Another sale goes in the record books!

Ah, the last day of the sale and I am the wrapper!  That means it is my job to "wrap" the purchases.  Hell, I showed up with my microphone and a tune all composed:

"Hey there people, see the threads!

 Check out the hats for your heads!

The fleece is spun so you can knit!

Come on in-this is IT!"

Well, they put a stop to that sort of "rapping" very quickly and showed me what I was actually put here to do.  And here is my first "wrap"!

And here is the lady who is proudly carrying it home!  Wonderful lady and very happy!

And here we have two of the honchoes who would not let me do the "rap music!"On the left is Joanne Caldwell and on the right is Carole Snow.  They are but 2 of the many people who keep the sale running smoothly and make it possible for the lazy little Lou to set home and still make money!

 

This is Hannah Guthrie who was the sales lady on this second shift.   I know Hannah when I see her, but never her name.  This gave us an opportunity to get to know each other better.  She uses my butters, so now I can deliver to her instead of her waiting a whole year to get her hands on it.  I very much enjoyed working with her today.

And I got to help do the "take down" and visit a bit with Sue Seufer.  She does lots of different things and can spin like no one's business!  That is me sucking up to a real artist below!

Now the place is about to get completely empty!  I need to add here that no good deed goes unpunished.  I was trying to move a naked mannequin across the floor to the front door without putting my hands on her inappropriately.  To make a long story short, her arm fell off and whacked me right across the mouth.  How I am going to explain this one to my friends at church this morning is beyond me, but if any of you have an idea, please, do share it with me!

But one more thing before we leave.  We sold chances on a rug and this was the winner!  I did not get her name, but look at that smile!   Happy woman!  Nice rug! 

And so to bed!

 

 

 

Play pretties from the Vail Hotel.

I am pretty sure this was made by Marilyn Hoisington.  If I ever figure out how to do this, the world will be my oyster!  Now, let's see what else is hanging out here at the Vail.  Bear in mind that my information that I should put with the items is out in the car, and it is dark and scary out there.  I will try to put names on stuff tomorrow, but for tonight, just enjoy the pictures.

This is a weird looking bird and I am betting that Janet Anslovar had a hand in this.  If not, I will correct it tomorrow.  Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow!  Mother taught me that.

This is made of wire and I poked my tiny little finger on one of the wires.  Need to be careful around sharp wires. Mother taught me that also.  That and not to run with scissors.  I listened to mother and that is why I am still alive today!  It is gold and red wires.

Button made from an antler.  That is too cool!

Bookmarks?

An apple that used to be a gourd.  I made that!

This is almost see through.  I like the little pieces of color and the texture is subtle.

Ok, I am going to grab a glass of milk and go to bed.  I promise I will do better tomorrow.  (Bet you have heard that before!)  And you will hear me say, as I disappear from sight,

Merry Wednesday to all and to all a good night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handwoven Holiday Sale is open at the Vail Hotel!

I jumped up this morning, ran through the shower and headed off to the Vail Hotel in Historic downtown Pueblo to work my shift at the sale.  First I had to have Patty Lynn braid my hair and this time she braided the ribbon in with the hair.  Cute, huh?

Here is the Handweavers Sale sign against the backdrop of the beautiful, historic Vail Hotel.  Did you know Clark Gable spent the night there with Carol Lombard, his wife at the time?

This is one of the beautiful stained glass windows that are in the room we have the sale in.

This shot is out the window towards the El Pueblo Museum.

 

Out this window we can see the Sister Cities Plaza.  Behind it is our Senior Center (SRDA)  Lots of demonstrations have taken place here over the years and I might have attended one, or maybe two.  Maybe.

But in here is a real demonstration!  Here we have Marilyn Hoisington giving a demonstration on the floor loom. I do not remember what this pattern is called, but it is on the 4 harness loom.  Since it is the  Hand weaver's  sale, we are always in search of people wanting to learn to weave.  We also do spinning, felting, crochet, knit, basket weaving, dying, and decorate gourds.

This is a close up of what they are working on today.

Over the next few days I will introduce you to a few of our ladies.  Not many men in our guild at all!

