Craft Fair Experiences

I was a vendor at my first ever craft fair. I've attended quite a few over the years, just never as a vendor. My friends and I took our collection of crocheted stuff and sold it.

We did pretty well. I made more money than it cost me to be there. But then I spent it at other vendor booths. My little bit to help the economy.

We're looking for other craft fairs to attend so if you know of any in Washington near tri-cities or Moses Lake, please let me know.

If you want to buy any of my crocheted things, I'll be happy to work out a mail-order deal for you. Send me an email, please. jaletaclegg @ gmail.com

I've got wristwarmer mitts in all kinds of fun yarn, cotton dishcloths and scrubbies, hats, rose hair clips, and lots of little stuffed animals, mostly hedgehogs and bunnies right now. Oh, and loads of little turtle keychains.

That's all just my stuff. My friends didn't make it the first day, but I had no problem filling a 9 foot table by myself. I think my yarn addiction is getting out of control...

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure

My husband has fallen in love with Goodwill. Don't get me wrong, we had thrift stores back in Utah. Deseret Industries, DI to the locals, is a great place to pick up bargains. But nothing like Goodwill here in Washington.

DI had clothes and appliances and furniture but it felt like everything there had already had at least five owners. Well-used didn't begin to cover most of what we found. The stores here have stuff that is much newer. And they have stuff that would have disappeared in minutes from DI's shelves. Or maybe it's just they have a different selection of stuff because the local donation pool is different.

My hubby picked up an entertainment center and turned it into a desk for himself. It looks nice, too. He got a sewing machine, installed in a table, for cheap. The table is now holding his new saw. The sewing machine is in my sewing room waiting for me to plug it in and see how it works. I already have a functional sewing machine and a serger and an antique sewing machine, so that may take a while to happen.

I picked up a brand-new fondue set for my son to play with. I also found a waffle stick maker that had been used maybe once or twice. We had way too much fun making waffle sticks and eating them with ice cream and chocolate fondue.

But my weakness at Goodwill is the yarn. I've bought way too much of it. My bins are stuffed clear full. Anyone want an afghan? It will be ugly, because that's my hubby's definition of crocheted afghans. And everyone needs an ugly afghan to make the couch feel like home.

Leave a comment or message me if you're interested. I sell them for pretty cheap. Just tell me what colors you want.

The Need to Create

Do you feel the need to create something? It seems to be an almost universal human drive. You don't have to be an artist or a musician to participate. Everyone has an outlet for their creative urges. I like to use words to create worlds and stories. I also love playing with cloth and yarn, piecing quilts and creating costumes and crocheting all sorts of things. Even cooking can be a creative exercise. I have friends who garden to fill that need. Others who build things with wood or metals or other materials.

What is your canvas? What do you like to create?

I'll leave you with a few pictures of some of my latest projects as inspiration:

Basket of Book Reviews

The Void; Brett J. Talley (release date July 2012)

 I don't usually read horror. I indulge in the occasional bad monster movie or classic Poe or A.A. Merritt tale, but not the freaky scary horror. But my new publisher, Journalstone, publishes mainly horror. (My books aren't horror, they're SF; just FYI) This is one of their new titles, coming in July. I read the blurb and thought it sounded interesting. I got an ARC (advanced reader copy) for review. Now that you've heard my whole saga of why I read this book, let's move on to the review.

The Void is a great science fiction novel, with some creepy horror bits. Or you could call it a horror novel with lots of science fiction. It's not a monster alien attack story, it's more suspense. Interstellar travel triggers dreams in those who travel. If they try to stay awake, they go insane. But the dreams are much more sinister than anyone realizes.

If you're looking for a great suspense story with plenty of drama and action, pick this one up. You won't regret it. This is Brett Talley's second novel. His first was nominated for a Stoker award. He's good.

I give this one 4.5 stars and a PG rating (no language, no steamy bedroom scenes, but plenty of creepy scariness.)

200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws, and afghans; Jan Eaton

I was wandering through my local library a few weeks ago, and found their crochet pattern books. I enjoy crocheting. It's something I can do when I'm tired and watching tv and too lazy to do anything else. My only problem is that I have no patience for long-term or large projects. I want something I can finish quickly. This book was perfect. Blocks don't take long to make. Get enough of them finished, and you can sew them into an afghan. Ta-da! Large project completed. I was thinking of making up a bunch of these squares using cotton yarn. Two sewn back-to-back would make a nice hot pad. One could be a nice facial scrubber. Or you could sew four together to make a pillow top. Or doilies. Or doll blankets...

The instructions were clear and easy to follow. I give this one 5 stars. Ages: anyone who wants to crochet

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace; K. D. McCrite


I bought this book for my daughter's ninth birthday, and to support my friend and fellow author, Katie. It was a little too old for my daughter, mostly because she isn't quite ready to read at this level.

April Grace is eleven and starting summer vacation. Her family lives in the Ozarks on a farm, which is just fine with April Grace. When the new neighbors stop by for directions, April Grace finds them stuck-up and rude. They're city folk with no appreciation of the country.

This book is hilarious, especially the dinner scene. Set in the 1980s, it brought back a lot of memories for me. Not that I was ever accused of being an Ozark hillbilly or that I ever had an older sister with delusions of glamor or that I ever had a feud with impossible neighbors...

I give this book 4.5 stars, rated G, recommended for ages 10+, especially girls who wonder how they are ever going to fit in.

Monsters and Mormons; Wm Morris & Theric Jepson


Disclaimer: I'm one of the authors in this collection.

Back in the days of pulp fiction, Mormon settlers were easy villains to add to stories. Turn it upside down. Let the Mormons be the heroes and give them some great monsters to fight, then see where the authors take the stories.

This collection has a wide variety of stories, everything from monster slasher horror, to suspense, to science fiction, to sweet romance, to humor. It's a great look into Mormon culture. Don't expect doctrine, just a lot of good entertainment, 500 pages worth.

My two favorite stories are Other Duties by Nathan Shumate (a new bishop finds out about the duties in the top secret handbook) and The Other Wife by Emily Milner (a woman who can see ghosts marries and finds out about her husband's previous two wives).

I give this one 4.5 stars, rated PG mostly for violence and scary monsters.


(I've reviewed A Moth in Darkness before, but I'm including it here because it is book 1 of the trilogy)

The Fly in Paradise, Spiders from Memory; Frances Pauli

Fly and Spiders finish off the story started in Moth. Liz Larson and her friends opened the gates between our world and the Fey world. Now, a decade later, she's no longer part of it. Until people start to go missing and things unravel between the worlds.

This is urban fantasy with a great twist. No vampires or other undead, just elves and fairies and a twisted mystery with consequences greater than anyone imagined. If you're looking for suspense and intrigue and fantasy with a dose of romance, these are great books. And the kelpie? I don't want to ever meet one of those, even in broad daylight.

I give this trilogy 5 stars, PG rating.

How much would you pay?

I was really bored this weekend. I made this:

Yes, that is Cthulu. Yes, he is crocheted. And yes, he is covering a roll of toilet paper on the back of a toilet. The perfect bathroom accessory for just about anyone.

My question is, How much would YOU pay for one of these beauties? If I have enough interest, I'll make more and find a way to sell them to you.

Please leave your price quote in the comments section. One random commenter will win something, maybe even this lovely bathroom accessory if I have enough entries.