Renegade Craft Fair

The Craft Fair actually took place last week-end. I am just now getting around to posting about it. It was the second year it has come to Austin. Last year there were 150 vendors, and this year it was up to 200. That is a lot of booths to visit, let me tell you! A lot of walking. With that many vendors, there is a lot of repetition, unfortunately. After the first 20 or so Jewelry booths, and at least that many clothing booths, my eyes kind of glazed over. So there were a few known vendors that I missed seeing that I would have stopped by if I'd known they were there. Almost every vendor that I talked to had Etsy stores. So I wonder..how does someone stand out in a sea of like items? How does anyone sell their truly unusual things when there are so many shops to wade through. I hear this about Etsy a lot. I haven't shopped much there or tried to sell there either, so don't know all the ins and outs of it.

Outside

Inside overview


I took very few photos because I was moving at a fast pace. This is one really cute booth that I saw, and actually went back to. This was a very sweet lady, she had some lovely handmade books and journals. The way she had her booth set up was simple, but really impressed me. It was PAPER...so you know I was already smitten. She had strung cord back and forth across the booth and hung the small books, flowers and paper bundles from the cord. Very clever and festive looking. In the back of the booth she had an installation that was really interesting. She had sewn tea bag papers together, a LOT of tea bag papers, and I thought it was just gorgeous. She also had her collages mounted directly on the kraft colored background. They were pieced and stitched and really lovely. Check out her website. http://millionsofpeoplehappy.blogspot.com/ Sorry, I do not know how to make a clickable link here or I would. She has links to all her shops and you can see her work much better. Thanks Michelle, for being so sweet to us and so enjoyable to talk with.



Here is Michelle climbing up on a stool to take down one of the bundles I bought.


Had to shoot this...her color scheme was just what I am loving so much right now. Orange photo box, turquoise table cover, and soft chartreuse shoes. And her sweater and trim on her dress also. So cute.


Well, I must describe these paper bundles to you. She had taken all her leftover scraps from all her various projects and stitched them into these bundles. I'd not seen this before and thought it was so clever. Some of them reminded me of bird nests, others kind of like pinecones. There were folded pieces of paper, thin strips, some fabric (book tape I think) and the paper that is left when you punch shapes. I am not doing these justice in my description I know.


I hung them on my twig tree where I hang various garlands and other paper tid-bits throughout the year. It's difficult for me to get a photo of my tree that I am happy with, hopefully you get the idea.


Bundle close-ups. Photos are clickable to enlarge.