Friday, June 12

If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much!

That's a saying I grew up with, referring to the Pennsylvania Dutch, (I'm not that Dutch but my maiden name, Brasted, derives from Holland Dutch so it worked for me too). Dutch fever is breaking out amongst the Z-Towners . Why not, these wonderful folk motifs are part of our everyday life. For myself, I live on the "Hex Highway," where I drive regularly by barns adorned with hex signs and my house was previously occupied by our friend Eric Claypoole, the authority and master painter of hex signs and barn stars. In a few weeks you can see him at work at the Kutztown Folk Festival (and buy one of your own).




So you can probably imagine where this is all going. Stay tuned, the wheels are turning... The images below are off of True Up, thanks for that link Jen).

I had to include this one because 1964 is the year I was born. Very cool!

OK, I'm on a Dutchy roll here, this is a detail of a pint-sized hutch my grandfather built and my grandmother painted for me when I was little. It's a terrible photo because the poor thing is in the attic (shameful), needing a good cleaning, butcher's wax, and a loving place in my home to display it... but where, it's kind of short?

Wednesday, June 10

Two down and one to go...


My 3 weekend marathon of shows (Art Star, Renegade, Best in Bloom) is almost complete. Karen Stanford (above) and I had a great location across from the gate at Driggs & N. 12th. There were only about 35 booths in our part of the park while there were 200+ across the street. We worried that people wouldn't realize there was another leg to the show and would migrate to where all the action was, but locals assured us that everyone in the neighborhood typically walked though our section of the park. Regardless, there was a really good vibe in our area, shade, plenty of dog watching, and really nice people relaxing on their weekend. It was an enjoyable experience and the sales were good!

To make the event even sweeter, I have two local friends who came to visit. Ellen brought a few of her incredible kids one day and husband the next. My dear friend Keith waited on us the entire weekend. He was an endless source of drinks, snacks, lovingly homemade sandwiches, entertainment and good company! He also took Karen and I to bozu for a very delicious dinner. I have a handful of meals that go into a "food memory" bank and that will be one of them. Not bad either, were the Peter Pan donuts Kimberly provided. Boy, I wish I had eaten more now.

Thanks to all who visited our booth and to all my new customers! On to Emmaus, PA for Best in Bloom with the entire Z-Town crew to finalize my tour! For more Renegade/Z-Town recaps go to here and here.

Post-Renegade Therapy

Late Monday morning, still in pajamas and groggy after my weekend at Renegade, I came across this post by Apartment Therapy! It cleared the fog for at least 30 minutes. What an honor! You can read the rest here.

Thursday, June 4

Renegade this weekend!

Well, here it is, the big one! I hope to see some of you this weekend in Brooklyn!! I'll be in booth #18 not far from the main entrance at Bedford Ave. and N. 12th St. with Karen Stanford Skylark Studio and another fellow Z-Towner, Kimberly Scola Chez Sucre Chez will be in #4.

Tuesday, June 2

Everything is coming up roses...

It felt so good to take a break from the world of craft shows with Gracie in the garden yesterday.

Art Star with Z-Town Made

A little recap of our weekend at the Art Star Craft Bazaar:

My aprons on the rare occasion they weren't horizontal in the wind.

My awesome booth mate, Karen Stanford Skylark Studio and her fabulous silver jewelry.

Melanie Linder Spread the Love and Kimberly Scola Chez Sucre Chez shared the booth next to us.

If you are in Brooklyn, NY this upcoming weekend, you can visit Karen and me (booth #18, look for this sign) and Kimberly (booth #4), at the Renegade Craft Fair (we will miss you, Mel and Jen)!

Thank you to all who came to visit us!