[Note: Blogger is reformating my text near the end....sorry about the "strung-out" words...!!!]

A perfect October morning.....leaving around 8:00, we reach the craft fair just as it is opening....





Mr. Pear with the morning sun behind him......

Chatting with friendly vendors..in this case, my friend Liz who has a booth!
We find some wonderful things which will be Christmas gifts for the family. Supporting artisans at the craft fair rather than factories in the third world feels good!



After touring 4 tents of vendors, we go back outside to enjoy the fabulous setting and weather.....oh, !!! and music too!







Finally, we go back through some tents once more and I see this...I'm sorry the image is blurry...our camera was not co-operating. But you can see it is a tree full of mermaids! These are needle felted and were in the booth of The Augres Sheep Factory all the way from Michigan!



These were truly the most unexpected thing I saw there...but they stayed on the tree, as we were already through with the urge to shop! [here is a better mermaid photo from the maker's webpage.]

More catching up and "making do".

While at Mom's last weekend, I came across the October 2008 "AMERICAN PATCHWORK AND QUILTING" magazine as we were checking out of K-MART.

I loved the seasonal pumpkin quilt on the cover. Once I read it, I chose to start a different quilt called, "Scrap Happy". As Mom has sewn for us and saved every scrap, I was able to start these blocks....however, not without shopping for and adding a few more current quarter yard pieces to the mix. So it's not entirely "making do", LOL!

I brought the project home with me. Today is one of my days off so I have time to get back to it and I will now be adding my scraps from the things I've been sewing. The blocks are easy and fun.

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Back to my October 15th Birthday Giveaway!

Mr. Pear was home, under the weather, yesterday, so I couldn't get a post written. We did. however, manage to draw a winner in the contest for my painting, "Autumn Song". Sioux is our winner!!!! Congratulations! I know that my painting is going to a good home! The nightingale should love being with such musical folks!

Sioux, I will be e-mailing you for your shipping address.

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This is a big craft fair weekend in our area. We have tenative plans to visit the famous "War Eagle Arts and Craft Fair" on Sunday. It is in a beautful setting here in the Ozarks, and our trees are beginning to turn nicely. I'll post about the event if we go!

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From this morning's paper....but of course, you didn't see this on my sweet blog!!