday, I had to have these colorful hand embroidered kitchen towels. The photo doesn't do justice to the precise stitches used to form the images on the towel. The craftsperson told me that the towels were purchased and are part of the Martha Stewart collection but the images are hand stitched. The fabric seemed to be a mixture of linen and cotton.  The colors and borders as well as the handwork would make a cute sundress for a small child.  On the other hand who'd want their child wearing a casserole dish, teapot or drinking glass. It was just a thought.

THAT'S IT***

Just how many festivals can you attend at one time?

Butter Bean Festival

Labor Day is  supposed to signal the end of summer . It's  also supposed to be time out for linen, white shoes and purses. But, while we have a few cool days ahead (think 78 degrees) basically it isn't really over.  There will be more hot days.  I remember one Christmas we were able to go outside and play without coats.

Everybody tries to get in their summer frolicking before the leaves begin to turn. This past weekend I attended the Butter Bean Festival in Pinson.  This was it's 6th year to have the festival and my first to attend it.I've heard of strange foods being served at state fairs and festivals.  About the strangest I saw was fried cheese cake. I didn't try it but if it was fried I'm sure it was good. Southern living requires that a person devour lots of fried food unless cautioned not to by a medical professional.

This lady had her cute puppies inside this  netted stroller as she made her way around the BB Festival

Great acrobatic stunts by guys on bikes

This is a replica of the patrol car from the town of Mayberry. There was even a Barney Fife imposter to take pictures with. Since I didn't want to pay $5.00 for a photo, there isn't one of the Fake Fife

Here is the inside of the patrol car.

For those of you who enjoy antique cars, I'll have about five in my next post

Exotic animals were also part of the line up. In addition to this tortoise there were emu, sheep, goats and camels.  There was a friendly debate the last time I was at the bank as to what the camel's hump is made of. It isn't water. It is fat. A camel can go without water for 50 days. When the camel urinates it is syrupy.  Before you ask, I don't know if people use it as a food source. Although, the dried camel dung is used in cooking fires.

I bought a pair of silver plated earrings made from a portion of a spoon.  The vendor had the pattern, company and year on the tag. This one was made by the William Rogers company. The pattern is Talisman and the year is 1938. She says she goes to estate and yard sales, picks up the pieces and her husband makes the earrings, bracelets, key chains etc. On each one is its history.

Pepper Place

This is one of the many weekend markets around the area that sells fresh vegetables, crafts, food and etc.

This lady was kind enough to allow me to take a picture of her hat. By the looks of it she is an avid gardener.

I really gravitate toward recycled articles. These wind chimes are made from cast iron skillets,spatulas, salt shakers, spoons and a little of everything else. (Click the photo to enlarge)

I asked the vendor in the photo below if I could take a picture of her booth.  Lately, I've noticed a lot of crafts people are hesitant to allow photos.  I guess they're afraid their ideas will be stolen.  She consented to my photography but cautioned against closeups.  I complied. But...

Click on the photo and you get a very clear up close and personal picture of her wares. It's called free enterprise in America .  I admire her wares and have no talent when it comes to duplicating them so her pictures are safe with me.

These crinoline slips and lacy tops were also a part of her display.

This was one of the three bands located at the Pepper Place market. Pepper Place derives its name from the huge warehouse type building that was once the Dr. Pepper bottling plant. It and surrounding buildings are now  overpriced  yuppie shops.

 

Part of the proof is the innumerable pedigreed dogs with their owners and the  immeasurable vendors who have water bowls out for the dogs.  After I counted 5 water bowls, I stopped.  I have nothing against dogs. The owners seemed to have them under control. A sign at the front welcomes the dogs (as if they can read) but asks owners to clean up after them.

See the Dirt Shirt in the middle of the others, it is professed that it is dyed with Alabama red clay dirt.

At Pepper Place I bought a jar of  lemon scented home made body scrub.

That's It ***

Nelson Mandela Day

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) was the anchoring site for Nelson Madela International Day.

BCRI is located across the street from the historic 16th Street Baptist Church . Diagonal to the church is Kelly Ingram Park where most of the festivities were held.There was free admission to BCRI from noon till 6pm.




















I arrived early around 2 pm so many of the vendors and acts of entertainment had not arrived.

