We Have A Winner!

As you may recall from my blog posting at the time, back in April, I taught a lovely group of young teens how to make wire crochet bracelets as part of Ellen's 13th birthday celebration. Kelly, a.k.a. Ellen's mom, told me today that one of the participants in that class entered the bracelet she made in the Brampton Fall Fair in the category of "18 years and under - jewellery in any medium" and she won first prize! Congratulations, Stephanie!!

Here's a picture of that prize winning bracelet. I remember being surprised at how fabulous the blue and black combination of beads and wire looked in the finished product. Not that I didn't like the combo when I put the beads together in the kit but it's always different when you see the finished item.

(As it happened, a different Stefanie asked me earlier today if I would teach her how to do wire crochet next time I see her. Given that I learned how to do it from Stephanie Dixon, a.k.a. The Dixon Chick, that's a whole bunch of Stephanies all tangled up in enjoying this technique, don't you think???)

Kelly and I then had a very nostalgic discussion about fall fairs and entering those contests as a child in the hope of winning a ribbon or the very small prize amount (Stephanie will be taking home the astounding sum of $4.00 for her win -don't spend it all in one place, girl!). I can remember going through the fair buildings and checking out all the ribbon winners for baking, handicrafts, 4H entries for raising a cow or growing the biggest pumpkin and all that sort of thing. Then we reminisced about the rides and the cotton candy and the games and the cheesy stuffed animals and the demolition derby...ah yes, those were the good old days at the fair!

If you're in the mood for a fall fair, 'tis the season. The Linday Central Exhibition is on this week, celebrating its 155th year - you can check it out here: http://www.lindsayex.com/. Or if this weekend isn't convenient, there is always the Markham Fair, which starts next week: http://www.markhamfair.ca/. However, be warned - if you were planning on entering your best pie or squash or quilt for judging, entry forms were due last week so you'll just have to plan ahead for next year's competition!