Sunday, November 27, 2011

A Very Full Post!

Hello friends....so we all survived the chaotic eating fest that we call Thanksgiving..
right?
We didn't lose anyone to turkey overdose did we??
I hope your Thanksgiving was as great as ours.
I had both my boys at the table and that always makes me smile.
Now on to Christmas!
Just before the holiday, I took a trip to visit my high school friend
Roberta, in Pennsylvania.
Roberta took me to the annual 
Christkindlmarket
in Bethlehem, Pa.
Christkindlmarket is a lovely holiday market that runs for 5 weeks during Nov. and Dec.
This year it was held at the location of the former Bethlehem Steel works .

 Look at the massiveness of this place! 
It reminds me of a giant futuristic space ship or
maybe a lost city rising from the earth.
Very cool

Wouldn't you love to go exploring? 
These look like old relics of the past..right?


Well look whats on the other side!
A fabulous modern Performing Arts  Center,
Levitt Pavillion.
Now that's preserving history in a wonderful way!

Ok...now let's go holiday shopping
at
Christkindlmarket

 Nutcrackers anyone?
I put up a bird tree every year and I spotted a few very pretty ones in this shop.

I thought of Amy from Maison Decor blog when I spied this purple beauty.
Amy has a vast collection of purple transfer ware and I think this little guy would fit right in.

 German blown glass ornaments anyone??

 One booth had a huge array of delightful advent calendars of all sizes.

This little guy came home with me.
As much as we enjoyed browsing this part of the market, I really was disappointed that there were not any handmade decorations.
Well turns out there were two separate markets
One was imported business's and one was independent artists.

What do we have here...
I do believe it is a real breathing artist working at her craft.
Now that's what I'm talking about!

These stunning stars were made by the 93 year old mother of the woman above.
Incredible..right?
I brought home a large star and one of the smaller ones.
I hope I am still creating when i'm 93.

Her daughter makes the most beautiful decorations from straw.

Isn't this cross lovely?

I loved meeting This lady, Katherine Fox-Haney of Nazareth, Pa.
Katherine makes the most wonderful Santas.
I was immediately drawn to the feed sack Santa. So unique.

I talked with Katherine awhile and she told me she uses her dear father's face
on all her Santas
Their stories are her father's stories.
How special is that??
Katherine's Santas are some of the prettiest I have ever seen
I love and the simpleness of them...not overdone at all.

Say hello to Lucille Gruppo, another wonderful doll maker.
Lucille's mother Josephine, was an expert crocheter, but when she suffered a stroke, it
left her unable to hold her crochet hook.
Determined to help her Mom regain her yarn skills, Lucille asked her Mom if she could just crochet a length of chain stitches.
Her Mom did manage that and would go through balls of yarn crocheting simple chain stitches.
Unbeknownst to Josephine, Lucille started incorporating these lengths of chains into her dolls.
The strands became hair, mini headbands and garment trim on the dolls.
Knowing this brought a smile to her Mom's face.

Sadly Josephine passed away in 1992, 
but Lucille keeps her Mom's memory alive
by sewing a tiny shell onto a cheek of each doll. 
The shells come from a necklace once owned by her Mom.
I think Josephine would approve.

How about a handmade beehive candle made from beeswax

Or maybe a pine or cinnamon scented beeswax dipped pinecone.
I brought one of these home too.

Any hat wearers out there?
These knitted and felted hats were so beautifully made.
Unfortunately I am not a hat wearer, but love seeing other women in them.

As we were strolling down the aisle, 
I noticed a print that looked familiar.
I bought this print back in the 90's at the International Quilt Festival
when I lived in Houston.

Meet the artist
Diane Phelan paints scenes of Americana and quilts and she has also started having her 
art printed on fabric.
All in all, Roberta and I had a great time and ended up with some 
treasures.

Another reason I was in Pennsylvania was to show off my Annie Sloan chalk paint.
Roberta bought this reproduction dough box at an auction.
She follows my blog and decided her box needed some ASCP TLC.

After looking at a few colors we decided a neutral tone would work best.
Goodbye brown...
Hello
VERSAILLES

Versailles was perfect...neutral with just a soft hint of green to it.

Roberta loved how it distressed so smoothly.

She especially loved how her vintage Stangl looks right at home
on her new dough box.
Just look at that lovely wax sheen.

On the drive back to Virginia, I came upon these adorable creatures.
Fellow motorists...
Pay no attention to the crazy lady who comes to a screeching halt
for a good photo-opportunity.
Just smile and drive on.
Now for a real treat...

This past holiday weekend the morning and evening skies were perfect for the most 
stunning sunrises and sunsets ever.
Between Mr. Secret Agent and myself, we managed to capture
most of them....
Enjoy!

Sunset


Sunset

Sunset

Sunrise
Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise over my home

Sunrise

I don't know about you, but I never tire of 
Sunrises or Sunsets

Don't forget...if you are anywhere near Warrenton, Va. 
be sure to stop in and say hello at 
Around noon I will be doing a ASCP demo on a lovely 2 tired accent table and will be giving it away at the end of the day.

I will also be doing an Antique Sheet Music Ornament/Wreath demo.
So come say Hello and enjoy some Holiday refreshments and maybe get some gift shopping done.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.


40 comments:

Amanda@studio1404.com said...

Thanks for sharing! I lived in Easton, PA for 3 years and I really miss spending Fall and Winter there! So beautiful and so much to do this time of year!!!

Roberta Mearns said...

Thank you for sharing our weekend Dear Friend. I love my dough box and appreciate your crafting talent. Guess what I did today? Annie Sloan chalk paint boxes! A craft in the making....

Atelier Conti said...

Full post is right! So many lovely and inspiring images, Janet! I love the crafts but was particularly fond of the sky photos. What a lovely world we live in. Big kisses.

Kathleen Grace said...

Wow, I love so many of the handmade items you show! The santas, the pinecones...one beautiful thing after another! Thanks for taking us along, I wish I had a market like that! Don't you just love a pasture full of sheep? Such pretty creatures:>) I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too !

Leigh Powell Hines said...

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

What a neat market.

Wanda..... said...

You are so inspiring in many ways, Janet ... creatively and as a giving and appreciative person. I think I'll be working with some old sheet music today!

Anonymous said...

Super nice sky pics. I love
sunrises or sunsets too! Thanks for sharing them.
xox

Anonymous said...

I am lucky enough to have one of Katherine's santas, a Woodland Santa, that stays up year round...she is a very sweet lady!!! Looking forward to shopping at the Fox Den this week. :)

Jennifer Juniper said...

I always see those steel mills along the rivers in Pittsburgh and have always wanted to peek inside! What a great craft fair, and all the better that you got to meet so many great artists.

I want to figure out how to make that pinecone snowman ornament this year! Hmmmm....

Glad you had a wonderful thanksgiving :)

Gretel said...

Wonderful post! That old steelworks is amazing, right out of a steam punk novel - and those glass baubles oooh...and the little birds...*sigh*. It almost makes me like Christmas. Wish I could come and watch your demo, any chance of Mr Secret Agent making a little film of it?

Amy W. said...

So enjoyed your post today!!
It was like reading a book one just
can't put down!!
Thank-you!!

Little Blue Mouse said...

I really like the steel works, such an interesting building, and I really like the crafts; but the sunrises and sunsets are amazing! You can't beat Mother Nature.

Anonymous said...

Oh my... this post took my breath away with the sunsets. We don't get a good view of sunsets from our house... too many trees in the way. Sure love seeing yours though!

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