This morning, Hubby and I took off to Handmade Arcade at Construction Junction downtown. After some traffic issues (it's interesting that only the routes out of downtown are under perpetual construction...), we managed to get there and had a really fun time. It was crowded (as usual) and a bit cold at first, explaining why some of these shots are blurry; my hands were shaking! We ran into Lisa from just be — she and I met over at the Knot while planning our weddings, and we had the opportunity to chat with some really interesting people. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have my own booth there next year. In the meantime, though, I hope you enjoy my semi-live report from Handmade Arcade '07! It's open tomorrow, too, from 11 to 5, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area, it's worth a visit.
Tapeworks bags and accessories:
The watermelon bag and the b&w one are so cute, aren't they?
All the way from Richmond, Virginia, here's Ono of Sew Ono ap*par*el:
I bought a very cute apron from her, but as you can see, she has all sorts of cute stuff. She's very nice, and agreed that it was quite chilly!
Squeaky Queen Soap Laboratory, home of divine-smelling soaps. The Enchanted Forest is particularly nice...I really regret not grabbing a few. They'll make great hostess gifts for all of the approaching holiday parties.
See those soaps in the foreground with little black corsets on them? She made her husband tie those. ;) The packaging on the soaps is so nice - much of it is actually cloth scraps, some has buttons on it, all of it with cute prints. Again, great as gifts!
Friend or Foe stuffies, aprons, dog toys, and accessories:
Each stuffie is either a friend...or foe. Snuggle carefully. ;)
Beautiful, clean lines in steel wire from Megan Auman of Jonestown, PA:
Handcrafted jewelry from Jessica Beebe:
That's Jessica and her model, who also happens to be her sister. No website for Jessica in my stack of business cards, but if you're reading this, Jessica, let me know and I'll happily correct that.
All sorts of clever papery goodness from Pink Bathtub Designs, especially these Jet Set journals, printed with letters and numbers corresponding to major airports. Fun idea!
Charming Caitlin from Rebound Designs.
Note the Nancy Drew purses! These are all very fun and cute, with just about every title you can imagine. This was a very popular booth at the Arcade! Caitlin told me she really loves making them, and she's of such cheerful countenance and demeanor one knows she means it.
I don't knit or crochet, but can clearly see that these yarns from City Spun are just gorgeous. The colour is rich and luscious, and the yarns are so, so soft and luxurious to the touch. That's Jessica spinning away, right at Handmade Arcade. It's not uncommon to see the artists creating during the fair.
Huge, cheerful hand-printed tea towels from Fisk & Fern, wooden spoon included! They offered darling cards, art prints and fun moleskine books as well.
Gooorgeous hand-dyed and screen-printed slips from Lavender Zebra Press. I love vintage slips, and these are so, so pretty. I'm ashamed to say I didn't catch the artist's name, but I can tell you that in addition to being talented — she designs all the screenprints herself — she's adorable and fun to talk to. Even if she wouldn't let me take a picture of her with her stuff.
It was extraordinarily difficult to choose just one.
Body treats with retro labels from Disquieting Designs:
Fun whimsy from Cleo Dee's, who was hosting a squid market today. They even had a squid nativity and ornaments, which are also available in their shop.
How do you like that embroidered skirt bottom? Something tells me our Remington would be insulted by the very idea we'd ask him to pull a cart about...which is probably why Hubby found this so amusing.
You just know that everything from Aqua Cherry is going to be beautiful. Another super-busy booth, so much so I couldn't really get a good shot of all the fabulous handbags.
Cosy Knits (literally), and she's not kidding! Some of these were sooooo soft... The second shots are of her knit headbands, yet another terrific idea for blustery days when the wind is determined to not just freeze your ears off, but hopelessly tangle your hair beyond even Cousin It disastrousness.
Fun dinosaur handbags and other goodies from lil bunny. This was another shop where nearly everything was incredibly soft to the touch.
We spent a while chatting with the folks at Jennie Stephens' booth. She was also offering jewelry, decor pillows (love the red bird) and fiberart. Aren't the ornaments darling?
Really pretty art cards from Fine Cuts. No website or email, but if you're the artist (you know who you are...!), please contact me. She started by using an Exact-O Knife to cut images from catalogs, then making collages with the results. These are more digitally produced, but really beautiful. I should have snapped a couple up to frame.
Very feminine and pretty handmade knit wearables from Lagelle. They've an Etsy shop, too. The colours are beautiful; this picture hardly does them justice.
Finally, last but certainly not least, these terrific lamps from Kirkiture. I really love the Craftsman influence, and so did others; we saw a few folks walking around with them.
This doesn't nearly cover everyone who was there; as I said, it was jam-packed, making it difficult to take pictures, but that didn't make it any less fun. I'll share with you what I picked up...well, as soon as there's enough light to take a great shot.
Oh! However could I have forgotten...
Vegan red velvet cupcake from CoCo's Cupcakes, Pittsburgh's own cupcake bakery and a Handmade Arcade sponsor. Yum. It's one of our favourite places, and owner Shea is just...well, I hope it's okay to say she's a sweetheart and a doll. We chatted with her for a while, too; thankfully, she recognized me and snagged us from the masses. If you're a 'burgher, hie thee to CoCo's! As it's right down the street from Pittsburgh's finest sushi, you've got both major food groups in one place. ;) Honest to goodness, were it closer, I'd get a job there just for the fun of it.
