Home is Where the Art Is

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Remember how I told you I like food carts? And the Ohio State Fair? It follows, then, that I also really like street fairs & any kind of craft show that takes place outdoors, where I can peruse the booths & probably drink lemonade. For examples, please see Oktoberfest & Crafty Bastards.

Today, my pal Rebecca set up shop at a small arts & crafts show out in Silver Spring. Because I love Rebecca just as much as I love small arts & crafts shows, a friend & I made the 30-minute ride out to the 'burbs to check out her wares & keep her company. Rebecca sells jewelry at Scarlet Begonia Jewels, but what's displayed there isn't even half of the awesomosity she's got stockpiled. Her stuff is pretty & fun & whimsical (for example, please see photos to the right & at the bottom of this post), & I am eternally jealous of but also very impressed by her mad skills. So for starters, I encourage you to go spend a bit of your next paycheck on something pretty from her Etsy store.

And secondly, seeing all of Rebecca's jewelry on display at the Silver Spring show (where she was quite popular with customers, by the way!) reminded me just how much I miss having a creative outlet. I used to be  quite the crafter - I collaged scrapbooks & cards, I painted pottery, I even made a few pieces of (not exactly lovely) jewelry (except for this, which was actually sort of cool). But when I got to DC, my outlet dried up. I became so busy - busy working, busy socializing, & did I mention busy working? - that I gave up on that side of myself almost completely. No time to breathe, much less to craft. The fact that there's no craft store in the District didn't help much, either.

One of the goals listed on my 101 in 1,001 List  is to open an Etsy shop - but of what? Wearing one of Rebecca's steampunk-eque necklaces as a reminder, I'm committing myself to rediscovering my excitement about art & creating it. I don't really know what that means, I guess. What will I do? And will it be any good? I have no idea. But I know that I feel better when my hands are busy doing more than just Facebooking.

7 comments:

  1. Pretty!! You should do a Rebecca's awesome jewelry giveaway!

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  2. LOVE the necklace! And the one you made, which I also love -- remember, lots of it came from the Thrift. When you get home we'll scoop up whatever we can find!

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  3. Um....love the Ohio State Fair. One of the things I miss...

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  4. Have a baby, that totally help be become more creative again :)!

    Good luck finding your muse! Having a creative outlet is super important. Well, at least I think so!

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  5. Your friend does have awesome stuff! I totally bookmarked it and put it in my "when I have money" folder.

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  6. Rebecca makes some great pieces! Who knows what you will make? But, I bet that it will be good!

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  7. I love the Ohio State Fair growing up. This year I'm hoping to hit the Virginia State Fair and get my fix. It's been YEARS since I've been to a fair.

    PS - LOVE the necklace!

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