This past weekend we celebrated my 26th birthday--I'd been hinting to my hubby that I wanted to do something different for my bday, so when I found out about the Renegade Craft Fair up in Austin, it seemed like the perfect excursion. My parents were generous enough to watch all the kids for us and we headed out around 10am Saturday morning.
We arrived in Austin right at lunch and decided it would be best to eat before walking around a 200+ vendors craft show. We found Freddie's Place nearby and I tried out their yummy crispy chicken chipotle-tortilla wrap (with jalapeno honey-mustard!)--it wasn't as spicy as it might sound. Although we opted for sitting inside, it looked like they had a pretty awesome kid-friendly patio with a playground and all. I wish San Antonio had more non-fast-food kid-friendly places to eat like this.
After lunch we headed out for some craft-show fun. We perused the aisles of vendors for about two hours and although I was thoroughly pooped by the end, I soaked up some major inspiration and even bought myself a couple of goodies. I don't think Chris was completely bored, either (I did point out a group of guys who seemed to be visiting a craft show of their own free will).
One of my favorite booths featured hoop-framed embroidered art by
Moxie doll. I loved her
Paper Doll Pose embroidery for the girls' room, but didn't want to spend quite that much when I could make my own version for far less. I'm sure we've all either heard or said that when it comes to buying handmade--but I actually make things (and embroider) so I think I might be a little more likely to do so (eventually).
Another one of my favorite things about the show was the free photo booth they had. Chris and I had fun picking out props and getting silly for the camera.
I splurged and bought myself a fat quarter bundle from Austin's Stitch Lab ($12 is a splurge for me when I'm usually working from scraps and upcycled materials). Stitch Lab was doing a bunch of free demos, but I was ready to get going by the time we reached their tables.
I also bought this reversible headband (I'm forgetting the vendor!) which after bringing it home I'm not sure I'll actually wear. I love the design, but it was so hard picking out a pattern! Oh well, if anything I may tweak it and make more of my own.
We almost bought some prints for our living room from the illustrator
Lisa Chow. She had a series of buildings and
butterfly prints we were debating between. I had a hard time visualizing exactly how they'd look at home, so I decided it would probably be best for us to think about it and order them online when we had made our final decision.
Once we were done at the show, we had about an hour left before we had to leave back for S.A. and couldn't help but stop by the Goodwill that was nearby. Among our finds were a bag full of old buttons and India-inspired tin for more crafty storage. Thrift-store shopping always makes for a great day!
Back in S.A. we took the kiddos out to eat at Rosario's with my parents. The kids were really good (we've started bringing our own crayons and coloring paper--plus the chips and salsa kept them occupied). We had some more yummy food and even some dessert--the kids all shared some chocolate flan and loved it. Overall it was a perfect day--my hubby was very sweet and accommodating to my every whim (I'm sure that wasn't the easiest honey!) not that I'm that demanding anyway :) . Can't wait to see what another year has in store!
Labels: city sites, craft shows, events, family
