Renegade Craft Fair LA

The end of July means Renegade Craft Fair is back in town! This is an event that I look forward to and dread at the same time. There are so many wonderful craftspeople and artists who bring beautifully made products to the Craft Fair that you can't help but want to buy something from each booth. It's cash-draining inspiration all around you!

This year I went with Maya and my two sisters, but ended up spending most of my time with Maya (we got separated from my sisters on multiple occasions) because she was being quite the shopper (when the booth interested her) or complainer (when the booth didn't interest her). But we all managed to leave the fair a few hours later with some good purchases.

I was on the lookout for a ring to purchase and came home with two really reasonably priced ones (i.e., under $10). One is an octopus ring from Foamy Wader and the other one is a narwhal ring from Unicorn Crafts I plan to share with Maya (thank goodness for adjustable rings).

The following rings were right up my alley but out of my price range:

fernworks

 AMiRA jewelry

Peggy Skemp Jewelry

Maya was probably the most interested in the dogs walking around the booths with their owners. Other than that, her shopping money went to plushies and buttons, and her wishlist included earrings (her ears aren't pierced yet).

mehoi

I often come home from these shows with some art prints, but I don't have any more wall space for new ones, so I only came home with a couple of small ones:

Nan Lawson Illustration

[for the bedroom]

The Poster List

[for the kitchen]

My one regret is not buying a necklace from Eri Sugimoto's booth. She's a potter but she was also selling some necklaces that incorporated ceramic pieces (like the ones below). I thought I didn't have enough money but, as is always the case, it turns out I just had enough. And now I can't find any images of the piece (and it doesn't seem like she's sold any through her etsy shop). Dang it!

WIP :: spiffying up an owl plushie

Maya bought a plushie owl at Renegade Craft Fair LA from janie xy (they're based in LA -- they make bacon plushies -- check 'em out!).


We felt it was missing just a little something so we decided to add feathers to its belly. Maya chose the colors for the feathers and we got to work. And by "we" I mean "me."


First step, making a feather template from cardstock and tracing on felt. Then there was a lot of cutting.  Last step: sewing each feather on.

This may take awhile ...

What I Made for Dessert :: Strawberries & Cream Pie

My parents bought an insane amount of strawberries (8 pounds for $3.99!) and shared half of them with me. Since fresh strawberry pie is my favorite pie since I was a little girl, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try my hand at baking.

I wanted to have a layer of custard under the strawberries, but what I ended up with is more like a custardy cream ... i.e., it's messy! I used the recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (the yellow version) and it was super easy. Maya LOVED it and asked, "Can we just have a cream pie?"

What I Made for Dinner :: Tomato Quiche

An oldie but a goodie. I don't remember if I've already posted this one, but it's been so long since I've made it that I thought I would post a picture, at the very least.

This is the one tomato dish that Rupert actually enjoys and wants me to make. I haven't been able to make it because Ian loathes tomatoes. Since he's out of town this week and I had a spare pie crust, I dusted off the ol' recipe (a variation on a mini tartlet recipe from the Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook) and made the quiche. Sadly, Maya (who does like tomatoes) didn't like it either. Ah well, that just means more for me + Rupert.

Milestone moment for me ...

 

I sort of let Ian babysit Maya: I left them both at home while I went to the library to return some books. Then I sent them out, just the two of them, to go back to the library to pay my overdue fine (meaning, they had to cross the street by themselves).

 

They were late coming home so I got a little worried and headed over there just as they were heading home; they were late because the librarians helped them sign up for the summer reading program.