Raleigh Craft Market and Dog Olympics

(This is my"Church Chat Lady" impression...Well, isn't that special!)

Several weekends ago I attended the Downtown Raleigh Craft Market and Dog Olympics with Diana, Meredith, and my Mom. We started the morning with breakfast and the Craft Market in downtown Raleigh. It was early in the morning, but the sun was already beating down and the humidity was unbearable. I have to admit that I did not look as closely as I would have liked to the crafts because of the heat. The little that I actually looked at, I enjoyed! There were purses, clothing, jewelry, pictures, paintings, ceramics and more. Each artist had a booth and displayed their lovely creations. I enjoy homemade products and love to support local artists. An antique shop was near the event and we went inside to enjoy the AC and browse. We had fun looking at all of the furniture and other goodies in the store. The best part was the vintage glasses that they had on display! The glasses were expensive, but that did not stop us from trying them on. We had fun laughing at ourselves and imagining what crazy 1950’s outfits we could pair with the glasses. If they would not have been $50+ I would have bought a pair to wear for fun. Ohh well!

After we could not bear the heat anymore, we went to a nearby consignment shop. I purchased a suit, a jean skirt, and a dress skirt. All of the pieces were from stores like Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. I paid a fraction of the price and they look brand new! Lately, I have been trying to shop at thrift stores and consignment shops to lessen my impact on the environment (and because it is cheaper!). I am trying to make a commitment to buy more used and less that is brand new. I still purchase new products, but I am trying to go to thrift stores and consignment shops first and more often. This is a baby step, but if we all give it a try we can a difference.
One of the last stops of the day was the dog Olympics at NC State. People brought their dogs and had them participate in contests. Some of the contests included: best howler, doggie limbo, musical walk, and roll over Beethoven. In addition to the competitions, there was a police dog demonstration and booths promoting shelters and different rescue groups. At some of the booths, they had puppies that needed to be adopted. I fell in love with several little pups that were a delight to watch as they romped around in the outdoor pen. A sweet little husky and a chocolate lab puppy caught my eye! They were adorable! I was sad that I could not take one home with me. We even had the opportunity to see puppies that were a couple of days old, but were unable to touch them because they were so new. They had been abandoned and were being taken care of by humans. We did get the chance to watch them feed. They were very sweet!



Both of the events were fun and I cannot wait until next year!