Spring finally came!!  I feel like we can take a collective sigh of relief that we all survived the long winter.  I don’t mind being a bit of a hermit and going into deep internal work mode for a few solitary months, but I do miss the sunshine and all the bright colors that come with this time of year.  For me, spring means jumping into outdoor art festivals, which I officially kicked off a couple of weeks ago.  It was the most fabulous beginning of the season at Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville with gorgeous weather and winning an honorable mention award.  There was something incredible redemptive about this for me.  I love that show—the location, the ease, the friendly people.  However, I’ve had a few hard times with it.  A couple of years ago, my tent was literally mangled by a storm that came through, and last year, I wasn’t even able to make it as my car overheated on the way out of town.  I cannot fully express my gratitude as I drove my new, reliable car to the show this year with my sturdy tent in tow.  I do not take these things lightly as you can see I have gone without.  Doing so has deepened my appreciation.   I’m looking forward to several fun shows coming up and a couple of bookbinding workshops this summer.   Hope to see you around!

"Melissa Oesch of Re-Imagined was selling upcycled handmade journals, sketchbooks, and notebooks created from handmade paper and imaginative leather covers. I thought her use of old classic book covers that sandwiched blank paper—to write your own version of a classic—was a piece of creative genius. I picked up an old copy of “The Essentials of an Enduring Victory” and flipped through the blank pages, whiskers twitching with victorious possibilities. What a clever girl that Melissa was!"

Check out the full article about the Cherokee Art Fair at Toulouse LeTrek.

This past weekend was Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville, KY.   One of the many highlights were the variety of exclamations people would make as they walked into my booth.  One gal walzed right up to the booklet necklaces exclaiming "I require one of these!"  Another lady picked up a large leather journal as she said" Wow! This work is amazing."  It was a delight to hear all of the feedback.  This is definitely one of the perks of participating in a show.  Its also fun to watch folks pick everything up and truly experience all of the textures.

I set up on Friday and was immediately even more excited about the show once I saw where it was. Cherokee Triangle is a neighborhood with gorgeous homes and ancient trees.  I was completely enchanted.  The weekend was full of oh so many interesting, genuine folks of all ages.  We had sunshine all of Saturday, and did we ever need it.  With so much rain here as of late, everyone could not have been in a better mood-myself included. There was a storm late Saturday evening, and I arrived at a quite disheveled booth on Sunday morning.  Nothing will wake you up like some good old fashioned manual labor.  The top had come off of my canapy, and my tables and displays were overturned.  Lots of things were soaked.  Thankfully, I had put all of the books away the night before, and none of them got wet.  I called upon all things creative and got right to work putting my canopy back together and attempting some sort of display with what I could still use.  It all worked out, and although it was suppose to rain all of Sunday, it did not rain during the show.  As soon as I packed my car up and closed the door, the drops began to fall.  Its pretty amazing that the weather was so merciful.  I kept telling everyone that I felt like we were being given a present.  

Having never done a show in Louisville prior to this, I have to say that it did capture me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the people that came through.  The streets, trees, and many local restaurants were magical. Everything was conducive to a fantastic weekend.  Thanks to all to came out!