this photo is an oldie but goodie.

I made this cake for my friend Cori’s birthday (it’s today; happy birthday Cori).  Strawberry cake is her favorite, so I went with the strawberry idea and made these little chocolate-covered strawberry mice to go on top.  The ears are almond slivers.  The parasol is made from a doily; a free project download I found at Papermash.

I am pretty proud of the way it turned out–you would never guess that the night before, all the decorating plans I had for the cake TOTALLY failed.  It was almost a cakewreck, y’all, seriously.

But it came together in the end.

from la droguerie:

from tombées du camion:

from les puces de saint-ouen:

in a photobooth with a great hat and a sleeveless dress

walking down the streets of Beaumont with my great-grandfather (you would pay a photographer to take photos of you walking downtown, and then you’d get a postcard of the image–this is a postcard on the back)

bizarre mystery photo–but still perfectly made up! She’s the one on the right, in the men’s worksuit.

plaid sundress and matching bag

in a wrap dress on her wedding day

my personal favorite–the sailor dress

I bought myself a Diana camera as a birthday gift.  Only two photos actually came out.  I’ve never used a camera like this before and it was kind of an experiment.  But I am glad these were the two that made it.

view of the eiffel tower from the Jardin des Tuileries

The view from the window of our pretty apartment:

winged victory of samothrace

lovely wallpaper in Napoleon’s apartments at the Louvre

my sister in Napoleon’s apartments at the Louvre

on top of the Galeries Lafayette

spooky self-shot from inside the catacombs

me at a cafe

trying on some glasses at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

eating nutella crêpes at the Forum des Halles

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I’m in booth #170.

Those are just some of the places I have been/am going to be this spring.

I went to Abilene a few weekends ago to visit my BFF Travis before he moved to NYC.  Some of y’all may remember Travis because he came along and helped me at the Urban Street Bazaar in Dallas back in October.  My visit to Abilene was really fun–he made a great vegan dinner for us at his mom’s house and we listened to some old tapes from when he was a kid, searching (unsuccessfully) for some undercover journalism he did when he was a kid–wherein he hid behind the couch and ran the tape recorder while his sister was being punished for something.  TOTALLY wish we had found that tape.

The next day, we walked all around downtown Abilene and even went to the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature for an exhibit on the Berenstain Bears!  Then, we went to an indoor flea market, where we found a box of unicorn wall hangings.  FIVE DOLLARS for the WHOLE BOX.  Best find EVER.

I kept the little octagonal one towards the center, and a little découpaged wooden one with a unicorn/pegasus combo.  Because, I mean, come on!  Pegacorn!

***

Next up, Dallas!  I went for the spring Urban Street Bazaar.  This was my first time doing a big outdoor show by myself.  Travis was going to come with me again–but then he found a super-great deal on a ticket to NYC, like two days before the show.

The Urban Street Bazaar was fantastic as usual–the people in Oak Cliff are just really friendly, supportive, and awesome.  And Julie at Make does a great job putting this show together.  I highly recommend the Bazaar, but if you’re not able to make it to one of them, definitely pay a visit to the Bishop Arts District and go to Make.

Then I was shown around town by my friend (and the unofficial mayor of Dallas), Josh.  I don’t remember all the places we went, because I don’t know my way around Dallas very well.  But just trust me, it was fun.

***

This past weekend, I set up at the King William Fair in San Antonio.  The picture above is kind of deceptive; you would never guess that just a couple of hours before, I was really close to having a two-year-old-style meltdown.  The night before the show, vendors are allowed to set up their canopies, because the streets are closed, and because it saves time during set-up the day of the show.  Well, I had done that–and then there was a hail storm.  The canopy I had left the night before was upside down, across the street, looking like a giant had come along and ripped the top off and crumpled the frame.

Everything I had left was either blown out into the street or covered in filth. I didn’t take many photos, because of the aforementioned near-meltdown, but this is what my sign looked like:

I was standing there, just at a loss, when an incredibly kind lady came along and asked if I needed help.  She immediately came up with a plan to get my tent back together and back in its spot.  She went and got a friend, and let me tell you, those are now my two favorite people in this world.  Total strangers to me, and they just came along and pretty much saved my life.

After the tent was saved, I got to work MacGuyver-style, and somehow I managed to clean my sign and tables with what I had with me–a pack of Armor All wipes and ONE napkin from my car, and some of the little muslin bags that I give away with purchases at shows.

After all that, the show was great!  It’s part of Fiesta, and I had NO IDEA how many people come to SA for this event.  The fair was awesome–beautiful weather, a lovely neighborhood, really nice people.  Hooray!

***

Whew!  So next comes NYC and then, yeah, PARIS!  I’ll be in NYC for the Bust Craftacular on May 23rd.  And the Paris trip–it’s just for fun.  My sister, brother-in-law, and I decided to go to celebrate my sister’s graduation from her residency (she’s an OB-GYN and will have just completed her 4 year residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston), and my brother-in-law’s graduation from his combination MD/PhD program (he’ll be both a medical doctor and a PhD).  And as for me, it will be my 30th birthday!  Oh goodness.  But I’m going to turn 30 in Paris!  I guess that’s the best way to do it…

xoxo, Sarah

here.