Down by the water

Today my Dad drove my brother and I around to check out where the tornadoes touched down in Juniata County.  Even with a lot of the debris cleaned up it was pretty crazy.  A lot of the houses have already been demolished.  In the picture below the house was gone, the barn was falling down and the trees on the ridge were flatten but another building was untouched.  Luckily the area it hit isn't very populated and there were no injuries or deaths.  Can't say the same for a lot of cows and chickens, though.
After a lot of back roads we stopped at a family-owned grocery and hardware store called Shlegel's (the Germans really liked this area). It also sells lots of other odds and ends and also gas- walmart is very far away.  And it used to have a schtick for giving out $2 bills as change, that always stuck with me. My dad likes to stop here to get dinner so we grabbed lunch and then ate down by the river.  I almost dropped the container since the food was so heavy.  Central PA does not eff around with their meals.  I barely ate any of it but it was certainly tasty and also very nap-worthy.  

They have a standard package to include filling.  It's Thanksgiving dinner all the time around here. Also, 2 different kinds of meat in loaf form.

Out

I'm in Central Penna visiting family for the week so this will be my view.  I'm sure there will be some pictures to show you during the week and after that it'll be back to the squid. 

Pittsburgh Public Market This Sunday!

We'll be taking a break on Sunday from our never-ending unpacking (I didn't realize how much stuff I owned for Cleo Dee's and how hard it is to openly store it in an appealing manner). Locals can come to the Strip District to buy our wares at the Pittsburgh Public Market.  We'll be there from 10am-4pm, June 26th. 

Know Your Flag

We bought this poster when we were neighbors with Know Your Flag at last year's Chicago Renegade in December.  We had been thinking of moving sometime so we decided to save it for then.  Our apartment move in last month had more than a few bumps so we hung this up on a pre-existing nail as soon as we got here for inspiration.

Craft Shows Through the Years (indoors)

Here's a quick peek at the ol' indoor settings changing throughout the years.  This first one is before I really had a good idea on table display.  My tablecloth was woefully too short along with my table being too small. 

Spring Bada Bing 2007.

Next up is Handmade Arcade 2008.  The trunks are in full effect as well as the squidtivity (although the squidtivity definitely needed some height).  I did still have clothing to sell on my old gridwall and the giant squid are still making an appearance.

Handmade Arcade 2008

This is basically the same setup as the previous month but I discontinued the giants at this point so there were only 2 left.  Also, no more clothing at indoor table shows.

Renegade Holiday 2008

 One good reason to bring all items.  There were pipes running across the ceiling so we figured it was the perfect place for the big tent banner.  Also, we got a suitcase for the squidtivity.  Scott screwed some removable hooks so we made a mini clothesline for the button packs that occasionally make an appearance.  

Tiny Canary 2009

This was last year and the last show of the season so we pulled out all of the stops.  I now have a mini Christmas tree with lights for the mini holiday squid pack along with the shelves for Tadly (with the squidtivity at the top).  Even more height!  We were lucky enough to once again have a backdrop to our table so the giant banner went there and the bunting trimmed the table.

Bizarre Bizarre Cleveland 2010

INDIEanna Handicraft was the largest space I ever had to work with indoors. We had originally planned to have a setup similar to our tent shows.  Basically having the tables and the apron rack set up at the back of the space and have folks walk in.  When we arrived we realized we were actually on a small stage.  This is one of the main reasons we bring everything with us- you never know what your space will actually be like until you see it in person.  Since we were sharing the stage with the dj and they only had a small table we put our 6ft and 4ft table across the front. We placed our other 4 ft at the end behind the other table and had an L shaped set up.  The extra table held the cash box and inventory lists and also hid the Tadly bag.  It also proved useful to sit on so I could still see customers.  Also, since we were in a stage area we only had stage lighting to work with so I really should have brought some extra lighting (should probably start bringing some of those along as well).  We did have free electricity and wifi which was really nice so Scott grabbed the Tadly videos from Vimeo and made a loop of all of the shorts to display on the table.  The high table didn't really prove to be much of a downside except that small children couldn't see our items or the video so they had to get their parents to hold them up. I'm still learning how to use the new camera so forgive the horrible shots but at least it gives you an idea of the set up.  

Using Tadly shelves for a makeshift apron display.

Really glad we threw the giant industrial extension cord into our bag.

The Belgiums are onto something

Wednesday was my birthday.  I celebrated by trying out a new eatery recommended by my best friend (who now lives mere minutes away from me instead of on the opposite side of the country. WIN).  She and her fiance came along with Scott and I to try it out. It did not disappoint and I forsee spending quite a bit of time this summer familiarizing myself with all of the various toppings that are apparently where it's at in Belgium.

 

This is a pretty rad menu display.

Probably the best waffle I have ever had.  And I've eaten many a waffle.

Settling In

During the move I scheduled posts since we didn't have internet until 2 days ago.  This week will be a tad sparse since we're now officially in the throws of unpacking.  We underestimated how long it would take to move our living space and 2 studio spaces along with dealing with a broken fridge and doing an out of state show.  Also, it's been a bit daunting moving into a smaller space but I'm really glad we downsized.  Our previous apartment was 2 stories and sprawling but we had a lot of wasted space.  Also, our living room became a glorified hallway.  We spent 90% of our time upstairs in the studio wishing we could have a couch nearby to hang out on for me to sew or Scott to nap on during long renders.  I'm slowly getting my desk area together and will eventually figure out where to put everything that needs to be close to hand.  Already though I'm really loving my new set up.