This mornings events

I started out the day with a fest meeting, no major changes made, but good input. Then I met with my advisor from the UW who brought with him three student working on tourism in our area. We had a great talk and they will share their report and suggestions for our area when it is done. I have two Santas based and hopefully will get the details done as Christmas in July starts here on Saturday.

I am hoping to get some market bags sewn and a few small stoking stuffer type ideas all worked out and packaged. I will come back with photos if this all comes together,\\

I am here so long becuase my house has been over run with family and the only peace and quiet I get is at the shop early in the morning or in the evening. I paint to remain sane some days it seems. kids, grandkids, pets oh my.......

Christmas in July

I know when the thermometer reads 80 it is hard to think Christmas but.... that is exactly what I am up to here. I am painting Santas and getting the sweaters and caps all tagged and ready to go. Gingerbread families are drying and ready for finishing touches,
   I have a couple gift ideas and a neat way to decorate not just at Christmas but in your kitchen year round. GINGERBREAD.  simple yet adorable.
First if you have little ones, you can trace gingerbreadmen onto brown craft paper for ornaments and let them decorate with markers and a little white glitter for a sugary effect. Brown craft foam also works very well. Just trace a cookie cutter. make garlands cards, oh so many cute items for one pattern.
  Not feeling in the mood yet?  simmer a pot on the stove with a little ginger and nutmeg, maybe a dash of cinnamon and your house will smell like the holidays while you are busy working.
  My personalized gingerbread family has been a great gift idea now for a few years, the babysitter, grandma, friends and even yourself. Each little cookie wears the name of a family member.. Extra cookies are always available.  Gingerbread ornaments for your tree or use as gift tags that the recipient can use over and over again.

Make these ornaments and gifts with your kids, they will remember the naking years after the gift is gone.   

Rock Painting at Pattibears Place

Friday was the first class in rock painting I have given so far this season. Three young men seven, ten and thirteen came. Normally my first class is a bunny so the student learns to make fur strokes and gets the basics of rock painting.  This was not the case, not only did these three not want to paint a bunny, they each wanted to paint a different animal.....and none had fur!

The littlest decided on a turtle ... and angry turtle. He did fairly well for a first time and added some great color to the turtle shell and in the end he did look angry turtle.

Student number two had a rock, not shaped like any animal, so we took another route and painted the animal on the rock.  Not the rock into an animal , like we normally do. He made a lizard, colorful with it drawn completely by him.

Number three had heard his mother say the day before in my shop that she wanted an owl and he found a rock that would work. Just let me say feathers are harder than fur to paint, and this student had never painted before either. But, he listened and tried his best and in the end MOM got an owl

This is how it usually goes!

Find a smooth rock, for a bunny a baked potato shape works great. As you get more experience you can work around odd shaped rocks. Basecoat your rock with black acrylic paint. This gives you a base to work from and helps get shadow and depth to your painting. Use a wide brush, ( good brushes are not necessary for this part )       Use chalk to outlind where the face is, the ears and where the back legs are. This is just a guide and will be covered up later. It helps to look at a picture, I recommend the kids books on HOW TO DRAW ANIMALS a great source to show features and proportions.

Next thin some white paint to use for your fur strokes. The most important thing to remember is to stroke in the same direction the fur grows!  Outline the ears, nose and eyes. you will fill these in later. Remember there is never too big of a mistake you can't correct....Just paint it black and start again! The back legs are painted like wheel spokes coming down , the face fur grows up from the nose and to the sides from the eyes. The cheeks are little white puffs with a triangle of white between for the chin.

As you practice your fur lines will become finer and you can get even more detail. Let your white fur lines dry completely.

The back of the bunny, no tail yet, that is a final detail

add brown for the eyes and flesh for the nose and ears

Delute brown paint to a tint and cover the white fur lines. Leave the cheeks and chin white

Add some white eyelashes around the eyes, paint in the pupils and add awhite reflection dot. Brush in a few black eyelashes and last but not least  Do not forget the tail....and you are done

