Bring on the Brrr Months

They start with Septembrrrr and go on to Decembrrrr.  Of course, it was still summer at the beginning of the month, and the weather behaved accordingly, but by now we've needed to layer up a bit more as we work our outside displays at St. Lawrence Market.  Change of clothes, change of merchandise, change of displays.   Change change change.  The only constant.

It's been a spotty month for attendance for me.  The weather has kept me away twice in September, but last Saturday was really nice.  Sunny, mostly, temperate, and dry!  I hope it continues like this for Octobrrrr, because for the first time I will continue my Market Saturdays until the end of the month.  After that, the tents come down, and my spot goes away.  Sigh...  I wish they'd stay up until the holiday season is over..

My fall hats made their first appearance, and were kindly received by the Market visitors.  One was Dianne, who bought my personal favourite fascinator from me last June.  (This one.)

She needed it to wear to the Queen's Plate.  I asked her for a photo of herself wearing it at the grand event, and she came by to show one to me.  Too shy to let me share it with you, but I'm tickled that she took the time to let me see it.  It's the first time that I know of that anyone's worn something I've made to such an illustrious hatty occasion, so I was dead keen to see it deployed.  And, of course, Dianne looked lovely in it, and, more importantly, looked like she was having a great time.

On with the show....

Salome modeling a felt chapeau that goes with her ensemble du jour.  And her awesome necklace from her new Rock n' Roll line.  (See that big black button in the middle?  She lurrrrves it.)

The giveaway du jour was this yellow bag promoting Canarydistrict.com.  I love me some free bags!  And I love me some yellow!  And I am very sorry I never went to the Canary Restaurant, a funky old diner, after which the district is named.  It closed some years ago.

The lovely Yvonne  in her new equestrian cap, in which she looks very swell.  Her friend Shirley brought her by my table.  Shirley bought a similar cap earlier in the season, and she's a warm, jolly soul that warms the cockle of my heart.  It's a tonic to see her, and so flattering to have her bring her dear friend, Yvonne.  I'm beholden to both of you ladies!

Shirley, from last August.

Busker, taken last August.  He was here again last Saturday, and sings in French and English, and plays recorder as well as guitar.  His music is charming, and so is he.  (Must get his name sometime so I can give him full props.)

Jessica chose this raffia braid band, and I supported her in her decision.

Catherine, in one of the two caps she bought.  But will she wear them to church?  That's the big question.

Zoya, playing dress-up.  We learned that you can slip a hairband through the bobby pin loops and have another option for how to keep it on.  Dress-up can be educational.  I always suspected as much.

A face only a mother could love.  And me.  She is a very sweet pooch whose name I did not get.  Bad me.  No biscuit.

And finally, Salome's daughter, the awesome Ms. Adrian, rocking her Halloween bonnet..  No, I did not make it for her.  I dared her to wear it that night to Nuit Blanche, but she declined.  Chicken.

Her T-shirt days "gangster-ish."

Absence Alert

The weather report looks exceedingly dodgy for Saturday, so I will not be at my spot outside St. Lawrence Market tomorrow.  I should be back on Saturday, September 15, weather permitting.

Please, weather?  Please?

Summer Flames Out

It's good to be home again -- that is, back at my St. Lawrence Market table for the Saturday of Labour Day weekend.  It was gorgeous out again, sunny but not too hot, and the Market was bustling.  The atmosphere was charged with end-of-summer electricity.  People seemed to be very upbeat, enjoying the moment, not mourning the last of the school year's summer holiday.  Way to be, people!  I always feel a secret elation that I won't be going back to school with the rest of the hordes.  Decades later and I'm still thrilled to be free of that particular societal system.  Love learning, just not so much in classrooms, mmmmkay?

