2014 Craft'za

Craft'za was a thing that happened! I didn't get a single good photo the whole time I was there, but we packed the building again and had another terrific show. We got some new vendors that I was super excited about, and I bought some fun stuff, like always.

Check out this amazing test print from Burlesque! Richey Beckett's work is insane and I love the colors on this poster so much, I had to pick it up even though I already have way too many prints. I also got some laser-cut wood pendants from Isette that have got me cross-stitching again.

We tried a Black Friday event for the first time this year and really, the less said about that, the better. But I'm proud of the poster I made for it, and we had a special celebrity guest shopper: former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak!

"How to Approach Galleries" Panel

NEMAA invited me to speak on a panel about selling to art galleries and fairs, which was fun. I posted my side of the conversation on episode 18 of the podcast, if you're interested in hearing what I had to say. I discussed the application and jury selection process for our craft shows, plus some behind-the-scenes stories and insider advice for aspiring crafters.

Tenth Anniversary

Where it all began... the WalMart liquor department

This August Jenna and I celebrated our tenth year of marriage together. We did a lot of fun things but the main one was spending two full days without the kids, the longest we've ever been away together since Natalie was born! The celebration started with Jenna picking me up from work on August 19, a walk around Northeast, and dinner at Ginger Hop.

We stayed at the Nicollet Island Inn, "Minneapolis' Most Romantic Hotel and Getaway," and had breakfast there in the morning. Then we returned to the place where we met and fell in love: beautiful Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We revisited all the historic landmarks of our relationship, starting with Mancino's for lunch. We also got to visit with some old friends, which was very nice!

We spent the night at Fanny Hill, a Victorian B&B (with a hot tub in the room--fancy). Next morning we went back to Mancino's for lunch and drove home after a quick stop at the Minneapolis farmer's market. A great vacation with a terrific lady! Here's to ten more years! 

Running Man

I completed my 8-week Couch-to-5k running plan. Last Thursday I ran my first 3.1 miles since 2011. Then on Saturday (since I'm training for a trail race series) I did another 5k in the Minnesota Wildlife Refuge and somehow was much faster!

I'd like to beat my time from the only 5k I ever ran (31:09), and I think I'm on pace to do it. More importanty I'm having a lot of fun running and have managed not to hurt myself so far. Now that I've started again it would be great to keep it up for a few years. 

Weekly Planner Podcast

Hello friends. I'm excited to announce that after months of planning and prep, I have officially started a podcast! The first episode is up and available for your listening pleasure right over here.

Weekly Planner is about events in the Twin Cities and the people who make them happen. In episode one I talked with Adam Turman, and I think most future episodes will be a similar one-on-one interview format. In fact I already have a few like that recorded and scheduled to post in upcoming weeks.

I would love to hear what you think! Please drop me a note especially if there's anything in particular that you loved, hated, or want to hear in future episodes. Help me make a good show for you!

Back in the Running

I started running again! I started for real the first time in 2011 then I quit again shortly after Paisley was born in September of that year. Two and a half years later, it felt like time to hit the trails again.

Way back in the dark ages I got my training plan from a book. Of course there's an app for that now, so my smartphone has replaced the stopwatch as my primary tool for tracking runs. I just completed the third week of the C25K plan, which means I'm already a third of the way through. I'm on track to begin racing again in August.

Best of all, I got new shoes! I realized belatedly that I never wrote about my old shoes, which seems... disrespectful. Those grey Asics carried me through hundreds of miles and four races, and now they're in the garbage. But check out the new hotness!

Happy 6th birthday, Natalie