This is Colette Wright who is honchoing the upper room, where all the bookkeeping stuff goes on and I am glad she is doing that and not me!

Each year we set aside a "donation table" and the proceeds from that table go to a worthy cause.  This year they are going to Los Pobres Migrant Center in Avondale and dear Sister Nancy Crafton dropped by today to leave some brochures.  I love that woman. 

These are the ladies running the checkout table today.  Tomorrow we will get more personal!  Stay tuned!

But for tonight, a good night to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, I think I did this right!

The year in review.

Here we are at the end of the year again.  I have been here 71  times and it never ceases to amaze me how many people are off and running to the party.  Not me.  I can not stay awake that long.  I will put on a big pot of black eyed peas so I can eat them tomorrow because that will bring me good luck.  Or so I hear and the way my luck runs, I do not want to take any chances!  Actually, my life is pretty good.  Few bumps here and there, but nothing insurmountable. 
January started out with a bang.   My dear friend Sherman was told his cancer had become active and invaded  his spine.  This would set my course for the rest of the year, if not the rest of my life.  His friend, Libby, who was his office manager when he had his business in Denver, came to act as his liaison with the medical community.  She and I became very close friends over the next few months and remain so today.
His very good friend, Mark, came from St. Louis and stayed for 3 weeks while he was in radiation.  Mark and I became good friends and like Libby, it remains so.
I lost him on July 13, which just happened to be Friday the 13th.  I think he might have done that on purpose.  He just had that kind of sense of humor about him.
I met his family and keep in touch with them.  I plan on going to St. Louis this next year.  I have never been there.  Bret has.  The Babylock company is there so that is where he attends classes.  Maybe I will take the train.  That is my plan.  Stop in Hutch.  Stop in St. Louis.  Finish in Dallas, and then reverse the whole thing.  Sounds like a dream come true.  I will probably sleep all the way through the trip.
I "self" published my novel Chapter One...Loose Ends and was able to place a copy in Sherman's hands before he passed away.  That was a shining moment for both of us.  And while I have not sold nearly enough copies to pay the publishing costs, it has been very gratifying.  I am working on a story line now that he and his brother requested.  It is purely fantasy and is what "could have been."  That can be read here.  Some of the descriptions will be real and the basic story line covers some of our time together and how we met.  I think it will be fun.
I did remain active in SCAP through the year and we had luncheon every second Tuesday of the month and several cookouts in the park.  Attended the movies once.  Played miniature golf.  You know, just fun stuff to escape the harsh realities of life.  World AIDS Day was observed at the Hoag Library on December 1.  Great turnout.
We had the Weavers Sale at the Vail Hotel, the craft show at church and the Jingle Bell boutique.  All those were in November.  I made enough money from those to pay the house insurance and part of the taxes.  I missed my vacation this year. 
I sold some stuff and managed to come up with almost enough money to rip out my carpet and put in wood laminate floors on the main level.  I am busy now trying to empty those three rooms and paint.  You got to remember that I have ceilings that are 14 feet high (at least on one end) so painting is a major undertaking.  Old women and ladders are not conducive to anything good happening so I am looking for children who love me, or a windfall to pay a painter!  Neither one has happened yet.  My only hope, Dan, is busy moving his mother and brother up from Arkansas, so I am open to any suggestion that does not entail doing it myself!
As I reflect back on the past year, I think it was a good one.  The part about Sherman was very sad, but for the most part it was a good year.  I made lots of friends through Sherman and we had some good times.  While I miss him I am keeping busy and carrying on just like I had good sense.  And as for the painting thing...I started this blog early today and about 2  my friend Lyn showed up and now everything is painted except the tall wall, and that is coming tomorrow evening when I have her and her husband to supper.  Life indeed is good!

Happy New Year to you and yours!!

 

The upper room at the Vail sale!! (poetry)

This is the slide show for the work that goes on at the sale that no one sees, but everyone appreciates because that is where our paychecks come from. 
I have very carefully put the caption under these and I hope they are still there.  Let me know if they are not and I will spend hours and hours correcting that little chore.
Today the sale is ending and we are picking our stuff up at 5:30.  If anyone can help Susan on Sunday with the loading out, she would be most grateful.  I am churching, then PFLAGing and then they will be done.  If I get a minute I will zip by and see if I can help.

