etsyRAIN.com at Mill Creek Festival

Here's a peek at some of my friends that will be at the festival with me, my new tent, my new credit card machine, my new Greeting Cards (woohoo - professionally printed), and other new stuff like magnets, soldered microscope slide ornaments, and...

Totes2Go: totally cool re-usable fabric shopping bags that fold up into a nice neat little pouch when not in use.

World of Whimm: totally cool kids costumes!

NueToMe: recycled childrens clothing (like little girls t-shirt dresses)

RozsSaxSeattle: very cute handmade fashion accessories

Woven Chains: fantastic chain maille jewelry (you've gotta see her keychains, betcha won't be able to put it down!)

Made@Home: Homemade play dough with the coolest colors

FloatingPalace: very cute linoluem block print cards

Oh yea, park at the park and ride and ride the shuttle in - saves the hassle of trying to find non-existent parking at the fair.

Norm at the Mill Creek Festival and Street Fair

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Casting Hands

So, a few lessons learned, and more experience gained - that's my way of saying the glass is half full instead of ... well you get my drift. I think it is time for me to do a whole tutorial on making these hands since this is the 5th time making hands/feet and I've discovered yet more problems that I hadn't encountered before. I am planning on typing up the instructions and taking step-by-step photos. It's really not that hard, but it does take a lot of patience, especially when you are working with kids. The photo above is of an 8 year old, 5 year old, Grandma and Grandpa.

Stay tuned, or post a comment if you want me to let you know when I get the instructions posted.

Tante Heidi's Art School

As part of Camp Oma every year, Tante Heidi teaches a day of Art School. This year we set up the easels in the back yard, broke out the acrylic paints and got to paint on REAL canvas. The kids each chose a subject to paint - a Princess, a Knight, and of course Norm. Do you think my niece was trying to get on the teacher's good side? Or is she a real Norm fan? I happen to know that she is one of my biggest fans - she even has Norm buttons on her bookbag for school.

And, as a bonus this year, we will have Tante Heidi's Art School part deux this year. Today we are going to cast our hands, similar to this: I will post photos when the hands are

done.

Figs!

It looks like I will have a good fig crop this year - THREE whole figs if I play my cards right (and don't forget to water). That's a 300% increase from last year :)

Here's you chance to get a little Norm ACEO along with other Sampler goodies - all for free, all you have to do is leave a comment!

Indie Crafts Gossip is doing the giveaway of a Sampler from The Home of the Sampler

what's up with the weather?

So those of you who live in the Seattle area have to be asking yourself the same question. First, for the past I-don't-know-how-many days we've been having some real heat - like upper 8o's-lower 90's. This alone is unheard of in Seattle, since historically we only get a week of real heat in August. My flower garden is screaming for water - and my house is like a dry sauna!

And then, last night, there was HAIL at 2:30 am - and lots of it - hard hail - the kind that wakes you up from a deep sleep at 2:30am! I don't even want to question what that did to my flower garden. AND, because that surely is not enough to kvetch about, there have been thunder storms since about 2:25am and still going strong at 6am. Obviously I don't know if they continued through the hail storm, because the hail hitting the roof was way to loud, but I'm guessing there was thunder somewhere in the Seattle area, which we would've heard if the hail wasn't crashing down since we are on a hill and we hear everything for miles around.

And of course, I heard and continue to hear all this because I have to sleep with the windows open because it is a sauna in the house...