"Life for me is sweet, simple, authentic and relaxed. I am content with myself and in love with life wherever it leads."  -excerpt from The Gypsy Ashram

Friends, 

I am thinking of you today and sending you so much love.  Remember that love comes and shows itself in a myriad of forms.  We are surrounded and deeply, deeply cared for.  Please take a few moments to read this heartfelt Valentine's Day rant.  It is for all of us who know and who wish to know that there is more love available than we are generally led to believe.  

 

Not only are these iron buttons hand-crafted from by a Lexington artist, these iron buttons are also filled with Lexington history.  They are from iron rods that were in one of the barns at Hamburg Place.  While Hamburg Place is currently known for shopping, it was previously a well-know breeding farm for horses.  It was bought by John Madden in 1897.  Prior to this, he had tamed an unruly colt named Hamburg.  [Here is a little background on Hamburg:  His sire was Hanover, winner of Belmont Stakes and thirty-one other races and his paternal grandsire was Hindoo, a winner of the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes and thirty of his thirty-five starts.  Hamburg’s dam was Lady Reel, half-sister to Domino and whose sire was Fellowcraft, a full brother to Spendthrift.]  Hamburg was purchased as a yearling by John E. Madden and proved to be one of the most difficult horses Madden ever broke.  Hamburg raced sixteen-times as a two yr old and won twelve of those starts.  Madden sold Hamburg after his first season, used this money to purchase land, and named it in honor of the horse that helped him buy it.  Madden went on to breed five Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners and was later inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame and the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.  Hamburg Place continued to be a well-known horse farm until 1996 when it was sold to be developed.

References:
Thoroughbred Heritage Portraits 
Wikipedia John E Madden
Hamburg Place 

New work is in process (on all levels).

POP-UP ART STORE

• Where: MS Rezny Gallery 903 Manchester St.
• When:   Thursday, December 15th from 4-6:30pm
• What:    There will be various artists showing and selling their work.  No admission and light refreshments will be served.  

JEWELRY AND JOURNALS CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EVENT

• Where:  The Tibbetts House 4009 Hillside Drive 40514
• When:   Wednesday, December 14th from 6-9pm       
•              Sunday, December 18th from 2-6p           
•  What:  AmandaMade and ReImagined by Luna present two shopping events for all your Christmas shopping needs!

AmandaMade jewelry offers a large variety of handmade jewelry including wire wrapped pendants, rings, bracelets, and necklace sets. Custom orders placed will be ready in time for Christmas.

Invite your friends :

 I've just made alot of new product available online.  Be sure to check it out.  Also, I am having an End of the Year SALE and have marked particular books down 20-35%.  The photos below are examples of new product now up for grabs in my online shop.  Happy Shopping!

 I am doing an online sale today only.  Since many of us will shopping online today anyway given that it's Cyber Monday, stop by my online shop for 25% off your purchases.  It will end at 10pm tonight.  Just put in the code CyberMondaySale2011 when you get ready to check out.

 

November 19 ~ 20, 2011 
Heritage Hall at the Lexington Center 
Lexington, KY

Hours:  Saturday, November 19  10:00 am ~ 5:00 pm  Sunday, November 20  11:00 am ~ 5:00 pm

Location:  Lexington Center  430 W. Vine Street  Lexington, KY  Directions

I am grateful to live in a place where people are supportive and intentional about supporting handmade and small businesses.   I felt that deep gratitude again this past weekend.  I am happy to say that the pop-up shop was a success and that there will probably be more in the future.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by!  We really appreciate you.   To begin with, we could not have asked for a more beautiful day.  It was cold and rained several days leading up to it, but Saturday was as gorgeous as they come.  We all set-up at Amelia's house next to her studio, which meant Mayapple Creations and myself were in the backyard beneath this fabulous tree.  It was fun being set-up with our full display in a backyard.  The whole ambiance was relaxed, and there was plenty of opportunity to engage.  Sometimes at the larger shows, there are so many folks that there isn't time to get to converse with our customers the way we would like to.  This type of atmosphere allowed for more of that.  We also had food and hot beverages as a treat for our customers.  Again, we do appreciate each and every one of you.

 

Come celebrate Lexington's local artisans and get a head start on holiday shopping!  Several local artists will be exhibiting in the first Local Artisans of Lexington Holiday Pop-Up Shop. Featured items include eco-friendly jewelry by Josie and Mark Lamb, handmade ceramic ware by Amelia Stamps, and upcycled journals by Melissa Oesch. All of the artists are also a part of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen and create full-time. They will have ample products available for early Christmas shopping as well as some discounted goods. Light appetizers will be provided.

Regarding: Local Artisan’s Holiday Pop-Up Shop
Date:          This Saturday!  (November 5th)
Time:         10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday
Place:         117 Elam Park Lexington, Kentucky (Home of Amelia Stamps)

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that.  Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.
–Howard Thurman.

Ah, it's been a good four-week-run of festivals every weekend.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the bit of traveling and meeting and spending time with so many wonderful people.  

I participated in St. James Art Show a couple weeks ago in Old Town Louisville.  Here is a peek at the fountain on St. James court in the wee hours of the morning.  I found out when I was setting up that I was scheduled for a t.v. interview on Friday morning at 6am.  I had planned to drive to Louisville on Friday from Lexington.  This means et up really early.  There was something nice about being at the show while it was dark and still, before all the bustling began.  You can check out the t.v. interview here.  The rest of the weekend was pretty constant.  I got to see and meet some amazing customers and friends.  Plus, my friends, Amanda and George, made me Vegan lasagna, which was quite tasty!