Janet Anslovar and her many talents

See the lady in the center?  That is Janet Anslovar, a very nice lady.  She has been with the guild like forever (which means longer than me!)  Seems that every thing she touches turns to a work of art.  In the center she is giving a weaving demonstration on the Baby Wolf loom that is owned by the guild.  I was her little helper and we had a very good time.  Would have had a better time if I could have stayed setting and left the cookies alone!

Janet has won many awards for her dolls and other works of sheer genius that flow from her fingers.  Today I am going in and buy one of the dolls.  My favorite was a fellow she had a couple years ago named "Harley"  and just try to guess what he was setting on!

The sale is going to end this Saturday at 3:00 PM so if you have not been there yet you better get to hopping.

This little guy came in yesterday from Colorado Springs PAWS which trains animals to be service animals.  Cool huh?  I forget his name.

Just never know what you might happen upon when you get a bunch of weavers together!

 

At the Vail Hotel with the Handweavers Holiday Sale

I just want to show you that weaving is not the only thing that goes on sale at the Handwoven Holiday Sale at the Historic Vail Hotel.  This is a gourd decorated by our own little Marianne Cardinal.

 

And here is another one by her.  You have got to stop in and check these out as my pictures do not do justice to her work.  I took a gourd class from her several years back and she really knows her stuff.  And she is an accomplished and prolific weaver.  Not only that but she is just the sweetest little lady I have ever known.  I just love her to pieces.


I do not know who made these felted soaps, but they are just cuter than cute!  One of them has his tongue hanging out and one has vampire teeth!  The sale runs through Saturday November .  10-6.  Saturday until 3. 

 

This next one is made out to wire and it looks to me like I could get my finger poked if I am  not real careful.  But it is absolutely beautiful.  She did tell someone that it was actually made on her Baby Wolf loom. Going to find out tomorrow who did the soap and the wire weaving. 

Right now I am getting just pretty sleepy, so I think I will be off to bed with me!  I see the good people on the television are counting votes and want to tell me who is going to be president, but I am just too sleepy to care right now.  So if something really wild happens in the middle of the night, I am going to be pretty surprised in the morning.  So off I toodle.  You all have a good evening and I will check in tomorrow with something pretty for you to look at and I would be really happy to see some of you pop in tomorrow.

Sleep tight!

For the record...both of the above items were made by Sandy Wells. Congrats, Sandy.  That is some beautiful work!!!

Saturday at the Vail Hotel.

Well this was the scene at the Vail Hotel Saturday when I stopped in after the sale at the church.  Busy bunch of people and some beautiful pieces.  I am working tomorrow, so I will have more pictures then.
Enjoy!

 

As promised!

Donna Graham, like the cracker!

Drum roll, please!!!!  This is Donna Graham from Walsenburg, Colorado.  She is standing beside her art work that was actually in a New York Gallery.  Oh, I am hobnobbing with the big girls now!  I am so honored.  She explained to me that these three items are actual things she crocheted, knitted or wove and then saturated with something ( big words and my mind closed up ) and then draped them on somthing else.  See, the best part about art is that you actually have to see it and touch it.  I seen this and touched it and I was impressed.  She may be an artist and hang her work in New York, but she is still a Colorado girl!

And here is a close up of the art work as well as the tattoo she got so long ago that it had to be redone.  Seems like the original one she gave to herself when she was bored in Biology class.  Got to tell you, I have never been that bored!  Never poked myself and never let anyone else come at me with a needle either.  But as far as photography goes, I would say this picture is worth a thousand words.  We have the art work, which is absolutely mesmerizing and then we have the hand in front of it that belongs to the artist and lets us know that she is a real human.  The card from the New York Gallery which shows success.  Full Circle is what I will call it.
This is a little number that Donna knitted but first she spun the yarn.  Oh, I do envy this girl her patience.  Bet she makes Apple Pies also!                                                                                            I think this is a shawl.  I could be wrong.  Would not be the first time.  Let me go check the album captions.  Well, that was not much help because I apparently did  not know when I put the captions on the pictures.  But I will say it is Donna's until some one corrects me!
Now, I recall Donna telling me she lives in WalVeta.  That means it is the same distance from her house to Walsenburg as it is to LaVeta.  I am going to go see her next summer and hike in her mountains. She can carry a shotgun and make sure a bear does not get me!
Donna was also on the board that put this sale together.  They mostly stayed up in the inner sanctum and ran figures through the computers.  Last year they gave me an award for shutting down the computer the most times.  They gave me a pink sheep with holes all over it.  Elvira   thinks it is hers and shakes it.  The stuffing is all gone now.  I do want to commend all the ladies who made this years sale such a success.  And these are in no particular order.  Oh, wait!  They are in alphabetical order!!  Hats off to :

