Saturday, May 23, 2009

Nina Sews Aprons: Film at Eleven


It's show time! I started earlier than usual this year, vending at a Festival That Shall Not Be Named. I don't want to give them any more publicity, as the show sucked. It was so bad. I do not have the energy to talk about how bad it was. Instead, I will regale you with photos of the booth and my friend Nina's talent. In the photo above, Nina is on the left, and I am on the right. She was vending with me at that horrible show, with her fabulous sewed items. She is an artist--she made those aprons we are wearing, and I got to keep mine. Of course, during this year's market season, I will be sporting that cute apron!

For those who are itching to visit me at a show, you can come see me at the Roxborough Spring Festival next weekend. You can get a whole week's jump ahead of the rest of mah peeps who see me at the farmer's markets, which start June 6 for me. I do a Sunday market, too, as many of you may know.

Okay, photo regaling....now.


This year, I will continue to make bath fizzies! Drop one in your full tub, and it will fizz and release its coconut oil and cocoa butter, as well as the essential oils for scent. Left-to-right, we have lemon-lime, lavender, and lavender-eucalyptus fizzies. These are only available in person--I don't ship these.

Of course, I will still feature my handmade bar soap. This is the goat milk selection. My goat milk is local! Dang, I love this soap.

Introduced last year, my liquid soap will be a prominent feature this year. I plan on offering a discount for refills at the markets--bring me your clean glass jars with lids, and the next week I'll bring it back with liquid soap. Recycle those glass jars, people! These bottles and pumps will last quite a while, so there's no sense in buying a new, plastic bottle each time.

As promised, here is Nina. Take a gander at the table, and you will see little sewed drawstring bags, wine bottle bags, and up above, aprons are hanging from the tent. Her stuff is amazing--she has great taste and talent. For this year, might I recommend...


...a reusable tote bag for the farmer's market? You can take it to the grocery store, as well. Check out the summertime fun colors.

Speaking of going green with reusable items, her upcycled aprons are a gas. She mixes in recycled denim with cute cotton fabrics to make a funky, practical apron. You need one!

See? I know you want it. I want it! She had another one like this, except the middle panel featured la Virgin de Guadalupe. It sold almost instantly. I hope to have Nina vend with me at a farmer's market once or twice this summer, so you can meet her and see what else she's got up her fashionably-tailored sleeve. If you want to get in touch with her, just email her directly at My2Franks at gmail dot com. I'm sure she would love to discuss a project with you. Also, be sure to ask about her 2 Franks.

Okay, time to make more bath fizzies and bag up some salt, I think. Have a great 3-day weekend!

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls!


Last night I tried something new: I attended a roller derby bout. I had never been to the roller derby before, and my friend Heather (shown here, perusing the program) was in town for her 40th birthday, so that's a great reason to go, I figure.

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are a local roller derby league. We were watching one of their teams, The Contenders. If you've never been to a roller derby bout, I recommend going to the next one you can find. It is an amazing display of female athleticism, power, and style. This is the action shot that was the least blurry:


Please note the skater falling down in the background. It happens. A lot. Which is why warming up is essential:



The entire thing is women-powered. Did you know all the skaters are volunteers? That's right--your ticket pays for from-the-heart entertainment. It is full of action, but you have to get used to the rules to follow the bout. It's not too hard to figure out.

Roller derby is not only about skating and athletic prowess. It's about style. Each of the skaters has her own style--for fashion, skating, and personal image. I suppose that's why the crowd was represented by such diverse styles:


drag queens,


men in kilts,


girls sitting on the floor with pom-poms in their hair,


lovely ladies with wicked handbags,


rockabilly cuties,



new wave punks (and dudes in Hawaiian shirts),



And Rollergirls themselves. She didn't seem to be skating tonight--maybe she's on another team. Here are few of the skaters from the bout:



Misstress Tarable and Flame N Fury,



and the high-scorer for the night, kick-ass jammer, and our personal favorite, Whipity Pow. Best roller derby name, evah. Do not mess with her. Just don't.

Support your local roller derby! You will love it! Grrls rock!