Craft Shows and Country Living

Have you seen this month's Country Living magazine? 

 It has a nice little article about visiting indie craft shows this holiday season.

The article features write-ups of seven shows around the country, including Renegade Craft Fair, Art vs. Craft, Crafty Wonderland, No Coast Craft-o-rama, The Big Crafty, Craftland and Crafty Supermarket.

I was contacted by one of the editors at Country Living a few months back about some photos from various craft shows they saw right here on this blog. And so … that little photo above of the gorgeous necklaces from Off the Beaten Path at Crafty Supermarket in Cincinnati was taken by me. Shazam! This makes me very happy.

Run out and pick up an issue of Country Living on newsstands or your favorite bookstore to see it for yourself!

Holiday cards

I know it may seem early—it being Election Day and all—but the other holidays will be here before you know it. Stock up on cards now so you have plenty of time to write out thoughtful notes to your loved ones far and near. Now available in the shop: Holiday Geese and Holiday Sledding.

Black sheep in the family …

Happy Monday morning, everyone. This weekend was a whirl. Thanks to everyone who came out to Craft Circus on Saturday. It was a blast! I got to draw this sheep fella recently as a tattoo design. I was going to wait to show you until it was on actual skin, but I just help myself … Isn't he bold!?

Pez Visitor Center

As promised, I'm back with more photos from my stop at the Pez Factory Visitor Center in Orange, CT. They opened the center about a year ago, though the factory has been in that location just off of I-95 for decades. The center has an impressive collection showcasing the largest public display of Pez memorabilia in the world, including the world's largest Pez dispenser, views onto the Pez production line, cases of Pez and Pez dispensers embedded in the floor, amusing vintage Pez advertisements and displays. So much fun and color! Have a look around … 

Show time: Craft Circus

The circus is coming to town! This Saturday, November 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. I'll be running away with the Craft Circus at the Ypsilanti Senior Community Center. Twenty-five local artists and crafters will be coming out for a fun, low-key day of handmade crafty goodness. Come on out and get some early holiday shopping out of the way.

Spooooooooky

Happy Halloween … from the Log Lady and the spirit of her dead husband. 

Show time: Liberty Local

This Saturday is the second annual Liberty Local Handmade Craft Fair at the Ann Arbor Art Center and I will be vending along with a slew of talented crafty types.  I took part in the show last year and my favorite thing was the number of vendors who I had never met or seen before, making for a really great mix of goodies to browse. We'll be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. — plenty of opportunity to stop in!

And, for a bit of extra fun, I'll be on the AM airwaves Friday morning with Lucy Ann Lance having a chat about the show. Tune in to 1290AM around 8:30 a.m. to have a listen.

Spicy Carrot Sandwiches

Before we return to our regularly scheduled feature of Book Business Tuesdays, I wanted to jump right in with a recipe because I know you guys kinda like it when I do. I had this for lunch yesterday and was itching to write it up immediately. It is an open-faced sandwich with a beautiful balance of flavors -- not to mention pretty and colorful on the plate!  It combines carrots with caraway, something I would never have thought of but works tremendously well. I played around with the Food & Wine version substituting a white bean spread where they called for hummus becaue that's what I had the fixins for and really liked the results. I also garnished with a little fresh oregano instead of cilantro because I thought it would play better with the rosemary in the bean spread. Do what you will ... it's bound to be good!

Spicy Carrot Sandwiches

Adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 4.

2 large carrots, coarsely grated

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt
Crushed red pepper
4 slices of multigrain bread or two 8-inch whole wheat baguettes, split lengthwise and grilled
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white bean dip (recipe below) or hummus
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, garlic and caraway, season with salt and crushed red pepper and cook until the carrots are just wilted, about 4 minutes. Let cool.

Spread the white bean spread on the bread. Sprinkle with the carrot mixture and dollop on the yogurt. Top with cilantro, season with black pepper and serve.

White Bean Dip

1 (15-ounce) can white beans such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 Tb olive oil
2 Tb fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in a small food processor. Puree until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. 

East Coast trip: Part Two

On to the rest of my road trip … after part one, I launched into a weekend of World Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows. I was a vendor in the Bust Magazine Craftacular section of the show and had a wonderful time. I had extremely kind and talented neighbors and met some really great new customers. And did I mention there was a flaming unicorn? Amazing … 

I headed east on the Monday after the show and met up with a wonderfully dear friend on the North Fork. It was a perfect and sparkling fall day and we had a delicious lunch—and visit—here. The farm fields were looking lush and green and the wine grapes were heavy on the vines. All of which I have not a photo to share. So sad, but it is vivid in my mind. 

And then, after a recuperative stay with my aunt and uncle, I headed north across the Long Island Sound via the ferry on my way to Boston. I love me a ferry ride—especially with views of red tugboats!