JANET ANZLOVAR ........DEMONSTRATIONS              

JOAN ARCHULETA.........CASHIER TEAM                  

INA BERNARD.................ADVERTISING

MARJORIE BRATZLER...REFRESHMENTS         

LYNNE GNAIZDA............ADVERTISING

DONNA GRAHAM............CASHIER TEAM-INVENTORY & INVITED ITEMS

MARILYN HOISINGTON.STANDARDS & CHECK-IN

BETTY KOCHEVAR.........PROPS & SET UP

TARA MATTHEWS...........SCHEDULING

JUDI PATTERSON.............GUILD PRESIDENT-EX-OFFICIO

TERRI ROSTAD.................GUEST ARTISTS

KAREN SMITH..................STANDARDS AND CHECK IN

COLETTE WRIGHT...........CO-CHAIR & CASHIER TEAM-TREASURER

DONNA GOWER................CHAIR & CASHIER TEAM-HEAD CASHIER

CAROLE SNOW.................SCHEDULING

CAROL SALAS...................STANDARDS & CHECK IN

                       Tomorrow I will post just a slide show of the closing day of the Handwoven Holiday Sale!  Watch for it!

Joanne Caldwell can do way more than warp a loom!

Meet Joanne Caldwell.  Doesn't she look innocent there?  She is showing off one of her many creations.  This one just happens to be a shrug or some such thing.  Isn't it pretty?  If at all possible you should wrangle an invitation to her house.  The woman probably has 15 looms, all warped and all in various stages of work being finished.  She also has yarn up the grommit and handles sales for other people.  And she hosts classes and dye days and stores the rental equipment and her husband Bill, is an absolute jewel.  Have yet to figure who got the best end of that deal!  Just kidding there!
Now what did she teach me?  Among other things, the Inkle Loom and this old gal is very good at what she does.  In case you do not know what an Inkle Loom is let me tell you.  It is used to make narrow bands like this:              

But over here she is getting a neck massage from yours truly.  She was demonstrating so I showed her how to relax.  Sue shot the picture cause Sue is a good girl.  Now let me go see if I can find a few of her Inkle Looms that are all dressed and ready to be used.

Well, and there they are, just like magic.  I love the rainbow one there on the right.  I guess I will dig out my Inkle loom and make me a pretty rainbow one like that.  Wonder if I remember how to do that.  Surely I do. 

 Now in case you think dragging all this stuff from her house to the Vail is easy I want you to know it is not.  I have a few candid shots here that I want to share with you.  Here is Joanne coming in the front door and it is easier to bring everything in one trip then to make two trips.

And here she is looking for something in this suitcase. I think it may be Bill! You know I would never put these pictures on here if this was someone else, but it is dear Joanne and she is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and keeps me in stitches all the time. A great sport! I love you, Joanne Caldwell!

If you ever get to thinking that the Weaver's Guild is just for fuddy duddy's you are very sadly mistaken. You know me and you should know that I do not go for the mundane. The Guild is just a bunch of women who like to have a good time and share secrets and tips on how to produce beautiful pieces of art. That is what weaving is, you know, art.

The sale is just about over for the year.  We have Friday and Saturday until 3:00 PM.  Then it will be packed away until next year.  But we have a meeting every month, so if you are interested at all in this ancient art you can contact me through my profile, or leave a comment.  We would be most happy to have you in our midst and maybe you can teach us something!

See you tomorrow.

Donna Gower keeps them all in line!

