Maker Faire 2011 Recap

Maker Faire San Mateo 2011 was wonderful! I'm positively infused with inspiration and a sunburn.
This was my first year attending as a free, non-table bound person. It was so weird for me to not be vending! Honestly, I didn't know what to do with myself. And I sort of missed having a table I could duck behind when things got overwhelming. (Which happened at about 12:57 pm. I overwhelm easily.)
This is one heck of a link-heavy post, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee and a snack. (Don't worry, all links open automatically in new tabs.)
So, what did I see? Let's start with these amazing costumes for the Venice Carnival:
They were made by Erin Mahoney. Amazing, right?


I was lucky enough to snag a dress by Field Day. (photo to come soon!) Perhaps I can start living the Summer of No Pants, after all!

Bug Under Glass was there with his super insect displays. He even had some of the bugs posed on mini-bikes displays. LOVE those!
You guys, if you're thinking of starting a bug collection, start with this guy. His pieces are amazing. And he has a baby due in two weeks. Just so you know.


This fantastic coat was made by an artist as part of the Redux Studios and Gallery in Oakland. Oh you guys, I want this coat. It's exactly how I want to dress. *ahem* Anyway, coat lust aside, the artists make amazing things out of cast off stuff. It's recycling at it's finest.

I totally regret not snagging something by Village Clayworks. Oh, those darling plates!

Also in the "I regret not snagging it when I had the chance" category: the Miyazaki Club shirt by Martin Hsu.

Amazing woodblock artist Ayu Tomikawa was there. I seriously wanted one of everything at her table. He work is so precious!


Also, anyone know which company made the fabric on this skirt? So perfect.


I was delighted to see Motormouth Press and her food-y cuteness. Laurie is one of the sweetest makers I know! Annnd I managed to not take a photo. Nice.
*No, wait! Okay, here she is. Waaaaay at the left side corner, next to my table. That's Motormouth Press' table! And Laurie herself. And it's only...3 years old! I really need to take more photos.

I feel like I'm forgetting to mention a million things. (Like these guys! And this!) And I also feel a bit overwhelmed again. I suspect you do, too. Let's wrap this up:

Naps for everyone!

Craft Show Packing Checklist

For way too long, I had pages and pages of possible things to pack for shows. Pages I downloaded off the internet, pages I hand wrote, pages pages pages. All of which just left me feeling panicky that I had forgotten something.
Well, no longer! I finally bit the bullet and condensed all those pages full of things that only half way applied to me, and made them ONE.
And I'm sharing it with you.
Behold! The one page show packing list!
Click here to download the Craft Show Packing List!
It will open in a new tab. To save it, click on File, then Download As. Pick your favorite format, and you're good to go.

A caveat, of course: Look over this list. Personalize it. Everyone brings slightly different stuff with them to shows. Take the time, and your future self will thank you. (It's really not that much time.)

Best wishes for all your future craft shows!

It’s Show Season! Get ready!

The recent realization that all my silver cube pieces are currently being used to bunny proof the house led to this post. What am I going to do for my show set-ups this year? What are you going to do?
First, I like to take a look at what other people are doing. Seeing other people's tables and booths is a great way to learn what works and what doesn't. (Of course, you would never want to copy someone else's table!)
Here are some useful Flickr groups:

• Indie Craft Fair Guide


• Show me Your Booths Pool


• Arts & Crafts Fairs & Shows


• Felt Club Event Photos Yes, the last Felt Club was in '08, but that doesn't mean there isn't stuff you can learn.

Another great resource is the Etsy forums, of course. A quick search on craft shows will provide more information than anyone could possibly use.

Now the hard part- digesting all that information and applying it to yourself. Naps help. But more importantly: test run, test run, test run. It's the best thing you can do for your booth.

What are some of your best tips for booth set ups? I'd love to hear them!