Where i've been

Oh my, it's been over one whole month since I've posted.  Yikes!  My only excuse is that I have been busy- very busy doing lots of things to post about.  

First off, I got accepted to my very first craft fair!  When I read the letter of acceptance, I was literally jumping up and down with giddiness.  I don't think I had been that excited since I found out I was accepted into graduate school five years ago.  But my excited spirit was quickly upstaged when reality sunk in- I had a lot of work ahead of me.  I'm talking an insane amount of work.

For the past few months I've been hard at work making beads for my polymer clay jewelry, working out possible designs in my sketch book, creating a bracelet for a friend of mine to wear on her honeymoon, reading as much as I can about selling at craft fairs and cutting up fabric for the totes and bags I plan to sell.  

Until this fair is over, at the end of August, our apartment is off limits to guests.  Polymer clay, beading supplies, a sewing machine and a huge tub of fabric have taken up permanent residence in our tiny living room until then.  My dad came to visit a month or so ago and I was ashamed at the cluttered living room but really, where to put it all?  

Despite my anxiety in getting everything accomplished, I am really looking forward to this event.  It is a Celtic Festival at Spyglass Ridge Winery, a winery nestled in Pennsylvania's picturesque Susquehanna River Valley- just a short distance from where I grew up.  I attended the festival last year as a guest with my parents and family friends.  We spent the day tasting great local wines and listening to very talented Celtic performers.  I thought the venue, which also hosts many craft vendors, would be a good one to start with.  Keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that I was right.

I also sneaked a little traveling in.  Dan and I took a road trip to Lake Lure, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, to spend a long weekend with my parents who were vacationing there.  After ten hours of driving, a six hour stop in a hotel to sleep for the night, and our first Waffle House ever, we arrived.

And we had a really lovely and relaxing time at a gorgeous lake where, among other movies, Dirty Dancing - one of my all time favorite movies - was filmed.  Yes, I channeled my inner Francis "Baby" Houseman for this trip.  

I'd like to share more photos from our holiday but I don't want to overload you with images- I'll save them for another post.

A few weeks later I took a much needed visit to Pittsburgh to see my younger sister. 

She took me to my very first weekend long music festival. (Yes, I am a depraved near-30 year old woman) The weekend was hot- we donned huge sunglasses, sun dresses and floppy hats- but it was  an incredible time where I met her wonderful friends and listened to some very talented musicians.  I will have more photos to post of this weekend as well once I get my D.I.Y. 35mm rigged Diana photographs developed. *fingers crossed they turn out well* :)