My Favorite Finds #10

One of my favorite memories as a child was going to my Grandma's on Christmas eve and getting to eat her Gingerbread Cookies. They were always decorated perfectly. She even used silver dragées, which, as a child, I thought I was in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory candy garden! Come to find out later, she didn't make them. Her sister, my great aunt, made them and sent them to her. When I "grew up" and went out on my own, I wanted to make the same cookies. I found the recipe that tasted almost the same as her's, but my cookies never did look as perfect. As I started my own family and traditions, my gingerbread cookies became a part of our Christmas! I found this recipe in an older version of Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I use their Butter Frosting recipe as well.

Gingerbread Cutouts

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Beat shortening in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until combined. Beat in molasses, egg, and vinegar until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.

Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill about 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Roll each portion of dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a floured cookie cutter.

Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes 24 to 30 cookies.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/great-plains-warriors-gingerbread-cutouts/

Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
4-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Milk
Food coloring (optional)

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
2. Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to reach spreading consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring. This frosts tops and sides of two 8- or 9-inch layers.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/frosting/butter-frosting/

My Favorite Finds #9

My family always tries to put out bird seed and suet throughout the year for our feathered friends. The birds love our pond and stop often to drink and bathe. During the winter months, we try to do a little extra for the birds by putting out special treats for them. Below, you will find a couple of recipes that we enjoy making and putting out for the birds! It's a fun family project and it helps teach your children to enjoy and respect nature.

*This first recipe is a classic project and is easy enough for a younger child to do.

Seed Cones

Ingredients:
pine cones
peanut butter
birdseed (your choice)
ribbon, string or wire

Directions:
Place birdseed in a bowl or pour out on newspaper or waxed paper. Spread peanut butter all over the pine cones and roll them in the birdseed. Tie a piece of ribbon, string or wire to the top of each cone and hang them on tree branches. The birds will pick them clean!

*My daughter made this for one of her classes in high school. The birds devoured it and it was all gone within a couple of days!


Bird Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup melted lard or beef suet (we used the drained fat we had saved from when we cooked hamburger)
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups quick oats
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (optional)

Directions:
Melt lard and peanut butter together in a pan over low heat. Take off heat, and add remaining ingredients. Spread on a cookie sheet, and allow to cool in the refrigerator until the mixture is just hard enough to cut into pieces. Store in freezer bags and use as needed. Place the pieces into a suet holder or place into a plastic or clay flower pot saucer. (We placed the cookie sheet on the front porch during the winter and it cooled real fast! It actually froze, but it worked just as well.)

Recipes courtesy of: http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/how_to/recipe_index.aspx

Squirrels and brownies?

Gosh, I couldn't get my camera out fast enough, or I would have had the funniest photo to share with you! I went home for lunch today and as I pulled up, there was a big old squirrel sitting on my front porch rail, eating! I couldn't figure out what he was eating at first. Then it dawned on me.....I had thrown away half a pan of overbaked, hard brownies (my 17 year old daughter's baking attempt....she used too big of a pan). The squirrel had dug into the trash cans and came up with a 4 inch by 4 inch piece of brownie and was munching away! That's a good way to put on fat for the winter!

My Favorite Finds #8

A co-worker brought this recipe into work several years ago and it is fantastic! Talk about simple, anyone can make this! It is one of my new traditions in my home during the Christmas season. I have taken it up one more level, which I will explain at the end*, but both ways are wonderful! Enjoy!!

Praline Squares

Ingredients:
20 to 24 graham crackers
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with graham crackers. Bring butter or margarine and brown sugar to rolling boil; reduce heat slightly so as not to boil over, boil 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Remove from heat. When bubbling subsides, stir in vanilla and chopped pecans. Spoon over graham crackers. Bake praline squares for 10 minutes. Cool slightly; cut into squares.

*For the chocolate lovers: After you remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle your favorite chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, etc.) over the graham crackers (about a cup); wait a couple of minutes, then spread the melted chocolate chips with a knife or spatula. Yummy!