This is the chair of the Chair!  Donna Gower is Chairperson and Head Cashier.  She is the one you go to when you have a problem.  She is the problem solver and problem solver she is!  I asked her if she would be in my blog and she used some kind of rough language for my tender ears.  NO was in there somewhere so I did talk her into letting me do one and not putting her face up front and out there.  I do not know why because she is a beautiful woman.  And we have a lot in common.  She loves purple even more than I do.  See that jacket?  It is actually purple.

On the left is her purple and white bowl, her purple die, and her purple stapler along with her purple cup.  At one point her hair was purple, but now it is white, which holds the purple dye very well.  On the right is her foot in it's usual position., if you get my drift?  And yes, she did knit that sock!
I finally told her, "Donna, you gotta give me something!  I have more photo's of Big Foot then I do of you."  Now this woman has a way of making her eyes very little and looking at me very mean, but I know she is a cream puff and I know secretely way far down in the inner depths of her soul, she likes me.  Or at least tolerates me.  So she turned around and spread her arms and I got this picture.  My coup de grais, so to speak!

She made this and if you could see this up close you would see some workmanship that rivals the best of them. ( I think you can click on my pictures and they will get bigger.  If not you just wasted a little finger muscle.)  She designed and made all those things hanging down herself.  I think it is knitted but what ever it is I may have to kill her and take it. 

As I recall, Donna moved here a couple years ago from back East some where.  I knew at the time, but that memory has been replaced by something else.  She fit right in the Guild from the first day she walked through the door and is a very take charge person and follows through on what she says she will do.  That is always the mark of a truly wonderful person. So highest accolades to Donna and her crew for a wonderful 27th Annual sale this year.

See, Donna, this was not so bad was it?
 And I think my spell checker is on the blink cause I did this whole page without the yellow coming on, so just ignore my mistakes.

Joan Archuleta and who is that with her?

Well, I'll be darned!  It is Joan and her lovely daughter, Sheryl and the twin grand daughtes, Sophia and Anna!  Come to see Grandma!  Grandpa Ruben is probably home warming up the television and rooting for the Raiders!  Bad Ruben! Not really.  Ruben is a publish author as well as a very accomplished sculpter.  And he used to be police chief or something along that line.  I do not know that personally, only what I read in the papers!  (I am a very good girl!)  Goes to show our Guild ladies do have a life away from the loom, spinning wheel, sheep  and whatever else occupies their fingers and minds.

 Now take a gander here at a couple pieces Joan made.  On the left is a purse and on the right are 2 mats.  This woman is one of the best Navajo weavers I have ever had the chance to encounter.  I am dieing  to go to her house cause I know she has a "walking loom" and I do not even know what one is.  Her rugs do not hang around long so I do not have any pictures to show you.  You might check over on Facebook cause I think Ina has been snapping pictures all week and she actually takes very good pictures as opposed to mine.  She would never zero in on a purse in front of an open window and expect that to come out good.  But that is just a small part of my charm!

But to show that wool is not her only medium, here are a set of placemats she produced.  They are very nice and she did the hem stitching on the ends which is always a very nice finish.  I do it cause it is easier then trying to catch all those thread and tie knots in them.
Now, to show her softer side, last year she was busy knitting helmet liners for our brave troops in Afghanistan.  They were  wool and made out of either drab olive or black.  She gave me the directions and I actually made one and started a second, but I never got them over to her and now I do not know where they are.  (See why I make lists?)
I am very proud to count Joan as one of my friends in the Guild.  There are probably about 85 ladies in our Handweavers Guild of Pueblo.  They come from small towns around also.  I probably know about half of them well enough to call them by name if I met them outside the meeting room.  I would love to be able to spend a day on each of them so you would know them also, but you know how this blog works.  World AIDS day is coming up and I have that to cover.  And life presents me challenges every day, that I must tell you about or pop open!  So here is the deal.  I am going to bring you one or two spaced out over the month.  That way I can pique your interest in my Guild. (Isn't that cute how I call it MY Guild?)
Course I ran into a small problem when I would say "Can I put you on my blog?"  Quick answers...."NO! Now get outta here!"  And some really got firm with me.  LOL! 
Come see my ladies at the sale.  There are only 4 days left!