Good Times at the Strange Folk Fest!

Hooray for festivals! I had a blast at Strange Folk this past weekend. This was an indie crafter's place to be. I love these types of festivals because the environment is so welcoming and open. Everyone is sooo nice, energetic, and happy. It was a pleasure participating and meeting all sorts of new people. My mom and I drove 4-5 hours-ish (Who's really counting, anyways.) to be a part of this fine event. We were blessed with mostly awesome weather except for that hour or so of monsoon. Other than that and a little wind, it was fantastic. People were even shopping in the rain! Those troupers!

Above was our cookie spread (and me in an igloo made out of milk jugs.) We started off with 17 varieties and ended with NONE! WE SOLD OUT! Every last cookie was eaten up, and it was such a great feeling! The festival was a two day event, and on the second day, people were telling us that we were tweeted about! Yay, happy customers! We left the festival 2 and a half hours early, with high spirits and a lighter load.

We met some awesome people there, and I spend half of my earnings supporting my fellow crafters. (Glad to do it!) It was hard not to buy more. AND trading is always fun. I love vendors who are willing to trade or do a partial trade. Cookies in exchange for things I can't make = good times. I got a really cool handbag from Pretty Fun, a couple of adorable pins from Bunnies & Bows, and soap in the shape of a man's torso by Scissor Scouts. Found some beautiful stationary at Serendipity. Those girls were so sweet! They gave me a T-shirt! I traded for some of TwIsTeD's earrings. And I had to buy a scarf from Jill's Weavings, or I knew I'd be kicking myself later. I walked past the booth 3 times before I claimed the one I'd been eying. Mom snagged some earrings from Strung Out & Wired.

I had the best booth neighbors ever. Paige from Lenox Knits couldn't have been nicer. We bought and traded throughout the day! The Sparrow Fist was my other neighbor. I left with one of her pretty headbands, but not before trying on all of them first.

An honorable mention goes out to Michelle from Pasties by Michelle. All I can say is: how brave, how awesome. Can't wait to sign up for Strange Folk next year!

Art and Such

Slight subject change! I've been inspired by a couple of new-to-me artists, and I'd like to share them with you.

I found one while attending the First Friday Art Walk in Indy. A curious guy by the name of Kipp Normand has an amazing studio at the Harrison Center. (Kipp, you need a website.)

This is one of his assemblages. This is what he does. I wish I had gotten a picture of his studio. It is cluttered, some might say, but I think it's just packed with potential. It's like stepping into an I Spy book. His studio is long and narrow with an extremely tall ceiling. The only window is a stained glass window. One long wall is covered by heavy red curtains probably salvaged from a theater. One small wall was covered with old paintings depicting Christ - probably salvaged from many a church. Along the walls and littering the floor were scads and scads of wooden things, a cabinet filled with unusual objects: a glass jar displaying a preserved hand, dental molds, antique toys, etc. I didn't get enough time to look, and I didn't want to be rude. A random note: Also at the Harrison Center - bike polo. A sport I never knew existed. Please note that there are only two players with helmets and hand guards. Too much coordination is involved here. Too much.

Another random note: Indy Fringe 2009 - a theater and stage festival. I attended this short play, Another Classic of Western Literature. All was seemingly normal in this play, seemingly everyday in a real-life sense. But then a stem cell research baby, appropriately named, F*** You scampered onto the stage. Hilarious, unexpected, and off-putting in a good way. Too funny.

Back to the point! The second inspiring artist I found on Etsy.com. I usually find lots of cool stuff on Etsy, but this artist sucked me in. The illustrations are serene and quirky. I thoroughly enjoyed YouAreConstance's shop.

Possibly more art related blogs to come after two fantastic festivals arrive: The Indieana Handicraft Exchange and the Strange Folk Festival.