It smells like summer

Even though it has rained for what seems like the last week, you can smell summer and family fun.  Campers have started to fill the two campgrounds near our house and the smell of bacon on the old coleman cookstove in the morning brings back fond memories of my DAD out there making us five kids breakfast early in the morning after he returned from those 5 am fishing trips.My Dad taught us all a very important lesson. You see he died when he was just 38. We took a family vacation every year, even if we really could'nt afford to. He gave us all memories that we can carry over to our own kids and grandkids. I took my first grandson Joey fishing and taught him to bait a hook. Now he is showing JJ how. Thanks Dad. I guess with Fathers Day fast approaching I think more of him, but every day I find one of those things that seemed to come so easy to him in my everyday life. He loved us , and all of us not one more than the other . Maybe just differently, but not more. I was adopted and he never once made me feel like I wasn't his. Thanks Dad. He set a good example for my brothers to follow, and they did. It is not how much you spend on your kids, it is how much time . Yesterday I colored with JJ, my great grandson and showed him a trick my Dad taught us when we would all color on the kitchen table on a rainy Saturday. Take a peice of paper towel and rub the area you colored and it looks soft .  Dad , thanks again.  I remember him coming to pick me up from a friends on Friday night in his work pants and tshirt with his boots not laced. "Please don't get out I thought" and he would send me in to pick up the pizza from Genoe's. My love for Wisconsin, came from him. We used to drive up to the Dells and then up to Phillips for summer vacations. Candy ( licorice) hidden in his glove compartment, rainbow cones on the way to pick  Mom up from work on Saturday afternoon. Being the one who got to sit in the third seat in the station wagon. Saturday morning trips to his Grandmas, she would call him and two Uncles in like they were still boys.   Being able to be the one who went with at 5am to fish, I never caught anything, but I would'nt trade that time we spent just talking for anything. I can remember just going with for the ride, didn't matter where he was going. How many times did I go with to pick up car parts or maybe to Walgreens for party supplies. It didnt matter as long as we were with him. He was what Dads are supposed to be and I just hope he knew just how I felt even through my teenage years when things were bumpy. Dad you were the greatest and I LOVE you !

Wow, how the memories flood back when evening sets in and you can smell the campfires and smores!

 Families enjoying time together and back to basics. It is great. I just hop, my kids and grandkids will have as much to think back on years from now.  If so, I did it right!

 In the shop I am busy painting signs for those very campers to hang at their sites or attach to those movable homes on wheels.  I love that each piece sort of tells me what it will turn out to be and no two bears or raccoons are ever alike. In fact I just sold one that looked a little grumpy, it must have been painted on one of those days  LOL. I was asked where did I learn to paint the other day and Dad popped up again. When we first started camping we had a tent and went to Savannah, Illinois to an Army Corp of Engineers campground and there , I met Jack and Jean, a couple who ran the small store. Jack would sit behind the cabin and paint on mirrors. I could have sat there all day, every day. To me it was like magic watching the scenes unfold. That is how I feel when a piece of old wood becomes a bear or sign for someone.  Again Thanks DAD.

BIG SUMMER Sale

Summer is here and time for our Big Summer Sale. The 6 car wooden train set is our first big sale item. This beautifully handcrafted set is made to be played with. Each car can be arranged in any order. Engine,12 inches, coal car, 9 inches, log hauler with logs,11 inches, open car with barrels,11 inches, a dumper car that really dumps , 11 inches, and a caboose, 10 inches. A must for the train lover in your family this season! Perfect toy to bring out imagination, no batteries required, runs on imagination!

Each set is on sale for $25.00 shipping is $22.50    total $47.50
http://www.pattibear.etsy.com/  to order
 

Personalized Gingerbread Family is a cute way to decorate for the holidays. A great gift idea for Grandma, the sitter or Yourself!  Add the family name and names of each member . The Big gingerbreadman measures about 16 inches high and is handpainted and ready to hang. Please specify how many small cookies up to 6.  More upon request. Special requests or wording available.  $15.00 and 9.80 shipping total $24.80 to order http://www.pattibear.etsy.com/

Think ahead to your holiday shopping and order early!!!

Time to Ponder......so many

recipes and so little time.  Beofre the rain came today the shop was fairly busy. It is very nice to see visitors walking the sidealks and checking out the shops. Past visitors coming back to visit is also a very good sign that things are picking up in the area. Sales were good, not amazing but good. The painted door from the other day SOLD !!!!  Now I can paint more, I hate to paint more big pieces if those I have are not selling, silly maybe but that is my thought process these days,
  With next Saturday our dairy Daze, a big deal in Wisconsin and the theme for our bake sale being ice cream I have been hunting high and low on blogs to find just the right cupcakes, having not heard back from the other bakers in our group . I am going off on my own and baking what I want.
Root Beer Float Cupcakes'
Servings: 12
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 20
Total time: 40
Ingredients:

1 cup rootbeer soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup rootbeer soda, reduced to 3 teaspoons
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp root beer extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Vanilla Bean Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla bean pods or paste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cupcakes:
Combine rootbeer soda and apple cider vinegar, and reduced rootbeer soda,allow to sit for a few minutes. Add sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and root beer extract.

Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients being careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into cupcake molds, 2/3 the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Frosting:
Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer until fluffy.
Top cupcakes with the vanilla bean frosting, and enjoy!

Arent these just adorable? I am going to make Big cupcake and mini cupcakes!

CREAMSICLE (ORANGE-VANILLA) CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
•½ cup unsalted butter, softened

•2/3 cup sugar

•3 large eggs

•1 tsp. vanilla extract

•1 tsp. orange extract

•1 ½ cups all purpose flour

•1 ½ tsp. baking powder

•¼ tsp. salt

•¼ cup milk

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

2.For the Cupcakes: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and orange extract.
3.In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4.With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5.Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.
The batter was thick,
Frost them with vanilla buttercream if you want to go for the Creamsicle effect,

Well, I am off to find just the right icing for a hot fudge sundae cupcake and then home to try out a batch or two. There is time enough to get back on the diet, and kids are home to taste test. Tomorrow I will be at the Garden center cutting out the end of our cows for dairy daze and then getting mine painted and decorated, I will get photos up as soon as it is done. This is just one of many events we do to get people back into town and visiting us, After the floods 2 yearsa go and the loss of some of our tourists we try anything to get people back in town,  NOW if ice cream themed cupcakes don't do it maybe nothing will LOL

Saturday Morning in the Shop

While I was dusting and running the vaccuum I thought I would take a video to show some of what is in the shop. I say this like I know what I was doing....NOT the case. In fact this is the first time I have used the video setting on my camera so I am hoping it works.  There are so many things in the shop that don't get listed on Etsy or on my website and so I thought I would share them this morning.

We have a saying at my house...if it stands still long enough Grandma will paint on it. That is probably true, I love to paint on old furniture, window, logs, rocks, pots and just about anything. I have tried my hand at watercolor, oils and acrylic. I find I am too rigid for watercolor I go crazy as the paint flows where ever and oils , I am in too big of a hurry to see a finished project so acrylics is my maine medium. I also do almost all my work freehand because I am a lazy painter. I do not like to take the time to trace a pattern do the basics then trace somemore. At classes I took when I worked at Michaels in Chicgo Ridge it made the instructor nuts that I would'nt trace. 

People always ask , were you trained, how did you learn to do this?  Well , I see images in wood patterns, clouds etc. crazy as it may seem that is how it started. I grew up in a house built back in 1959, our bathroom was covered in pink 6 inch plastic tiles with a sort of wavy pattern and if while taking a bubble bath you looked at them just right you could see faces, and so much more. If only you could sketch while in the tub. Gram would certainly not have allowed that LOL. The we began our camping vacations and at our stays in Savannah, Illinois, I met Jack & Jean they ran the little camp store and everyday Jack would sit behind the store and paint beautiful wildlife scenes on mirrors. Oh how I wished I had bought one back then. He made it seem so easy, the trees and deer seemed to just flow from his brush. I have yet to try that but now know that  feeling now as I turn an old ironing board ( hubby said I never knew what they were for ) into a charming Santa or a log slab into a friendly black bear.

Then in the evening I turn into my Gram, after dinner is done and we settle down I crochet the little sweaters and blankets that fill the shop. Our last 3 little ones were boys so all those cute girly sets are just for the shop. but I have a chance as my daughter is due in November and my fingers are crossed for a little girl.

Well enough for now, the shop is now open and hopefully the rain holds off and we have a busy day

Photos from the shop

This is the little girls MOOSE hat. I came up with these for Moosefest the beginning of May. I am thinking..... change the bow and it could be a reindeer for Christmas

Little boys sweater and earflap cap, also a matching blanket as well as a hooded sweater in the same color

I charged the batteries and with a rainy day outside it seemed the perfect time to get the photos taken and share them , here on the blog. So many of the pieces I paint are too big or too heavy to sell online, but they are here in my shop in Montello.

The green window was an old storm off a house in town, reuse/recycle less waste... this is from the same house but being so small I can't imagine what it was a door to!