My Favorite Thanksgiving Finds

I'm a Martha Stewart wannabe..........though I would never admit it outloud! I always record her holiday specials and watch them enthusiastically. I'm also a fan of her daughter's show, "Whatever, Martha"! Even if you are not a fan of Martha, you have to admit, her shows are very inspirational for the cook, artist/crafter and do-it-yourselfer at heart!

I found this neat Thanksgiving craft idea on her website. It's simple, yet elegant. And you can add your own special touches, such as attaching a photo of the person, scrapbooking elements, stickers or clipart, glitter, etc. You could also "guild" the leaves by spray painting them with gold metallic paint or embellish with a paint pen or use the good old glue and glitter method.

Leaf Place Cards

Direct guests to their seats with name cards topped by leaves that look like they just blew in. To make each card, fold a piece of brown cover-weight card stock in half. Write guest's name with a white gel pen. Cut 1 or 2 notches (about 1 inch wide) in card, at an angle. Slide fallen leaves -- fresh or dried and pressed -- into each notch.

Courtesy of: http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/leaf-place-cards?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/thanksgiving-table-settings#slide_24

Dairyland Greyhound Park closing down....

Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI is closing down after 19 years due to operating in the red in recent years. Both of my daughters worked there as dog lead-outs. Opinions about gambling aside, there are hundreds of dogs that will need a new home! According to our local newspaper, "Roughly 850 to 900 greyhounds reside in Dairyland’s 12 kennels. About 25 to 30 percent of them — the top racers — will move on to other tracks, while the rest will be “petted out” to adoption agencies." That's a lot of dogs! If I didn't already own 3 dogs, I would definitely adopt one myself! If you've been thinking about adopting a dog or know someone that is, please be sure to consider adopting a retired greyhound. And with the track closing down as of 12/31/2009, new homes are needed badly!

According to Dairyland's website: "On the track, the racing greyhound is known for his speed, intelligence and love of the chase. An incomparable performer, the greyhound's ability is often measured in terms of desire and spirit. A greyhound's trainer calls it “heart.” And when the time comes for the canine athlete to retire, again, his heart shows. Through active programs designed to place retired greyhounds into homes as pets, thousands of families across the country have discovered what the greyhound trainers have known all along: That the greyhound's “heart” beats on long after his racing days are through. Off the track, the greyhound is a quiet, sensitive, playful and loving creature. Gentle with children, eager to please, and affectionate with one and all, the greyhound is the perfect pet and companion. We at Dairyland Greyhound Park invite you to bring a loving and gentle retired greyhound into your home and into your life."

My Favorite Finds #7

Who Can Resist A Kiss?

A Hershey's chocolate kiss, that is! They are one of my favorites! When I was young and a Girl Scout, maybe even a Brownie, I remember doing this project! And over the years, I have done this same project with my daughters. Our version used green crepe paper to wrap the cone and then we pinned on peppermint candies using straight pins (that way, you could remove and eat the candies safely). This version is for decorative purposes only, but, with a few minor adjustments (no hot glue, use straight pins instead to attach candies), you can remove and safely eat the kisses! Try an Autumn version by using the kisses wrapped in the fall colors of gold, brown, copper, etc.

Supplies:
One 12 x 4-inch Styrofoam cone
Aluminum foil
4 bags ( 13 oz. each) HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates, wrapped in green, red and silver foil
Glue (low heat gun, non-toxic craft glue, glue stick or confectioners' glue)
Toothpicks
Bow
Ice cream cones

Instructions:
1. Cover foam cone with foil.
2. Decorate cone with green foil-wrapped chocolates by gluing flat side against the foil-covered cone. Use the remaining red and silver chocolates to decorate the tree. Insert one end of a toothpick into the side of each chocolate; insert other end into the foam cone, filling in the gaps between the green foil chocolates.
3. Place a cheerful bow at top of tree.
4. Glue remaining chocolates to ice cream cones to create your fantasy forest!
Finished dimension of large tree: 14 inches high.
*Completed craft is for decorative purpose only and candy should not be eaten.

