Ann Art Fair 2011 and Image33 Photography

We had the Ann Arbor Art Fairs this past week. Since I work in a building half a block from an edge of the fairs, I was able to see some of the fairs despite the really hot weather. On Wednesday evening, the first evening, I made my big purchase of the year - the piece that will always say "Art Fair 2011" to me. I got this from Christine Green. It is about 18" tall and utterly beautiful. This is it:

Okay, it is not really wonky; just the photography is. Oh.... that sounds like a segue! 

I have to tell you about a photographer who has recently set up an actual business, and I am utterly blown away by her work. Quick, go take a look at her work. Isn't that amazing? I know that I would think so even if the photographer were not my sister. You know how when you're growing up with siblings, each of you gets a "tag"? Healthy people learn to pull in other aspects of life as they grow, but we each have a strength that keeps us going. Well, in our family, I was the smart sister, our middle sister was the pretty sister, and this sister was the nice one. As I look at Mary's photos, what strikes me is how heart-centered they are. You really see the people in their nicest, happiest, fullest versions of themselves. That's the work of a truly nice person who really likes people and sees them in their best light. The only payment I'm getting from this commercial is yummy veggies and dip at the next family gathering.

Back to the Art Fairs: I loved the papercraft at the Metzgers' booth. I had such a nice conversation with the fellow in that booth even though I couldn't afford any of their pieces. I told him that I saw future quilts in his booth, and he gave me permission to play with his images that way. 

I stopped by the Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Guild booth and got some handmade paper and some pretty tangerine roving with Angelina fibers in it. Picture.... hmm.... sorry. I forgot to take some pictures there. 

You see, I have another project going. When we totted up the bill for this project, I turned to my husband and said, "think of it, this is our vacation budget, and is this not a cheap vacation?" You see, my sewing room currently looks like this:

and this:

Right next door is a room that is at least half again as big but is red.....

Well, Saturday morning, I packed the books into three stacks: Books I haven't yet read but fully plan to soon, books that should leave the house, and books we are keeping. I filled an entire paperbox (the kind that holds 10 reams of paper) with the first stack (with a few left over), another box plus three paper shopping bags with books for the second stack, and then several boxes with the final category. I hauled the giveaway books to the AAUW book sale sorting place on the west side of Ann Arbor. It felt so good to clear out so many books. It was a little sobering to see how many books are in the to-read list. So many books, so little time!

Anyway, this afternoon, the red room looked like this:

Right now, the first layer of primer is drying. The sewing room looks like this:

Of course, the cats are a bit upset, except for BabyBoy who likes to snooze on the kitties quilt:

Isn't it great that the orange cat snoozes on the blue kitties - how complementary of him! I'll post more pictures of the room switcheroo later in the week.