Finally Friday

this has been a long week. Although I woke up to the sound of rain this morning, ( and I have a leak in the new section of roof ) it should be a nice day to finish projects and get ready for the weekend. I don't seem to have enough hours anymore, with trying to get the diner funding and all the work done, the shop and keeping it filled, 3 teenagers, a hubby, 3 dogs and 4 days a week the little guys stay over. I am ususally too tired to even enjoy all the planting I did and to just RELAX. But, rain helps downtown, It is funny how many people come out in the rain to visit the shops. With memorial Day behind us each weekend gets a little busier. I am picking up six more windows tomorrow and will hopefully have some time to work on them, if I can get one of the teenagers in my house to come and help watch the shop. There used to be no problem but now they all work at the resort near us and have STUFF of their own to do. They are great kids, just very busy! LOL I need to make sure we get all our plywood cows cut out so the local businesses can get them decorated for Dairy Daze , June 12th. It should be alot of fun , with visitors voting on their favorite COW and with the cupcake sale, we hope to be very busy. The money from our sales goes to help premote the downtown area and pay for advertising and such. This months theme is ice cream named cupcakes like rootbeer float, hot fudge sundae etc. I can't wait not only to bake them but to samle a couple. I am making some mini ones for tasting! I started the South Beach diet and this is killing it, how can you bake and not taste these cupcakes, oh well I can start again after the bake sale.

I am going to try and take start to finish photos on my next garden window I paint, many people are afraid to try things like this and I hope they realize YOU CAN do it. Then maybe one of the rock painting. I do classes for kids and adults during the summer. Kids are so much easier because they are not afraid to try and adults are fearful they will make a mistake. No mistake is so bad, if you don't like it ...paint it black and start again. I have more than a few times. I think more people need to know there is no right or wrong way to paint, paint because you enjoy it. If you like it , it is GOOD. I paint not just to make money at the shop or on Etsy but it is my main stress reliever.......teen, hubby =stress and painting makes it all better!

I hope you have a great Friday and enjoy your weekend I am hoping to but as with all families anything can happen and things change in a flash so ROLL with the changes and don't sweat the small stuff ( the wisest thing a friend ever told me ) and it is all small stuff!

Wednesday 's

Wednesdays are almost always not very productive. We have a downtown business owners group meeting at 8:30 to discuss the upcoming events in town and how we can best promote our town and businesses. A very friendly group of four or five of us , planning to "SAVE the WORLD" one event at a time. About 10 am we return back to our businesses and get the day started. MOST of us,

I am a first thing in the morning person. I have myastenia gravis and am at my best early in the day. Somedays I come in at 7:45 with an idea and get right to painting and g all day each piece coming so easy. Other days like today I am thrown off by a change in plans. Today our meeting is at 6:00 in the evening! I have accomplished little all day.
Montello where I live has a population, at the time of the 2000 census, was 1,043. A toursit area that two years ago was hit by floods and last year had a drop in tourists due to the closing of our boat launch. With fewer tourists of course our shops make less money, the locals have a harder time finding jobs and we are forgotten. I have decide this just can't happen. Montello is a great small town for kids to grow up in, friendly people and loads of natural resources . So I am working to get us back on the map, all the while still filling the shop and trying to keep home life good for all of us. By all of us, I mean I am never quite sure how many will be there. Some days there are us ( my husband and I ) Kathy my daughter and her son Mike, Liz, Chris and Matt ( three teenage grandkids) 3 dogs and 4 fish. Other days my oldest grandson Joe is there with his two little guys and even my daughter Cheryl and a stray friend or two. I can't tell you the last time I was home alone!

My son has backed me along the way with my shop and website. Without him , I dont even want to think how things would have been. I use my painting as a stress reliever, stress is my #1 trigger for my MG. A Profitable shop would be nice, right now after two slow summers we are tredding water and I may have to make a decision to close the shop....but for right now I am painting to fill orders and keep my sanity.With the help of my son I am going to revamp the old diner in the photo and give out downtown the anchor it needs and a central visitng location for the locals and toursits alike. It will be alot of work and I am knee deep in paperwork right now , but if you want it, and focus anything is possible. This is how I see the next chapter in my life!!!

but until that chapter starts I will be painting because painting takes the stress away and the customers visitng makes each day enjoyable. But, today I was interrupted and didnt get an early start so I have finished almost nothing and now that I am typing this....IT IS OK tomorrow will come soon enough and I will get everything done! I had a good friend who worked with me at Michaels about 13 years ago and when I would worry about what seemed like everything she would say "Don't sweat the small stuff... and it's all small stuff" and she was right. So I will get stuff ready for the meeting tonight, reada few more blogs, finalize my cupcake recipe choices and call it a good day.

