This past Saturday, L.A. held it’s second Renegade Craft Fair. I’m lucky enough to have been to three of these shows now… Both years in L.A. and earlier this year to Austin’s first Renegade Craft Fair. Every time I’ve been energized by the creativity flowing through the air. The fairs feature local crafting guilds, national and local sellers and live music. From my experience seeing the fair in two different cities, even though a few sellers were in both locations, the event has a very distinctive vibe that it draws from its own local talent.
Sadly, not everyone has access to a nearby Renegade and even if you do, the vendors are always diverse, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite artists from this week’s visit so you can have your own Renegade party on your computer.
Bunny Butt Apothecary: With a name like Bunny Butt, you’ve got to love it. They have a wonderful selection of tasty smelling soaps and lotions. I bought a bar of their Mango Lassi, which smells just like… well, mango lassi. It makes me want Indian food in my shower. I also adored their Currant Obsession whipped cream body lotion and Swing Low Sweet Lemongrass soap bar.
fomato: There is always an abundance of paper crafters at alternative craft fairs. I really like most of the playful cards they create, but I’m rarely compelled to buy anything. Fomato cards is the first booth that broke me of the habit. Their cards are whimsical and a little strange. It’s not often you can send a birthday card that teaches its recipient to beware “herbal tea“.
Chez Sucre Chez: I’ll admit it… I don’t actually remember seeing these guys in person at the show, but as I was browsing through the artists on the Renegade website, I stumbled across these awesome embroidery designs. I’m a sucker for anything with song lyrics on it and these simple pieces have lyrics from The Smiths and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Oh, she has reusable sandwich wraps and cross stitch kits as well, but I’m still drooling over the former.
In Timid Nation: Unfortunately she doesn’t have anything in her shop right now, but you can see a lot of her work on her blog. Laura was displaying cuddly plush gnomes with removable hats and beards like these at the show. Once you see them, it’s hard not to fall in love with the little guys.
Jenny and Jimbob: I bough a pair of cleaver earrings (dubbed Serious Cleavage) from Jenny and Jimbob at Renegade in Austin and wear them on a fairly regular basis. They always elicit a reaction, especially when worn on first dates. Even at Renegade L.A. a few people complimented my choice of ear wear. Each set of earrings or necklace comes in a little homemade matchbox with a cute clever name and adorable graphics.
Late to the Revolution: So you’re listening to some jams on your iPod (or if you’re super retro cool, your Walkman) and you start thinking… there’s got to be something out there to make me even more awesome than my oversize headphones already make me. If this happens to you on a regular basis, or ever, you should check out Late to the Revolution. She makes crocheted cozies for headphones and even adorable crocheted hats with the headphones built in! Is your mine blown yet? Because mine was.
Make Shop Live: I saved my favorite artist for last. Make Shop Live creates absolutely awesome stuff from recycled materials. One of my favorite creations was a little address book made using those postcards tucked into magazines. They already have the fields for name, address, phone, etc. The covers are crafted from Metro Cards and expired gift certificates. How creative is that?! Their website doesn’t do their work justice so check out the events page and try to catch them in person if you’re on the West Coast.
Are you a craft fair junkie like me? If you know of any crafters that get you excited, let me know in the comments.
