The Harvest Fair 2011

I have mentioned before that my church's Harvest Fair is one of my favorite fall things. Every year the church community comes together to create an amazing array of crafts, foods, baskets, and other things to sell, and donates items for a silent auction. The fair raises enough money to cover a lot of the costs of running the church.

I have been running the book room for the past few years. It's not a big money maker...but it's lots of fun. Usually I come home with a box full of books.

Every year I am amazed at the things people create!

Recognize those monsters?

 

 

I love those tiny hats that look like berries...must make!

Church mice!

Every year I donate some of my creations to the fair...and that got me thinking about my halfway successful charity resolution for 2011. I did end up making and donating quite a few things, but I didn't quite get in the groove of a project a month. I think there are two reasons:
1) I went overboard in the first few months, and then had trouble keeping up that momentum.
2) It was harder than I had imagined to find a DIFFERENT charity each month, which had been my original idea. A lot of charities wanted very specific things, which I just wasn't excited about making. In order for this to work, I had to be able to make things I wanted to make.

So, what did I do?
Hats in February
Squares in March and April
Socks in May
Sweater in June
Blanket in July/August
Fair Items in September/October


Moving forward...I think I need to keep my projects more manageable. Just because I decide on socks...or squares...or whatever...doesn't mean I have to make a million of them! Every little bit counts, and I think as long as I keep making and donating then I am at least making a difference.

Does anyone out there have any good crafty charities they would recommend?

And finished! My charity project for July...and August...and a little bit of September... for Project Linus.

It feels like I have been working on this forever! But I am pleased with the way it came out.

My charity project for this month will be my donation items to the church fair, which I blogged about last year...I've been finishing up a few small projects, with a few bigger ones to come.

Cute, right? And from a project that I was never satisfied with...

Much better, I think. Cute little slippers.

Hubby and I are moving in a few weeks, so things are a bit scattered...but I have a few projects to share soon. Happy fall!

Scrap Happy

Today is a beautiful day in Middlebury, Vermont.

Last week, as I was leaving church, there was a box in the front yard labeled "Free to a good home". Since I like free things, I took a peek.

Scraps!!!

None of the pieces are very big, but there are some really cute ones. 

Since I am still working on my scrappy quilt, I took them home to become part of my collection.

Then, today, I took a stroll downtown to check out the fundraising "Peasant Market" at the local church. There, I found...

 More scraps!!!

　All this scrappy goodness for $3.

Just look at those little scottie dogs!!!

And, because I am a sucker for all things handmade...

 Some pretty hand embroidered place mats and napkins.

A few years ago I would never have thought I could get so excited about a few scraps!

A few spare minutes

When I finished this sweater, it just needed a little hat to go with it.

My little friend here agrees, although I am not sure exactly what he is yet. Lion? Giraffe? Sweater stealer?
In any case, he doesn't get to keep the sweater. I hope to donate it somewhere locally here in Middlebury!

In other news, I'm linked up!







There are lots of fun projects, so check them out!

Some other things I've been up to...

The odds and ends of my craftiness...

This sweater started out as a baby size...it ended up almost big enough for me to wear. (Yet another lesson in the importance of knitting a gauge swatch...but since it wasn't intended for anyone in particular, I just left it). The yarn is nice and fluffy, though!

Some tiny socks for a friend having a baby!
And, to use up the last of that yarn, some tiny Christmas ornaments :)

I donated the sweater and ornaments, among other things, to my church's annual fair. It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for us, and I'm always amazed at the incredible stuff people make and donate!
I just love these little bags shaped like fruit!And personalized marshmallow roasters...Keith and I are in charge of the book room (I always take home boxes of them...which I mostly read and then give away or donate back the next year). Isn't he cute?
So many books...

The fair is, for me, the beginning of the holiday season, and one of my favorite parts of getting ready for Christmas. Anybody else out there in blogland have any fun, crafty pre-Christmas traditions?