last week i hopped in my car and took a drive to San Francisco! A little work but mostly play.. i welcomed the gorgeous weather with open arms and was happy for some relief from yet another brutal Vegas summer. i got to help out the totally CUTE Twinkie Chan! vend at the Renegade craft fair!
what seems like a million years ago now, i stumbled on this adorable little lady in an Inked magazine and immediately was smitten with her colorful tattoos. i loved her fresh perspective towards her ink, that tattoos didn't need to be seen as "scary" and that each person can really utilize the medium to represent who you are and what you are about.
i had a mission and sought her out on the onlines. Obviously i completely nerded out hard for all of her edible-y inspired crochet wear ables. cupcakes, bacon, cookies, tater tots and sprinkles everywhere!
was this lady real?!
i die.
i decided to take a random chance by emailing her asking if she ever needed help with her crochet work.
boom, fast forward 5 years with hooks in hand Rita the crochet elf reporting for duty!!
Twinkie and her bff Manda went through some pretty intense 'running out of time the fair is in 2 days and we don't have a booth yet' moments in the making of "Twinkie's house" (you can read all about it over here)
psh, like you could tell... look at that magnificent booth, high fives all around for a job well done ladies!
framed pictures of people wearing her pretties.
are you in there? hello friend!
if you crochet and are itching to make your own goodies, Twinkie Chan has a book!
swarms of people flocked to Fort Mason that weekend to check out all the unique hand crafted products from an assortment of vendors.
clothing, food, bath products, artwork, shoes..even wooden ties, it was wonderful.
seeing how passionate these talented people were about their products was really special to me. that irreplaceable commitment and love that they all seemed to share made me understand why they belonged under the same roof. because when you are truly excited about what you are doing it will show in every detail because you just can't help it.
i always feel like my money is well spent at Renegade..where else do you get that closeness right from the person who made it? i looove me some Target but definitely not there.
i am so thankful for sites like Etsy that make it easy for me (and you!!) to buy lovely things right from people who have deep passion for making said lovely things. a lot of Renegade vendors have etsy shops, so if your city doesn't have one or you can't make it out to one just yet don't sweat it! no need to be a sad panda while the internet exists.
my Twinkie bling photo! i am tiny proud of this accomplishment, me and the other side of the camera are just getting to know each other better.
i have to be a little cheesy towards the lady behind the whole reason this post is even post. you opened my eyes to a world i didn't know existed, filled with so many interesting talented people. i strive to become a better me and you inspired that kick start of change i needed. whole hearted thank you Steph.
will be sharing more San Fran good times, stay tuned!
xox
