Wordless Wednesday but with actual words

... so anyhoo, I had nothing to report today and was thinking I would go wordless again when I picked up my local newspaper and was so excited to see my favorite seasonal section Community Education Programs - these are little evening workshops where you can learn some amazing life skills and I try to take one every once in a while:
Searching the Internet for Seniors (Ages 50+) - now I don't know why you would want to search the internet for seniors, but live and let live, I always say (and uh, if 50 is a senior that would make people seniors for about 1/3 of their lives)

Getting Paid for Caring for Your Loved Ones - CHECK - SIGN ME UP FOR THIS ONE

Seeing Your Past Lives - although I am pretty sure I was Cleopatra, Marie Curie and Amelia Earhardt (wait, I think they were alive at the same time), there is a very slight chance I was actually a bag lady or bucket lady or some other type of homeless drifter carrying precious piles of junk from town to town - or maybe this is my future I am seeing

The Lipstick, The Handshake and The Wardrobe - this one scares me

Ukulele Workshop - .... hmmm ....

Harmonica Workshop - .... hmmm ....

Dog Massage and Energy Workshop - CHECK - wait, I didn't check this one, it looks like Olive has been reading the paper before me again - I already have her signed up for a little beagle bed bug sniffing training, so she can start paying for these expensive little Caesar dinners she has become obsessed with

Embraced by Angels ("The Crossing Over Workshop") - uh, not quite ready to cross over just yet thank you very much

How to Explore a Cemetery - this is only something you would see in New Jersey where bodies are buried everywhere and yes, I will definitely be signing up for this one DOUBLE CHECK

Mother/Daughter French Hair Braiding - would have to drag my daughter kicking and screaming to this one- but maybe I can find a little replacement daughter for the afternoon- I did always want to learn how to create those gigantic polygamy sister braids, I think this might be next Tuesday's trend ...

I should mention the ukulele, dog training and french hair braiding are being taught by the same person and I totally need this kind of talent in my life and am hoping to be her new bff.

It's National Craft Week- time to get your craft on!

October 1 - October 10th is National Craft Week (is 10 days a week now?) - there are events in many states and a conference in DC called Crafting a Nation - check out their site for all the info!

Crafty Bastards 2010 - Olive Bites DC

Just back from Crafty Bastards this weekend which is the huge annual indie craft show in Washington, DC.

(note- I did not get to see Obama, but I think I caught a glimpse of Michelle scoping out the mustache pillows in the booth next to me - I can't be sure although I have passed this on to the National Enquirer)

This is the first year I did this show and it was my first ever indie craft show.

Etsy had a booth (I never got over there), many amazing artists I admire had booths (I never got to any of them)- I did meet Rikkianne (she got to me) of the amazing Chakrapennywhistle fame and a great bud of mine from my early Etsy days and that more than made up for never being able to escape the booth for even a nanosecond.

The only negative was my 7am set up time (times were staggered) for the 10am show and my 3 hour 45 minutes drive which after a week of round the clock crafting left me in a sort of sleep-deprived craft coma- luckily the crowds were pretty lively and woke me up pretty fast.

2 things about Washington DC, wait 3 things 1- Dogs Everywhere- Next year I am definitely bringing Olive! There was one dog or another sniffing under my table all day long

(this could have been due to the amazing and free boxed lunch - except for the vegetarian wrap- what was in that? - the show provided that I never got the chance to eat - luckily a black lab named Cowboy was able to make use of my red delicious)

2. Bicycles Everywhere - YAY for DC and their bicycle friendliness! I was in a tennis court right next to the valet bicycle parking area and at the show's peak the entire court next to me was wall to wall bicycles - there were hundreds

3. Kids Nowhere - I have never been to a show (and city) with so few kids walking around - I am not sure if this is an indie show thing or a DC thing,

but it did come in handy when hubby yelled out- "damnit Cat!" very loudly -

(he had the taping things up job, and just watching the duct tape king get my only roll of scotch tape stuck to itself ... again ... caused me to grab the roll and take care of it myself - yes, I am one of those annoying people)

luckily for us everyone started looking around the ground for a cat ... and since they are mostly dog people, well ... they were very understanding.

Bottom line is that this is a great show (non-stop crowds and amazing artists) put together by some great people and I can't say enough good things about it, if you get the chance to attend Crafty Bastards definitely grab it.