i won a thing! // best of show

Hey everybody!

   It's Darrion again. And I've got some news about the fair...

   If you missed my last post, click here to read about my entries into the local fair.

Well, here it goes.

   Before the fair, I kept it cool and my expectations low as to not have my hopes and dreams dashed against the rocks. I expected to be ranked in 1st place, and hoped for nothing more.

   Internally, I really wanted an extra ribbon. Maybe a Junior Achievement Award like last year.

   Willow and I didn't want to know what we won until our trip to the fair. So zero spoilers from our friends (and mom) were required.

   Finally, the day came and we all packed into the car, jacket thrown in the trunk from the expectation of rain, and camera hung around my neck for safety. I listened to Baba Yetu and Now We Are Free covered by Peter Hollens until we arrived.

   Our first visit was to the sewing entries, where Willow had submitted a shirtdress. She got a first place (yay!), and we saw a lot of our friend's entries as well.

  This is the shirtdress she sewed. We started sewing lessons from a lady at church about one skirt and one dress ago.

Cute, huh? :)

   Then we made our way through the other sewing entries, and finally, we got to the fine arts section. The little kids artwork was first, which was adorable to look at :) We took a minute to view theirs before my sister turned the corner and gasped.

   But first, here's a quick explanation on how their ranking system works.

   This certain fair uses the Danish system, which is ultimately an everybody wins type placing. One third gets 1st, one third gets 2nd, and the remaining one third goes to the people in 3rd. Which is okay, I guess.

But they do have special ribbons, which really determines who was the best. There's Best of Show, Class Winner, the Junior Achievement Award, and others I can't remember. There were only two I saw in my age group (I was in youth, Willow was in young adult), which were Best of Show and Class Winner (I probably glanced over the Junior Achievement).

   Okay, back to the winnings.

   I turned the corner and clapped my hands over my mouth to suppress the sequels. I was definitely not expecting that.

My Hobbit Hole door watercolor had won Best of Show in my category.

*squealing intensifies*

(photo credit to Willow)

I was so surprised, I just laughed.

   Surprisingly, it got a 2nd place on my other entry, but also a Class Winner ribbon. How that works, I do not know. I thought they'd... you know... put the winner of the class ribbon on a 1st place winner. But apparently, a few judges had different views :) I was surprised to get this in addition to best of show.

Two ribbons total. I was pumped.

(photo credit to Willow)

  
   On the next wall, we found Willow's watercolor. Surprisingly, it hadn't won a ribbon in young adult. But she had much tougher competition than I had.

I think it turned out great! Smiles and congrats all around.

   This specific door is 221B. Bakerstreet, the apartment that Sherlock Holmes lived in. She wanted a simple door, and didn't realize that black just isn't really black :) Purple was the most used color, as you may have noticed. The checkered tiling was really hard. But she pushed through it, and the lovely matting really brought out the orange.

   Willow and I worked on our doors at the same time during art class, though she finished hers first.

   Well, after that we spent the rest of the day roaming the fair, which you'll soon get to hear about in a day at the fair. I'll make a post about that adventure soon!

In the meantime, thanks for reading, guys! I really appreciate it. Blog ya later :)

Sincerely,
Darrion

*internet thumbs up*