Schedule of Events included:

Sharrif Simmons-Poet

Umdabu Dance Company

John Paul Taylor(Real Life Poets) & B'ham's Finest Young Poets

Neo Jazz Collective

Music of the Movement

Remarks from visiting diplomats & local officials

International Legacy Youth Leadership Project

Presentation by students from Johannesburg & Birmingham

Mandela Day was held from noon until 8 pm, July 18th. This also happens to be Mr. Madela's birthday.
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A Buffalo Soldiers exhibit sponsored by the Alabama Chapter #1 of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Association was on hand.

This chapter is comprised of volunteers who wish to keep the history of the Buffalo Soldiers alive.

"The Cheyenne called the Black Soldiers, 'Ta Tanga' for buffalo. The soldiers' curly hair, dark skin and fierce fighting style reminded the Native Americans of their sacred animal of the Plains."

Trooper Issac L. Prentice, dressed in the full uniform of the Buffalo Soldier, stands in front of a Conestoga wagon. Trooper Prentice is the Founding Chapter President.Various vendors were on hand with their wares.


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"HICA (Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama) is a nonprofit organization that offers bilingual and culturally appropriate services to improve the lives of Hispanic families in Alabama through economic, social and civic integration."
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SmokeFree Alabama is part of the Champions for Health campaign.

This is the booth where I got a FREE t-shirt, ink pen, pill box , chapstick and mints. In order to get a free T-shirt signing up to be smokefree was the ticket. That was easy since I don't smoke.




What's a festival without a band? Since the banner says noon till 1 pm, I guess I missed them. In place of a live band there was blaring music, none of which I was familiar with.
*There were three moonwalks.Pictured here are two of the three.

The purpose of Mandela Day

Mandela Day is an annual international day adopted by the United Nations.
More than a celebration of the life of the former South African President Nelson
Mandela (b. July 18, 1919), it is a global movement to take his life's work into
a new century and change our world for the better. Mandela Day asks that we
embrace Mandela's values and honor his legacy through an act of kindness.
It's a day for us to roll up our sleeves and play active roles in building our
community- an opportunity for us to share Mandela's vision of a better future
for all.
I would have enjoyed seeing the other acts but it's
summer and very hot. I live a long distance from Kelly Ingram
Park and would not be returning so I only got a taste of the
occasion.

THAT'S IT***

PAINT THE TOWN RED is an annual fundraiser for the American Red Cross.
This quote from their website:

"For one night in April… the blank brick walls
and window fronts of 2nd Avenue North in Birmingham’s Loft District will be
transformed into canvases for stunning digitally created art: graphic art,
digital photography and digital animated shorts… all projected.

In it’s third
year, Paint the Town Red is an innovative fundraiser for the Birmingham
Chapter of the American Red Cross. It combines stunning visuals, eclectic live
music and great street food. Vote for your favorite entries, introduce kids to
the future of creativity and indulge your eyes in a visual feast April 16, 2011
from 6pm to 11pm."

Once it becomes dark, visuals are projected on the ceiling of the dome. This is similar to what is done at a planetarium.

While waiting for night to fall rock music was played and visitors danced inside. Young and old.


Joe Minter, folk artist chatting with a fan. His works are made from recycled and found items.

You can see more of his work here.
Ginger at deepfriedkudzu.com
is a big fan of his and the link to the pictures were taken by her. She also has a great blogsite.

ART WORK

Found objects placed on stands. Once night fell a projection of images were displayed on it

Three spherical screens similar to umbrellas projected one movie. I thought this was interesting.

This is some of the digital wall art. On this one it showed the underside of different cars slowly crawling across the screen/wall.

There was a picture but it looks as if this company is more interested in advertising.
Vendor and artist. Paintings on plywood.

The found pieces of wood appear to depict skyscrapers in the forefront of a skyline.
ENTERTAINMENT
Belly Dancer
Lighted hula hoops being twirled.

Improvisational Dancers. I asked the name of the group and they didn't have one.
Fire twirlers


Not sure where to put them but they were so elegant I had to have a photo. They were inside the Masquerade . Not sure if this was part of the Red Cross fundraiser or another fundraiser.

THAT'S IT***