Trip to Lover's Leap Winery

On the first day of spring, John and I went to Lover's Leap Winery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky for their Spring Fling event. It was our first visit there and we were impressed. The grapevines had not budded out yet, but you can get an idea of size the vineyard. From what I recall, they will start budding out by May and I believe the grapes are harvested in September. I plan to go back later this summer and take more pictures.




We paid $15 to get into the event and it included a wonderful BBQ lunch, desserts, live music, a tour, wine tastings, and keepsake glasses. We always enjoy trying new wines and picking out a favorite. Many times you go to local wineries and you really don't like the wine, but we really thought all the ones we tried were good. We left with several bottles.


When I saw this hat, I had to have it!


John goes back for a refill on the tour. Actually we had permission to do this!

If you are in the area, you should visit this family owned winery. They support the arts and are hosting an outdoor event called the Vineyard Stroll on June 12 (from 11 am 7 pm) featuring over 50 Kentucky Proud food producers and Kentucky Crafted artists. Admission is $5 and there is live music. Maybe I'll see you there!

Celebrating Life Through Art - Pics from the Show

Here are some photos from the 2nd annual Celebrating Life Through Art event held on June 6 at the Masonic Home in Shelbyville, KY. There were approximately 30 vendors, six of which were Bluegrass etsy team members. And we managed to recruit some new team members while we were there!

The sun was shining, there was a nice crowd, and Donna Williams, the show organizer is delightful to work with! In addition, there was live music, dancers, and wine tasting from Talon Winery. The very best part was getting to socialize with other Bluegrass etsy team members!

 

Special thanks to Jessica of the Pink Needle for teaching me how to use Picasa to make this cool collage! You should be able to click on the photos to see them on a larger scale.

To view art and crafts from the Kentucky Bluegrass etsy team, search for teambluegrass at etsy!

Derby Hat Decorating

This is the hat I bought last year for Derby week. We typically go to the Kentucky Oaks race which is the day before Derby Day. I liked it because it has an off kilter asymetrical feel to it. I wear a lot of black typically, so I am likely to have something to go with a basic black hat. The flowers are in the front and the back is plain. Last year I wore black and lime green so I added a lime green grosgrain ribbon and it looked fine. So here is the hat without the ribbon.

Here are my grossly overpriced feathers from a local store. I loved the ribbon with the flowers and thought it would look good with the top I picked out.


Here is the final product with some feathers that I love. They move with the breeze and are pretty cool. While we were at the track yesterday I liked all the hats that had these type of feathers in them. It was windy and I like the movement they create.

Have a great Derby Day everyone!

Ice Ice Baby

Here are some images from our ice/snow storm last week. There were about 200,000 people without power in Louisville and over 800,000 across the state of Kentucky. Our power went off Tuesday night and didn't return until late Saturday night. It was 47 degrees in our house! I learned a lot from the experience as my husband was in Detroit the first 2 days of not having power. I learned how to light our gas fireplace (which we had not used in years) and hook up and start a generator. We traded off amenities with our neighbors. They had a gas stove and made us grilled cheese sandwiches and soup and we had hot water so they could take a hot shower.
The governor is saying it's the worst natural disaster to ever hit the State of Kentucky. Second worst was the wind storm from Hurricane Ike last September. We also lost power then for about a week. That's when we were fortunate enough to get a generator. But back in September it wasn't as cold, which made this outage a lot worse. Hotels were booked and most people had to stick it out at their home. Several people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from generators running in their garage or using gas stoves or grills inside their house to keep warm. Very sad.

These pictures were taken around our back yard. The damage was everywhere across Louisville from downed wires and tree limbs, and often much worse than what I found in our yard. But then again, I tried to mostly take pictures of things that were artistic and pretty.

Ky Art Fairs Make Top 10 List

This article is proof that the arts industry is alive and well in Kentucky. I have not been to the event in Midway, but would love to go. Kentucky Crafted The Market is next month and I am saving my money and looking forward to shopping there!

AmericanStyle’s fifth Top 10 Fairs and Festivals list...

Clipped from their website: The stamp of approval was given to events ranging from a small Midwestern town’s art-filled weekend to a sophisticated East Coast show held in a big-city convention center. Besides revealing an obvious passion for fine American craft, the poll also made another thing clear—Kentucky art fairs have droves of devoted fans. Three shows in Kentucky made this year’s list. Read on to learn why.

