This past Saturday I had the good fortune to check out the Picnic music and arts fair in downtown Portland Maine. It was the first smaller sized indie fair I have been to but I have to say it was just amazing. It was so refreshing to see new vendors that aren’t part of the usual suspects of crafters and DIY’ers that I typically see in the NY area. Of course I picked up a few awesome pieces for myself but I didn’t want you to miss out on the fun either… so enjoy!
Heather Toupin, aka heatherjeany had these hilarious kids shirts that had me in a giggle fit. It was such a pleasure to finally meet her in person. As always her both looked so well put together and you couldn’t help but pop in to take a look at her printed cards and paper goods.
Kyle Durrie from Power and Light Press had a slew of witty and unpretentious letter pressed greetings. I actually almost missed her booth but I am so glad I spun around at the right time. My personal favorite was the WTFWJD which I promptly bought to send to a dear friend in New York.
Matt and I were both drawn to the bags by Jared DeSimio, aka dappermonkey. He had such a range of ideas and I loved them all. Of course my my favorite were the lumberjack themed laptop sleeves, I wouldn’t mind thinking of my little macbook as Paul Bunyan. But in all honesty all of his other up-cycled bags were just stunning as well, I love having something that is a functional art object as well.
I loved seeing Morris & Essex at the show as well. I don’t believe I have ever gotten the chance to see their work up close and personal. The hand printed cards and wrapping paper have the most gorgeous colors and really draw you over from an aisle away.
I was also pretty stoked to see former Brooklynites Zooguu and Goobetsa. Jen and Brian (respectively) always have a great looking booth. Of course the critters in the Zooguu line always make me smile but Brian has some new superhero paper cuts that really take the cake.
Sarah McCann had these great little finger puppets of monsters and mysteries. The yeti might have been my favorite. I really enjoyed seeing local artists, and some not so local artists gather in Portland for this awesome fair. I really hope next year I can be apart of it, in the meantime I will keep my fingers crossed for a holiday indoor version. After all I heard it does get cold here in Maine.
