Crafty McGee

Remember a while ago when I said I wanted to make flags for my farmer's market tent? Yeah, I made 'em. July 4 was a cold, rainy day, so I sat at the table and made 30+ feet of flag bunting. It's a fun project!

Saponifier

Today, my article was published in Saponifier magazine. Whee! They are also interested in having me write for their next issue, too. Whee! Whee!

Swirly McGee

I made soap on Monday. This swirl seems to have turned out particularly well.

Soaps Reviewed, Given Away, Film at Eleven

My friend NotHannah is hosting a soap giveaway! Go on over to this link and leave a comment to get your name put in the drawing. Olde Crone's Bewitching Bath Soap could be in your possession!

Farmer's Markets--it's time!

I love chickens, and want to raise them sometime soon. This is a "Barred Rock."

Hooray! It's that time again--farmer's market time! Get your fabric bags and baskets ready, because the weekly festival time is about to begin. The markets where I vend are like festivals, anyway--live music, seating under tents for your ready-to-eat food, colorful booths, and fun times with friends. I am excited!

Come see me:

Saturdays: Highland United Neighbors, Inc. Farmer's Market: 15th and Boulder street, in Denver. This is directly west of Downtown Denver, taking 15th street across the highway. If you know where Lola restaurant is, then you know where we are. 9am-1pm

Sundays: Old South Pearl Street Farmer's Market: on south Pearl, between Iowa and Florida. 9am-1pm.

Come on down and see me!

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls: 5280 Fight Club vs. Omaha

Saturday, June 6, 6:30pm, at the Bladium in Stapleton. I will be there, camera in tow. I think I'll pay for a VIP seat this time. Better photos that way?

Also, I am hard at work designing the label to the body butter that I am donating to the Rollergirls. I am talking with their Sponsorship person (Catholic Cruel Girl, aka "Cruely") about some sort of arrangement. The best way to sponsor these folks? Go to a bout! You can purchase tickets online here.

Dang. It's been a long time since I've had a PBR. Can't wait!

Nina Sews Aprons: Film at Eleven

It's show time! I started earlier than usual this year, vending at a Festival That Shall Not Be Named. I don't want to give them any more publicity, as the show sucked. It was so bad. I do not have the energy to talk about how bad it was. Instead, I will regale you with photos of the booth and my friend Nina's talent. In the photo above, Nina is on the left, and I am on the right. She was vending with me at that horrible show, with her fabulous sewed items. She is an artist--she made those aprons we are wearing, and I got to keep mine. Of course, during this year's market season, I will be sporting that cute apron!

For those who are itching to visit me at a show, you can come see me at the Roxborough Spring Festival next weekend. You can get a whole week's jump ahead of the rest of mah peeps who see me at the farmer's markets, which start June 6 for me. I do a Sunday market, too, as many of you may know.

Okay, photo regaling....now.


This year, I will continue to make bath fizzies! Drop one in your full tub, and it will fizz and release its coconut oil and cocoa butter, as well as the essential oils for scent. Left-to-right, we have lemon-lime, lavender, and lavender-eucalyptus fizzies. These are only available in person--I don't ship these.

Of course, I will still feature my handmade bar soap. This is the goat milk selection. My goat milk is local! Dang, I love this soap.

Introduced last year, my liquid soap will be a prominent feature this year. I plan on offering a discount for refills at the markets--bring me your clean glass jars with lids, and the next week I'll bring it back with liquid soap. Recycle those glass jars, people! These bottles and pumps will last quite a while, so there's no sense in buying a new, plastic bottle each time.

As promised, here is Nina. Take a gander at the table, and you will see little sewed drawstring bags, wine bottle bags, and up above, aprons are hanging from the tent. Her stuff is amazing--she has great taste and talent. For this year, might I recommend...


...a reusable tote bag for the farmer's market? You can take it to the grocery store, as well. Check out the summertime fun colors.

Speaking of going green with reusable items, her upcycled aprons are a gas. She mixes in recycled denim with cute cotton fabrics to make a funky, practical apron. You need one!

See? I know you want it. I want it! She had another one like this, except the middle panel featured la Virgin de Guadalupe. It sold almost instantly. I hope to have Nina vend with me at a farmer's market once or twice this summer, so you can meet her and see what else she's got up her fashionably-tailored sleeve. If you want to get in touch with her, just email her directly at My2Franks at gmail dot com. I'm sure she would love to discuss a project with you. Also, be sure to ask about her 2 Franks.

Okay, time to make more bath fizzies and bag up some salt, I think. Have a great 3-day weekend!

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls!

Last night I tried something new: I attended a roller derby bout. I had never been to the roller derby before, and my friend Heather (shown here, perusing the program) was in town for her 40th birthday, so that's a great reason to go, I figure.

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are a local roller derby league. We were watching one of their teams, The Contenders. If you've never been to a roller derby bout, I recommend going to the next one you can find. It is an amazing display of female athleticism, power, and style. This is the action shot that was the least blurry:


Please note the skater falling down in the background. It happens. A lot. Which is why warming up is essential:



The entire thing is women-powered. Did you know all the skaters are volunteers? That's right--your ticket pays for from-the-heart entertainment. It is full of action, but you have to get used to the rules to follow the bout. It's not too hard to figure out.

