What a FUN weekend!!!

I had the best weekend!  Friends, art and music.  Started on Saturday at the Cherrywood Art Festival.  I pulled up and parked right in front of this:

This is how we decorate for Christmas in Texas. The first friend I saw was Laura Gibson, pictured here.

She is a jewelry artist- look at her amazing work!  I really wanted this pinkie ring!  It is made out of the inside of a geode. 

She is going to custom make me one like this.  (The one pictured is her personal piece)  She has custom made rings for me before- they are really high quality silver and colored resin.  Her company is called Metal Girl, and she is local here in Austin.  

Then I moved on to Jamie Jo Fisher's booth.  She has a new baby daughter since I last saw her.

Jamie takes vintage buttons, beads, and baubles and works them into whimsical sterling silver pieces.  She made this necklace for me.  (It is laying on a vintage pink plate- that is not part of the necklace!)

I love this pink one too..........It was so great to catch up with her.  She really warmed my heart by telling me that I inspired and encouraged her to continue her work at a time when she was questioning a lot of things.  This conversation happened over two years ago, but the words I said she took to heart and still recalls them today when she needs a boost.  It brought tears to my eyes!!

I discovered a new attendee this year: Estudio Real.  The most beautiful Jewelry made of exotic woods and semi precious stones.  Flawless. The artist, Sharon, was very approachable and cool.  She lives in Mexico 3/4 of the year. (lucky lady) and makes this jewelry.  Sounds like a perfect life.  I was torn over which one to buy..... This one was round with a semi precious stone set in the middle...

This is the one I ended up with.  It is a pinkie ring, made of ebony wood from Africa, a piece of turquoise, and a hint of sterling silver.  There is a groove carved into the one side so that the finger next to it fits perfectly and comfortably against it.  Completely contemporary.  The wood is so SMOOTH.  

Do not poke fun at my shitty manicure.  I've been making art that is hard on a girls hands.

I also bought this bar of soap by Feto Soap.  It smells just like milk chocolate.  Now I smell just like chocolate.........

Then I came home and Ian and Joey were rehearsing for a gig they had that night.

The event was to try and raise money to pay all of the actors and employees of the Ecopocalypse haunted house- that ran for two weeks around Halloween.  At the end of the gig they closed shop without paying anyone.    This party started at noon on Saturday and didn't end until 5 AM the next morning.  We were there for the ENTIRE time.  THE ENTIRE TIME.  Ian's band wasn't even scheduled to go on until 3AM.  They had an art area where you could draw a picture, then hang it with a price and if someone wanted to buy it, the money would go to the benefit.  I thought that was a good idea.

I had to smile at this.  There is a craft mafia that goes around and creates graffiti made of knit.  They will knit on traffic signs, light posts, your car, etc....
I am happy that the tree has a sweater on tonight!  Yeah, my flash didn't go off. Sorry the pic is so dark- but I wanted to post it anyway!

The benefit included an art auction, and I met this really cool guy- Michael Zornes.  He was one of the artists featured. Super sweet guy, we talked off and on all night. He was there till 5AM too.  I am telling you, 17 hours is a long time to be at a party!

He uses repurposed materials found inside of old electronics and machinery. He makes jewelry, like these pendants shown, as well as larger installations.

This piece looks lit up doesn't it?  He squirted hot glue onto a pane of glass, stuck it in the freezer to harden quickly, then painted the shapes with neon tattoo ink.  It looks very fluid and "alive" to me.  

I didn't get to bed until 6:30 AM on Sunday, but had to be right back up to go to my friend Dave's garage sale.  I have known Dave for about 25 years.  We go way back to my Minneapolis days.  He moved to Austin a few years back.  I love this studio shot of him!

Handsome devil!

His wife is from New Zealand, and he was having a sale to make money for her immigration.  He was pedaling a lot of really cool vintage toys and music instruments.  I know quite a few guys who were drooling over this collection.

He even had parts so you could build your own guitar.  I thought they would make for fun art projects.

After all that, I went with Kris to The Jackalope, and sat there till they kicked us out at 2.  

We headed back to her house where we planted ourselves on her couch and continued to talk and laugh our asses off until it was almost daylight again.  I was delirious from no sleep in two days.  Aren't her cats beautiful?  Raul here looks like a panther.

Clara Jean is quite the little lover. Her fur is so pretty!

I got home around 4:30 AM and slept until 10.  Ian and I went and ate yummy Vietnamese Sandwiches at Tam Deli and then parked it on the couch with Favre to watch football.  I was feeling festive so I was sporting my Christmas socks.

I love listening to the guys yell at the TV during football. I am too tired to take a good pic at this point.

Ian was showing off his Gundam figure that he put together and painted.

Now it is 1 AM on Tuesday morning.  Impressed that even with no make up on I am not looking too haggard for so little sleep. (8 hours of sleep out of 65 hours) OK, that thought just exhausted me completely. 

GOODNIGHT!!!