September 8, 2021
My lovely spouse and I took the latter half of August to vacation in Oregon - the trip we had scheduled for last August but had to cancel due to You-Know-What. It was a relaxed rental car trip around the state to visit friends & family and enjoy cooler weather. It was not an automotive or craft related trip. However, while visiting Newport, OR, we came upon some public sculptures on the city sidewalk along the waterfront. I am guessing that they were commissioned by the city.
I didn't see anything explaining the statues or saying who created them, only the signs saying "PLEASE STAY OFF." (Of course there was a mother taking pictures of her three kids taking turns sitting on the lion's back) After returning home, I tried to learn more through Google, but no luck, so I called Newport, OR city hall. The Senior Exec. Ass't was not aware of the tire sculptures and the Spcl Projects Dir. is on vacation this week. So I don't know anything about them, other than that they are very well proportioned and life-like. An excellent use of worn out tires! This was the closest I got to crafts or automobilia on our trip. I will try calling the projects director next week.
August 5, 2021
Here it is August. I have done no shows in over a year and a half. I have applied for the November Funky Finds show in Ft. Worth the weekend before Turkey Day. Above is the display window at the Denton Senior Center where this month they are displaying woodworking projects completed by members of the Wood Shop. My contributions are (left to right) the '56 Chevy bird-plane hood ornament mounted on a wide pedestal with the Chevy flag logo, the mantle clock with rounded top below it and slightly right. and the light colored bowl with lid and dark knob to far-right next to a cutting board. The Center uses the dis[lay window to show the various activities that are sponsored by the city-run facility.
June 20, 2021
Summer Solstice was yesterday. Today is Fathers Day. Today's daylight will be shorter than yesterday's. So the year is half over from my point of view, in that the new year begins with the first day after the shortest day of the year. Official New Years begin at random times around the globe, but the shortest day of the year is the last day of the year to me. Today the days start getting shorter and the year begins to wind down, or wind up or run out - however you like to view it. But more importantly, indications are that COVID19 is on the decline. Even California declared the state "open" again. Here, Texas did that a month or so ago. The result is that craft shows/fairs are gearing up. I have applied to show my Dad's 1995 Honda Prelude Si in the Denton Arts & Autos event on the Square in Denton on Sept. 11th. I have also submitted my app to the Ft. Worth Funky Finds craft fair on Nov. 20 & 21 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center to show and sell my woodwork and automobilia. We have decided not to do outdoor venues again, so that limits my opportunities, hence I don't know if I will participate in any other craft events this calendar year.
Links:
Arts and Autos – Denton Main Street Association
Funky Finds | Handmade + Vintage Events
If you have the opportunity to visit either event, please look for me.
Links:
Arts and Autos – Denton Main Street Association
Funky Finds | Handmade + Vintage Events
If you have the opportunity to visit either event, please look for me.
2020 - The Year that Wasn't
It is apparent that there will be no "On the Road" this year due to Corona Virus. The March 2020 "Funky Finds" in Fort Worth was postponed and finally took place the last weekend of July. We elected not to participate. There will apparently be a November 2020 "FF", but we will sit this out as well. The September 2020 Denton "Arts and Autos" fair and show is effectively cancelled, but they will have multi-weekend events in September and October. I had planned to enter my Dad's '95 Honda Prelude, but the car show is apparently off the schedule. Local high schools have traditionally had craft fairs for pre-Christmas gift buying, but I suspect that these will not occur due to the virus limitations on public gatherings. I feel sorry for those vendors who make a living or supplement their retirement income from these craft fairs. I do it as an outlet for duplicate or overstock items and because it is fun. I hope that things will be better in 2021 and that Suzanne and I can return to the craft fair circuit.
Winter-Spring, 2020
The recently & rapidly spreading Coronavirus pandemic has sent the world scrambling for cover.. Public places and events from schools to restaurants to public gatherings like craft shows are being closed and cancelled. The Spring Funky Finds in Ft. Worth (see below) was cancelled. My wife and I have plans for attending Denton's Arts and Autos this summer as well as a couple week vacation on the Oregon coast - this may not happen. It just depends on how long this virus hangs around. It is hoped it will be over by sometime this summer, but that is just educated guessing. So, no road trips are counted on at this time.