1 Wausau’s Artrageous Weekend
Wausau, Wis.
One weekend each fall, central Wisconsin transforms into an arts extravaganza. Wausau’s Artrageous Weekend combines three events. More than 120 artists show and sell their work at Art in the Park, held in Marathon Park, while the Festival of Arts brings 100 juried artists to downtown Wausau. The highlight of the festival is the opening weekend of the annual “Birds in Art” exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, showcasing more than 120 avian-centered works by international artists, many of whom attend a special “Meet the Artists” event during the weekend. The 2009 events return Sept. 12-13. For more information, visit www.wausaufestivalofarts.org.

2 Kentucky Crafted: The Market
Louisville, Ky.
Kentucky Crafted: The Market is something of a hybrid show. The first two days are only open to the trade. Once the weekend hits, the show opens to the public, who turn out en masse to purchase work made exclusively by Kentucky artisans. “It’s well-stocked with a variety of talented artists,” explains attendee Jennifer Escobar of Berea, Ky. “The entertainment is high quality, the city is lovely, and the food is excellent!” Kentucky Crafted: The Market reopens to the public Feb. 21-22 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. For details, visit www.artscouncil.ky.gov.

3 Bayou City Art Festival
Houston, Texas
“The weather is always great, the music is always great, and the art is always great!” says reader Danielle Foulkrod-Chema of Pearland, Texas. The Bayou City Art Festival, held biannually in Houston, seems to be blessed with good weather; many of its supporters specifically mentioned it as a highlight of the festival. Food, atmosphere and children’s activities also earned raves, but the art is what makes this festival a perennial reader favorite. The Bayou City Art Festival returns to Memorial Park March 27-29 and will surround City Hall Oct. 10-11. To learn more, visit www.bayoucityartfestival.com.

4 Scottsdale Arts Festival
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Another show benefiting from good weather and a beautiful setting is the Scottsdale Arts Festival, a program of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Held on the grounds of the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, it boasts nearly 200 juried artists, attracting visitors from across the country. “We saw the Scottsdale Arts Festival last winter for the first time and were blown away,” says Treasure Omdahl of East Grand Forks, Minn. “The artists were charming, and their work was exemplary.” The next festival takes place March 20-22. Visit www.scottsdaleartsfestival.org for more information.

5 Des Moines Arts Festival
Des Moines, Iowa
A definite favorite of the locals, the Des Moines Arts Festival attracts more than 200,000 attendees to downtown’s Western Gateway Park. In addition to the 175 juried artists, the free festival features live entertainment, food, arts activities and more. “It is a community-wide event that brings out the very best Des Moines has to offer. It’s not just the art—which is stupendous—it’s the environment, the ambience,” explains Jim Flansburg of Clive, Iowa. “It defies Midwest stereotypes.” Make the trip June 26-28. For details, visit www.desmoinesartfestival.org.

6 St. James Court Art Show
Louisville, Ky. With a backdrop of historic homes almost as picturesque as the art on display, the St. James Court Art Show is among the largest in the country, with 750 juried exhibitors. “The vendors and visitors come from all over the U.S., and you have such a mix of wonderful items to view and purchase,” enthuses local resident Donna Wallace. The festival has grown significantly since its 1957 inception as a clothesline exhibition, and is still produced by a group of five nonprofits. The show returns Oct. 2-4. To learn more, visit www.stjamescourtartshow.com.

7 Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival at Midway College
Midway, Ky.
Another festival earning accolades for its idyllic setting is the still-young Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival, held on the campus of Midway College in Midway, Ky., a 205-acre working farm. “Francisco’s Farm is an outstanding art festival drawing artists and craftspeople from several states,” says supporter Jane Vancee of Versailles, Ky. “It is held in a beautiful setting … as pretty as any place in England!” The fifth annual event takes place June 27-28 in the heart of Kentucky horse country with more than 150 artists working in all mediums. Visit www.franciscosfarm.org for information.

8 American Craft Council Show in Baltimore
Baltimore, Md.
Held each February in the Baltimore Convention Center, the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore draws some of the most talented contemporary craft artists from across the United States. One of several shows produced by the nonprofit, the Baltimore show features nearly 700 artists. Highlights include the Searchlight Artists Gallery, an exhibition space for emerging artists, and the AltCraft section, comprised of artists from the DIY/ handmade movement. Catch it again Feb. 27-March 1. For more information, visit http://craftcouncil.org.

