Ann Arbor Art Fair

Julie Fremuth

Kim Crow

Ruth Marks

John Petrey

Check out the above artists and more @: http://artfair.org/tools/artist/directory.jsp

So, yesterday was an awesome day! I finally got to go back to my favorite city in Michigan: Ann Arbor! Even though this is a CRAZY week for those who live there (sorry locals!) it is heaven for those of us who are "art junkies". Going with Jenn and Margaret made it that much better since they too share my love of Art and good food! This time, we ate jumbo hot dogs for lunch (I know, but they were SOOO good), drank huge buckets of freshly squeezed lemonade and iced tea while cruising the fair; then we had some Zingerman's for dinner: my sandwich was a true representation of the chaotic madness of that place, with tons of flavor, charm and excitement: such good food!!!http://www.zingermansdeli.com/content/pages/home.php
The highlight of the whole day for me, was meeting Nicario Jimenez in person. I have been in love with his retablos for many years now, but was never able to talk with him and tell him how much I admire his work! It is amazing how someone can create such intense work and yet be so gentle and tender like I found him to be. I was so humbled to meet him that my Spanish came out horrible, but I was able to get a signed shirt and a hug! Couldn't get much better than that! If you want to see some really good images of his work visit the minkay gallery @: http://www.minkay.com/retablos.htm

if you want to learn more about retablos visit Nicario's own website @:http://www.retablosnicario.com/

Anyway, the plans are to go back next year and stay the night! After all there is too much to soak in and not enough time to do it in one day!

LOVE THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY

Thanks for reading,

allypye

Loving-the-Earth products to check out!

Here are three awesome earth-loving products I've spotted this summer, they all fulfill all my "S" requirements:

style- It HAS to be cute!

simplicity- It MUST be easy and practical:)

social consciousness- GIVING BACK is essential!

TOMS SHOES- Saw these at the Port Austin's Farmer's Market last weekend, LOVED IT! Check out their awesome products and mission here: http://www.tomsshoes.com/content.asp?tid=227

ECOJOT STATIONARY- Spotted in Downtown Kalamazoo:) all of the stuff is so super cute!! http://www.ecojot.com/

FREE TRADE ELEPHANT GRASS BASKETS FROM GHANA- My lovely mother-in-law bought me one! They are beautiful, sturdy and spacious! Thanks Cindy!! Since you can buy them from SO many places, I didn't want to endorse a particular web-site. But you can do a google search or visit your local Farmer's Market.

Do you know of any products that are stylish, simple and social oriented?

I will keep my eyes open to find more:)

Thanks for checking this out,

beijos

allypye

Training the eye and the heart...

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that this past weekend, I photographed a garden snake. I assume many of you may be thinking "So what? Get a life!!" but to me this was a BIG DEAL. Usually I can't even hear the word "snake" and my insides start turning...
I have been deathly afraid of these creatures since I was a little girl, and the fact that poisonous cobras were a fairly common sight by my parent's beach house, made it even worse. The beach was my haven for the most part, until someone would mention seeing a snake. I would check behind doors, in the shower, under beds, pillows, sheets, and in closets; my mom and dad would have to move the fridge and the oven since I knew the heat behind those appliances attracted them and then they would say, "viu, nao tem cobra nehuma!! (See? there is no snake!!). I couldn't sleep well, and when I did, I would dream about the darn cobras! It was horrible. The housekeeper's son who lived in a house adjacent to the main house quickly figured out that the trick for keeping me away from the backyard was to tease me about snakes being back there.
And it has been pretty much the same way for 30 years now; with this weekend being the first time I ever voluntarily came near a snake and didn't sweat. It felt good to face this fear, even if from a distance of 2 feet. I guess you could say that I started my own desensitization process, and it feels good to see that fear (of whatever) does not have to take control forever. It is empowering to know that I can do things that were once unimaginable.

CREATE GROUP

Picture frame for a baby shower...

A couple of girls and myself have just started meeting for "arts and crafts night", the group's name is CREATE led by my dear friend Melani (check out her blog, she's great!) http://www.marzipanmama.com/

I am excited about it, and even though last night we each brought our own projects, I think the future holds promise of "learning together" activities...

Here are some pics of what i worked on yesterday, a picture frame requested by my mother in law, so she can give it as a baby shower gift! I had fun, tell me what you think...