I quickly veered off the highway at the first sight of a sign announcing the Pez visitors center. What?!? I have driven this section of I-95 MANY times and had never seen this before. Apparently there has been a Pez factory in Orange, CT for many, many years but just opened this visitors center open to the public last year. More details on this stop later this week! 

I made a little detour to take a quick walk through the campus of my alma mater. And more importantly, had an incredibe lunch at First and Last Bakery and Cafe in Hartford: prosciutto, fig and asiago panini. mmmmm. 

Several days spent in Boston with more dear friends whom I hadn't seen in WAY too long. We went to the aquarium where we became pals with the sea lions, had a decadent lunch at the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum and more. Again … no photos. I kept forgetting my camera. This trip is making me realize I am terrible about taking photos of people, or even when I am with people. Hmmm. I'll have to work on that. Although it is probably, too, that I enjoy the time with those people and forget about "documenting" which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Thoughts, anyone?

My trip continued north up the coast of Massachusetts to scenic Cape Ann and specifically Rockport. The sun returned and I spent several days wandering the quaint streets, soaking up the salty sea air and catching up with friends. Including not a few of these … 

Last but not least, I made an all-too-brief stop in rural Vermont. I had forgotten how mountainous, colorful and breathtaking Vermont can be. After a "wild and cozy" evening with my friend in her temporary farmhouse home, I set out for a somewhat grueling 12-hour drive home. It was SO worth it!!

And now I am back in the saddle again and will have tasty treats for you this week here on the blog. Promise!

East Coast trip: Part One

Hi friends! As I mentioned last time I checked in here, I was on a long and intense road trip from Michigan to New York and beyond. I packed in a ton of visits and had a terrific time.  Here's a look from along the way… 

I took a slight detour into Cincinnati to visit one of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives finest: Lucky's Cafe. Owner Heather Haviland grows a ton of the ingredients used on the menu and sources much else from local farms and businesses. I had the ridiculously good shipwreck: hash browns, eggs, seasonal veggies, bacon and cheddar cheese. Having set out at 6:30 a.m. that day, I was ready for a nap after this meal. But I pressed on …

After a quick overnight visit in New Jersey to spend time with my brother and his family, I made my way through the rain and the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan where I shacked up with a friend in a teensy hotel room with distant views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings and around the corner from a gorgeously colorful mural and the New Museum seen below. It's crazy to me to see a Whole Foods on the Bowery. What?!?!

After puttering around a bit, I headed out to Flushing and the New York Hall of Science to check in for the Bust Craftacular. While I was there, I had a chance for a little up close and personal with some of the World's Fair sites I love … Men in Black anyone?

We rounded out the day with a visit to the High Line — loved it! — and an amazing cocktail hour at the Top of the Standard. Apparently the bar was initially called the Boom Boom Room and I'm going to stick with that in my mind. It is a magically theatrical room filled with shimmery gold and curving lines. Before we even made our way into the room, we heard some kind of quartet with a woman singing in peppy yet lounge-y French — accompanied by a young male tap dancer. What?!? Very Matthew Barney as my astute friend pointed out. The female servers were decked out obscenely revealing skin tight dresses made from the most luscious materials in gold and lavendars. This is what I miss about New York! Though I think if you live there, you may tend toward a type of jaded attitude that keeps you from being wowed by this kind of performance. I was wowed. Not the kind of room you snap a lot of photos in, but here is one of the ceiling. *Le sigh.*

 More on my adventures soon …

Epic road trip

Hi friends! It's been quiet around here because I headed out a week ago on an epic road trip. I left Michigan Thursday morning last week at the unseemly hour of 6:30 a.m. and made my way to New York for the Bust Magazine Craftacular at the World Maker Faire. It has been so long since I visited the Northeast that I decided to stay on this week and make a grand circuit to do some much needed visiting. Here's what it looks like: Brighton, Michigan > Cleveland, OH > Bridgewater, New Jersey > New York, NY > Forest Hills, NY > Riverhead, NY > Stony Brook, NY > Framingham, MA > Brookline, MA > Gloucester, MA > Rochester, VT > home! Whew! I'll have photos and tales to tell when I get back next week, but in the meantime, I've been posting images over on Instagram: sloe_gin_fizz.

New retailer: Wholly Craft

I'm very happy to announce that Wholly Craft is now carrying a selection of Sloe Gin Fizz items. If you live in or pass through Columbus, Ohio and haven't done so yet, you should pop into this fabulous store in the Clintonville neighborhood. Owner Olivera Bratich has a terrific eye and the shop specializes in hip handmade goods and offbeat art. Come on down!

Craft show spectacular

Whew! That DIY Street Fair wiped me out. It was an amazing weekend and filled with familiar faces, great handmade goods, visiting with friends, beer, booze and music. Ferndale really knows how to bring the party. What more could a girl want?

I'll tell you what: More of the same! I'll be headed up north for the Maker's Market in Traverse City this Saturday, September 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.