Chicago friends! I’ll be selling at the DIY Trunk Show tomorrow at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater. This’ll be my only in-person show of the season, so if you’ve had your eye on something, come on up and save on shipping. See you there!
Big thanks to everybody who came out to last weekend’s Indieana Handicraft Exchange! Since I haven’t been doing as many fairs lately, I forget how fun it is to be out and see people’s reactions to my work, not to mention chat with fellow makers off-line for once!
Most trips back home to Indiana I’m in and out so quick I feel like I don’t really get to do a whole lot, but I took a few extra days this time around to relax and see more folks that usual. I filled up my time with picnics, thrifting, a visit to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the best little ice cream stand in Greenwood, visiting on patios, fresh strawberry jam and dog time, not to mention finishing “The Fault in Our Stars” while I was there (appropriate since it’s based in Indy. Also, a total cry-fest.)
Looking forward, as always, to my next trip south to the Hoosier state!
Hey, Indiana peeps! I’ll be setting up shop this Saturday at the Indieana Handicraft Exchange in Indianapolis.
In honor of this annual Hoosier homecoming, I’ve whipped up a couple of brand new, Indiana-specific puppets that’ll be available only at the show. Get excited!
First off, anyone within 100 miles of a Big Ten school from the past 20 years should be able to guess this first one:
That right! Mr. Bob Knight himself is not available in finger puppet form. Though he’s not an official Indiana native, he will be forever a Hoosier in many of our hearts.
Also debuting this weekend is a design I’ve been reworking for a number of years– Gary, Indiana’s own Little Michael Jackson!
Pretty groovy, eh? Gotta love a guy in purple fringe.
I’ll have some of the Kurt Vonnegut puppets that are carried by Homespun in Indy and if I can get my act together in the next few days, may have an additional design or two as well.
Otherwise I’ve got just about everything ready to go, including animal and monster puppets, buttons, bibs, burp clothes and other finger puppets.
Hope to see you at the show!
Thanks to all those who came out to the Detroit Urban Craft Fair over the weekend! What a lovely way to return to the holiday fair scene! As I mentioned before, it’d been six years since I first did this show, and it was amazing to see the growth of the fair itself, and the variety of amazing vendors it attracted. I got to meet lots of great folks, and see my way around Detroit itself for the first time in a long time, too. Good times!
The set-up, before my banner uncurled itself.
I bought a couple of fun things– was super excited to see Amos Paul Kennedy was one of my fellow vendors. It was great to meet him in person, and when I asked about the print below that he was sold out of on Saturday, he brought in one in just for me on Sunday– how nice is that?! I also found the awesome vintage Dolly magnet from Jodi Lynn Doodles— can’t resist a gal (or hairdo) that awesome.
Thanks again to those Detroit-ers who made it out!
Hey, Michigan pals! Come out and say hello this weekend at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair!
I’ll be vending all things felt and cute this Saturday and Sunday for your holiday pleasure. It’s been a while since I did a holiday fair, so expect a few Christmas-y surprises!
See you there!
I’m excited to share that I’ll be selling at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair the first weekend in December! Get ready to get your felt on, Motown!
Though it feels like a lifetime ago, I did the show for the first time back in 2007 while I was in the process of moving from Rhode Island to Chicago. Crazy how long ago that feels! This photo of my booth is pretty funny to reminisce on as well.
How things change, eh?
More on DUCF.
A great big thanks to Indianapolis and the fine folks of the Handicraft Exchange for a swell weekend back home in Indiana. Going down for this show is always a blast, and this time around was no exception– besides being crafty, I was able to catch the Gogol Bordello show, drink a delicious caipirinha and see some of my most favorite folks. Can’t ask for a better time than that!
More photos on my new booth set up from the show are here.
After a couple of years of faithful service, with a craft fair on the horizon in June I decided that it was time to rethink my puppet display. We created the chalkboard rotating display three or so years ago and the old gal’s been holding steady since. Made from milk crates bungee corded together and a Craigslist lazy susan, it worked exactly as I’d envisioned in my display– giving me some extra height and enticing passersby to come to my booth and give it a turn.
However, the DIY nature of the display meant that portability was a bit of an afterthought– sure, one person could carry it by themselves, but the size and shape necessitates a bear hug hold or balancing it on a rolling cart, not to mention fitting that behemoth into the car was always a challenge. Basically, it was time to upgrade.
Introducing my new puppet display! It has a bit less DIY charm, perhaps, but makes up for it with a slicker appearance and slimmed down heft. I bought a set of super strong mini magnets to hold the puppets, which work well with my new packaging. So, whaddya think?
I’ll be debuting the new gal at the Indieana Handicraft Exchange this weekend!
Attention Indiana friends! I’m so excited to be making my return to craft fairs this weekend at the Indieana Handicraft Exchange. You comin’?!
I’ll be bringing along some new stuff I’ve been experimenting with, so definitely stop by if you’re around the Circle City!
At long last, I’ve finally had a free moment to go through my photos from Renegade Holiday a few weeks ago to share with you lovely folks.
It was a lovely weekend in Chicago– a little drizzle on Saturday morning, but any time it doesn’t blizzard on Renegade weekend, I’m a happy camper!
Above is our new friend Raun from FoundRe who we traded a couple of gorgeous handmade picture frames for a pair of puppets. Taking a tip from another genius customer who went from my booth to his to frame her pupet purchases, you can see how Raun decided to ready his Willie and Johnny puppets for display. Don’t they look great?!
And of course, no craft fair would be complete without at least a few gifts for myself (it was a week before my birthday, after all.) Above you can see some of my finds– a book journal from Ex Libris Anonymous (these do double-duty for me to keep track of craft fair sales and as sketchbooks for custom orders and new ideas). I love the cover– it reminds me of a WPA post from the 30s. Next is a pair of Good Egg/Bad Egg tea towels from Kinship Press, our lovely booth neighbors. You can see the images printed on them here. Next is a gorgeous bag from Suspiro Taller Creativo made from handwoven, fair trade fabric from Guatemala.
Above are the pair of magnets I couldn’t resist from Red-Belly. How hilarious are these guys? The goat is for me and I tell myself I’ll give away Mr. Spaceman-Chicken as a Christmas gift, but it’s to be seen whether I can actually part with it.
And finally, I was excited to find the work of Tree Hopper Toys where I picked up this sweet little wooden worm rattle/teether/floor toy– it’s officially the first toy we’ve bought Mr. Baby, so I hope he loves it… in a few months when he’s here… and has teeth and learns to hold things. It’ll be a while, sure, but I can wait.
At any rate, it was a lovely weekend, and I’m always so thankful for the wonderful Chicago crowds who are so receptive to my work. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and made it another super fun holiday show! See you next December!
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