Saturday Market #4: Eliel's Felties

This is Eliel Fionn. She's been a Market member for a few years, and I've always admired the vast crowd of felted creatures in her booth, but before Saturday I'd never stopped for a chat. You see, I was looking for someone to build the next Saturday Market print ad around. Someone I hadn't worked with before, someone with a unique product, someone just like Eliel! She kindly agreed, and I took a few photos and talked about her Felties so I'd have something to say in the ad.

Here's how it turned out.

As I was contemplating what to blog about this week it kept occurring to me that, as usual, the few words I have room for in an ad can't tell the whole story. In this case, let's start with the color! Black and white just doesn't do Eliel's work justice. That sphinx is a magnificent yellow and purple!



The penguins are all kinds of colors, and the trolls' mottled suits are great.



I tried to explain the most important part of what I discovered in that ad, but didn't quite get there. Each one does have a name, a personality and a tale to tell. What I wanted to explain is not only does each one have an individual name, but each has an individual story. Not all sphinxs are "Jeff," not all cats are "Clovis." Each one of these creations tells Eliel their story, and she types them up into their tag. Eliel says she gets to know each creature through the process of their creation, and likes to write the stories late at night when her mind is free to wander.



I'm sure there's even more to the story of Eliel and her Felties, but I had to scurry off...

You can find out more yourself by visiting her booth, #147, on the Fountain block up under the concrete cover on the west side, or check out her website, elielfionn.com.

Saturday Market #3: Mug Shots

I bet you thought I was going to complain about last Saturday's never ending rain. Nope, I already did that - that's what Twitter is for! I'm also not going to write about the awesome variety of umbrellas I saw, you can see them on the Flickr stream.

I decided on Saturday that it would take a quest of some sort to pry me from my relatively dry spot next to the stage. Since I'd forgotten my soulless metal thermal tea mug, I thought a mug shopping trip would be just the thing! Of course I shopped with camera in hand and clicked as I searched. On a day when not a whole lot was happening, my silly "I'm taking mug shots" pronouncement got a lot of laughs.


I started at Dona Rennick's booth. Dona said she does like to rant a bit on her mugs - you can't quite read it, but the mug on the far right says "The Warlords of Wall Street" in big blue letters...


Bill Delffs had some new shapes and glazes.


Bob Haley lined up Papa, Mama and Baby bear sized mugs - something for everyone! There was also a Jack in the Beanstalk's Giant sized mug...


I always love Frank Gosar's animal portrait mugs, and what's not to love about a moose-handled mug?


It's hard to tell in this shot, but all those black mugs are raven shaped! They are at Ziggy Blum's booth along with owls, skull & crossbones and greenman mugs.


I could sip tea at my desk and still see the forest with one of Annie Heron's mugs.


Karen Washburn's "mug" mugs could help with a contemplative tea drinking mood.


Dan Minard's textural mugs feel good in the hand.


So many subtle variations on the mug theme at Jon King's booth,


and Laura Jackson's as well.

Somehow I missed a pic of Amy Palatnick's mugs, but I do already have one of those on my desk and I was not about to scare away the customers that were considering the choices!


Before I could even finish my considerations, Bob Haley saved me the agony of making the impossible choice... I thanked him heartily for the gift and headed straight for Dana's Cheesecake to get it filled with life saving hot chocolate. I'll be bringing it back for more of the same this week!

See you Saturday!

Saturday Market #2: Refinding My Pace

First off, I want to point you at Taryn's great blog about making it to their first Saturday Market with baby Bracken along at woolymossroots. Frankly, she was my inspiration for even blogging this afternoon. If Taryn & Jeff can make it to Market with a baby, then I can push myself through a blog post. Thanks, Taryn!

This is my 20th season of managing the Market. You'd think I'd have plenty of muscle memory for getting in gear and rolling through these first few Saturdays. Not so much as it turns out. I got in a bit early and traipsed on down to the Park Blocks, only to realize that I'd forgotten all the things I really needed to bring from the office. Performer checks, food vouchers, signs... So once I got Gordon Kaswell settled in (he'd done most of the settling himself) I went back to the office for the forgottens.

Some sign posting, tea drinking and fussing around and suddenly it was noon. Nary a photo had entered my camera! Fortunately Eagle Park Slim was happy to oblige.


I never really got all the way into the photo groove all day long. Maybe I was distracted by the crowd going completely wild after every song that Ben Fish & The Blues Busters played.


Or the amazing and adorable Emerald All Star Cheer team stopping in to show some skills. This special needs cheerleading team is one of two such teams ever invited to perform at the Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando.


Or the tap dancing busker on the corner.


Or the astonishing native garb.


Or the beautiful blue orb at Michael Bertotti's booth.


In retrospect, this is sounding like a perfectly average Saturday! Which means one in which you never know what you'll find, but it will always be fascinating.

See you tomorrow for another go-round!

Saturday Market #1: So Happy Together

I bet I say this every year, and I know it's true every year. That was a really happy Opening Day! Seems like everyone I saw had a beaming smile, just happy to be back together on a Market day.



Here's Rich Glauber, with Diane McWhorter, Jello Artist Extraordinaire, and Joanie a.k.a. SLUG Queen Scarlett O'Slimera, making folks aware of that evening's Jello Art show.



David L., a happy member of Accordions Anonymous, though he's not playing an accordion at this very moment...



The Rev. Bro. Uncle Jesse is mighty happy to be playing along with the Conjugal Visitors.



Her Royal SLUG Queenliness Slugasana happy to be busting a move during Zambuko's marimba set.



Link is happy to have somewhere to parade his finery.



Zambuko marimba folks, happy to be playing and keeping the clouds at bay.



And Stephen Lossner, very happy to have space to sell his cool new product on the first day.

I expect Market #2 will be equally happy, come on down and share your smile why dontcha?

Saturday Market 2011: See You Saturday!

That's what we've been saying excitedly all week long to everybody who stops in the office. "See you Saturday!" It's good to say it and really mean it, after a long three months of Market hibernation.



And now it's "see you tomorrow!" as the food court sets up a day early, just to make our Opening Day Morning go more smoothly for all.



I will be glad to see this empty place filled with people and booths and delicious aromas and bright colors and festive sounds.



And I will be most glad to watch everyone greet each other with smiles, hugs and laughter, happy to be back together again at our beloved Marketplace.



It has seemed, as that band once sang, a "long, cold, lonely winter." But here comes the sun! Whether it's the actual sun, or just the sunny atmosphere of Opening Day, I'm ready to bask in it.



See you Saturday!!