Memorial day Weekend....great fun

The weather was perfect for visitors to come up to Montello and visit the shops and see all the great stuff we have to offer. Campers were seen pulling in on Thursday and the sites were filling up fast. Downtown where we are located the sidewalks had shoppers strolling, many with ice cream cones and doing some shopping. The windows I painted earlier this week are gone! In fact we had two ladies wanting the same one. How fun. I will get a few more done this weekend and get some more of the cutre camping , cabin signs done. Then I am off to paint and decorate my COW for Montello's dairy dfaze on June 12th. Local businesses are painting and decorating wooden cows and we will have visitors vote on their favorite cow. I will also be hosting this months CUPCAKE SALE at my shop. I ahve been baking and finding new ice cream themed cupcakes and have a few that are a gourmet delight. When we hold these bake sales the money goes to help pay for advertising for other events throughout the season and purchase decorations and such that we need for the downtown. Our last money helped pay for the Moose fest appreciation dinner, gas for the shuttle busses and we still have a little left. So come on down and get your self a cupocake or two and enjoy Montello and my shop.

Window washing

In the shop window washing takes on a whole new meaning.....if I was them it is to PAINT on them. During city wide clean up I was able to pick up a few really nice windows and today I was in the mood to paint them. The new enamel paints make it so easy . Hopefully these fly out of the shop over the weekend to give me more incentive to paint a couple more.

Great information...shared

Yesterday morning I attended a meeting given by Fred Clarks office in Portage. There he had gathered people from SBA, Dept. of Commerce , Small Business Developement Center and more. They described just what they could do for small businesses in Wisconsin and there was a question and answer session after . Alot of very good info was exchanged. Now I have come in to the shop early to get more work done today so tommorrow morning I can go to Madison and attend a breakfast sessiion with Kathryn Jeffers. From what was said yesterday she is a wonderful speaker and can help you turn things around in your business. I don't know of any business who would'nt like to be better. So there I paln to be from 7-9 and then back to the shop until it is time for the Montello NOW meeting at 5:30. That is another heavy meeting, we should be able to find out from the answers given what Steve Krueger will do with The Great American Moose Fest next year. Enough heavy stuff, I am off to paint fun things, not sure just what as each piece of wood is so different. The weekend had been busy at the shop and with Memorial Day right around the corner I do need to get some pieces done. So, I came ready to paint and enjoy myself, that reallly matters or the painting just doesnt work.
Still pondering my cupcake recipes, my grandson Mike 11, thinks we should try them all out ahead of time and then decide. Taste testing seems to be the answer so I will let you know what we come up with. Also if one seems to be great I could enter it in IRON CUPCAKE MILWAUKEE I am leaning towards all of them myself. A huge bake sale would be wonderful!

Sunny Saturday

It is just beautiful outside today. The sun is shining and the wind has finally died down a bit. I am determined today to paint outfits for the Dress-Me Friends, finish a coupl orders and then if their time, work on a few slab wood pieces. I am never quite sure how those will turn out. The wood does it's own thing. With all the black bear sightings in the area, maybe I should do a couple more pieces with bears on......maybe the Don't feed the bears !

I am still looking for cupcake recipes for Dairy Days, so many choices. My grandson J.J. is my baking buddy he comes running when he hears the mixer to help lick the beaters. He makes even the grey rainy days bright.

Shop filling up

Hand painted windows, no waste here I paint on just about everything I can find. One man's trash is another mans treasure!
Dress_me Welcome Friends and outfits are always a must in the shop and online!

Some of my favorite things to paint are BEARS and the rustic wood is so much fun, each one is different!

Moose Fest is over.....

Moose Fest brought an estimated 7,000 people to Montello and the surrounding area. The attendance was estimated at between 10 and 20 thousand but for a first year event it went very well. Of course like every event things need to be tweeaked and this will be rehashed before next years event. The Pro fisherman and the kids were a great hit. People are still talking about how nice it was to get some life back into the area. local motels and campgrounds saw increased business and the downtown shops had alot of traffic throughout the weekend also. We are hping those vendors who came this year will be back as we are looking for ways to relocate vendors so everyone is in the same area, and hopefully all get increased traffic.

That over I have put aside the moose hats and am busy painting for orders and getting those rustic camping and fishing signs done for in the shop. I will also be starting the rock painting clases and hope to see alot of new painters this season.

Memorial Day Weekend is always busy and after that we will be onto Dairy dayze with some cute cow ideas coming up so stay tuned.....

Don't forget the Moose Hunt is still on until the end of July so come on out to Montello and grab a dozen or so tickets from the surrounding shops and businesses!

