This weekend, my husband and I took a road trip to spend the weekend in the Massenutten Mountain ridge in heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. This area is not only famous for its historic role in the civil war, but also for its beauty, farm fresh produce and friendly people. Fall is approaching fast, and as leaves begin to change, that means festivals and harvest celebrations. For me…that equals crafty country! I was disappointed not to be able to find a craft show happening on Saturday within a reasonable driving distance. But I did find the next best thing…

Dayton Farmer’s market is a local famous indoor market located in a town so small you literally miss it if you blink. (We blinked, and we missed it.) The market is a treasure of community, home to about a dozen small, family run businesses; many who have been there for decades. Once I walked in, I immediately understood the draw to this small blend of country offerings, open only on weekends. The market atmosphere is warm, and its shopkeepers are overtly friendly.
There is something for everyone here. Among the smattering of offerings are: A gourmet food shop that sells fresh local cheese and butter (think churned that morning), fresh meats (slaughtered yesterday), toys, coffee/espresso, local BBQ, fresh jerky, homemade chocolate and sweets, kitchenwares, baked goods, an art gallery, windchimes and other gifts, and much more!

But the draw for me was the several shops that featured the wares of individual craft artisans, and I was not disappointed. The shop, “Crafty Hands” has been in the Dayton Market for 17 years and is owned by Jo and her husband.

The shop is aptly named as it carries wares not only from local artisans, but also creative goodies from crafters far and wide. The atmosphere is cozy, but not cluttered. Here are some of my favorites…

Across the way, the Craftyhands in Toyland shop section beckoned my husband, and the radio controlled helicopter had his attention for most of the hour.  Just goes to show that they never really grow up.

Next, I met Cris from Cris’ Corner, a unique yarn shop with colors everywhere!  She was a little camera shy, but otherwise very friendly and welcoming.

This her biggest fan, Ramon. Cris offered to teach me how to knit, (something that I’ve just never been able to master. ), but I told her I’d never be able to sit still long enough to finish a project! (Makin jewelry is hard enough, just ask my creative soul sister, “The Impatient Beader“)

Everyone at the market and in Dayton that we chatted with was truly delightful, and we genuinely felt welcome in this small town. Just next door to Harrisonburg, Dayton has real community feel with larger city amenities close by. That evening, we did the unthinkable while on a mini-break in the country…we went to the moves!   I have to say, 3:10 to Yuma is a big thumbs up for this girl. Ooooo, Russel Crowe and Christian Bale as roughneck cowboys…mmmm, dicey!

After lunch and a beautiful hike up Massenutten on Sunday, we finally headed north home to DC.  It was good to get back, as I really missed my pooch, but I’ll definitely remember the sweet time we had and the crafty folks we met.

Even this little silk worm. See ya little fella.

TL

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Tooooo cute!! These
Mini Crochet Patterns by Denise are the most adorable Crochet project I’ve ever seen!! We found her on Etsy, and she has over 20 patterns there for sale to make these adorable little guys. Now I don’t Crochet very well, and when I do its just in a straight line. So to see these little darlings just makes me drool and want to learn how to make them yesterday!!

Does anyone want to volunteer to make a few for the “Nation?” Ha ha!!! We would proudly display your work on our website, woooo hoooo!!

So step right up folks, and grab your crochet hooks!! First one to produce one of these little babies for CN gets a free Hi Five from me (ok, that may not be so motivating, but I can at least pretend to be important once in a while).

xxoo - TL

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Calling all Crafties that need to knit and feel the freedom to tag! Reading crafty weblogs sure does enlighten one to the wild and wacky, and being part of Knitta seems to satisfy the urge to be random and rambunctious!

From their site: Knitta began in August 2005, when the soon-to-be-Knittas were discussing their frustration over unfinished knitting projects: half-knitted sweaters and balls of yarn gathering dust. That afternoon, they knit their first door handle. Then it dawned on them… a tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings. With a mix of clandestine moves and gangsta rap — Knitta was born! Today, Knitta is a group of ladies of all ages, nationalities, and… gender.

Tag on nifty knitters, tag on!!!

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I know that I’ve been seeing these shirts a lot around town! Living in Washington, DC you are exposed to quite a few causes on a regular basis, whether you want to be or not. However, www.savethetatas.com is unique in that it not only is for a superb cause, it’s also highly comical. Especially to see kids parading around like this little darling.

However funny the company moniker is, the cause that it promotes is not. Breast cancer is a serious epidemic in our country. According to the National Cancer Institute, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and in 2006, an estimated 212,920 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, along with 61,980 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. And 40,970 women are expected to die in 2006 from this disease.

Julia Fikse is a fashion designer found a mission in life. “…to celebrate the varied beauty of women through playful expressive clothing and accessories. We believe all people are uniquely designed by God and should feel comfortable, valuable and beautiful as they are. Because ta-tas Brand Clothing is committed to helping women we give 5% of every sale to breast cancer research and desire that as we grow, so will the avenues through which we can help and enrich as many lives as possible. It is our hope that through ta-tas you will laugh, find joy in who you are and know by supporting ta-tas you are contributing to human needs in this country and around the world.”

I especially enjoyed the “show us your ta ta’s” category on the website.

To learn more about Julia and her dream, click HERE.

Julia, “For those about to craft…we salute YOU! ” TL

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