The Blue Plum Festival

We rarely attend a festival, but this one is local and I wanted to visit with one of my clients, so off we go to Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City.

Knowing that we would be walking in the hot sun for an undetermined amount of time, I decided to wear a hat to this event.

There were so many booths and activities it would have taken the whole day to visit all of them. 

As we searched for my client's booth, we ran into my beautiful friend and neighbor, Lori, who was doing volunteer work for the Rotary.

It was a thrill to run into the fabulous Abby Hathorn, who is also a blogger at VintageInspiredPassionista.

Abby has just moved to the area to attend school, so we planned to get together. Even though we had never met in person, we immediately recognized each other and shared a big hug. Mr. Mickey couldn't believe that we weren't already old friends.

At last! We found my client's booth. Jessica Klaaren is the daughter of one of my classmates, so I was really looking forward to meeting her.

Jessica is an acclaimed designer of contemporary jewelry, but her booth and the presentation of her product was also a work of art. It was such an inspiration to see all she has accomplished.

You can see more of Jessica's work at her website JessicaKlaaren.com.

Jessica is shown here with her helper for the weekend, Leigh-Ann Appleton.

I was so happy to get to meet Jessica at last. I have long been an admirer of her talent, and of course, I always look forward to meeting my clients whenever I get the chance. There is a special bond between artists that can't quite be explained. Once again, Mr. Mickey couldn't believe that we didn't already know each other as he watched us visiting with each other like old friends. 

Our busy day came to a close at my sister's beautiful home and her husband for Mr. Mickey's birthday dinner. It is a tradition in our family that my sister prepares a special birthday dinner for the celebrating family member. It is an event to look forward to!

When I put on the hat for the second half of the day, I removed the necklace and bracelet I wore during the garden party earlier in the day. Wearing too many accessories with a hat can make you look very cluttered... as if you wearing a costume. I am also wearing white pants and a tank from the Peck and Peck collection at Stein Mart. The very lightweight sweater is from Chico's last year. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx. The hat is several years old and from Betmar.