Gingersnap

In the midst of selling art at the first ever Handmade Dayton Festival at Peace On Fifth in the Oregon District. It was a lovely Friday morning- not too hot with a a slight modest chill in the air as I walked the twenty minute trek to the Oregon District, feeling confident in 2 1/2 inch heels and purple black heart tights. At Peace On Fifth, a unique retail shop/boutique selling goods, clothing, and accessories strictly from slave free parts of the world that has been in Dayton for nine months now,  London Coe, the lovely, vibrant shop owner has transformed her store into Handmade Dayton Festival. Five locally owned shops of art, jewelry, handmade soaps, and more, each vendor is separated by a leisure amount of space, not large enough that one feels divided, but enough so that we all could have conversations and get to know each other and our personal wares. I had a long wooden table and rolling rack, taking only a few moments to have art displayed and quickly got acquainted...

This past Friday's "First Friday" was beautiful- weather wise! Colorful leaf piles were something to treasure, especially walking around in the lovely neighborhood of the Oregon District- that perfect, historical strip of classical architecture near downtown Dayton. Leaves! Yes! I jumped into a bunch of crunchy madness, skipped on through, and photographed like a crazy madwoman. Short, bittersweet autumn simply brings out the childish relish in me! Saw amazing paintings, handmade vintage product, and tasted delights from local artists. Ah, little old Dayton, your surprises always astound me.... I went inside of a neat place called Grassroots. It's not entirely new, having been opened since July, but they have started joining in on the First Friday craze sometime ago. In the boondocks of the Oregon District, it was a place I missed on previous occasions. Glad to have spotted this cozy down/upstairs business that not only features a gallery and DIY shop, but has after ...

Who the heck were we supposed to be? Very, very cool.... It was the very first time for all three of us- Rob, his friend, Toya, and I to ever attend Oregon District's "Hauntfest" formerly called "Boo and Brew." (Mini bag essentials- wallet w/ ID, moisturizing chapstick, and cherry pie larabar!) We certainly had a great time mingling with the funny, the scary, the wild, the daringly creative, the sexy, the superheroes, the villains, and creepy bunch of folks that came dressed with a lot (or not so much) effort! Certainly a real treat to take pics of or with some of the best costumed individuals for the night. No beer for us- we settled with $1 hot chocolates watching the heavily intoxicated, very drunken public displays of attention. Aren't they cute? Bet they light each other up, eh? (Corny joke I know....) Creativity at its finest! Look at all of them buttons. How many of them do you suppose were from beer bottles? 1, 2, 3...... My hero! He certainly had bo...