I hate when my head doesn't fit in the glass!

Cosmopolitans on a muggy night = very good evening

More festival photos

Great triptych - Why is the rum gone?

Silver Leaf Renaissance Festival

We had a hoot at the Silver Leaf Renaissance Festival last weekend.  The festival was nicely shaded in a campground about 1.5hrs south of Grand Rapids.  We lucked out in getting ready to go just as Tam was ready for his first nap, so he slept for the car journey.  The fair itself was relatively small and on a temporary site, so all tents and no permanent structures.  Once we got there, we suited up ourselves in our garb, sproinged open the stroller, and Tam got a bottle and diaper change :-)  The day was coolish and slightly over-cast, so perfect for wearing layers of garb. 

We had a good time wondering between the vendors and catching a couple of the shows.  We first tried to watch the "Ded Bob Sho".  This is an adult comedy with a skeleton puppet.  Funny with many naughty limericks and innuendos.  I had seen Ded Bob way back when I was 16 and working the Great Lakes Festival.  He's still funny and it was good to see skits that were different then the ones from the Minnesota circuit.  However, we only saw the first part of the show.  Tam most definitely did NOT like the crowd participation by yelling.  Every time the crowd responded with a loud yell, Tam screamed like a banshee!  I think he just isn't use to that level of noise.  Or he really isn't interested in toilet humor :-)

We watched part of the joust as the knights were attempting to spear rings on their lance.  The queen was at this event bestowing favors.  We realized that it was a good thing I didn't wear my more nicer dress garb because it may have been fancier than the queen's!  Small faire :-)

There were very few musicians at the festival, but we did get to hear the Rogues which are a drum and bagpipe group.  Tam quite liked this music!  We sat in the back on the lawn and let Tam groove to the tunes.

We also let Tam pet a boa constrictor, a rooster, and a rescued grey-hound.  These were all animals that were too much bigger then him, so he was ok with them (unlike the huge cows at the county fair).  He was such a happy baby and many people commented on his sunny disposition . . . and his hair!  After a short while at the faire, we would hear people around us saying, "there's that baby with the spikey hair."

Brian jokingly told me in the morning that he wasn't looking to

 buy anything unless he found some foxglove for the garden.  He totally didn't expect to find any plants!  We did however meet a garden vendor who was selling herbs and flowers.  Brian did end up with a foxglove and a creeping sedum.  

I think the best part was just being outside as a family :-)  I loved talking to other Renaissance

 peoples and listening to how it was going on circuit.  I do miss traveling a bit (as does Brian) and we hope to get involved either at this fair or maybe the one near Detroit next year.  By then Tam will be walking so I'll have to make him a little dragon costume then!

Garage Sale Score

As I have done most Fridays and Saturdays this summer, I went out scouring yard sales for baby/toddler stuff. I do love the thrill of this treasure hunt and I love the feeling of elation when I score something I totally want at a bargain price. I also know I could go overboard with crap, just because "it was such a great deal." And in the past, Brian has made fun of my purchases, especially if it was extremely gaudy. In this light, I set several rules for myself to curtail my impulse buying...

1) 2hr maximum time allowed. This time limit includes all travel time to and from sales. This also means I plan a route and tackle only one section of the city each weekend. (And saves on gas).

2) $20 cash allowed. Yard sales only take cash! If I don't have the dough, I can't go.

3) Has to fit into the car and around the car seat. If I can't toss it in the car, I can't take it. This really limits me from buying furniture we don't have room for in our house.

This weekend was mostly a bust for clothes because the sales I hit had tons of pink, girl stuff. However, my mega-score was a walker/activity board for Tam. (New = $40, 2nd hand = $1) He has just recently figured out how to make things spin (balls, tops, spinners, etc.). This board has several plastic items that spin! Oh, this is his new favorite love for the week. Eventually, when he can stand and walk, he can push the board around too.

Once he was done playing, he rolled around on the floor :-)

Tam's Renaissance costume

Here's the tunic I made for our little guy. Renaissance clothing is pretty easy to sew because you just make it big and add a drawstring or tie. All this tunic is composed of is two nearly identical front and back pieces and two tubes for sleeves. I knew I didn't have to make it perfect, or make it to last, since he'll out-grow it before next year!

The material is a light tan cotton/linen that I had used for curtains for one of the Minnesota apartments. The trim is all bias tape inherited from my aunt's sewing stash.

For this tunic, I traced a 9mth onesie onto paper for a pattern. This was to get the right length for the shoulders and width for the torso. I then used a pair of pants to guess at the length. I wanted it to go to his toes so it would cover the diaper and we wouldn't have to shove shoes on him.

I wanted long sleeves for sun coverage more than for warmth so I guessed on the arm length (a little long). I also left slits up the sides so that he could sit comfortably and he could stay cool if it did get warm. Then, in the back, I cut a slit from the neck opening so I could get the tunic over Tam's big head and tie it closed.

Quick seams up the sides, around the neck, around arm holes. I quickly sewed on the red bias tape so I didn't have to turn any edges :-) I ran out of red, so around the neck on the front is blue. (This is what happens when you don't measure anything).

Finally, I found an awesome dragon design on line and used it for the front of the shirt. I stenciled the dragon on using freezer-paper and fabric paint.

We loved the results!

Crafting gene?

Why oh why is my crafting gene kicking in now? At the end of the summer...when I'm trying to get ready for the school year?

We are planning to got the Silver Leaf Renaissance festival in Battle Creek, tomorrow. So, last night, I whipped up a tunic for Tam to wear. Yeah, literally whipped it up in about 2.5 hours while watching Harry Potter. I'll post photos later today.

I want to try these scrabble tile pendants for the women of the family for Christmas (we have 2 scrabble sets, so I have extra tiles)

I've got plans for some stenciled onesies for baby Christmas gifts.

I want to try my hand at modge podge for a new purse, since I can't seem to find a vintage one I like for the price. Something like this:

Oh, and I totally want to re-vamp my boring office chair with some new fun fabric!