Last weekend, I was at the KY Guild's Fall Fair.  It took place at the Indian Fort Theater, which has to be one of my favorite venues ever.  All of the artists are literally in the woods along a trail.  And with it being Fall, it couldn't have been prettier.  Some of the leaves had changed, and the weather was sunny and fabulous.  We could not have asked for a better weekend!

I'll be at St. James Art Show.  Come on by!  I'll be on Fourth Street at booth #777.

I had a gorgeous drive this past weekend to Madison, IN.  GPS took me along backroads the whole way there.  It was incredibly tempting to pull over and go exploring.  Instead, I soaked it up from my car window and appreciated the sunshine and crisp fall air.  After several bridges and a scenic view of the river, I arrived in Madison.  Being there was delightful.  The town is quaint and surrounded by beautiful countryside, and the people were so warm and inviting.  We did have some rain on Saturday, but people came out regardless.  These folks obviously come year after year as I was repeatedly told, "You're new here, aren't you?"  They are quite the dedicated crowd.  That Sunday morning, a volunteer came up and asked what my booth number was.  She had a piece of paper in hand, and my first thought was that I must have parked in the wrong place or something.  Actually, I was up for an award and was suppose to attend the award ceremony at 11.  What a fun way to start the day!  I went to the ceromony and received First Place in Fine Craft.  The mayor of Madison presented the awards, and I was given a handmade wooden box that a local artist had made from cherry wood.  Between the award and the sunshine making an unexpected day-long appearance, it was a fabulous day.  And now, a long deep breath....and I'm back to the studio.

 

*group picture courtesy of Madison Chautauqua Art Festival

I am thoroughly enjoying this change in weather.  The reprieve from the heat has been great.  With all this cool fall air comes a flurry of fall festivals.  I started off the season with the Midway Fall Festival this past weekend.  This is a quaint, historic little town with alot of character.  This train track ran right along the back of the booths and kids played up and down it all day.  It seemed as if everyone were enjoying the brisk air and sunshine.  Thanks to all who came out and stopped in!

I felt giddy this whole past weekend and kept saying to myself, "Oh my gosh-I'm at Woodland Art Fair!”  I remember walking it when I was little and being mesmerized by all the colors, texture, and creativity.  At that time, I had no idea that I would one day participate.  Everything about it was fabulous...well, besides my voice going away on Sunday.  Otherwise, the weather was ideal, the Lexington Art League did an amazing job, and I got to see familiar, new, and friendly faces.  I deeply appreciate all the support and kind words that everyone gave.  One young woman said, “I don't usually journal, but I would if I had something this lovely."  Yes!  Another young woman is having me make a custom journal for her dear friend whose twin brother passed five years ago.  I am all too familiar with this sort of experience.   She continued to say that her friend feels him close when she dances.  Her friend was there with quite tears falling.  It was one of those beautiful connecting moments where they then began telling me all the things that represent him and their relationship so I can be sure to include it on the journal.  It was so good getting to meet and talk with them.  So many beautiful moments filled the weekend.  Truly, thank you all for filling up my booth and taking some time to share yourselves with me. 

Last Saturday was blazing hot!  Thankfully, I was nestled in the shade at Barefoot Works Yoga Studio, participating in the fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  The folks that came out were so pleasant and enjoyable that it was impossible to not have a good time.  One woman told me that seeing my books made her think of this quote:

"There is no use trying, said Alice; one can't believe impossible things. I dare say you haven't had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."      -Lewis Carroll

Between the colorful hula hoops, henna, and beautiful smiles, I think we all found each other mutually inspiring.  Its kind of hard not to believe in impossible things with so many out-of-the-box thinkers coming together for a Saturday morning/afternoon.  

Thanks to Sharon of Barefoot Works for having us out, to Red Lotus Henna for the awesome arm artwork, and to Fran for being a great booth buddy/friend!  Cheers to us all!

(thanks to Sharon and Fran for the photos!)

I did my first art show in Chicago this past weekend.  I now officially know that not only am I capable of doing it, but that I also enjoy being there.  Because it was a combined art and music festival, the show times were different from what I typically experience.  This one opened at noon and went until dusk.  It did give me a bit of time in the mornings to wander the streets and enjoy some of the city, particularly Sunday morning since I didn't have to worry about setting up.  While Sunday was a serious scorcher weather-wise, it was an overall good first show in the city. 

I travelled to the woods of Berea, KY this past weekend.  They were absolutely enchanting with tall trees surrounding the paths that were lined with incredible artists.  While it rained a bit on Friday (only a slight deterrence to serious art shoppers), we had sunny skies and intense heat the rest of the weekend.  The trees were great about providing shade here and there.  We all just sweated alot and enjoyed each other regardless.  It was fun to see familiar faces and meet new folks as well as get to know some other artists. 

The lovely people who organized the event had all the vendors out for some soupbeans, cornbread, and good ole music.  The musicians organized themselves and played fiercely while the rest of us embraced the down time and watched Josie do a bit of fire hula hoop dancing.  (For those of you who know me, you know this was a particular highlight).  Yes, I tried the hula hoop.  No, I did not try the fire. 

 I am most thankful for the interactions this past weekend.  It was fabulous being back in Berea for a bit.

My studio just got a bit of a make-over, which includes a brand new addition.   *drumroll*  Please meet Juki-the industrial sewing machine.  She is here to help with all my thick material needs.  I bought her in Indianapolis and drove her in pieces back to KY.  By half miracle and half sheer will power, I managed to get her upstairs to my studio.  If you've never carried the head of an industrial sewing machine before, let me tell you:  this. was. a. feat.  And, I've worked on a farm before.  So, I know heavy lifting when I see it.  This was VERY heavy lifting. I'm happy to say that she is now all put back together and buzzing along quite nicely.  

People for Urban Progress (PUP) invited me to their studio to participate in July's First Friday.  It was a fabulous evening.  Thanks to all who came out!