Courtesy of: http://www.hersheys.com/holidays/crafts/detail.asp?craft=3#

Lemon Street Gallery ARTISTREE

I was recently notified that my application to show my crafts in the Lemon Street Gallery ARTISTREE Holiday Show & Sale in Kenosha, WI has been accepted! I am very excited! The event will take place December 2 through 27, 2009, with a reception on December 12, 2009 from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM. The Lemon Street Gallery is not your typical "nose in the air" art gallery. These are talented down-to-earth artists that love what they do and love to share their passion with others. The gallery offers classes in many mediums: from painting to ceramics to stained glass to mosaics to soap making. If you find yourself in Kenosha, be sure to stop in. You won't be disappointed!

My Favorite Finds #6

Caramel "Corn"

Several years ago, I found this recipe on the back of a bag of Old Dutch Puffcorn for Caramel Corn. I made it and it has become a family tradition during the Christmas holidays. It's actually "addicting"! I have to hide it or it would be gone within a couple of days! It's very simple, especially since you don't have to worry about dealing with a candy thermometer. And though you'd think clean up would be impossible, just run hot tap water over your pans and utencils and the caramel will melt right off. If you can't find this brand of Puffcorn in your area, there are other brands out there that make a simular product. Enjoy!

Caramel Corn - Old Dutch Style

Ingredients:
1 Bag of Old Dutch Puffcorn
1 Cup of Butter (Not Margarine)
1 1/4 Cups of Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup of Light Corn Syrup
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 250°F.
-Combine butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup in a 2 quart sauce pan.
-Cook on medium heat until mixture has melted.
-Once mixture has melted add the baking soda. (Note: This will cause the mixture to foam)
-In a large roaster pan pour Old Dutch Puffcorn and pour caramel mixture over the Old Dutch Puffcorn and stir until mixed.
-Place in oven for 45 minutes, stirring at least every 10-15 minutes.
-Remove from oven, pour on wax paper and break apart.
-Let cool and ENJOY!

Store in a plastic or tin container or a zipper style plastic bag to keep them crunchy!

Courtesty of: http://www.olddutchfoods.com/recipe/recipe.php?id=18

My Favorite Finds #5

As I was "surfing the net" to find a new project, I came across this one and I remembered that I did this as a child, either for school or Girl Scouts. Funny thing, though, is I wonder where I found the leaves for it since I lived in Southern California as a child. Yes, there are trees that have leaves, but I don't remember them changing colors. The only "trees" I remember in our yard were Palm, Yucca and Banana trees! I moved back to Wisconsin when I was 12 years old, so I was able to experience the change in seasons and I would not have it any other way!

Today is the first day of Fall and there are already trees starting to change colors around here. I'm always amazed at the beautiful colors some of them exhibit; reds, maroons, golds. And then when they start to fall and fill the sidewalks and streets, I love the sound of them as you walk or drive through them, or as they swirl around with a gust of wind! This project will get you outside so you can enjoy Fall and bring the season indoors, and if you're lucky enough to have a child to help you, you will be teaching them to appreciate Nature as well.

Happy Autumn!

Autumn Leaf Placemat Craft

Use real leaves and clear contact paper to make this easy placemat.

Materials Needed:
Clear Contact Paper
Leaves

Instructions: Go for a walk and collect a wide variety of leaves - as many different colors and shapes as you can find. Cut 2 pieces of clear contact paper about 2-feet long. Remove the backing from one piece. Stick the leaves randomly onto the sticky side of the contact paper. Once you are satisfied with the design, peel the backing off the second piece of contact paper and cover the leaves with it to seal them in between the contact paper sheets. Trim around the edges; use pinking shears or other fancy edged scissors if you like!

Courtesy of: http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/leafcrafts/a/blleafplcmt.htm

You can also add your own personal touch by sprinkling glitter over the contact paper before adding your leaves, or, you can add scrapbooking elements or photos of your favorite people or pets before placing the leaves on top of them. Just be sure the elements or the photos are facing out before adding the leaves.