Moose Fest....count down

I am putting the final touches on things in the shop, contacting news media and getting all our MOOOSE in a roww for next weekends event. The proclamation by the Governor was icing on the cake, all the hard work has been worth it. Signs are drying, Moose hats are in the works and we are drawing and cutting out the lifesize cartoon characters from Moose Lake to display around town. Helipcopters are coming as well as the hot air balloons, WIST team from Etsy has members here also. Miller is finishing the last of the banners and we have spread the word as far as possible. Bring the family and come see all the new items in the shop as well as some of the old stand bys and enjoy the fest weekend.

another MOOSE type recipe

“Antler Munch” Popcorn

22.5 oz Crunch and Munch® or Fiddle Faddle® Popcorn (your favorite flavor) (3 7.5 oz bozes)
1 cup Nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews), optional
12 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz White chocolate chips
2 tsp Crisco, divided

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Set aside.

Place semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp of Crisco in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir. Continue until chips look shiny. Remove from microwave and stir until all chips are melted.

Quickly stir in 1 box of popcorn and ? cup of nuts, if using. Note that popcorn does not have to be perfectly covered with chocolate. Spread onto the prepared cookie sheet, separating kernels as much as possible. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Repeat the process with the white chocolate chips and remaining Crisco. Stir in a second box of popcorn with another ? cup of nuts, if using. Add the white chocolate chips and put on the 2nd cookie sheet as described above.

When both pans of chocolate covered popcorn have dried, combine the white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and the remaining box of popcorn. Combine the nuts with the popcorn. Store in airtight container out of the heat.

In the shop I am busy finishing up painting for the fest, it is fast approaching May 1 & 2 . This has been a great opportunity for Montello and the surrounding area.FREE Icecream for the visitors, hot air ballons, carnival and 10 Pro fisherman to take kids 9-14 fishing for FREE, Bring the family out to see the natural resources we have as well as all the vendors and attractions brought here this day. Our group is busy trying to finalize plans and make this event a huge success. think FUN . The shop will be getting updated as soon as I find some spare time,

Apathy?????

This morning as I sit and work on things for the Moose Fest, I find it hard to come up with ways to jolt the people in and around town into coming out to the downton are to see all it has to offer. Don't get me wrong they are all very nice people but, they tend to drive 20 minutes to shop in Portage or maybe and hour to Madison,,,,, when right here they can find those very same things, save gas, time and build their community. The New Montello Group has been working for 3 years to get locals involved in their downtown through events like the Easter Bunny Parade and more. Well enough whining on my part. My project this morning was to create a coloring contest page to be handed out at the local school and a couple surrounding towns. I did find a MOOSE for them to color and will get this off to the printer. With that behind me and no emergency calls yet I can sit down and get some painting done. I am hoping to get the shop full to the brim before the fest. A nice weekend in May would put the season off to a good start. So today, I will stay away from the computer and paint black bears and a moose of two on some camping and cabin signs.

Living in a small town

    I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, married, raised kids then moved to a small town in Wisconsin.  Life is good, but very different.  People move at a slower pace...a good thing most of the time.  Everyone knows everyone and their whole family....ususally a good thing. There is a sense of belonging to your town.....but, over time people take for granted all they have and need to go visit a big city where they are a little fish in a big pond to appreciate what they have back home.  I belong to the local downtown business group and we put together events in the town, not just to attract shoppers and tourists but for the families who live here. Just last Saturday we had the 3rd annual easter Bunny Parade, a huge hit with the kids. Yet, the turnout could have been much better if more businesses had joined in and the school had helped spread the word.

My next pet project for during the summer is kids rock painting classes. This is a great rainy day project for kids and a great way to let them express themselves. I always like to see their faces when from that little rock they found, out comes a bunny or turtle or for the boys a snake!

We have alot of cabin and campers in the area and this is a great project for them too. Have the kids collect rocks, ( I tell them a perfect bunny rock is shaped like a baked potato) a few bottles of inexpensive acrylic paint and 2 sizes of brushes and they are off. I always draw on the areas in chalk so they are just covered up by the paint!  I really enjoy watching as these kids paint. They are fearless, unlike the adults I teach the very same class to.

But, for right now I am painting like crazy by day and crocheting all evening to have the shop full to overflowing for Moose Fest coming up May 1 & 2 , right here in downtown Montello. What a huge boost this could give our town in a time when we badly need it after the flood of 2008 and closing of our one and only boat launch downtown in 2009. So off I go now to paint and get ready.