Sneak Peek Friday - Christmas in August

Since moving into the new house at the end of March, I've had a lot of days that felt a bit like Christmas. It's been fun to unpack some boxes with things I hadn't seen in 5 months, 4 years, 10 years or more. I had another Christmas moment last Saturday. Eagle Harbor hosted their annual Art Fair. It's an event I've wanted to attend since first hearing about it long before we ever moved to the U.P., but our trips to the Keweenaw never coincided with the right weekend. Since moving here, we've either been out of town or way too busy to attend. Thus, it was a priority to make it this year now that we're living 5 miles down the road. Marty & Donna are in town, so they went along with us.

I had my camera in my purse, but I neglected to take any photos. Sorry about that. They had over 60 artist vendors - jewelry makers, wood turners, painters, photographers, potters, metal workers, candle makers, etc. We walked around for quite a while checking out all the booths - stopping to talk to some folks we knew along the way. I was making mental notes about what I might want to purchase.

If you've ever been shopping with me, you know I can very easily talk myself out of spending a dollar (literally. . . a dollar!). I don't know what got into me on Saturday, but I did talk myself into a soy candle - Coconut Creme Pie scented. That candle has now replaced the white one I had in the Copper Lantern on the shelf under my antique side table - the subject of last week's peek. 

The last vendor I visited was where I experienced Christmas. I couldn't resist a couple items at the booth of a local basket weaver, Nancy Stoneman. She lives nearby on Gratiot Lake Road, and she had some beautiful baskets. She also had these.

The snowflake ornament was only $3.00.

The snowshoes were only $5.00. . .

and the detail is incredible.

We purchased a 9-foot artificial Christmas tree on clearance after Christmas 2013. We'll put it between the 2 sets of sliding doors in the great room, and I think these ornaments will look adorable on it. By the way, I looked to see if Nancy Stoneman had a shop on Etsy, but I couldn't find one, and there wasn't a web site listed on her tags. I do know she sells things at most of the local shows.

We all took a few minutes before we left to grab a quick bite or two from the concession stand. Please note: Steve had more bites than the rest of us. Donna & I also registered for the raffle to win one or both of two gorgeous quilts, and we made a date to attend the quilt show in Calumet near the end of September. 

I'm still kicking myself for not getting a birch bark vessel filled with branches. It would have looked nice on a table in our foyer. If the same artist is at the Copper Harbor Art in the Park tomorrow, I'll probably spring for one. (The Copper Harbor event is another we've always missed, but it's on our schedule for tomorrow!)

No more peeking today!

All is well in the Keweenaw.