My Favorite Finds #4

For the last 3 seasons, I have been growing my own garlic. It's actually very easy! There is plenty of "how to" information out on the Internet and plenty of websites that sell different varieties of garlic. Here are 2 sites that I have purchased from and was very happy with their product and information......The Garlic Store and We Grow Garlic. Here in Wisconsin, you plant it in the Fall (usually sometime in October). You cover it with a blanket (actually, a layer of mulch or leaves, etc.). Then in the Spring, they start to emerge and by mid-Summer, they are ready to harvest. The store bought perfectly white garlic you buy in the grocery stores were bred for a longer shelf life, so according to the garlic experts, they are not the best for growing your own. Besides, once you check out the on-line stores, you'll be very surprised at how many varieties are out there and all the different "flavors" they come in! And even if you don't have room for a garden (or in your garden) you can even plant them in containers! My family loves garlic, and now that we grow our own, we have been enjoying it in many forms! And may I add that garlic has many health benefits, as well, that can include lowering blood pressure, LDL Cholesterol and blood sugar. Garlic.....it's not just for warding off devils, werewolves, and vampires anymore!

Here's a simple recipe for garlic that makes a wonderful spread to use as an appetizer or as a seasoning for meat:.

Baked Garlic

Whole garlic bulbs, dried thyme or oregano (optional), olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel loose, papery skins off garlic bulbs, but keep garlic bulb whole (do not break down into individual cloves). Slice top of each head (pointy end) so that the flesh is exposed. Arrange in a baking dish or garlic baker and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover with foil or baker lid and bake for about 45 minutes until the garlic is soft and golden. Cool before serving. Squeeze soft garlic out of skins and spread on meat or French bread. Serve toasts with remaining oil.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.garlicfestival.com/recipes_bakedgarlic.php

My Favorite Finds #3

This is one of my FAVORITE apple pie recipes of all time! A local church would have their annual craft fair in the beginning of Fall, and their members would bake hundreds of these to sell as a fundraiser (you had to get there early to get one because they'd sell out everytime!). A recipe would always be attached to each pie. It was also published in their fundraiser cookbook. I always end up baking a few of these every Fall when it's apple season around here. So the next time you're at the grocery store, be sure to ask for "paper" and save them for this wonderful recipe! If you choose to make the single-serving size, brown paper lunch bags are the perfect size! And for those of you that don't have the pie crust thing down, this crust is a "pat in the pan" recipe!

BROWN BAG APPLE PIE

Crust:
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
½ cup oil
1 Tbsp. milk

Mix Crust ingredients and pat in pie plate. (For small pies, divide into 4 equal parts.)

Filling:
6 large baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix Filling ingredients together and pour into unbaked pie crust.

Topping:
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
1/3 butter, softened

Mix Topping ingredients and pat on top of pie filling. Place pie in a large brown paper bag. Fold ends under and staple bag. Bake on a cookie sheet for 1 hour at 425 degrees F.

For small pies, bake 30 minutes and use small brown lunch bags. Make sure that the bag is not touching any part of the oven. Yield: 1 large pie or 4 small pies

My Favorite Finds #2

I plant tomatoes every year because they are so easy to grow and there's always a guarantee I will have plenty to go around and there's nothing like a home-grown tomato! I usually grow three types......"regular", plum and a grape or cherry tomato. Here's a simple yet delicious recipe for them! The recipe calls for large tomatoes, but you can replace them with grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half. I first got to taste this recipe when I attended an Italian-American club meeting with my Italian friend from work. What a treat!

