Lisa: Craft Lake City review

I find it's most helpful to review an event two months after it happens, so that everyone who might once have cared has already forgotten about it. That's why I'm telling you now how much I loved Craft Lake City!

The craft booths were everything I wished the disappointing shopping at Swiss Days and Peach Days would be. Instead of seeing the same vinyl cutouts and magnet boards at every booth, there were tons of alternative and/or slightly subversive crafts, and fun and unusual fabrics galore.

Here are photos of my (reasonably priced) booty:

1. A skirt for Nora for next summer, from Noelle O Designs.

2. A horse finger puppet from Nifty Kidstuff, which has the cutest details--like a bright green lining to match the bridle.

3. My mom shopped Nifty Kidstuff too, and found Nora a doll that she can practice fasteners on. Nora named her Betsy Buttons, after this book. (Seriously, this girl makes so many cute things. How much do I want this little fabric sewing machine for Nora?)

4. Grandma also bought Nora some cute hair ties with fabric-covered buttons, but unfortunately they didn't have any maker-identifying packaging.

5. I had a hard time tracking down these ribbon-covered hair clips online (they're just marked 'am'), but I think the buttons covered with Japanese fabrics are darling, and they inspired me to make my own ribbon clips.

6. This little yellow papier-mache bird was an impulse buy at Beehive Bazaar, and I love having him on my mantel.

I also loved the fascinators and headbands from Its The Little Things, but I didn't have enough cash to buy one at Craft Lake City. Instead, I grabbed one of her cards and bought a hat for Jillian's funeral on Etsy later.

The family rockabilly band that was so cute was Mad Max and the Wild Ones.

Here's more of Nora enjoying them:

Anyway, I hope that Craft Lake City becomes an annual event, and that they have even more awesome booths next year. If I had one suggestion to offer, it would be to the crafters whose great wares were for sale: make sure your packaging is branded, and list your website right on it if you have one. That way, the love can keep going long after the festival is done.

Sarah: A Very Merry UnBirthday To Me

What's that? My birthday was over 3 months ago and no one cares anymore? Well that's too bad, because I always had the intention of posting photos, so post them I will.

I turned 25. I planned some festivities (I'll mention that later), but some friends were so nice that they wanted to have dinner together too. So we ate Japanese food at Koyo. I could eat there every night. Yum.

But this is why they shouldn't leave us in the foyer unsupervised:

And these are my pretty, pretty friends:

And I was obviously deliriously with happiness to be around them, because I asked if this piece of art was 2D or 3D:

(Verdict: 3D)

Behold the power of the camera zoom: Guerilla baby pictures!

And then Valori wrote my name in Japanese. Out of ripped paper. On the water carafe. Awesome.

After eating some tasty Japanese food, my planned festivities: We headed to a park to light a few wish lanterns. I didn't intend to have such an Asian theme.

Thanks, everybody, for being so nice to me.