I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. Ours was very nice. Jared, the girls and I headed up to Green Bay to my parents were my mom had cooked an amazing meal with TONS of wonderful food...of course, I brought an apple pie.

We have a big day planned for tomorrow...Cedi's turning 2! We're going to have a 'Dip It' party because she loves to dip her food. I haven't started cooking or wrapping presents...it may be a late night.

I just wanted to let you guys know of a wonderful, little quirky gift for the apple lover in your life. Check out Jacquelinekits's apple covers: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5057379&section_id=5061019. I think they would be a perfect stocking stuffer! If anyone ever has anymore great apple gifts please send me the link...I'm always looking for new things in my shop!

Thanks and have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello all! As you know today was the last day the apple store was officially open. My father-in-law, Frank pretty much has run the show for the past few weeks...sounds like things ended pretty well. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to call if you want some more apples! We'll help you out as long as we still have some!

Well, I believe that the Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holidays was a huge success. We had LOTS of people coming through our sale on Saturday. As always, it was wonderful to see the familiar faces along with the new. If you saw something at the sale you didn't buy but wish you did, please contact me and I'll try to connect you with the seller of that item. Also, if you're looking for some of my jewelry it will be at the Capri Gallery in Poynette starting on Wednesday.

Now, back to apples! Our last official day open will be on Wednesday. After Wednesday, if you would still like some apples please call, 608-635-4780 to schedule a pick up time.

Yesterday was the first day for the hoedown and it went spectacularly. We saw lots of familiar and new faces which is always wonderful. We had a little bit of a lull in the afternoon time and during dinner, but overall it was fairly steady. That being said, we still have TONS and TONS of really neat hand-crafted items.

One of our biggest hits yesterday were the recycled sweater felted mittens....people just love them! Luckily, Karol made a lot of them so there's still variety for you to choose your favorite pair today.

I also wanted to note for anyone who likes to knit or crochet, we have hand-spun yarns by Kitty Grrlz (http://www.kittygrrlz.com/) for sale (she's from the Milwaukee area). She does an absolutely beautiful job and I hope you stop by to check them out. (My favorite are the bamboo yarns!)

This year, I was lucky enough to get some of my Aunt Ellen's rosemauled items for our sale. A few Christmas's again, she was chosen to have her ornament hung on the White House Christmas Tree. She has written two books (Rosemauling with Ellen, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) and just paints gorgeous items. My mother's family is very large (we will have around 100 people there this year) and instead of doing gifts, we all make ornaments to decorate the tree with (we rent a hall...too big for anyone's actual house). At the end of the Christmas Party, we all draw a name and whoever's name you draw you give them your ornament. Every year we all hope that our Aunt Ellen draws our name :)

I could go on and on about other crafters/artists that are at our sale, but I really hope you decide to just come and see for yourself!

Well, we spent all day getting the house organized for the hoedown tomorrow...and boy, does it look fantastic. My artists/crafters impressed me once again for there beautiful, innovative and unique products for this years sales. I really hope if you're in the are you decide to check it out. More details on our website: www.lapaceksorchard.com

Sale:
Friday 11/21/08 from 9am til 8pm
Saturday 11/22/08 from 9am til 5pm

Must get some sleep now :)

Last night, Jared and three friends made LOTS and LOTS of cider (I had to watch the girls). So, I was in bed by the time the rest of this happened. On the way over to the store to deliver the cider, the truck ran out of gas (about a mile away). Jared had a little bit of gas in the truck for his chainsaw so he put that in...now the battery was dead. Jared left the truck and ran back to the house and got some more gas, jumper cables and more gas. His buddy Al drove one of the vehicles to deliver and they made it back safely.

Just another example of our fun lives :)

Mary Lou Stronach is making tole painted items for our sale! She does an amazing job with her painting...the detail and shading are just incredible. She has a great eye for color and makes some of the most adorable items. Last year her things sold quickly so make sure to get to the sale early!

Okay, okay, so I've been slacking a little bit on my featured seller bit...well, in my defense I've been trying to make more amazing things for the hoedown and just haven't had the time. I'll try to do a bit more tonight though: (I think I'm going to blog, make something, and then blog so be patient with me! (I'm an engineer...I have to have wierd plans like that...))

Today, I got a list from Krista's Kitchen on all the wonderful goodies they will be bringing to the sale:
-Cranberry Kringle Bars
-Turtle Bars
-Pumpkin Apple with Struesel Topping Muffins
-Cinnamon Pumpkin Chip Muffin
-Cranberry Nut Muffin
-Chippy Dunker Cookies
-Cranberry Orange Scones

Is anyone else's mouth watering over this? Wow! I can't wait!

Well, I just returned from my day spent at the quilt retreat in the Wisconsin Dells taught by my aunt-in-law, Barb, and of course, my mother-in-law, Diane. The project this year was a log cabin, but I just didn't have time to prepare for that so I just went up for the day to work on some things (I didn't want to leave my husband overnight with the girls just yet). I made lots of oragami bags and I did the mini-project and made an awesome appliqued wall hanging. I can't wait to quilt it!

Since, I just spent the day with Barb I decided to make her my featured artist for the craft sale! Barb has gorgeous hand-dyed linens, adorable purses, some hand-dyed clothing, and of course, quilts! Barb does an excellent job in all of her craft projects. She's not afraid to try something different and has a joy for teaching others her craft. All of the machine quilting on the quilts (Barb's, Diane's, Karma's and mine) was done by Barb. To find out more about Barb and about the quilting retreat for 2009 please check out her website: www.quiltsbybarb.com!

Janet Koivisto sews some great items for our sale. Those will include quilted table runners, table toppers, tree skirts, totes, aprons, stockings, towels, fabric bowls, and pillow cases. The items she makes help make your home festive or make wonderful christmas gifts.

