If you live in the area, you must make a pilgrimage to the Troy area for the annual
Troy Pig Out! It's particularly evil, in my humble opinion, to force the business owners to stay put in their shops while the smells of barbecue waft in from the streets, but we manage...barely. Saturday features several chef demonstrations, live music, more food than you'll know what to do with, fireworks, and the rib competition. If you're a rib connoisseur like I am (ribs are tied with nachos as my all time favorite food), and want to get in on the madness, here's how it works:
Tickets go on sale at 4:00
$1.00 a ticket, one ticket gets you one rib
Buy 5 tickets, get a "voting ticket"
Try them all (lots to choose from)
Cast your vote
Ticket sales will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Tickets are limited to 8,000 this year, so act fast. If you're not interested in voting in the rib contest, just stuff your face at any of the other food vendors there, no tickets needed. You'll thank yourself, but wear your fat pants!
Sunday features more chef demos, live music, and the main event,
Best in Show for chicken, pork ribs, pork butt/shoulder and beef brisket. Awards will be given out at 4:00.
This is such a good time, folks. I've gone the last two years now and it's really fantastic. Great food, a great environment, and the smells...ooh the smells. Hot damn!
Oh, and FYI: For those of you who come to Troy on Saturdays for our farmers' market, please be advised that the market will be moved to River Street this week only. Pop by the shop and say hello!
AND (I promise I'm almost done), if you're looking for a bit of fun this evening, be sure to head on over to Cohoes and hit up
Bread and Jam for some delicious food and the music of one of my local faves,
Sean Rowe. Mmmmm, paninis and that voice. Heaven, I tell you.
Hope to see you at both events!!!
The last skirt pattern worked well last year, but I wasn't completely satisfied. I'm currently living in skirts and t-shirts (with a smattering of light weight dresses mixed in for the super hot days) this summer, and plan to keep the skirt wearing going straight through fall and winter.
I wanted something a little more polished and little more complex than a basic tube-with-elastic skirt. So, I searched around and decided on this pattern here. In one word, LOVE. I've only made one so far, but have enough fabric chosen to make six more. Wrap skirts are my new fave and with a pattern this simple, why not make an entire new wardrobe? A yard and a half of fabric will be more than enough. The pattern calls for two prints, one for the main body and one for the trim and ties, but I've chosen to take the cheater way out and use a double fold bias tape to finish off the bottom and add ties to the top.
Photos of my own skirts to come as I make more...maybe this weekend. Photos shown here are courtesy of the Make It Perfect website.
Wow! I haven't made it through the entire month of July yet and I'm already fantasizing about autumn. Normally I can make it through mid-August (at least!) before even thinking about it, but how can one ever resist the dreamy ideal of cardigan sweaters, tights, pumpkins, dry crisp air, leaves, and most importantly, not sweating? It's been one hell of a hot summer thus far here in the northeast, something we haven't had to deal with in many years. 
Anyway, since I can't do a thing about the heat, at least I can start preparing myself for a cooler time of year, right? I'm due for a new pair of shoes for fall/winter/spring and this year I think I'm going to be breaking my 
Do you own a pair? Should I stay away from this particular model? I want the type of clog with the back on it...not a fan of the open back. I tried a pair of the red wine colored leather and they were pretty amazing, but I think black is versatile enough for just about everything. I've also been told by fellow clog lovers that you should never buy clogs online. Always try them on first. They're all made by hand and three different pairs of size 9s are each going to fit differently. So, before I take the plunge, any comments or suggestions for me?
I spent a majority of 1994-1998 in art school, and unlike some of my peers, I have no regrets. It's hard to get a job, yes, but hey, at this point it's hard to get a job anywhere! Some days, though, I wonder if I made the right choice. I sometimes wonder how different my life would be had I skipped art school and did something else entirely. The only other thing in life that has held my attention as long as the art world has is the culinary world. I sometimes fantasize about where I'd be right now had I chosen a career in the food industry instead of learning about perspective, arc welding, hues, gallery maintenance and the importance of opting for Turpenoid over Turpentine in a closed space.
