Thomas Siciliano, Papermaker

Another out-of-stater at the Best of Missouri Market was Thomas Siciliano, Papermaker, from Minnesota.  He makes handmade paper with embedded plants that have been painted.  His beautiful work can be found in his Etsy shop here.

1933 Designs

1933 Designs participated in the Best of Missouri Market a couple of weeks ago.  Kurt Moeller makes decorative items from old whiskey barrels and sells on Etsy here.  His booth at the Market also featured jewelry and key rings made from old printing press letters.  This photo (from Facebook) shows what his booth looked like at another festival.  At the bottom are gift tags - also made from whiskey barrels.

Indie Mats

I picked up a couple of cute mats from Indie Mats at the Best of Missouri Market.  They are made in Missouri and designed to help you create great wall displays without the cost of framing (or the nail holes in your walls).  The mats come in a variety of sizes and patterns (including some Amy Butler designs) and can be coordinated for multi-picture displays.  I'll have to try mine out and let you know how it looks!

Sprouted Designs

A returning favorite of mine at the Best of Missouri Market was Sprouted Designs.  Amanda Gray-Swain offers lovely screen printed cards, flour sack towels, scarves, and kids' clothes.  Last year I bought a set of dogwood notecards.  This year I saw this bunny design printed on a onesie, and it was so adorable.  You can find Sprouted Designs around St. Louis and in an Etsy shop here.

MG Designs

One booth that caught my eye at the Best of Missouri Market was filled with fabulous pennant pillows.  MG Designs offers decorative pillows made from vintage travel pennants.  Mimi Griffith is based in St. Louis but also has a shop on Etsy.  The St. Louis pillow is vintage inspired and comes in a variety of colors.  

The Whimsical Workshop

The Whimsical Workshop from Ohio was also at the Best of Missouri Market - they opened it to vendors from other states this year.  The Whimsical Workshop had a lovely booth full of beautifully carved birds.  They offered larger and smaller versions on swings.  I liked the cardinals and bluebirds.

Sherwood Linders Luminaries

Another interesting vendor at the Best of Missouri Market was Sherwood Linders Luminaries.  He cuts coffee and soup cans with a torch to make these incredible luminaries.  My grandma always put luminaries along her walk on Christmas Eve, and I loved it so much.  These would be very durable, and they make pretty patterns.

Tinker, Dicker, and Doc

Last Friday we attended the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It's always a fun event with lots to see (and taste).  One of the vendors was Tinker, Dicker, & Doc, LLC.  They're based in St. Louis and make candles from soy wax and essential oil.  My favorite was lavender, of course.

Carol Ross Pottery

A while back when we were visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden, I noticed some pottery by Carol Ross.  She sells her work on Etsy under the name The Clay Bungalow.  I especially like the pieces with bunnies (of course).

Barr Co Cream

OK - I'm back.  I've been really overwhelmed this semester.  I'm taking three classes "for fun," but it's taking up a lot of my time!  (In addition to Young Women, family and home stuff, etc.)  So I was considering discontinuing this blog and going to Pinterest and only being online sporadically.  But over the past couple of months I've been seeing so many great things that I've wanted to blog about...  So today I decided to change it up and to make my blog a place just for me to post whatever I want to remember, whenever I have time to post.  You are welcome to join me whenever you have time!

One great thing that has saved me this winter (Chicago's 3rd coldest ever) is my Barr Co Cream.  I picked up a tube at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and I've been using it liberally.  The scent is divine.

Dusty Miller

I saw some dusty miller at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and I was fascinated by it.  The silver of the leaves is so beautiful and the yellow flowers add a nice pop of color.  I'll have to find out if it would grow in my area...

{Photo from Google.}

Thursday Text: Pretzel Making at Home

When we were in Missouri, we found this book at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  Pretzel Making at Home by Andrea Slonecker features fabulous pictures and great instructions for making soft pretzels, hard pretzels, and all kinds of dips.  I'm excited to try it out!

Simpatico

Our reason for being in St. Louis was the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It's an awesome event, held the first weekend in October.  One of the vendors there had items by Simpatico.  Their solid perfume is heavenly, and I loved the pretty new hobnail candles.

Barr-Co. Oatmeal Soap

When we were at the Missouri Botanical Garden last month, we discovered a fabulous new soap company from St. Louis.  Barr-Co. soaps smell delightful - their original scent is a kind of oatmeal.  Lovely.

Friday Featured Art: Lantern Festival

We were in Missouri last week and were able to visit the opening weekend of the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It was fascinating.  These gigantic dragons in front of the Climatron are made out of porcelain plates, saucers, cups, etc.  The huge lanterns and flowers were made with silk.  At night they light the art.  I bet that would be a beautiful sight!

Gardenia!

When we went to the orchid show they were having a big sale in the gift shop. So, Tony bought me a gardenia! It is so beautiful and fills our home with a heavenly scent. I hope I won't kill it!

Orchid Show

It's that time of year again - the orchid show at the Missouri Botanical Garden! We drove down to St. Louis on Friday night, attended the show Saturday morning, and then drove back. It was a quick trip, but the show is always worth it. It's a beautiful mid-winter tradition.

Native Bees

When we attended the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden in October, we learned about native bees. You can provide a habitat for them without doing full-blown beekeeping. All they need is a house like these ones and some blooming plants with lots of pollen. Learn more here.

The Key of A

When we went to the Best of Missouri Market this year, we found a vendor called The Key of A. Most of their jewelry and accessories were made from old typewriter keys. Check out these great cufflinks made from Midwest Transit railway tokens.

High Apple Pie

Did you know that there really is such a thing as "high apple pie?" We saw some fantastic pies at the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden in October. I think this is what we saw - the Levee High Apple Pie from The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery. Yum!