So, Jared and I posted some things on the GreenLeaf Market website this morning!

This is what the GreenLeaf Market is:

"Why is it easier to buy from someone 2,000 miles away than it is from someone 20 miles away?" -Jack Kaestner, Executive Chef, Occonomowoc Lake Club

GreenLeaf Market makes it easy to buy and sell local foods, no matter where you are. We automate the process without taking any percentage fees. 100% of the sale price goes to the producer.

This site will work in any state for both buyers and sellers. Save time and money by using GreenLeaf Market to order local product, automate purchase orders, see what local product is currently available, keep track of past purchases, and more. See how it works...

GreenLeaf Market is only for businesses. If you are an individual looking for local foods, or a farmers' market seller, see Local Dirt.

www.GreenLeafMarket.com

Hopefully this is another successful outlet for our apples. So far our little store, farmer's markets, the produce auction, and schools have boughten most of our apples but we're always looking for new ways to get our product out locally!

Hi all! I just wanted to let you know that I am in the process of listing some of my winter/holiday hand-dyed onesies on my website (www.kimscraftyapple.etsy.com). These would be perfect christmas gifts for any little one you know! I hope you check them out!

Another item that we will be offering at this years craft sale will be handmade soap from Jen Geerdts. Her scents for this year will be: Lavender, Candy cane (peppermint), Christmas tree (pine and balsam), Myrrh, Frankincense. She plans on growing her soap business next year once her youngest is in school full time. We offered her soaps last year at the sale as well and people really enjoyed them. Make sure to come and pick up a bar!

Wow! It was chilly selling up at Pardeeville...I made until about 12:30. It was just cold, with a chilly, drizzling rain pretty much the entire time I was up there. It was nice to see some familiar faces along with a few new ones! I think it would have been a good time if the weather would have been just a tad nicer.

Our featured artist for the upcoming sale today is Becky Donahoe. Becky is Diane's sister-in-law. She makes beautiful hand-woven baskets. I currently own a large one that works perfectly for my kids' toys and one with feet on it that I store some of my kids' books in. I'm hoping to get one that fits on the stairs this year. She does a beautiful job with her color choices and designs. her craftsmanship is superb. One of her more unique baskets she had at last years sale incorporate deer antlers into the basket. These make very nice christmas or birthday gifts for anyone and everyone! The top picture on the craft sale webpage shows a few examples of some of the baskets Becky has made (http://merr.com/users/lapacek/crafts.htm). Make sure to check it out!

I wanted to let you know that I will be up in Pardeeville tomorrow selling apples, cider, caramel apples and crafts at the Pardeeville, Holiday on the Lake festival (http://www.pardeevillewi.com/). It sounds like a lot of businesses will have specials going on and some great food will be served. I hope to see you up there!

Hello Everyone! I hope things are going well. The apple store is starting to slow down so that means I'm starting to have a little time to focus on making things for it. If you haven't had time to check out our website please do so to learn about some of our crafters/artists that will be selling at our sale. One of my sellers was recently featured on the Daily Page of the Isthmus, here's what they wrote:

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=24232

Madison Etsy explorations: Jenny Blasen Pottery
Shopping locally online
Megan Larson on Wednesday 11/05/2008 3:00 pm , (6) Recommendations

When I was young, birthday dinners were chosen by the honoree. We got to pick the entire menu and it was served on a birthday plate that let everyone at the table know that it was your special day. I loved that my plate was different than the others. And with that tiny gesture, a typical family dinner was turned into a treasured memory.
Jenny Blasen has done the same with her Star Flower Cupcake Stand, created initially to make her daughter’s birthday a memorable one. Perfectly sized to fit one cupcake, it is the bright highlight to any birthday girl’s plate. Each handmade piece at Jenny Blasen Pottery exudes that same warmth, making it feel like it was given the extra care that I imagine that first cupcake stand was made with.
Blasen's pottery ranges in items from dishware to decorative pieces. Her work can be seen at The Kitchen Gallery at 1354 Williamson Street, in addition to Etsy.
Blasen answered a few questions over email about her work and art.

The Daily Page: When did you open your Etsy shop and what do you sell?

Blasen: I opened my Etsy shop right after Christmas of last year. I am coming up on my first year anniversary and just made my 100th sale! I sell handmade functional pottery.

Do you have a day job? Does your shop pay the rent?

As a stay at home mother of two, I have been taking pottery classes, on and off again since college and am totally addicted to clay. Originally I started my Etsy store to get rid of all of the pots I had been making and to make some money to cover the cost of studio fees and clay. My youngest will be starting kindergarten next year and I hope to work in clay full-time. I currently work at a community studio, which is great, but my goal is to save enough money to set up my very own studio.

What advice do you have for people interested in starting an online store?

Some people think selling online is as easy as opening a store, but it takes time and effort to get a loyal customer base and you have to spend a little money to make money!

Etsy is an online marketplace whose mission is to "reconnect makers with buyers." These explorations will connect you with the makers in your neighborhood.

You can check out her things at: http://www.jennyblasenpottery.etsy.com/

We're super excited to be having her participate in our sale!

The Hand-Crafted Hoedown for the Holidays will take place on Friday, November 21st (9am -8pm) and Saturday, November 22nd (9am - 5pm).

Make sure you remember to VOTE today!

Hello everyone! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. I pretty much had the weekend off from the apple store (other than the SP Farmer's Market) because a close friend of mine got married (the wedding was super fun!).

Just wanted to let everyone know that now that it's November we're going to be starting our winter hours:

Monday - Tuesday: closed
Wednesday - Friday: Noon - 6
Saturday: 9-5
Sunday: 10-5

If these hours don't work for you please feel free to give us a call (608) 635-4780 and make an appointment!

Thanks!