Bucktown Art Fest 2008

Today was the Bucktown Art Fest and I loved every bit of it! It is the first art show we've made it to this year. It seems like everytime one was going on this summer, we had a conflict.

We even came home with a piece of art! We purchased a photograph by a local photographer, David Mayhew. His work is amazing. Our photograph is of the skyline during the heavy storms we had a few weeks ago. The coolest thing is that he took the photograph from the top of Skybridge, which is the building we used to live in. It's our old view with amazing lightening and a purple sky. It is on a plaque and then matted in black and has a black frame. Looks very sharp, if I do say so myself! Here is the photograph on his site.

There were so many great artists. I love all the jewelry and photography is always a favorite. There were some great handbag and crafty vendors too.

Here were a few of my favorite vendors:

HopSkipJump - very cool personalized jewelry

Sassy Designs - great handbags, totally inspired me to make my own!

Lazy Gal

ScrappyNation - I have to be honest, the stuffed animals scare me a bit BUT they had some great little girl fashions, hats, bags, and other craftiness that was really cute.

LaurenCeleste -They have the cutest baby clothes and they were very reasonable. The items on the website are a little more but I'll definitely consider her for gift giving. I'm a sucker for baby goodies.

Karen Hoelscher Designs - more great handbags

This fair is definitely on my list of events for next Summer!

Whew!

I made it through the week! It's been a busy week but a good one.

We made it back to Chicago late Sunday night after visiting the Albrecht's in Ludington, MI. We were able to see Tyler for the first time and celebrate Kara's 30th birthday. It was really nice to see our dear friends and spend time outside the city. On our way home, we were able to have a short visit with our friends Megan and Josh. It's always nice to catch up with good friends.

On Tuesday, we were able to get last minute tickets to the Cubs game. It turned out to be a beautiful night and the Cubs ended up winning. Go, Cubs, Go!

Last night, I joined some work peeps at De Cero. Mmm...yummy Mexican. It's definitely nice to connect with the work buddies that I barely get to see. Today was another work event. Even though we had a short burst of rain, it ended up being a nice day. We took a cruise on Lake Michigan with Mystic Cruise Lines.

This week I've put in some time working on my Amy Butler Swing bag. My sewing machine and I had a tiff yesterday but we're back on speaking terms. I'm definitely looking forward to learning more so I'm not blindly leading myself through projects. I'm sure the class I'm taking will come in very handy.

As much as I hate the thought of August (and Summer) coming to an end, I'm counting down to August 28th. We'll be heading to Portland, OR to visit my brother, John, and his family. My younger brother, Caleb, and my Mom will also be joining us. I haven't seen John and the family since last summer and cannot wait to see them. Ruby is now 4 1/2 and Jacob is 3. They've grown up SO much since we saw them last. It will be great to getaway and spend time with family.

I'm still here

I've been absent a bit, okay a lot, but the summer's been flying by and I'm just trying to take in as much as possible. The fall is quickly creeping up on us. I'm feeling somewhat better now but I had a pretty bad flare which has slowed down my crafting. I just can't sit and scrapbook when I'm in pain.

I have dabbled in some other crafting things lately like quilting/sewing. I made the top of a quilt in a small class through our church. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed really "using" my sewing machine to make something. One of the instructors is putting it all together for us and sending it to us. It will be at least a few weeks but I'll post a picture when I get it back. It was definitely a learning experience but I learned a lot and am really happy to have had the opportunity. It gave me the inspiration to sign up for an eight week beginner sewing class at a local fabric store. It doesn't start until mid/late September so I decided to take on a simple bag project in the meantime. I'll post pictures once I finish it.

We're headed to Ludington, MI today to visit my college roommate and her family. Her little one, Tyler, is 3 months old now and Kara is turning 30! They are having a cook-out for her birthday on Saturday which will be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to getting out of the city and spending some time in Michigan.

Two weeks. Yes, in two weeks from now I'll be in Oregon. I can't wait to see my family. I haven't seen my brother, John, and his family in a little over a year. The kids have grown SO much and I'm really looking forward to spending time with them. My Mom is coming from Michigan and my younger brother will travel down from Washington. The trip will be a great getaway and a chance to spend quality time with those so close to my heart.

Well, I've got a lot to do before we head out this afternoon. I should have some pictures to share next week!