Best In Show!

I don't know about your neighborhoods - but fall is a time for festivals and shows in ours. There was the St. Charles Scarecrow festival, the Mecum Car Auction (really a car show for those of us with less than a couple of hundred extra grand rolling around in our pockets!), the Naperville Octoberfest, etc, etc, etc..... We used to have friends that showed cats - that's something that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives. If I have to come back as anything after I die, I want it to be a cat that someone takes to those cat shows. I'd have a special diet, my own special toys - which more catnip in them to calm a German Shepard, a very strict grooming regiment, no one would fix me or cut off my claws -only a gentle manicure will do, and basically I would be the single most important thing in the lives of the "owner" (I question at this point who really owns who!). In fact, we had a couple of friends of ours come down to the Chicago area just last week for a show of people who paint miniatures That is, people that paint small figurines (of every size and shape) that have so much detail that you can not only see the expression on their faces but also read the fine print on the buttons on their lapel!! Amazing!!! (Note: Before this I didn't even know what a miniature was, let alone that people in this country painted them. I guess that I just figured that the Chinese had this part of the market all tied up with the lead paint sales going through the roof in that part of the world!).

For me, there's two things that all these festivals and shows have in common.

One: They remind me of the movie, "Best In Show." If you haven't seen it, you must. Check out the link to the trailor (Yes, it's the blue underlined part above - also then I can show off that I have mastered linking). It really shows how we can get so tied up in our hobbies and interests that we can manage to lose a grip on reality trying to get the recognition for our accomplishments away from work. A once innocent hobby has taken a turn and slipped into the "that's a little weird" zone.

Two: They all have the same feel of people anxiously sitting around with their creations, things for sale, animals that have been over pampered, etc out for all to see (and purchase if they are for sale) while Customers - we'll call them evaluators - all browse around these booths of items to pick the one that they feel is the best. These evaluators show this "bestness" through their purchases - if not, their Oooo's and Ahhhhh's. These affirmations (all be it the necessary ingredient) make all of the time and energy worth the effort that it took to put on the "Show." Ah competition - "The Thrill of Victory - and the Agony of Defeat!" (Note: If someone doing these shows tries to tell you that it is for the money - they are fooling themselves. I bet that more money went into making these items then could ever be gained from their sale. If not into what went into the items for sale - more money certainly went into the excess materials needed to make more items. The more they make, the more they buy more materials - it's a vicious circle really. Now I'm not knocking this - I actually think that it is part of the life cycle of the art. The only people making the money are the people selling the materials. This is what drives the big box stores of the world!! This is one of the main reasons why we crafters need to buy things from the small, independent stores - they are most certainly run by people who are trying to support their habit!)

Did you ever notice that there is always at least one thing that stands out that everyone wants to buy?! And that this affirmation of accomplishment gets transferred to the people that are successful in picking up this item! Well, I just want you to know that the metal pumpkin was the "it" item at the St. Charles Scarecrow Festival and that I was victorious in purchasing said item. This I "accomplished" after about a 30 minute wait in line (in about 90F heat) with my $25 burning a hole in my pocket, my husband waiting patiently in the shade (God bless his heart), with anticipation as I watched the other women one by one carry away their prizes like they had themselves conquered the sale . Then after victoriously purchasing and obtaining this craft of the day, I realized that the metal pumpkin weighed at least 2 lbs and that I was stuck awkwardly carrying it through the rest of the fair. However, it was all worth it for every time that a woman stopped me as I milled through the festival to inquire where I had purchased such a "gem." So I know you all want to see it, so here it is:
The funny part is that this pumpkin is most definitely not hand made -Todd the engineer in the family, had great pleasure in pointing out to me. Ah easy come, easy go. It made the whole day worth it in my mind - and every time I look at it, I'll be reminded of my victory.

I also picked up a very nice Douglas Fir Picky Root basket that was definitely hand made by the man who was able to tell me everything about the basket - even the fact that he had named it! (See my last blog about naming your creations - not such a stupid idea - now is it?!). Here it is:

This was the Mountain Peaks Basket - as named by the artist - for the peaks in the front of the basket as well as the long tall handle (sorry I should have taken a bit of a different angle to show off the name - but you get the idea). This artist's enthusiasm almost took away the sting of that fact that at the end of the festival I saw similar baskets for about half the price. Darn it anyway!! (This would be our agony of defeat that day).

Before I go, George wanted to share his prize pumpkin - he figured if someone in the festival could take credit for a pre-manufactured item - so could he, plus any holiday that uses the word "treat" is number one in his book!

Now go out and enjoy the fall shows before it snows!!