Apple Festival Crafts
Have you ever been to the Lincoln Apple Festival? We try to go almost every year. I am not an avid craft buyer- I prefer to make my own- but I LOVE the broom maker man. He has a civil war era machine that is foot operated and he puts a broom straw head of your choice of colors on whatever stick you choose, then he hand stitches it. The sticks are limbs that he has peeled and sealed with all their knots and swirls. These things are so great that I used mine for ten years before I got worried that he would stop doing it before I could have it reheaded. When I brought to have new straw put on it I went around advertising my fabulous broom to show everyone how long they would last! Yes, I really do love my broom, and it makes sweeping a pleasure. Crazy to say, I know!
The other thing I go for is the food. First we go by the apple cider booth, because it sells out quick. Then on to the still warm pork rinds, down the way to the candied pecans, maybe adding a bit of the Kettle Korn. Then, oh, then we go into the Community Building for the homemade apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream. These are steamy pockets of dough wrapped around tender apples that melt the ice cream into a sauce in the bowl. Mmmmmm....did you notice there was no "real" food mentioned? Apple Festival comes once a year and I am not about to waste tummy space on anything not crazy-yummy, hence all sweets.
Which brings us to the subject of this page- my youngest boy and I have a booth this year! We have talked about it before and this year it just came to fruition. So, what will we have? Oh, Dear Reader, a bizarre mishmash of fun. I have counted 158 jars of jellies, jam and syrups so far that I am bringing. They are: rose sugar, lavender sugar, rose petal syrup, elderflower syrup, wild plum jelly, elderberry jelly, wild possum grape jelly, wild chokecherry jelly, wild blackberry jelly and jam, pink Canadice grape jelly, wild violet jam, spiced peach butter, pickled watermelon rinds, and jalapeno-strawberry compote. Whew!
My son with have his handmade knives, swords and weapons. He makes most of them from old lawn mower blades and no one has ever guessed it. The transformation is amazing! Then he makes wooden grips and they are beautiful. (He has one in his case that I told him if no one bought it that it needed to be a Moma Christmas present :)
He will also be bringing wheel-thrown pottery which is not only beautiful, but dishwasher and microwave safe.
All the clay that is leftover from his wheel isn't usable to be thrown again, and so he graciously gifted it to me. I had the BEST time with it, think of a four year old with Playdough....and yes, some inevitably wound up in my hair! But I made mushrooms, and inch worms, salt pots, and bowls with pressed leaves.
I even made some mushroom bodies and put stuffed fabric tops on them so they could be pincushions! I was pretty tickled with that idea...
I also figured out that I could roll, texture, and emboss the clay and make jewelry. Yeah, I had way too much fun with clay.
Paper crafts are another favorite of mine and so I made several banners- one with vintage lady pics and all vintage trim and ribbons, one with Halloween costumes from 1910, and another from burlap with handmade paper flowers.
My birthday is in two weeks and when I was a kid was usually some Halloween theme....which has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have my costume for this year narrowed down to three hard choices...:) So, more spooky decorations-
Anyhoo, even if you don't come out to see us and have some of the lusciously bad-for-you food, now you can see what has occupied my free hours for these pasts weeks. It has been so much fun that I feel guilty! Oh, and if this mess doesn't sell, a lot of you know what you will be getting for birthdays and Christmas. Just warning you-
The other thing I go for is the food. First we go by the apple cider booth, because it sells out quick. Then on to the still warm pork rinds, down the way to the candied pecans, maybe adding a bit of the Kettle Korn. Then, oh, then we go into the Community Building for the homemade apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream. These are steamy pockets of dough wrapped around tender apples that melt the ice cream into a sauce in the bowl. Mmmmmm....did you notice there was no "real" food mentioned? Apple Festival comes once a year and I am not about to waste tummy space on anything not crazy-yummy, hence all sweets.
Which brings us to the subject of this page- my youngest boy and I have a booth this year! We have talked about it before and this year it just came to fruition. So, what will we have? Oh, Dear Reader, a bizarre mishmash of fun. I have counted 158 jars of jellies, jam and syrups so far that I am bringing. They are: rose sugar, lavender sugar, rose petal syrup, elderflower syrup, wild plum jelly, elderberry jelly, wild possum grape jelly, wild chokecherry jelly, wild blackberry jelly and jam, pink Canadice grape jelly, wild violet jam, spiced peach butter, pickled watermelon rinds, and jalapeno-strawberry compote. Whew!
My son with have his handmade knives, swords and weapons. He makes most of them from old lawn mower blades and no one has ever guessed it. The transformation is amazing! Then he makes wooden grips and they are beautiful. (He has one in his case that I told him if no one bought it that it needed to be a Moma Christmas present :)
I even made some mushroom bodies and put stuffed fabric tops on them so they could be pincushions! I was pretty tickled with that idea...
I also figured out that I could roll, texture, and emboss the clay and make jewelry. Yeah, I had way too much fun with clay.
Paper crafts are another favorite of mine and so I made several banners- one with vintage lady pics and all vintage trim and ribbons, one with Halloween costumes from 1910, and another from burlap with handmade paper flowers.
My birthday is in two weeks and when I was a kid was usually some Halloween theme....which has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have my costume for this year narrowed down to three hard choices...:) So, more spooky decorations-
Anyhoo, even if you don't come out to see us and have some of the lusciously bad-for-you food, now you can see what has occupied my free hours for these pasts weeks. It has been so much fun that I feel guilty! Oh, and if this mess doesn't sell, a lot of you know what you will be getting for birthdays and Christmas. Just warning you-
Lincoln Apple Festival- October 3rd- 5th from 9:00 to 5:00
