Thanksgiving

This year I have so much to be thankful for. I have a great house, a great guy, and a great dog. We are well on our way to getting solar panels on the house, and have personally had a pretty uneventful year as far as illness or injury. Our families have had a few bumps in the road, but are now all healthy and doing well. As the year comes to a close I look back and am a little amazed at all I have been able to accomplish and do. It is only because I have such great friends and family who make me take a breath now and a again and ask why I am heading in this direction. I am very lucky. I hope you are as luck as this.

E.A.S.T. 2009

This was a great weekend, even with the chilly weather on Saturday. Etsy Austin put their best face forward for E.A.S.T. 2009. We had members set up all around, but I was at Smith road Studios as a guest of Faith Schexnayder, of Flat Fork Studio. Faith is one of those artists who does just about everything. She paints, she does mosaics, and she makes the most amazing sculptures of foam. They are so good one little boy asked his dad if a two foot tall lemon slice was real. The show was a lot of fun. It is always a pleasure to spend the day with some crafty ladies, talking about what we do and why. At the building there are several other artists who have space, including a glass blower that would allow you to make your own piece with them. This should certainly be a stop on your route next year. I hope if you were able to get out you had a great experience, and if you were unable there is always next year.

Wheatsville Art Festival

Joy of all joys I have been accepted into the Wheatsville Art Festival. This is so exciting for me. I have been doing smaller shows, and very happy to be able to do them, but the Wheatsville is a highly attended long running show. I am honored to be chosen out of the many applications they receive each year. I am also honored to be setting up shop in the main parking lot near the store. The show will be bigger than ever, and will reach to other parking lots, and stretch out to the Spider house. It will be a true event. On December 5 and 6 you should put on your walking shoes, and come on out to see all of the beautiful art. The show will from 10-5, and it should be a great deal of fun. The Wheatsville Food Co-op, if you are not familiar, is a staple here in Austin. Being on Guadalupe it has been one of the few good choices for students at UT for 33 years now. I can not wait until the show, but I have so much to do. I wonder if Santa can spare an Elf or two.

http://wheatsville.coop/

Solar panels making progress….

The beast in the back yard has fallen. The giant ailing Arizona Ash was removed by Austin Tree Surgeons and we were very happy with their work. There was some minor accidental damage to our fence but they repaired it promptly. Brad took us through the process, and is a really nice guy. Chainsaw are not me favorite sound, but it was all worth it. Now we have moved on to step two, the weatherization of our house. This is a good idea for just about any house I think. Rob and Alison of Green Collar Operations have been very helpful, and have explained what we needed and why. When the guys came to do the work, I was surprised at how quiet they were. They checked our ducts, and repaired any leaks, as well as caulked our windows, and put weather stripping on our doors. They also blew 10 inches of insulation in the attic, as we only had 6, and there were gaps in several places. It has only been a few days, but I have already noticed a more consistent temperature in the house. Rob tells me that homes that are even a couple of years old are failing the test, allowing the home to be sold in Austin, of 10%leakage or less. The final step of our weatherization has been to add solar film to our southern and western facing windows. Sunsational Solutions came out and did the film. They were very courteous, and worked quickly. Sam did our evaluation and fully explained how the film works, and what different options we had. He even told me about a shatter proof option that will stop anything but a bullet. You can watch the video online to see it stop a 2x4 being shot from a cannon. The film is virtually invisible, so it would be a much more attractive option that bars on the window, and may be a good investment if you live in an area prone to storms. Chris and Jonathan did the installation. Jonathan told me has been doing this work for 15 years, but you would never believe it to look at him. When they were installing the film you could feel the difference in the heat that was let in through the window without the film, and since it blocks 99% of all UV rays, it is more pleasant to would look through. I would expect it will also help drapes, and furniture to last longer not being bleached by the sun. Overall this has been a pleasant experience. The workmen have all been efficient, and pleasant. I am looking forward to the saving that we can expect on our next utility bills. Next step the solar panels.

Labor or Love Arts and crafts show

The Labor or Love Arts and crafts show was a lot of fun. I had great neighbors, which is always a nice treat. The show was in doors, which also a treat. There were plenty of folks out for the chocolate cake. I am told it is famous, and it was rather tasty. I broke away from my little station and picked up a few goodies for my nieces and nephews. For the little man I found a hand made wooden train. He is at that age where anything with wheels will hold his attention. You would not believe how inexpensive this was. Charlie, the toy maker, told me they just try to cover the costs of the toys that they give away. How could I possibly say no after hearing that? He had a lot of other super cute push and pull toys, and hand painted puzzles. These are really pieces of art that a kid can play with, and some day pass down to their own children. Now for the girls it is all about glamour. They want glitz and flash, and is absolutely must be pink. I was thrilled to find this groovy purse made of vintage fabric, by Amy of Sweet tooth. I was even more thrilled to find that she could make me a second one out of the same fabric. It just would not do if they were not alike. Being the cool Aunt is not always that easy but it gets a lot easier when you run into artists of this caliber.

Charlie and Jan bush 512-264-2618
Amy Barber of Sweet Tooth http://www.sweettoothbags.com