Craft Fairs

[EtherTap]

Did anyones parents drag you off to crappy arts and crafts fairs when you were kids? Those things sucked.

[transcend]

Yes. Why, yes they did.

[Jack of Spades]

*shudder* so much weaving, so much wicker...and the sewing, oh god the sewing! Make it stop! Soooo boring!!

[taekwondogirl]

Well not a crafts fair so much as an art fair... those were't too bad.

All the different photos were great, and the majority of the art was neato-frito. Course it was annoying since my mom would always take so long to go through any stand.

[Bezo]

I finally went to a small but cool craft fair a few months back. It was put on by this local medieval nutbar group here in town (can't remember the name) and they were selling practice swords, chain mail and medieval-style jewelry and stuff. They even taught you how to make your own chain mail.

But they wouldn't let me make my own sword. Probably just as well, as I would've made a scale replica of Sephiroth's Masamune.

Not sure how I would've got it home, mind you.

[boarder]

We used to have several craft fairs every summer when I lived in NH. They'd gather from all around, block up Main Street, and sell the most worthless crap. Stuff like lighthouses painted on pieces of driftwood, lighthouses painted on rocks, lighthouses painted on chipmunks. The only good thing about them was the food, lighthouses painted on my cheeseburger.

[Mags]

My mother in law calls it "farts and craps." But I dig arts and crafts shows. Down where I live they'll sell cool things like sterling silver jewelry, home-grown dried herbs, bullwhips, homemade soap, smoking accessories, incense--useful stuff, y'know.

-Mags

[Sakae]

If anyone's seen the opening skit from the second episode of Mr. Show, you have a fair idea of what the crafts fairs were like where I lived.

"Lookit this David: I got a naked wooden puppet doing a lewd, lascivisous fandango on the lap of a fully grown man. There's a woman dipping candles, fella over there with a butter churn- it's like a pioneer porn shop up in here! Close it up boys, no more art!"

[EtherTap]

They had fairs like that in Sarasota (south florida), we called them medieval fairs though. I was pretty fun to watch guys in full plate armor beat eachother with swords. I suppose there were crafts involved, but I mostly watched the cool stuff.

I finally went to a small but cool craft fair a few months back. It was put on by this local medieval nutbar group here in town (can't remember the name) and they were selling practice swords, chain mail and medieval-style jewelry and stuff. They even taught you how to make your own chain mail.

But they wouldn't let me make my own sword. Probably just as well, as I would've made a scale replica of Sephiroth's Masamune.

Not sure how I would've got it home, mind you.

[Bezo]

The one I went to didn't have guys in full plate beating the crap out of each other. They were just selling stuff. It was weird, but cool. In 8 years, I should've finished my chain mail hat (time consuming).

[Patricoo]

You know I once ran the "arts and crafts" area of the camp I work at. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't start off with "Hey guys, do ya wanna..." the might say no. (luckily I gave them another project that let them make pictures of thier campsite on fire. Whatever makes the kids happy.)

[taekwondogirl]

Hehehe.

We've got this thing called the Renissance Festival each summer, as well as a People's Fair, and Taste of Colorado.

They all have a great variety of food (except so extremely expensive!) and various things to do.

[thirteen_swords]

i always liked the crafts fairs and art shows i went to... i don't know... maybe i'm just wierd... it gave me an excuse to see my family and look at pretty art stuff... (even though i see my family all the time anyways...)

[Xiaous]

I remember an Arts and Crafts I went to that had the candle dipping stuff...so I dunked my hand in there multiple times to make a hand cast. It was pretty cool too.

But what about Renassiance fairs? They are kinda like arts and crafts, and they have the jousting stuff, human chess, knife throwing, ax throwing contests and stuff. I qualify that Arts and Crafts, with all the costumes you can get, and the Art of throwing an AX at a target...or riding a horse with a big metal pole to ram into the opponent...now thats ART!

[boarder]

Wow, I'm missing out on all sorts of stuff. Maybe someone will have one here in CO, but in NH all we got were lighthouses. I'd pay for someone in a full suit of armor to ride through there and bust it up hehe!

[krazyk]

I always thought it'd be fun to go to an arts and crafts fair, but I never got to. Eh, oh well. I like crafty stuff (whether you want to think I mean in the devious backhanded sort of way or in the girl who knits and crochets and sews and cross-stitches and other such things sort of way is up to you).

As far as chainmail goes, it's pretty fun to make. I helped my boyfriend make a chainmail shirt for himself. The only thing I couldn't do was wind the wire for the rings (buying pre-made rings is a heck of a lot easier, but a whole lot more expensive). He's into swords and the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (a.k.a. ARMA) and other such things, all of which are pretty cool. Some of those swords I saw...those were definitely art. Prettiest hilts and pommels and blades I've ever seen. I especially like the flamberge (sp?) blades that are all wavy.

[Dynamite Kid]

If anyone's seen the opening skit from the second episode of Mr. Show, you have a fair idea of what the crafts fairs were like where I lived.

"Lookit this David: I got a naked wooden puppet doing a lewd, lascivisous fandango on the lap of a fully grown man. There's a woman dipping candles, fella over there with a butter churn- it's like a pioneer porn shop up in here! Close it up boys, no more art!"


HAHAHAHA!!! Ole Swerdlow! Did you see the one with "No Adults Allowed?"

Hi I'm Kenny! I'm 14 years old and I love to play those damn video games!!!

The thing that creeped me out about arts and crafts fairs was that I swear all of the women were clones! Doughy middle aged women with that weird afro/housewife hairdo dyed some ridiculous shade of red and all wearing grey jumpers (sweatshirts) that they sewed "World's Greatest Mom" or "I <3 kittens" or "Anything Inoffensive" on them. They must spawn somewhere.

[Lycanthrope]

I am part of the beating-plate armor arts faire circle thinger... though I don't fight with plate generally. I find light combat much funner, so Rapier for me! But its all cool. I'm still looking for a good craft to try my hand to, but...

[Lunos Moon]

I don't know what I would do without my King Richard's Renaissance faire every year. Jousting, and Mutton, and singing executioners, Oh MY!

[Joe Falco]

Yes, there's always a Renaissance Festival in Georgia. I only went to one several years ago. It was nice. I got a cool staff that I later carelessly destroyed after fooling around with it outside. My loss...

I have greater appreciation of arts & crafts fairs but I still despise the cheap one stand shop that sell plastic beads or bracelets. Those are a boil on the real crafts.

[Lycanthrope]

http://sca.org If you like Ren Fairs, you'll probably like this. Its like a ren/medieval faire except you get to participate in the fighting etc.