Man. It was awesome, too. And you missed it! Get ready, kids, because this is going to be a long review of a really fun event. And it was quite packed! Lots of people, which is great. The more people supporting independent artists making their handmade pieces and trinkets and fiber things, the better we will all eventually be.
First: a disclaimer. I could unfortunately not speak to all the crafters at the Bazaar. But I did speak to a broad sampling, and I think I got a good sense of some of the many various talented people who were there. And as an interesting side note, almost all the crafters were from the
Laura Kuenzli, of Thee Basket BOOtique, both makes and sells a broad range of spooky and futuristic gifts and thingies. Including a purse with a motherboard attached to it! When asked why she chose spooky and futuristic items as her metier, she said because that's what she likes! In addition to the purses, she sells candles, candies, bath products, jewelry, vases, and other accessories - all this after only getting into crafting two years ago! Oh, and she's from
I then stopped at the Beautiful Era booth, run by Amber J. Anderson, who very cutely lists herself as the proprietress on her business card. Amber makes Victorian-inspired wearable art, such as brooches, and in a nod to the holiday season, really adorable ornaments. These pieces, which are housed in a watchmaker's tin, features a handmade collage of beads, fabric and other vintage pieces. They're really different, and adorable! And Amber's another local - Cleveland Heights!
And then, a blast from the past! Not really the past. More September. Of this year. Anyway, when I was in Chicago in September, I had stopped at a booth featuring a giant stuffed gherkin: Mr. Pickles. I got a couple of great pictures of my friend's son hugging a pickle that was his size, but that's beside the point. So imagine my surprise when I turned around the Cleveland's Bazaar Bizarre and see Mr. Pickles again! And since at this event I had a vaguely legitimate reason to be really nosy and ask all sorts of questions like, "Who are you?" and "What the hell do you make again?" In this case, I already knew. They make stuffed things, like pickles, T-bone steaks and Ohio. Brother Jack (creator) and sister Rita (marketing guru? Something? Model?) work together crafting the merchandise associated with the stories and adventures of Mr. Pickles, travel reporter! The name Pickles actually came out of a name that the siblings had for both a dog, and an intern. That must make them feel special now. I myself bought quite a few buttons, including one that said "World's Best Pirate." That's for my brother, since I'm keeping the one that says, "I heart robots!"
I then stepped over to Miss Alison, who makes really cute and kind of retro vinyl purses, bags, wristlets and other vinyl items. I found the cutest pink and yellow small bag - and I feel quite proud of finding something suitable for my work's secret Santa! Nothing says happy holidays like vinyl.
Next up, and Sidekick Girl's favorite vendor, Al Roff with Tiny Rat, kooky handmade crafts. I thought Al was definitely on to something, and I think when you hear her story, you'll realize that you too should be collecting anything that takes your fancy! Al has been collecting fabrics, photos, old magazines and books, and pretty much anything else from thrift stores that looks cool and different. And now, to both clean out her house and give her something to do with her time, Al makes things like tiny magnetic calendars with vintage pictures on them, wooden plaques with pictures from 1950s Highlights magazines, and fabric collages. They were hilarious - Sidekick Girl bought quite a lot of her stuff. And I was sorely tempted by the idea of my own tiny calendar with a seal. But I held firm!
I of course stopped and talked to Bazaar organizer Shannon Okey - look for a little profile/interview of her soon! But to give some background on the fair, Shannon was part of the original organizers of the first Bazaar Bizarre in Boston. The Cleveland fair just celebrated its 3rd year at the 1300 Gallery; next year, for the fourth year, Shannon is hoping to move to a larger venue, possibly the Beachland Ballroom! Exciting. She felt it was a great fair, with lots of solid traffic all day, and a nice wide selection of different crafters with different talents. Soap, coffee, art work, funky t-shirts... lots of different things! By the way - Cleveland got a fair before such big cities as San Francisco or Chicago! Yes! Alternative people want to buy things here!
And because I was running out of both money and energy, Sidekick Girl and I ran for the door. Where I promptly got stopped at a jewelry booth. Ann McNeill and Ruth Sholtis-Furyes were sharing a booth, making a nice little killing with their very different kinds of jewelry. Ann, who by day works as a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, handmakes glass beads and incorporates them into various bracelets, necklaces and charms. In addition to fairs (well, I say fairs, but this was her first), Ann sells her pieces at Embellish, a store in Rocky River! Nice, nice. Ann was sharing the table with her buddy, Ruth, who is a scientist! Ruth makes an effort to incorporate chemistry and material science into her pieces, which are called Retrograde Motion. Ruth makes pendants out of a variety of antique and designed glass, with decorative lead soldering. She also had this killer pendant with two designs, one on each side! It featured two beautiful pieces of Japanese paper that were wildly different, but went well together! I was really tempted by the piece, but it was a just a bit too big. I did however buy a pendant that was orange creamsicle-colored. I couldn't resist it!
Over all, it was a fabulous craft show, and I found some pretty interesting things that are going to come up on Blogging Ohio over the next few days, so look out for them!