Tomato Onion Salad
4 large tomatoes, sliced

2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Layer tomatoes and onions in a shallow serving dish. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Drizzle over salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings

Courtesy of: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Tomato-Onion-Salad

My Favorite Finds #1

I was shopping at my local grocery store the other day and I noticed they were selling wooden hangers for clothing. I thought to myself those are so much nicer than wire hangers and are probably stronger than the plastic hangers. They would be great for heavy coats. But, because it wasn't something I needed, I passed them on by (and they were even on sale, too). As I was surfing the net, I came across this cute idea to turn plain wooden hangers into art for your closet! These would make the cutest AND unique housewarming gifts! Or you can personalize them for your kids by adding their name! Wouldn't they be nice in your coat closet and when guests visit and hang up their coats, they would see your one-of-a-kind hangers? I think I may be heading back to that store now...........

Decoupage Coat Hanger*

Materials needed:
wooden coat hanger, base paint, decoupage paper, paint brush, decoupage medium or glue, varnish

Instructions:
This project uses the decoupage method. Prepare your wooden coat hanger by sanding it and base painting it. Let dry. Cut out your decoupage paper (you will need small designs to be able to place it onto the hanger). Using your decoupage glue or white wood glue, adhere the little images on to the coat hanger. Once you have all your images glued and the glue has dried, apply a coat of varnish. Let dry.

*Courtesy of: http://www.craftbits.com/

New Series

I love fun DIY (do-it-yourself) projects, cooking, crafting and gardening! I say "fun DIY projects" because I like making useful or decorative things for my home and garden; I'm not referring to DIY projects such as painting walls or putting in a new bathtub! I love to surf the internet to find new ideas and recipes. I have decided to include the treasures I find here in my blog.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and I would love your feedback and photos of your finished projects!

I'm back!

I've been enjoying the last three weekends getting away from it all. Over Father's Day weekend, my husband and I headed "west" and stayed in a cabin on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. We enjoyed our annual trek to the Mountain Man Rendezvous (Prairie Villa Rendezvous) in Prairie du Chien, WI. We had a great weekend. Only mishap was when we were getting ready to leave, after having breakfast in a very small town, we got into a "fender bender" with a young girl who decided to pull into the parking space next to us as we were backing out. When we called the police, we had to wait for him because "he wasn't on duty yet". Talk about a small town! Then, we found out later, he was the Chief of Police!

The next weekend, we went up north and stayed in my brother's travel trailer in a campground on a lake. Luckily, the weather cooled down enough because the campground's electricity at each campsite was too old to handle running an air conditioner unit! We had dinner several times at "supper clubs" (couldn't find anything that was referred to as a restaurant). We also encountered "wildlife", such as deer, a porcupine that wouldn't get out of the road and an unidentified snake that my fearless husband tried to pick up! Also, I got to see my husband get thrown from a Waverunner! LOL!

The Fourth of July weekend was a stay-at-home weekend. We didn't even go anywhere to watch fireworks (though, I did watch our local fireworks show from my daughter's 2nd floor bedroom window). I did a lot of "putzing" around the house and got a bunch of stuff done.

Now, it's time to get back on track and get into the regular routine again. But it is summer, and when you live in Wisconsin, you want to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, especially since the summer weather had a late start around here.

Happy Summer!

I passed my motorcycle class!

I've been around motorcycles most of my adult life, but always as a passenger. I've tried riding a few times in my life, like in parking lots, etc., but never really learned enough to go out on the roads by myself. I bought a 250cc scooter a couple of years ago to save on gas and I ride it to and from work. Here in Wisconsin, you need a motorcycle license to drive anything over a 99cc engine. So, I took a motorcycle safety course at our local tech college. Once you pass the class, they give you a waiver to take to DMV to get your license (you don't have to take the road test). It was a fun class and I am glad I took it. They teach you a lot of emergency maneuvers, which I really wanted to learn in a controlled environment (not on the road with real obstacles). So, hopefully in the near future, I can upgrade my scooter to a real bike!

Sitting on a Harley at the Harley Davidson Museum Milwaukee WI!

Busy, busy

Instead of enjoying the 3 day weekend, I worked on creating my crafts for the upcoming craft show on June 7th (though that was fun in itself)! Though I get mad at myself for waiting until the last minute, it also seems that once I'm under the gun, I get into the creative mode and get my stuff done! Though I do have a craftroom, I end up expanding it to the dining room table in order to have several workstations as I work on different projects at the same time. This weekend, I even had the picnic table in the backyard utilized! I think I ended up running to the craft store at least 3 times this weekend, not to mention the hardware store! My poor family has to find somewhere else to eat during my production time.