Dogs and kids abounded.  There was also the added attraction of the annual air show happening on the Island, which I love.  You don't have to be there to enjoy part of the show; they fly so far afield that I can see bits of the show from my home in the Beach.  St. Lawrence is much closer than that.  We saw Snowbirds or their American equivalents, and little yellow training planes.  Missed the Lancaster bomber, though, that massive presence with the bass hum that is quite thrilling to behold..  The indispensable Scott tells me it's not a given that it will make an appearance.  I always though it was.  Now I will appreciate it more whenever I do get to see it.

Sorry to say I missed the Morris dancers Scott tells me were performing in the Park.  I heard some of them in the ladies room afterwards, though, jingle-jangle-jingling.

It was a good day, made better by a late-season visit from one of my most loyal customers who has come to see me and pick up something new every year since I began selling my hats at St. Lawrence Market.  Having repeat customers, and have them refer their friends to me, is the best thing about selling my work.  It's elating and encouraging and makes me so proud and grateful.  A great way to end the summer holiday season.

On with the show!

Marianne found a cap in her favourite colour combination.  A former jewelry crafter herself, she now operates a food truck outside Mount Sinai Hospital.  Interesting reading.  So many of my customers have such intriguing stories.  I wish I knew more than only a fraction of them.

  The Market was abuzz with activity.

Denyse, my highly-valued loyal customer, looking uncharacteristically coy in one of her small number of new acquisitions.  Merci mille fois, Denyse!  A bientot, j'espere!

Laura looks pretty happy about her choice.  Her family helped her make it. Thank you, one and all!

Ashleigh, gracing her new silk disc band.

Adina and I have friends in common, and she comes to say hello when she's doing her Market shopping.  I asked her to model this for me...

....and this is the one she herself chose to model.

Once more with feeling!

Arthur, a very young Schnauzer, was the dog of the day.  So nice I snapped him thrice.

Chloe, a regular.

Chelsea!

And again, giving Arthur a run for his money in the cuteness department.

Borrowing my mirror to take a photo.  I volunteered, but no, they wanted it like this.

Look!  Up in the air!  Four little yellow planes, flying in formation!

Look!  Down on the ground!  Salome modeling the OMG hat!  And with her usual sass and style, I might add.

A teeny plane trailing smoke.

A dog waiting patiently for some wind to face into.

Why look who's coming.  It's... Sticky Toffee!

He has his own website, does Sticky Toffee.  (Sticky, to his friends.  But not, to be fair, to the touch.)

Emerging from a refreshing dip.

Monty, au naturel.

Finally, Mark's ingenious method of keeping his vase-less sunflowers fresh at work -- velcro strap and a repurposed coffee mug.

Amherstburg the Second

The second for me, the forty-fifth for the event, ART by the River.  Once again the Gibson Gallery in historic Amherstburg called up hot and sunny weather for their huge craft sale fundraiser which turns Fort Malden into a tent city for a weekend.

The fort is situated on the banks of the Detroit River, hence a major player in the War of 1812.  Like St. Lawrence Market for the war's 200th anniversary, costumed people roamed the grounds, sweltering in their woolen uniforms or layers of dress, petticoats and corsets.  ("You get used to it", they lie stoically.  "Your body acclimates," they dissemble bravely.)

Last year I toured the main building.  This year I visited the pensioner's cottage, a two-room house the size of a thumbnail, where a pensioned soldier (age mid-forties or so), his wife and seven children lived, sharing at night with several pigs and a cow or two before the barn got built.  I kid you not.

Pensioner's cottage

Bravely sweltering

The best part was the smokehouse, made from a hollowed tree:

How I want one.

Anyhoo, that was my historical foray for the occasion, conveniently situated right beside the concession stand with the veggie burgers.  Too bad they weren't smoked in the smokehouse.

Once again I lucked into sharing the tent of the awesome Ms. Jacqui Uza, who makes astonishingly beautiful vintage-style beaded bags she and her growing coterie of skilled helpers knit.  Jacqui's enterprise, called BOKO (Bead One, Knit One), is sort of a well-kept secret.  The purses are not sold in stores, and their web presence is negligible.  She and her husband, George, travel everywhere, selling these awe-inspiring creations at shows the world over.  (You can see them next at Toronto's Cabbagetown Festival, inside the park, the weekend after Labour Day.)  The Amherstburg show is the only one they do that's local to them.  All weekend long they catch up with friends who pop by.  It's a very jolly scene.  