Roller derby is not only about skating and athletic prowess. It's about style. Each of the skaters has her own style--for fashion, skating, and personal image. I suppose that's why the crowd was represented by such diverse styles:


drag queens,


men in kilts,


girls sitting on the floor with pom-poms in their hair,


lovely ladies with wicked handbags,


rockabilly cuties,



new wave punks (and dudes in Hawaiian shirts),



And Rollergirls themselves. She didn't seem to be skating tonight--maybe she's on another team. Here are few of the skaters from the bout:



Misstress Tarable and Flame N Fury,



and the high-scorer for the night, kick-ass jammer, and our personal favorite, Whipity Pow. Best roller derby name, evah. Do not mess with her. Just don't.

Support your local roller derby! You will love it! Grrls rock!

I am only allowed to post every 23 days.

Apparently.

Lots going on around here. I am going to sell my wares at the Colorado Chocolate Festival. I am also participating in a giveaway for my friend, Esri Rose's promotion for her new elven romantic suspense novel, Stolen Magic. It will be released May 5, 2009. That's next week! Buy it, people.

Speaking of books, I am writing two books at once, now, because I'm just a little wacky that way. Both will be published in the summer. I'm also slated to have an article published in The Saponifier in August. I've got another fair, the Roxborough Spring Festival, the last weekend in May. Then school's out, and the farmer's markets begin.

Jeez. When I write it all out like that, it seems like a lot.

Radio Interview!

My radio interview is happening this morning--10am central time/ 9am mountain time.

You can listen here.

Iowa Rocks!!

About 1 hour ago, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled their gay marriage ban as unconstitutional, allowing for the legal right for gays to marry. 

In Iowa!

I am so proud to be from Iowa. This comes as wonderful news, but you must know it isn't very shocking to me. Many folks think that "The Heartland" is synonymous with "Conservatives," but I have never found that to be completely accurate. Of course, I went to the ultra-liberal University of Iowa for my undergraduate degree, so I was surrounded by liberals for 5 of my formative years. Maybe just eastern Iowa is liberal.

But I don't think so! Not anymore! No more "conservative" or "liberal" talk. How about just, "the right thing to do?"  How about that?

Go Iowa!

On the Radio--Again!

It's happening! Click the logo above to read more about the 25th birthday of KRUI radio in Iowa City, Iowa. For those who don't know, I am an FCC licensed dj because of my wonderful time at KRUI from 1991-1992.

On Saturday, April 4, at 10am Iowa time (9am Denver time), I will be interviewed on the air, and the dj will play music from my playlist.

If you are in the Iowa City area, tune your radio to 89.7fm. If you aren't in that area, you can listen to the stream online! iTunes works well for this on my computer.

Hooray, independent radio!

Happy Springtime!

Finally, when my daughter says, "No more winter--it's springtime," I can tell her she's right. And dang, the weather here is so warm, there is no denying springtime.

This has me thinking about summer. I know, I know, live in the moment, blah blah blah. I do! My life is just fine right now. I have to tell you, being at a new school this year has been very good for me. No stress at this school. It's bizarre, and it's taken me a while to get used to it. But I think I am.

This means I can turn my thoughts to other thrills. Like finishing my taxes over spring break. That's what I do on this vacation. Taxes. It will take all week, because I have to break it up. Lots of sorting and counting and labeling, and THEN I can do them. At least I have the time to take my time.

But that's not thinking about summer, this is: the farmer's markets are coming! I saw the cutest thing on Etsy the other day, and it reminded me of decorating my tent, and I think I'm gonna do it. Yes, those flags up there. Here's the listing, if you want to buy them--I always love supporting independent artists on Etsy.

I think I'm going to make some myself, from my huge fabric stash. It will be festive and draw attention. Also, I have a new idea for refills this year. Last year I started selling liquid soap, and it has been very popular. Well, I hate to sell a plastic bottle with a pump each time, so for my locals and regulars I will have a new deal: recycle your clean glass jars by using them as soap refills! If you want a refill on liquid soap, bring me your clean glass jar with a lid, and I will take it home, fill it to whatever level, and bring it back the next week. There will be a discount for buying in bulk and using a recycled jar, of course. What do you think? Will folks go for it, or do they want a new bottle each time?

Aaanyway, I'm getting excited about summer. I only have 8 weeks left of work for this school year! Hooray!

Ebooks Rule--again

I am obsessed with ebooks because I sell them, people. Have you read one, of any kind? I just read an article that outlines how ebooks are becoming popular. This is not news to me, but it may be to you: women purchasing erotica  are driving ebook sales. That's the theory, anyway. 

Suspecting this for a while now, I was not shocked by the theory or the report. But what about you? Do you read ebooks? If so, why? What do you like about them? If not, what do you dislike about them?

Read an eBook Week is upon us!

Read an eBook Week? Why haven't I heard of this before it was looming so large? Probably because it's a gimmick. The folks at ebookweek.com also sell eReaders. Imagine! Making up a holiday to sell stuff! 

Well I never! 

Click here to see some mocking of their banner ads. Hee!