Freeport Fall Festival - This Weekend, September 28-29

This coming weekend, Saturday (10am-4pm) and Sunday (11am-4pm), head on up to Freeport, Maine for some glorious weather, fantastic shopping, and fabulous handmade goods at the 15th Annual Freeport Fall Festival!

More than 60 local artists will be exhibiting and selling their work, including photographers, painters, mixed media artists, jewelers, book artists, woodworkers, potters and other super crafty people. Lofted Designs will have a booth (#72 on the map) along the edge of L.L.Bean's Discovery Park – directly between the giant Bean Boot and the main stage. Catch live music throughout the weekend, plus they've added a new Maine food lineup this year! The two-day event is free, parking is easy and the forecast looks PERFECT.

Seriously, people, it does not get any better than this:

If the Fall Festival isn't incentive enough to visit Freeport, there are also hundreds of great stores, outlets, and boutiques located within a couple of blocks. C'mon guys, even I can't resist a North Face sample sale. And if shopping all weekend sounds like a total bummer and you'd rather just be outside, come check out the festival and then participate in Great Maine Outdoor Weekend or bring a lawn chair and take in some short adventure films at the Maine Outdoor Film Fest right on the L.L.Bean Campus at 7pm on Saturday. 

For detailed event information, check out the Freeport Fall Festival online brochure, visit their website or their Facebook event page.

Nearly Everyone I Know is Pregnant (a.k.a. I'm Shopping for New Mom Gifts)

It's true. It seems as though 80% of the women I know are pregnant right now. Which means I'm surrounded by happy, glowing friends and have several festive baby showers to attend. This means gifts. Lots and lots of baby shower gifts, newborn baby gifts and gifts for new moms and dads.

I always assume newborns will be gifted with tons of clothes they will outgrow in their first month of life, so I usually don't succumb to purchasing those adorable miniature outfits. Except for the occasional irresistible onesies and t-shirts for very special babies. Like these. And sometimes these.

Gift registries are great, but sometimes you want to give something a little more personal. That's why I think these necklaces are the best possible gift a new mom could receive.

I'll admit it, I'm biased. They are, of course, my own creation. But this idea for birthstone eternity necklaces was born (pun intended) from necessity. I was looking for a personal gift for a new mother and had a lot of trouble finding something special, yet affordable.

Not only are they custom and reasonably priced, they are handmade, sterling silver, and expandable for when baby #2, #3 and possibly even baby #4 arrive. Just order new circle pendants and you're good to go!

Two (and sometimes even three) names can even be combined onto one circle if they aren't too long – this is a popular option for twins and triplets.

Custom Wedding Band for the Groom

My dear friend Meredith was married over the weekend, and I was extremely flattered when she asked me to create a Lofted Designs original for her groom's wedding band.

Her engagement ring contains a hidden heart in the setting just below the diamond, and she requested that a hidden heart be incorporated into his ring as well.

Bride's ring with secret heart in setting

I started by creating a 6mm wide band using 19 gauge sterling silver sheet metal. The bride came up with a simple inscription using their initials that incorporated the secret heart. The groom isn't particularly flashy and wanted a ring that wouldn't be too shiny, so I completed the band with a matte, brushed finish.

The ring fit perfectly on the first try (amazing!) and they were wed on September 7th, 2013 on Martha's Vineyard. Wishing Meredith and Winter Anderson a lifetime of happiness!

Photo courtesy of Kristen Shull (friend of the bride)

Looking for a custom wedding band? I love working with couples to create truly unique wedding jewelry. Contact me to learn more.