brandywine festival of the arts 2010

It was threatening rain all day today, but luckily the new Brandywine Festival of the Arts wasn't rained out. After all the controversy last year over its sudden cancellation, I was eager to get over there and see the new and hopefully improved fair which is now under new management.

Wooly Baby

Yay! Evidence of the indie craft movement infiltrating the fair was found! Delaware has been largely out of the loop of the modern craft being embraced in other cities of the Northeast, but I think we are ready for it now.  Josie Marsh's Wooly Baby booties and slippers, upcycled from leather jackets and wool sweaters, were drawing a crowd. Josie will also be exhibiting at Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, the ultimate indie craft show, in Washington, DC on October 2.

Felt It

Next door at Felt It, business was brisk as well.

Felt It

Anne Messley uses Eco-Felt made from recycled water bottles and hand appliqués her whimsical designs onto onesies, tees, tooth fairy pillows, and wall hangings (the cool kind- stretched on embroidery hoops).

Jaime Zollars

Jaime Zollars brought her fanciful screen printed illustrations up from übercrafty Baltimore for the weekend.

Jaime Zollars

Her quirky images of vintage circuses and dark fairy tales are available as archival prints, postcards, t-shirts, and buttons. Jaime will be showing at the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair as well.

Yummy & Company

Jennifer Wilfong of Yummy & Company, also from Baltimore, displayed a mix of recycled copper and hand formed low-fire clay jewelry.

Yummy & Company

The intricate patterns are achieved by etching through one layer to another. The effect is graphic, yet delicate at the same time.

Delanco Hats

Haberdashery is back for men of all ages. Jon Compton of Delanco Hats displayed his hats, upcycled from men's suitings, with vintage flair.

Delanco Hats

 Actually, no reason a woman couldn't wear one of these, especially the "newsie" style

Chris Murray

I just recently started bringing my kids with me on my craft show expeditions, and they really seem to get into it. My daughter marches right up to the artisans and asks them questions about how their pieces are made. We spent some time talking to Chris Murray about his carved wood bird sculptures and the many hours that go into some of the bigger pieces. These feather pins look like real feathers at a glance, but are actually expertly carved and painted wood.

My boy of course loved the blacksmith demo and was content to stay there indefinitely. From there, he was whisked off to the zoo, which was free to all today.

Although overcast, it was a pleasant day under the familiar canopy of trees in Brandywine Park.

arden fair 2010

This time of year is the best! Windows open. Slight nip in the air, just enough to think about wearing a sweater to whatever fall festival is on tap. The Delaware fall festival season kicked off last weekend with the 104th Arden Fair, always held on the Saturday before Labor Day just north of Wilmington, in the quirky village of Arden.

The first time I visited Arden, it was on a winter day and I had the sensation of stepping into a storybook village blanketed charmingly with snow. Think Tolkein's Shire, with Hobbits snug in their diminutive cottages, eating and drinking merrily by their hearths.

Arden is awfully nice in late summer also. I explored their website and was interested to find out that before it was claimed by artists and bohemian types, it had been a summer camp for people from Philadelphia and New York. That explains its picturesque woodsiness, its tiny cottages, its narrow winding roads (once meant for foot traffic), its central green and famous Gild Hall of this little hamlet. Arden's tradition of fostering the arts, started in camp days, continues year round now with its theater group and clubs.

Merry eating and drinking in the beer garden to the sound of Grateful Dead covers.

Tie dye for sale to go along with the Grateful Dead tunes.

Real kettle corn for the kids.

The kids were enthralled by this spinning wheel demonstration by Kat Crippen of The Wool Merchant's Daughter. Brings back memories of my mom doing the very same thing at craft shows many years ago.

Wool yarns just in time for fall.

Janet Nickerson of Lady Aimee's Fine Sewing and Sutlery.

Shakespearean and other reproduction clothing.

Fine linens from Miss Aimee's.

Plenty of fun for the kids.

Great fall kick-off, Arden! Next weekend I'll be checking out the Brandywine Arts Festival taking place Saturday & Sunday down by the Brandywine Zoo.

manayunk arts festival 2010

I deviated a bit from my indie craft show habit to attend the Manayunk Arts Festival in Philadelphia today with my mother-in-law and her pal. I don't consider it a true "indie" craft show since it's in its 21st year and is heavy on the fine art & photography, but times have changed since I was last there 8 years ago. I thought I'd go see what's new. Sure enough, I did find some modern crafters mixed in with traditional folk which suited the all-ages crowd. I was particularly impressed with all the upcycling going on.

Vintage tins are upcycled into pretty belt buckles by Constance Scott of Studio C.

More vintage tins, antique doll parts, and salvaged metal are recycled into decorative doll sculptures by Primitive Twig.

Vintage post office boxed converted to banks by Lone Wolf Woodworks. Too cool!

Brian Marshall combines found objects into funny robot-like creatures that exude personality. I love the name of his shop: adopt-a-bot.

My, my, my, look what can be done with discarded glass bottles! Kathleen Plate of Smart Glass takes bottle recycling to a new level. Her gorgeous chandelier-like hangings really capture the light...

as do her interesting loopy necklaces. The glass colors are the original colors of the bottles they came from.

Shena Curreli of Resinate With Nature  had the most appealing earthy-modern resin jewelry displays. This wood bowl with rice perfectly complements the rings made of tiny seeds, leaves, and other natural bits encased in resin that it contains.

Rustic frames fashioned from reclaimed wood salvaged from old homes and barns by Margaret Taylor of Dancing Dryads.

I recognized Dave Conroy's distinctive jewelry made of stainless steel nuts and nails from the Crafty Bastards show last fall. Alitas Jewelry will be making the rounds all summer. Coming up soon... the Artscape show in Baltimore on the weekend of July 16.

I couldn't walk away a second time without buying a piece from Dave. This cuff bracelet is made of tiny nuts fused together in a Moorish pattern and hammered. It looks like a delicate filigree tattoo on the wrist.

I'm considering coming back the weekend of September 25 to check out the new Manayunk Eco Arts Festival. So many shows, so little time!