July 2010

Dump Truck

Submitted by Saskia on July 26, 2010 - 10:36pm

I am a bit of a garbage picker and while waiting in the rain along a side street a big pile of recycleables caught my eye. The pile was in an alley at the back of a corner grocery store. The cardboard boxes were flattened and neatly piled, awaiting pick-up. Proudly perched atop a box, despite the rain, was a soggy little cardboard truck with all the features – side mirrors, grill, headlights, wheels and doors. It made me smile to think this simple cardboard box had a journey far greater than any cardboard box could ever hope for.

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My First Street Festival

Submitted by Saskia on July 25, 2010 - 8:33pm

Preparing for the New Bloor Street Festival has been a whirwind of sewing, printing and planning. The fever to get things done was helped by the 34 degree (feels like 43 with humidity) weather and no airconditioning. My office is in the master bedroom of my little flat-roofed house and this room reached temperatures close to that of an oven baking zucchini bread. But I got it all done: 24 sets of cards, 46 sock monkeys, 55 neopolitan ice cream garlands, 11 sets of tags and 13 cat-nip toys, as well as promotional items including iron on labels, tags, rubber stamp, packaging and promotional postcards.

The biggest push was the website and blog. With the millions of people who would be flocking to our table at the street festival I needed the website and blog ready. A big thanks to Jeff for getting this all done on time.

Since this was my first experience as a vendor at a street fair I went in with a fellow crafter. We shared our table, as well as our excitement and our trepidations. A big thanks to Michelle http://www.kemptonjones.com/ for all your support.

Saturday morning was overcast and it didn't look too promising - cloudy and overcast. The weatherman has been

3... 2... 1...

Submitted by Saskia on July 22, 2010 - 5:38pm

This is it! This is my very own blog where I can write about what I do, what others do and what inspires me to do.

My new website is very exciting. Being a very handcraft oriented person, the computer has always been my nemesis. Funnily enough I sit behind one at least 9 hours a day. A very good friend of mine lent me a helping hand with this site. He programmed it so that it is completely idiot proof and no matter what I do it works! We are working through a few minor glitches as my Monkey Business images are not visible and I cannot input images into this section yet. But I'm pushy and wanted to start writing so here we are.

At the present moment I am ramping up for the NEW BLOOR FESTIVAL. This will be the first festival that I participate in. I am sharing a table with a friend and co-worker who makes stuffed owls and screen printed items. We are excited but have a lot of work to do before Saturday!

 

 

 

 

© SASKIA VAN KAMPEN
LEGAL

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This blog is where I reflect on creative processes, creative happenings, creative experiences and creative artefacts.