unique la: winter 2010

So there no plans to go to Unique LA this weekend, but I was scarcely finished posting the write-up on Renegade yesterday morning when my husband asked if I wanted to go to "that other craft fair." I said weakly, "But we already bought all the presents we need to get for Christmas..." to which he responded, "But this won't be about buying gifts for anyone else, this'll just be for you." And that's why I married him!

I did actually end up getting a couple of gifts there as well as more cute pins for myself, and it's always fun to browse and see what people are making. We came away with lots of free drinks and these tote bags designed and printed by 7 Lightning Bolt ...which I have to say were much better than the ones from last year's show, which were really flimsy and just had some faux spray-painted words on it.

I love tote bags so much--I don't think we've ever actually paid for one, we've gotten so many from craft shows and film festivals and other such events. They really come in handy, more so than nearly any other freebie.

renegade holiday craft fair

This weekend, Renegade Craft Fair returned to Los Angeles for its holiday edition. Weirdly, it's being held on the same dates as Unique LA...it sounds like there might've been a big game of craft chicken going on!

We decided to stop by Renegade--although it's smaller than the other fair, it's outside (which meant sun and food trucks) and best of all, free. There were lots of great vendors there, and we found some goodies to take home including little pins from Oh, Hello Friend, a card from Sycamore Street Press (printed on vintage letterpress and recycled card stock), an airmail stationery set from Paper Pastries (maker of those great Chefs pencils I got earlier this year), little freebie pins from dorklandia and Careful It Bites, and a set of Alice in Wonderland rubber stamps from The Urban Craft Center.

I'd been salivating over these stamps for awhile after I saw them on Etsy but hesitated because of high shipping costs from Asia, so I was really happy to see them at the fair. I love the Cheshire Cat and Wonderland stamp in particular!

It's always fun when a craft fair is in town, especially when you get to eat Korean-style galbi tacos afterwards. We actually had a fender bender on Thursday and then another little issue with our other car the next day, so it was really nice to end the week on a good note.

renegade craft fair l.a.

Renegade is in town! A craft fair weekend is a happy weekend, especially when you find good loot. The haul from this expedition included a few presents which can't be shared just yet, but we found some fun things for ourselves as well.

We took home this green taco-eating dinosaur shirt from Seibei, one of our favorite cheeky clothing designers. We also have this one from last year's Unique LA, and they always make me laugh when I see them. It's charming how fiercely the Tyrannosaur demands his sandwich/taco.

As usual, there were some fun freebies around the fair, such as some crafting demos, some funny little pins from Threadless, and the canvas bags I got from Yelp and Seibei.

Renegade, which is now in its second year, was held outside at the Los Angeles State Historic Park downtown. It was a little warm today, but there were a lot of people walking around. It's nice to see that the fair got a good number of local sponsors...especially because it made the event free! Renegade Craft Fair is headed for San Francisco next week, and then for Chicago and San Fran again later this year.

loot from Unique LA

My friend Lauren and I spent nearly 4 hours at Unique LA yesterday.  It was so much fun to walk around and see all the amazing things on offer. I hear that this is now the biggest handmade craft show on the west coast, and there were certainly a lot of talent on display.

A few of my purchases are gifts that, ahem,  can't be shared just yet, but here are a few goodies I came away with:

wise owl necklace from Enchanted Leaves

I am excessively fond of owls, so I snapped up this pretty necklace right away. I think I'd like to find a narrow, sage-green velvet ribbon to replace the current black one, but other than that I think it's quite perfect.

tiny, clever pins from Fomato

Both of us fell in love with these little pins with simple but witty images on colorful backgrounds. I like NO and rotund the best.

I also found a couple of stocking stuffers for a pair of gentlemen friends that made me laugh from I Heart Guts and Bored Inc. Naughty and cute!

My friend Lauren scored some great gifts too, including Cutesy Poo and I Pity the Poo (also from Bored, Inc), a vintage screen-printed sweater from Stella Neptune, a hilarious "Highdy" plush, and perhaps best of all, she got a sweet little scissor necklace from Jenny and Jimbob that came cleverly packaged in a tiny matchbox. All in all a very successful shopping expedition.

unique la this weekend

It's sad that Felt Club isn't happening in Los Angeles this year. But happily, Unique LA will be at California Market Center downtown this weekend! Although I'm making many of our gifts for Christmas, there are still a few peeps on our list to take care of and it's always great to buy handmade if we can. 

And of course, if we happen to find things we like, well... we're obligated to buy them so we support other artisans. It's just the right thing to do.

martha stewart craft department sale, new york

I hear comments now and again about the need to support independent artisans over an empire like Martha Stewart's. While I absolutely agree that it's good to choose independent and handmade wherever possible, I can't forget that the reason a lot of people get started in creative endeavors is because of people like Martha. 

The resources, inspiration, and information she and her staff constantly provide is unparalleled. What other public figure could so knowledgeably discuss and draw attention to subjects as diverse as American farming, health, crafts, food, and gardening, all the while comfortably interviewing celebs and heads of state? I can't think of a single one.

And so if you're in New York this week, be sure to check out the craft sale from the amazing crafters for MSL on Friday, December 5th, 2009.  I love seeing everything they do for the show, and this event will give attendees the chance to see what they work on on their own time. 

Here's one honeybee who is  pea green with envy over those who are able to attend!