Slow Summer

Summer, the double-edged sword -- it means warm weather, long bike rides, sitting lazily in the Lake, but it also means slower sales, and really expensive markets that I can't necessarily afford. Last year I really went all-out, doing a market practically every weekend, and in the end it was really tiring, and I still just barely scratched by until the pickup in sales pre-Christmas. This year I've only done a handful of markets, opting instead to try to sell my baseball pieces outside of Wrigley Field (which really means sitting with my friends in the sunshine), keeping up with a few small shops that sell my jewelry, and working my hours at Ragstock for fill-in money. It's unfortunate though that Summer, full of fun stuff to do, ends up being the lean time, and I make the majority of my income in the Winter when I want nothing more than to stay inside.

That being said... I really want to go camping right now, but in Chicago, even camping takes more money than I'm willing to spend -- gas, food, renting a camping spot. It's a far cry from when I lived in Virginia, and I could drive half an hour down the Coal Road to a great spot for hiking, swimming, and (free!) camping. I guess you could also say I'm a little homesick these days.

I've been having a lot of fun this past week, riding my bike a lot more, and doing things I would normally either put off, or work through, but it doesn't take away the occasional longing for an open red-dirt road, or a mountain to climb, or a swimming hole.

Here are some of my favorite pieces for this Summer, and I'll raise my glass in the hope that y'all are enjoying these hot, sunny days!

Happy Pride!
Gay Pride Necklace

Reminds me of home.
Magnolia Wood Keychain

Colorful and Pretty
Floating Lace Wall Hanging (Dream Catcher)

Romantic Bohemian Dreamcatcher

I know, I know, it's 0-degrees outside, but I'm still holding out hope that this foreign concept of warmth still exists, and might actually be something I experience for myself in the near future. Of course, this is Chicago... so it could be the middle of June before we get to take our sweaters off. I saw a man on the news last night, he had just moved here from California, and though he bemoaned the Winter weather, he said hopefully "But we've only got two months until Spring... one month, maybe..." Bless his heart, he has no idea.

Still, we must march on, assuming that the seasons will change and Spring will arrive, no matter how far away that seems right now.

I'm starting to work on my Spring dream catchers. Most of these pieces would be beautiful hung on your wall at any time of the year, but there's something especially hopeful about the last one I made.

Bright Pink Floral Dreamcatcher, available in my Etsy shop

Something about the colors, the floral pattern, it's just... insistent. Warmer days are coming, I promise.

The fabric on this one is especially nice -- it's from a Ralph Lauren skirt! It's a medium sized dreamcatcher, but once it's hung on the wall it really packs it's punch -- bright, happy, fresh, and oh so hopeful. It won't be long now... right?