I did manage to squeeze in some time to plant some tomatoes and cucumbers, but I have alot to do in order of finish my vegetable and herb garden. The weeding and flower planting will have to wait another week or two. And, for the last 3 weeks (2 times a week), I've been attending a motorcycle safety class. This week will be the last class, thankfully. May has been a very busy month for me. Once I have my craft show, I will be able to slow down a bit and garden and work on my crafts at my leisure. The summers around here come and go quickly, so I want to be able to enjoy every minute outside that I can.

Here's to a wonderful summer! The above photo is a picture of our backyard pond in full bloom!

Squirrel!

Boy, I wish I could have gotten to my camera fast enough this morning! I was looking out the window into the backyard when I saw a squirrel. He was sitting on the beat up old garden swing (self standing with cushions). In his mouth, he had a rather large ball of what appeared to be cotton! Upon closer observation, I realized he was gathering the stuffing from the seat cushions! Luckily, the swing is on it's way to the dump soon because it is weather beaten and the cushions are tore up. The squirrel then crawled up to the top of the fence and scurried away to his nest. My daughter and I were joking how that squirrel family will have the "cushiest" nest around! I'll be curious to see how much stuffing the squirrel will take from that old swing. At least we are sort of recycling before the swing ends up in the dump!

**Update: The swing was acquired by our local "junk man" that goes around and goes through people's trash and then brings stuff to the recycling center for cash. So, we helped out our neighbors, both wild AND tame! LOL! 7/28/2009

Thought for the Day

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

-Dilbert created by Scott Adams

First Craft Show of the Year

I will be doing my first craft show of the year this next month. The last time I was in this particular show, I experienced bad weather for the first time! "There is a slight chance for rain or a thunderstorm this afternoon", it was predicted by the local weatherman. I didn't take it to heart because this is Wisconsin, for goodness sakes. If you worry about it too much, it doesn't happen. I brought the normal supplies for my craft shows (a tarp, bungee cords, etc.). Since we were on grass, I staked my shelter. It was a nice day. Many people were out and about. I was having pretty decent sales. I wasn't even thinking about the possibility of bad weather. Then, as the early afternoon came upon us, you could see dark clouds off in the distance. Rumblings of thunder could be heard, too. You could hear vendors and shoppers alike asking if they should stay or should they go. People were calling friends and families to have them check the weather reports. Some of the vendors started to pack up. Other's started to put up their shelter walls and cover up their products. I decided to tough it out, but I didn't bring my shelter walls. I did have my extra long tarp though. The vendor right next to me offered me the use of her clamps she had to secure my tarp around my shelter as a wall. Within minutes, the clouds were over us and a clap of thunder scared everyone. Then the rain poured! Luckily, it wasn't windy, but there was still enough of a breeze for the rain to fall at an angle and get inside the shelter. It rained so hard, it was flooding the park! As it was pouring, there were still vendors running to their vehicles with their stuff! They were soaked! Well, as fast as it came, it left, and the sun was shining again within a half hour after the storm moved out over Lake Michigan. All the remaining vendors took down their walls, dried off their stuff and were ready for business again. And the shoppers returned! It was an exciting day, to say the least. And I learned many lessons, too. The biggest lesson for me was, if the weatherman predicts a 1% chance of any kind of weather (rain, snow, wind, heat), I will consider it as a 100% chance and bring everything that I will need to get through it!

**If you happen to be in the area and find me and mention my Etsy shop or my blog, I will give you a $1.00 off discount for every $5.00 purchased!**

Good Old Summertime Art Fair

Held by the Friends of the Kenosha Art Association

Sunday, June 7, 2009 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Civic Center Park, rain or shine

Downtown Kenosha (56th Street & Sheridan Road)