Have a great remainder of your weekend!
Tapeworks bags and accessories:
The watermelon bag and the b&w one are so cute, aren't they?
All the way from Richmond, Virginia, here's Ono of Sew Ono ap*par*el:
I bought a very cute apron from her, but as you can see, she has all sorts of cute stuff. She's very nice, and agreed that it was quite chilly!
Squeaky Queen Soap Laboratory, home of divine-smelling soaps. The Enchanted Forest is particularly nice...I really regret not grabbing a few. They'll make great hostess gifts for all of the approaching holiday parties.
See those soaps in the foreground with little black corsets on them? She made her husband tie those. ;) The packaging on the soaps is so nice - much of it is actually cloth scraps, some has buttons on it, all of it with cute prints. Again, great as gifts!
Friend or Foe stuffies, aprons, dog toys, and accessories:
Each stuffie is either a friend...or foe. Snuggle carefully. ;)
Beautiful, clean lines in steel wire from Megan Auman of Jonestown, PA:
Handcrafted jewelry from Jessica Beebe:
That's Jessica and her model, who also happens to be her sister. No website for Jessica in my stack of business cards, but if you're reading this, Jessica, let me know and I'll happily correct that. All sorts of clever papery goodness from Pink Bathtub Designs, especially these Jet Set journals, printed with letters and numbers corresponding to major airports. Fun idea!
Charming Caitlin from Rebound Designs.
Note the Nancy Drew purses! These are all very fun and cute, with just about every title you can imagine. This was a very popular booth at the Arcade! Caitlin told me she really loves making them, and she's of such cheerful countenance and demeanor one knows she means it. I don't knit or crochet, but can clearly see that these yarns from City Spun are just gorgeous. The colour is rich and luscious, and the yarns are so, so soft and luxurious to the touch. That's Jessica spinning away, right at Handmade Arcade. It's not uncommon to see the artists creating during the fair.Huge, cheerful hand-printed tea towels from Fisk & Fern, wooden spoon included! They offered darling cards, art prints and fun moleskine books as well.
Gooorgeous hand-dyed and screen-printed slips from Lavender Zebra Press. I love vintage slips, and these are so, so pretty. I'm ashamed to say I didn't catch the artist's name, but I can tell you that in addition to being talented — she designs all the screenprints herself — she's adorable and fun to talk to. Even if she wouldn't let me take a picture of her with her stuff.
It was extraordinarily difficult to choose just one.
Body treats with retro labels from Disquieting Designs:
Fun whimsy from Cleo Dee's, who was hosting a squid market today. They even had a squid nativity and ornaments, which are also available in their shop.
How do you like that embroidered skirt bottom? Something tells me our Remington would be insulted by the very idea we'd ask him to pull a cart about...which is probably why Hubby found this so amusing.
You just know that everything from Aqua Cherry is going to be beautiful. Another super-busy booth, so much so I couldn't really get a good shot of all the fabulous handbags.
Cosy Knits (literally), and she's not kidding! Some of these were sooooo soft... The second shots are of her knit headbands, yet another terrific idea for blustery days when the wind is determined to not just freeze your ears off, but hopelessly tangle your hair beyond even Cousin It disastrousness.
Fun dinosaur handbags and other goodies from lil bunny. This was another shop where nearly everything was incredibly soft to the touch.
We spent a while chatting with the folks at Jennie Stephens' booth. She was also offering jewelry, decor pillows (love the red bird) and fiberart. Aren't the ornaments darling?
Really pretty art cards from Fine Cuts. No website or email, but if you're the artist (you know who you are...!), please contact me. She started by using an Exact-O Knife to cut images from catalogs, then making collages with the results. These are more digitally produced, but really beautiful. I should have snapped a couple up to frame.
Very feminine and pretty handmade knit wearables from Lagelle. They've an Etsy shop, too. The colours are beautiful; this picture hardly does them justice.
Finally, last but certainly not least, these terrific lamps from Kirkiture. I really love the Craftsman influence, and so did others; we saw a few folks walking around with them.
This doesn't nearly cover everyone who was there; as I said, it was jam-packed, making it difficult to take pictures, but that didn't make it any less fun. I'll share with you what I picked up...well, as soon as there's enough light to take a great shot.
Oh! However could I have forgotten...
Vegan red velvet cupcake from CoCo's Cupcakes, Pittsburgh's own cupcake bakery and a Handmade Arcade sponsor. Yum. It's one of our favourite places, and owner Shea is just...well, I hope it's okay to say she's a sweetheart and a doll. We chatted with her for a while, too; thankfully, she recognized me and snagged us from the masses. If you're a 'burgher, hie thee to CoCo's! As it's right down the street from Pittsburgh's finest sushi, you've got both major food groups in one place. ;) Honest to goodness, were it closer, I'd get a job there just for the fun of it.
Have a great remainder of your weekend!
Labels: craft fair, Handmade Arcade
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