Welcome to 2020 and the corona virus. I had already decided not to be a vendor at the spring Funky Finds event in Fort Worth, for which I am very grateful because I would no doubt have been a no-show given the current state of the corona virus "pandemic." I hope to participate in the fall Funky Finds in November, subject to whether there are any humans left on earth to attend. I expect there will be, but since I am by definition in the high risk category. I will take no chances. So I currently have no craft fairs scheduled.
Funky Finds, Ft. Worth, 2019
Funky Finds, Ft. Worth, November 2019
The weekend before Thanksgiving, 2019, was a two-day craft fair at Will Rogers Memorial Center in downtown Fort Worth. All vendors at Funky Finds must create or modify their wares themselves. No imported goods from China. I had had mixed results at past F.F. events, so we decided that we would go all out this time, I rented two adjacent spaces . . . on a corner location, not mid-row. And we brought non-automotive goods as well - tables, lamps cutting boards. bird feeders, knick-knack boxes and vintage school desks that I have been dragging around in a cardboard box for 50 years. We had the best show ever, not just with F. F.
The top, solo photo is of our entire booth (two spaces) open at both ends so that visitors could walk through the booth, not just into a dead end. Our tables were set out in an L with an additional table as an island. People would come through a doorway to the right and could turn directly into our display and continue on out the other side. It worked very well. We had lots of traffic. Lots of conversations. And lots of sales. On Sunday I put up signs indicating 20% off all items. We had steady sales on both days. A lot of the items you see in the photos taken Saturday morning were gone by Sunday afternoon. Of the two cedar-round tables shown at the top, the large one sold and the small one broke in half when we packed up. Luckily it did not sell - I have the chance to repair the weak point. The school desks are still with us. I have them listed on-line in the local Neighborhood social media site.
We are going to skip the spring Funky Finds, March 2020. But we will do the November show again. Otherwise, I hope to do the spring Good Guys car show at Texas Motor Speedway. the last two events were cancelled because someone else rented our space. The organizer tells me he plans to have the space back this spring. I am not going to be a vendor at the Denton Arts & Autos in September, but I will enter the Honda Prelude since it is now officially an antique at 25 years old. Not sure what else, but we plan to avoid outdoor venues. All too often it is too hot, too windy or too rainy. Not worth it. I may do a couple local school pre-Christmas gift fairs. Past results have been positive but underwhelming.
Buck Breedlove
Buck Breedlove
FUNKY FINDS - March 2019
Upcoming Craft Fairs
Besides my online store, built with Ecwid, I do several road shows in North Texas each year. I enjoy meeting people with similar interests, talking about classic cars and woodworking, swapping stories and sometimes swapping automotive ornaments. I have over 100 items for sale at any given time and am always looking for items to complete my personals collection.
My next live fair will be at Funky Finds in Fort Worth on Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24, at Will Rodgers Memorial Stadium. The event occupies two buildings and consists of hand-made crafts only - no manufactured products. It is a great opportunity to find gifts that are not available in brick and mortar stores or on chain websites. Admission is free, but the City of Ft Worth collects $10/day for parking.. Food & drink items are available at the in-house café..
Get more info at:: https://10times.com/funky-finds.
The event also benefits The Humane Society of North Texas. Adoptable pets will be available throughout the weekend. This last Spring we adopted the sweetest Dachshund-Chihuahua
This Fall I will have an expanded booth which will feature home décor items in addition to the automobilia that I have concentrated on for the past several years.
Get more info at:: https://10times.com/funky-finds.
The event also benefits The Humane Society of North Texas. Adoptable pets will be available throughout the weekend. This last Spring we adopted the sweetest Dachshund-Chihuahua
This Fall I will have an expanded booth which will feature home décor items in addition to the automobilia that I have concentrated on for the past several years.