Since 1976, the Wisconsin Arts Board has created the Wisconsin Arts and Craft Fair Directory. This directory is quite handy for those people who like to go to fairs or for those who would like to sell their handicrafts. In this directory, there is a description of the fair, what facilities are available, size and cost of a booth, and the contact person. The fairs are listed chronologically and there is both a city and county index. Some of the fairs are strictly a craft event. There is one totally restricted to gourd artists. Many include live music, children’s activities, horse pulls, fish boils, micro brew tasting, and wine and cheese tasting. As you can see, some fairs have something for the whole family and most of them are admission free events. The settings for these fairs are as varied as the fairs themselves-a botanical garden setting, waterfront sights, an island, and the Calatrava Center. Many celebrate the bountiful harvest of the state- sauerkraut, strawberries, gourds, sweet corn, watermelon, cranberries, apples, pumpkins, and the wine harvest. Some of these events are as close as our own back yard. Each year, Cedarburg celebrates Strawberry Fest and Wine Harvest Fest. Should you want to attend the biggest of all the fairs, you need to go to the Warrens Cranberrry Fest, with 850 arts and crafts booths, 350 flea market booths, and 100 farm vendors.
I like going to craft fairs, but I love to try my hand at crafting even more. So instead of just going to fairs, why not give it a try? If you’re not sure what you’d like to try then you might start out with books like The Michael’s Book of Arts and Crafts or the Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts. Both books are brimming with ideas. For nature lovers, there are nature craft books like The Complete Book of Nature Craft Techniques and Creative Nature Crafts. Using the bounty from nature such as grasses, feathers, vines, twigs, seeds, gourds, and pine needles, you can create some beautiful garlands, baskets, wreaths, vinegars, and much more. There are other books like Wreaths and Bouquets that focus more on wreaths and floral designs.
Going from the very natural, we move to Steampunk Chic. According to the author, Jennifer O’Neil, it is a “Victorianesque restyling of everyday objects into home accents imbued with mystery and romance”. In other words, it’s the combining of antique technology with Victorian charm and elegance. Because so many of the supplies for this craft are old pieces of lace, cogs, watches, keys, etc., this is a perfect craft for those who love to frequent flea markets and garage sales where such treasures can be found. What a great way to recycle.
Beading is quite popular right now and there are some unbelievable design patterns and great instructions in books like Seed Bead Fusion and Complete Beading. Knitting and crocheting are fun in themselves, but these two crafts are taken to a whole new level when you choose to add felting into the process. The Felted Bag Book and Knit One, Felt Too will show you some of the possibilities of this art form. If you think ribbons are for hair and tying up presents, you have not seen the beautiful ribbon work projects in Elegant Ribboncraft and Glorious Ribbons. Similar projects would be cloth covered boxes found in Making Decorative Fabric Covered Boxes. Many of the projects found in this book make use of ribbon work to decorate the boxes.
Painting, whether you use watercolor, oil, or acrylic, can be very rewarding. You need not stick to just canvas for your painting surface though. You can expand your horizons when you try other surfaces. There are some great projects in Handpainting Your Furniture, Tole Painted Outdoor Projects, and Better Homes and Gardens Painted Crafts.
Have fun, whether you attend some of Wisconsin’s finest fairs or you try your hand at some project yourself. We have a lot of topics to choose from in Easicat, so I’m sure you will be able to find some project to your liking. Who knows, maybe we’ll find you at one of those fairs selling your creations next year.
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