Why Didn't I Think of That?

Today has been a pretty exciting day. Earlier in the week I discovered another sewing store (and a privately owned one, at that) in Ann Arbor. It happens to be the only place within many miles that carries Amy Butler fabric and patterns, and I've been crushing on her stuff. Their hours are weird--only open until 6pm most week nights, and few hours on the weekends, but since I rarely get home before 5:30pm that didn't seem like a viable option. But tonight I was casually browsing their website (www.vikingsewing.com) at about 6:45 PM and saw that on Thursdays they are open until 8!! I was out of my apartment and at the store within 15 minutes. The store is small, and mainly just quilting, but they have a decent selection of fabrics and the Amy Butler stuff! They didn't have the pattern I was looking for, but I did order it. The ladies that work there were also quite interested in my sewing projects and it seems I willbe bringing some by to show them when my pattern comes in. This store also hosts several classes each month, and I think I will attend a couple-- mainly bags, wallets and aprons.
Maybe the most exciting part-- Amy Butler is from Columbus, OH, which is about 4 hours from Ann Arbor. When I was talking to the two ladies about liking her stuff, they mentioned that she is going to be in Ann Arbor!! for a weekend in the coming months--they haven't worked out an exact date. She'd be coming up to hang out at the store, sell patterns, fabric, samples, and lead a couple workshops. How cool would that be?

Second, one of my new activities is browsing the message boards at www.crafter.org. It is basically show and tell for all kinds of crafters, but there are boards specifically catoring to sewing projects, and garments. Someone's post led to their own blog, which was mainly about decorating shoes with fabric, buttons, sequins, you name it. Why haven't I ever tried that? Now I'm looking around at my shoes thinking..hmm..which ones are boring enough to spruce up? I think I'll look for some inexpensive shoes that have a good shape, but maybe aren't the prettiest color at target, and work on those. Using paint and my bedazzler (no, I don't really have one..) I think the shoe would be unrecgonizeable. Glittery shoes...in every color of the rainbow..here I come!