Well, that was a blast! Renegade Craft Fair is behind us, which is one part relief, one part sadness, as it is the biggest event of the year for we lucky crafts-persons who make the cut and get to be a part of the magic. My phone has an app that forecasts the weather with cute little ideograms (crazy, I know, but hear me out), and the week leading up to renegade had two happy little storm clouds floating over the days in question, Saturday and Sunday, the eighth and ninth of September. Those little jerks just kept smiling and raining, right up to the day before the day before Renegade. Then, everything was awesome. The cold front coming North didn't cause thunderstorms, as we feared, but brought the first brisk winds and the lovely chill of autumn mornings. Sweater weather! The most wonderful time of year! It warmed up in the afternoons, but never got too hot, and only rained after everyone had loaded out Saturday night. Perfect craft fair weather!
Here is the left side of my booth, complete with little animals (who, as it happens, don't do so well in the wind) and the wonderful print display shelves my pal
Stephen built for me
the day before the fair. Saved me on that one. THANKS STEVE!
Here is a slightly better look at the menagerie. People really liked the little animals, but as usual, the nerd art was my biggest draw. Who knew people liked Star Wars and Doctor Who so much? Who knew?! I knew, that's who! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! That's me, laughing all the way to the bank (joke).
I had a lot of help preparing for this one. My good friend Paul took on transportation, giving up his valuable weekend time to help me set up and tear down, and I can't convey how grateful I am. He's got a gift coming his way... Or a foot rub, or, well, maybe just the gift. Thanks to
Martha and Mary for spending an evening stamping and stringing tags and these cute autumn garlands! I took a surprising number of compliments on my booth decor, and it simply wouldn't have been ready without your help. Josh and Patty came over and gave me their Friday night (and some beer, too!) and matted and bagged something like two hundred prints, allowing me to get a few hours of sleep the night before the big event. I have the best friends and family, seriously, thanks everybody!
One thing I learned at C2E2 this year is that it pays to have an 'under $10' item, especially if it is functional. With that in mind, I whipped up a bunch of these little critter masks, and boy did they ever sell! They're durable, cute, and being offered within about a month-and-a-half of Hallowe'en. A bit of extra trivia: the felt I use is made of 100% recycled plastic bottles. They were my best hook and my top seller. Go, critters!
Paul's daughter (and my good buddy) Bella did some viral marketing for me. Thanks, Bella!
They are great for kids of all ages. I was genuinely surprised at the number of aduts who stopped and looked and bought for themselves. I'm not saying they aren't for adults, I just hadn't thought of them that way. Cute!
Our pals Oliver and Julian came to see us on Saturday, and picked up a few prints. Thanks, guys!
Here is a closer look at the ostrich that I finished in the last days before the fair. He'll be listed along with all of the prints and available paintings on
Etsy this weekend, so swing by and have a look-see!
Again, I say thank you to everyone who helped out or came by to say 'hey' at the fair. It was a truly lovely and exhausting weekend. Thanks!
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