It's Craft Fair Season Again!

   I have some treats for you today!!! Craft fair season is upon us here where I live along with some snow and temperature that has halted my grand plans for planting bulbs. I had bought them, put off planting them, and now the ground is officially very very cold. Oh well!

   Last night I went to my first craft fair of the season. It had a hundred vendors and so many treasures. The night was cold and people were wearing such beautiful winter ensembles. There was live music and vintage pieces and I felt so happy. Then this morning we got up bright and early and ventured out, as a family, to another craft fair very close to our house. This is one of my favorite craft fairs because it features many elderly ladies that bring my grandmas right close to my heart again. I wander around feeling a bit teary eyed looking at all their beautifully lined faces full of wisdom and creativity and I want to buy everything. My children always bless me with what they choose as treasures. This year was no exception. I, as usual, took some pictures so I will post them.

  Oh, and my last post was melancholy and down because that was how I was feeling that day and that week. It was a hard week. I am blatantly honest here. It is my own space to put down what I am feeling. I do that because I want to be totally authentic, hence the name, soulshinethrough. My life is really lovely and amazing and imperfect and hard. I share it all as much as feels right to me in that moment. To those who reached out with care to me I so appreciate that. If you struggle, as I do, with anxiety and feeling alone sometimes or often, know that I get it and you are not alone (and I am not alone either ~ those feelings are not always real ones). If you feel motherhood is not a walk in the proverbial park, I get it, and you are not alone. There are a lot of 'shoulds' out there, a lot of guilt you can walk under. However, the days when you can shed all that and feel free are so much more intoxicating and beauty filled because you feel it so sharply and with such immenseness ~ so keep going towards that. No need to give up! Have a fantastic weekend.
xo

Here are the pictures

I bought this warm winter hat and the next one for five dollars each from a sweet elderly lady who only wanted four dollars for each hat. To me these hats are all kinds of perfection.

            He has cookie and cinnamon bun on his face and a cold...but is still lookin pretty great!

                                              They actually love their hats which is awesome.

This is actually my seven year old's treasured find but the three year old was having a melt down about not getting a turn so he of course got his way for a couple minutes.

      How proud am I that my seven year old wanted a vintage type writer? As proud as one can be actually.

This is a little leather bracelet for me, a little bell for my three year old and a tiny hand sewn coin purse that my seven year old was given for free by one of the many many sweet ladies there.

                                                          This speaks to my soul

                                This is a felted dryer ball and it couldn't help but call my name

I know this is a bit blurry but the excitement around the table when trying to take this picture made it impossible for a clear one. This is my ten year old son's treasures bless his sweet heart. A tiny vintage chicken dish, a free book mark, a painted mouse rock and some little rocks.

                                                                       
                                                               Hi cutey

Last year I bought two of these and I adore them. I was so hoping this lady was going to be there again and she was! I bought her only small basket she had made and another bigger one.

                                                     Oh my heart is so full! Look at this!!!

I saw the hands that wove this and her fingers were thickened by arthritis ~ I will treasure this always

                  These were made by another elderly lady who was selling them for six dollars.

                  I had never seen a little lamp like this before so I was smitten and bought two.

 This is my twelve year old's find ~ a two dollar bag of old earrings that are absolutely phenomenal.

I hope these pictures made you smile. I found other treasures as well ~ a wooden hand carved box (second hand) linen tea towels, the list goes on and I left so many other things I would have loved to buy for others to enjoy.