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This Sunday, 12/11, is the Bizarre Bazaar, an annual holiday shopping event like no other! Located at The Woodland, a historic venue owned by the Township of Maplewood, the show runs from 10am-4pm. A highlight of this event is the Abominable Snowman who makes himself available for photo ops for a small donation to the promoters, Studio B. What a unique Christmas card that would make! I'll be featuring my snarky zipper pouches including my brand new Pet Pouches line and favorites like "beer money" and "tattoo money". I also look forward to bringing my carefully curated vintage books like...

Back in May I answered a call for help on the Montclair Watercooler Facebook Group for someone to replicate a plush chromosome doll. A Montclair High School science teacher was the author of the post and I quickly replied for more information. We soon met up at a local coffee shop and discussed the project which would be due after the new school year began in the fall. I was tasked with creating 3 matching pairs of chromosomes, each pair a different size, small, medium, and large, with velcro attached so they can be separated. These teaching tools are useful...

The holiday shopping season has arrived and the push is on to find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list! Luckily, in Montclair there are great shops and annual events that support local businesses while making holiday gift-giving easy and memorable. These are the upcoming local holiday events where I'm participating this year! Small Business Saturday is this Saturday, 11/26, and I will be set up at the {verdigreen} home Makers Market from 10am-1pm. This hub for all things chalk paint glows with holiday charm at this time of the year and it's always a treat to merchandise my...

  Recycling and composting are great ways to divert waste from landfills and turn those materials into valuable resources. Reducing the amount of waste you produce, including reuse, is an even better way to keep solid waste out of methane-producing landfills. Conscientious choices when shopping like choosing products without a lot of packaging, buying locally, and even bringing your own bags, are a few other ways to reduce waste. Shopping at reuse centers is another excellent way to keep useful materials in the consumer stream and out of landfills.   Creative reuse centers around the globe are enabling communities to...

Selling handmade products online brings many challenges, one of the greatest being product photography. Not only do you need to be expert in your craft, you need to be skilled at photographing your product in order to represent it accurately to buyers through the pictures in the listing. Over the years I have incorporated the town of Montclair into my product shots to show my connection to the community to buyers from around the world. My favorite models have been my daughter and her friends, their energy is contagious and the photos I took with them are among my favorite....