The Shiloh and The Searcy House

On our little Arkansas trip, we stopped at a place that I'd wanted to visit for quite some time. The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History is a truly wonderful little museum with interactive exhibits and close to a million historical images of life in the Ozarks housed in their research library.


In addition to the museum building itself, the pretty shaded grounds hold six historical buildings.




One of those buildings is the Searcy House, a home originally built in the 1870s, renovated in the 1940s, and donated, along with much of its contents, to the museum in the 1980s.




If you too are an Old Time Ozarkophile, I highly recommend a visit to The Shiloh. And lest you think this place is all butter churns and banjos, allow me to inform you that they offer podcasts on a range of fascinating topics, and that they (along with the rest of the free world) have a twitter account.

One of the very best things about the Ozarks is, of course, the music. The two cd collection of Arkansas folk music recordings culled from the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection that we bought in the gift shop has been on near constant rotation in the Hall household. I was also excited to learn today that a group of Sacred Harp singers meets there monthly. I don't think the Shiloh has seen the last of this gal.

Eureka!

The last few months have been a blur of adventures and illnesses it seems. One of our latest adventures was a spur of the moment trip to the beautiful Victorian town of Eureka Springs. My husband is from near there, so we've visited many times. We even drove over there to purchase my autoharp in the spring. But this visit was, by far, the most beautiful one we've made because the fall foliage was at its absolute peak.









Thank you for stopping by.

Little Red

Here's Little Red in the costume I made for her. I modified an online tutorial I found for a lined hooded cape, and embellished a two dollar Goodwill dress with vintage velvet ribbon and trim.


The finishing touch was a fifty cent garage sale basket for carrying food to grandma or holding the spoils of an evening of trick-or-treating, as the case may be.



What a stinker.

Deluxe Craft Weekend

I'm very, very excited about an upcoming event I'll be participating in September 25-27 in Oklahoma City. Deluxe Craft Weekend is brought to you by Sara and J.D., hard working directors of Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar and all around art and craft ninjas. This unique event features 36 solid hours of social crafting including nine meals from some of OKC's finest eateries. On top of a dedicated, secure workspace, the chance for crafty fellowship with other creative people, and three squares each day, those dollfaces are going to give attendees coffee, drinks and snacks all weekend too! Mr. Sweetheart and I will be celebrating his birthday and our soon to follow wedding anniversary there.

In addition to the 36 hour craftacular retreat, 20+ workshops will be offered on everything from applying to major craft shows, with the directors of The Girlie Show, to whittling to knitting. If you can't attend the whole weekend event, you may choose one or more of the workshops which range in price from $15 to $45. What a great, hands on introduction to that new skill you've been
dying to learn, and an excellent way to further your crafty business skills!
I am so thrilled to be leading an "Embroidery 101" workshop which will cover everything you need to learn to get started in hand embroidery. The $30 class includes practice fabric, a hoop, needle, embroidery floss, a booklet with stitch diagrams and tips, and a tea towel. You will leave armed with knowledge of the basics and your first project in progress.
So if you're anywhere near Oklahoma, I invite you to register for this one-of-a-kind weekend retreat or stop by for a workshop or two. I can't wait!

My New Ride

Needing a distraction, Sugar Pea and I hit some garage sales on Saturday as part of the second annual Kan-Okla 100 Mile Sale . I came away with quite a few treasures, but the best find was this 1960's Schwinn American complete with a headlight and baskets on the back. It's pretty much my dream bike, second only to Pee-Wee's, of course. I've been wanting a bike for some time, and I was just waiting for the right one to come along.


This new set of wheels was just what I needed this weekend, after a very stressful couple of days. Last Wednesday night, a pick up truck on a flat bed trailer came loose from the truck that was pulling it down the street on the south side of our house. It flew through our back yard, slamming into my beloved minivan which was thrown into our other car parked next to it in the driveway behind our house. My van is totaled, and our other car is in pretty bad shape.


The bright side (because you know there always is one) is that none of my loved ones were in the yard at the time. Also, had the cars not been parked behind our home, the trailer would have crashed into our back bedroom, taking out our home's electrical system, not to mention ruining a whole lot of vintage fabric and craft supplies. Thank god for insurance!

On The Road To Chouteau

South Tulsa Music Festival

This Saturday, September 5th I will be at the South Tulsa Music Festival with the lovely Heather of Audrey Eclectic. The free festival features six local bands, as well as a market place of talented local artists and crafters, all coordinated by my dear friend Marissa.


In addition to Heather's beautiful paintings, prints, postcards and fabulous new lapel lockets, we will have my Beauty Buttons, tote bags, hair ornaments, and these limited edition kitschy Bouffant Beauties for your purchasing pleasure.


What could be better on a Saturday evening that good local music and handmade art? Oh, and I'm fairly certain that there will be beer.