Good Trade! The Coudal Partners Swap Meat

Like Wind In His Hair said to Lieutenant Dunbar in Dances with Wolves, after he traded his chest plait for the lieutenant’s Civil War uniform jacket: “Good Trade." That’s how we felt when we received our swap meat item. Let me back up. Secret Leaves entered the Coudal Partners Swap Meat several months ago. This is an online swap in which you send in one of your handmade wares and in time you will get something someone else made of equal value. We traded one of our Scrap Journals and about a month later we got a lovely handcrafted necklace in exchange. It was so much fun getting this in the mail that we are hoping to enter the swap again. Our necklace prize came along with a note telling how the jeweler, Megan Vandehey, came about making this particular piece. It was a bittersweet tale involving heartbreak, but in the end she is learning a wonderful skill and is all the better for it. A great story and a great experience. We encourage every artisan and crafter out there to participate in the Swap Meat.
(I know I am reaching for it with the reference, but I love that movie.)

Quick post by way of explanation

Hi all. Just a quick post to tell you that if you were once on our blog roll and now you are not, it wasn't on purpose. I accidentally lost our whole blog roll due to human error. : (

I added back all of the blogs I knew off the top of my head and one of these days when I have time to catch my breath, I will add the rest back on. Sorry to those of you who fell off.

Sharon

A Beautiful Day in Chicago

I told you there was more to the story. There always is.

On our two day trip up to Chicago we were accompanied by our good friend Tyler and we were glad she was there to lead us around. She lived there for several years so she knew the ropes of getting around on the 'L' and the bus.

The rest of these pictures are of our time walking through the neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Old Town. We couldn't have ordered a more perfect day. We saw the sights, admired the houses, ate delicious food and had a few cold ones. We even got a little shopping in. Sharon and I both came home with new fall coats we found at a great little vintage clothing store.

Thankfully, we walked quite a bit and I'm hoping that offset the delicious food and cold ones.



A photo shoot with Sharon and Tyler. We were passing the time waiting for the bus.


Cool building across from the bus stop.


Wouldn't you love to live in this house?


Row after row of great houses.


A girl and her dog. Can you think of a better way to spend the morning?


Pretty!!


Here's me. I'm not in most of the pictures because it was my camera.


The Bongo Room had the best breakfast offerings. I had an egg and cheese with veggies on a croissant. It filled me up for the rest of the day.


I thought irises only bloomed in the spring. I was wrong.

Hope you enjoyed this pictorial of our trip. We love Chicago! We hope to return very soon.
Leave a comment if you can relate.

Ann

Sharon and Ann's Excellent Chicago Adventure

A few weekends ago we ventured up north for the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. With a sea of tented booths to go through we had trouble fitting it all into one afternoon. But we had fun trying. Below is just a smattering of what we saw.
Stay tuned for more of the story...


Journals by Tyler Bender Book Co. made from old library books. These were up there in our top five favorites of the day.


More beautiful journals. Unfortunately, I did not pick up their card. If anyone out there knows who fashioned these books please drop us a comment. We want to give them their props!
Sharon loved the cover designs so much she couldn't keep her hands off them.


Look at these! Letterpress, hand pulled fine papers from Golden Hen Press.


Fine soaps by Oliba Soaps.


Let's stop and take it all in, shall we?


Ok, back to the business at hand. These delicate saki and tea cups were stunning. Note the interesting shelf display. Identify the artist with a comment and you win a handshake and a kiss.



Ah, at last, we know who did these eye catching cards. Yee~Haw Industries. They have been making the world a prettier place for decades.


Here's some eye candy for you. Handmade lamps by Avec Mes Mains.

This was not even close to everything we saw that day. But it will give you an idea of what you can find at the Renegade Craft Fair. If it comes to a city near you check it out. You won't be sorry.

Ann

Interview with Secret Leaves on Worsted Witch blog

Hey everyone. A few weeks ago our Secret Leaves scrap journals were featured on the Worsted Witch blog. The Worsted Witch is a wonderfully written and worthwhile blog for the green-minded crafter. Owner/blogger Jasmin Chua highlights her latest indie sustainable finds every few days for us all to enjoy. After we learned she blogged about us we wrote to tell her thank you and she wrote back requesting an interview. Of course, we agreed.

She asked great questions and we were thrilled with the way it turned out. Please visit and read the interview with Ann. Leave a comment--and tell Jasmin Secret Leaves sent you! : )

If you are in the mood for more eco-reading check out Treehugger, another fun and informative site.

Ann and Sharon