George and Jacqui are also really marvelous friends and mentors for artists and crafters they meet in their travels.  They are generous with praise, advice and information.  I am lucky to count myself one of their many beneficiaries.

A new one is Courtney Sendzik, a talented young artist in photography and painting, and our next-tent neighbour.

Courtney in her tent

George helped Courtney grapple with her tent's sides and I helped, too, for the free lesson in tentness.  (I don't have one, and if and when I finally get one I don't want to be a complete stranger to the thing.)  Courtney does gorgeous work and has an infectious laugh, and, almost most importantly, has a sweetie who makes wine at Colio Winery.  What's not to love?  

Lawrence and Courtney

Lawrence very kindly gave a bottle to the Uzas (George is an oenophile) and me as we were packing up after the show was over -- Colio Lake and River 2010 Vineyard Select Cabernet Ontario VQA.  I endorse it wholeheartedly.  

Dee.  Lish.  Us.

I also met Elizabeth and James of Harvest Pillows, whose product is filled with buckwheat.  They also  sell them at shows all over the place.  Elizabeth came by my hat display wearing some very wonderful glasses with vintage frames, for which I am a sucker.  Their booth was an oasis of simplicity and calm, which seems apposite when your product is pillows.  I wanted to curl up with one of them right away.  (A pillow, not Elizabeth and James.  Although I'm sure they're personally very cuddly, also.) 

Probably very cuddly Elizabeth and James amid their pillows

It was very nice to be in the sun, yet close to the river and its delicious breezes, on the last weekend of August, seeing some familiar faces and meeting new people.  Some souvenir snaps:

  Emily and Lauren

Our tent of beaded bags and occasionally beady millinery.

A steamship going through, which they do.  The river there is a deep channel for ships, which is why the fort was so crucial during the War of 1812.

Debbie, a.k.a. Pinkie.  Not Pinky, Pinkie.  Somehow this hat spoke to her and she gave it a loving home.

Lorraine, in one of the hats she rocked so well for a bit of dress-up fun.  Behind her is George Uza, Jaqui's charming husband.

Lovely Ms. Kelly and her long locks liked this cap.

This is a photo of Rex, Courtney's cat.  That face!  It cracks me up, and reminds me quite a bit of my cat, Olivia.  She's also a clown.

Olivia, my clown princess.

Continuing this theme, a pooch named Princess.

Judy, whom I met at this show last year when she bought my showpiece "Eliza."   She collects hats, with the input of her husband's discerning eye.  Judy made a beeline to my table first thing this year, which was so flattering it made my weekend.  This is one of the two pieces she chose this time, and an excellent choice, too.  Thanks, Judy!

Chartreuse-loving Shirley.

Jeannine kindly allowed me to borrow her to model this chapeau precis because of her apposite ensemble.  Elle est ravissante.  Merci!

Lovely Ashley in her new gold silk disc band... 

...and Rose, aglow in her new grey one.

  Avery, whose mother said a photo would be okay.

The shady bits of the riverbank were oases in the hot park.

Amanda, radiant bride-to-be, in my latest showpiece.  I'm very proud of this hat because it has a level of sophisticated construction and clever engineering that I haven't achieved before.  Amanda totally "got" it and named it the "OMG Hat."   Thanks, Amanda!  I want to dress your head for your wedding!


And with that we bid another fond farewell to Amherstberg and ART by the River.  Big thank-yous to Jacqui and George Uza, the hard-working volunteers of the Gibson House Museum, and everyone who took the time to come by my display, play dress-up, and make a purchase.

Look for me back at my own spot at St. Lawrence Market this Saturday, as we bid a fond farewell to summer (school year edition).