ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Doing these blog posts in installments is sort of how it felt to be at the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend—breaks were required. Even though I’d been to the Brooklyn fairs in the past, I wasn’t prepared for just how many vendors there would be in Chicago. Which is a great thing—I say, more creative types in one place, the better!—but it did mean that I had to pace myself through the afternoon, particularly since I was seeing so many things that I genuinely loved. I was thankful that the lovely people who put on the fair gave us many good drinking options during said breaks!

Chicagoan Holly Harper of Thread and Needle and I became fast friends as soon as I spotted her quilted goods. Apparently, she made those little pouches out of vintage quilts, but before you get worried that she cut them, a family member actually found the pieces already cut, so she was just putting them to good use. She also makes quilted coffee sleeves, and adorns both those and the pouches with the sweetest vintage buttons.

Can you say swoon? Yes, you can and you would have if you’d seen these dresses in person. They are made by Marie-Christine Quenneville of Les Enfants Sauvages, who in her lovely French accent (she came down from Montreal) would have told you that they were made from fabric from West Africa. Now, since I’ve been to West Africa and therefore have a natural attraction to this style of fabric, I absolutely loved these dresses. Not to mention that the gold in that blue one was bewitching and the nipped in waist band transforms a comfy dress into something worthy of a night on the town (with, I think, a pair of gold heels). I nearly purchased one, but I didn’t have enough cash on hand and have an unnatural fear of non-bank related atms…so I’m planning to hop on over to the website to see what I can find there! Marie-Christine also had skirts with a peek of sari in the center, if that sounds more up your alley.

I have been a fan of Jess Gonacha Swift for a few years now, but this was the first time I got to meet her in person. (I have her calendar hanging in my kitchen and I am always thrilled to change it to each new month since every pattern seems more interesting than the one before.) I actually didn’t realize that she was going to be there—she lives outside of Atlanta—so it was a pleasant surprise to get to talk to her in person. And I got to see more of her work, like these coasters and some pretty resin coated illustrations that were in her signature vivid and cheerful designs.

Jennifer Syfu of Starving Artist Bazaar is the lady behind these necklaces, which are fitted with handmade glass beads. The charm flips over on itself a bit, which made it feel remniscent of a child’s toy that had acquired a grown up elegance. She had many other styles, but these were definitely my favorite.

I recognized the items in this booth, and you might too if you read our Dec/Jan issue last year as Kimberly Scola of Chez Sucre Chez and her cross stitch art was featured in our gift guide. But I hadn’t seen the piggy tea towels before AND I hadn’t known that she and I went to the same high school in New Jersey! We didn’t know each other, but I am intent on staying in touch even more now that I know we’re from neighboring towns. (Side note: as we hopped about in excitement over this development, another lady in the booth said that she had family in the same town that Kimberly was from and did we know her nieces. In fact, I said to her, I did—they were the two tallest girls in my middle school basketball league and we were big rivals! I have a vague memory of tripping one of them and causing a knee injury…hmmm…that’s perhaps a story for another time!) She also makes reuseable sandwich wrappers, which are very cool.

Porcelain has been having a big moment for the past year or so and there was a good deal of it at the show. I was loving these rings from Amy Allison of Soda by Amy because they were delicate, yes, but they also had a nice texture that was subtle enough to still be comfortable to wear, but intricate enough to add depth. The little cups/vases had fun illustrations and the color combo was spot on. She also makes small porcelain charms, buttons and pendants which you can see here.

The folks behind Oliba soap gets my award for best packaging. Seriously, I know that if someone gave me one of these bars (which are made with organic and vegan ingredients) there is a strong chance that I’d never use it because I’d just want to keep it wrapped and sitting on my bathroom counter where I could see it every day. That said, I the soap smelled completely lovely, so if you could part with the packaging (I guess you could always reuse the paper!), you’d be much rewarded.

Now, out of all of the pictures I took and business cards I picked up, this is the only one that I can’t identify—which makes me both sad and a little peeved at my lapse in reporting! So, if you know who makes these necklaces below, please post a comment and I’ll add it in here stat! I am a big fan of Mod Podge for it’s ability to transform and attach so many things to each other (I’ve been making many cards with fabric lately using it) but here I saw it used in a totally new way.  It was used to seal walnut shells before decking them out with sparkly beads, stones and pearls. I liked how the resulting necklaces wound up being what I’m going to call “refined rustic”.

One more Renegade Recap post coming your way first thing tomorrow morning!