9 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original
Ann Arbor, Mich.
When a fair needs to officially add the phrase “the Original” to its name, there must be some serious competition. Such is the case on a single weekend in July when the streets of this college town are taken over by four different art fairs. The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair celebrates its 50th year in 2009, and maintains its reputation as the most sophisticated of the four fairs. “The location is just wonderful,” explains local resident Anita Rabideau. There’s “no competition from stores or street vendors … to distract from the quality of the art that is there!” The next fair takes place July 15-19. Learn more at www.artfair.org.

10 Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Northport, Ala.
“I make a pilgrimage to Kentuck every year because I am guaranteed to find amazing work, and ninety-five percent of the time I get to meet the artist who created it,” says Ashley Day of Brooklyn, N.Y. “The quality is consistently outstanding.” Few other shows in the top 10 received so many votes from out-of-towners, singling this fair out as a particularly special event. With more than 300 artists in a wooded park, the festival features a wide range of work, from contemporary craft to folk and outsider art. The festival returns Oct. 17-18. For more information, visit www.kentuck.org.


February 2009
12/12/2008

Bernheim Forest ColorFest and Geocaching

This weekend was the ColorFest fall festival at Bernheim Forest in Clermont, Ky. We had planned to go hiking at Bernheim and packed a lunch. We managed to get there before the big crowds and do a little hiking. We stopped at the gift shop/visitor center and there were booths set up with food vendors and Ky crafts. Inside the center I found the coolest "fairy" scarecrow by artist Wren Smith. Isn't this cool? I love the 2nd picture as all the light from the windows illuminates this wonderful art. Next year they are asking individuals and organizations to create their own artistic scarecrow to be on display at Bernheim. (click pictures for a larger view)






A woodturner from Kentucky demonstrates his work as a crowd gathers to watch. Everyone loves to see an artist in action. It really seems to draw them into your booth.



A nice view from the trail. And a pretty birch tree.


We also went geocaching that day. If you unfamiliar with geocaching, it's great fun. Basically you get the coordinates for a hidden item (the cache) and enter it into your gps. You also get clues, sometimes they are in code and you have to decipher them. Most of the time you have to go off the trail to find what you are looking for. The coordinates give you the general area and are not exact. We tried for four yesterday. Three of them were microcaches which means they could be as small as an altoids tin or a film canister. We never found those, and I was pretty discouraged. We gave it one last try for hunt #4. This one was described as a tall rubbermaid container wrapped in camo tape. The clue also told us it was in a hollow tree. It was quite a steep climb to make it to this one and you had to turn around as you were climbing to see the hollowed out part. My husband spotted the tree, as I had passed it up. This picture shows the location after removing the ground cover.

Inside these containers (which are often metal ammo boxes) you will find a log where everyone that has found the cache signs in and lists the date. Some people leave calling cards, like a business card that has their geocache name. There are usually trinkets inside the container, and if you take something you leave something and list it in the log. There is usually a pen inside unless it's a micro cache. You then go online when you get home and post to the person that created the cache that you found it. This info is listed for all to see. We normally print these out as they give clues about how to find them and if other people had trouble with the coordinates.

It's great fun if you've never tried it. All you need is a gps for trails(not a car gps). You can then type in the zip code of where you are traveling to and it will give you a list of the caches in the area! We try to do this whenever we travel.

Two new etsy treasuries this week

Wow, these ladies do a great job of getting those coveted treasury spots. My blue earrings are featured in the first and my pink earrings are in the second treasury. Way to go Kentucky team!

Art Car Weekend - Part 1

The Ky Art Car Weekend was held in Louisville on August 1-3. Some really creative altered art cars were on display and they participated in a parade on Saturday. Here are some pictures that I took when they were parked in a church lot. I'll post a few more pictures tomorrow. They were so great and unique, it's hard to choose just a few!


This shows the detail on one of the vans. If you double click the picture, you can see there are buttons, shells, McDonald toys, barbie parts, rulers, beads, silk flowers, etc.


I liked the swirled paint job on this car. And the fins!


Close up of the hood of one of the cars. This is kinda creepy in a dismembered doll head kind of way. I am wondering how they wash their cars with all this stuff on them!

There is a very cool hotel in town called the 21C Museum Hotel. It has very interesting art that grabs your attention and gets you talking. This car was commissioned by the hotel. The miata is covered in pieces of mirror. The red penguin is from the hotel. You will find them all over the hotel, inside and out. Rumor has it, they may even put one in your room or in your bed for laughs. The hotel also has an older limo completely covered in flat red marbles. I did not see it on display at the show this weekend, but I've seen it parked in front of the hotel. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera that day!

More pictures to come!