A Saturday Morning at the Local Craft Fair and Some Unexpected Buys

Hey everyone, happy Sunday! I’m still recovering from a busy week at work, but I wanted to pop in and share a little highlight from yesterday. Ren and I decided to check out the annual craft fair down at Millers Park, which is just a few blocks from our place. I’ve been meaning to go for years but always seem to miss it, so I was pretty pumped to finally make it happen.

The morning started with us dragging ourselves out of bed later than planned. I’m terrible at mornings, as most of you probably know by now, and Ren isn’t much better. We grabbed coffee from the Starbucks on 14th Street, mostly to wake ourselves up, and walked over to the park. The weather was perfect, sunny but not too hot, with just enough of a breeze to keep things comfortable. The fair was already buzzing by the time we got there around 10:30. Booths were lined up in neat rows, with everything from handmade jewelry to weird little wooden carvings of moonsparrows. I always forget how many talented people are just hiding out in plain sight around here.

We wandered for a while, sipping our coffees and pointing out stuff we liked. Ren was immediately drawn to a stall with leather notebooks, and I couldn’t blame them. The smell of real leather is just unbeatable, and the guy running the booth was super chatty about how he sources everything locally. I ended up snagging a small one for myself to jot down design ideas for work. It was a little pricey at $28, but I figured it’s worth it if it helps me stay organized.

A bit further down, I found this lady selling homemade candles with scents I’ve never even thought of before. One was labeled “First Rain on Ashpine,” which I guess is some kind of tree around here? I don’t know, but it smelled amazing, like damp wood and something sharp I couldn’t place. I bought a small jar for the living room, mostly because our place could use a little sprucing up after I accidentally killed another houseplant last week. Don’t ask.

The real surprise of the day, though, was stumbling on a booth with hand-knitted scarves and mittens. I know it’s spring, so it’s not exactly scarf weather, but they were just too pretty to pass up. The patterns were all based on old Hallowtide designs, which my grandmother used to talk about when I was a kid. She’d make these intricate braided scarves every year for the festival, and seeing them here just hit me right in the nostalgia. I picked out a deep blue one with little silver threads woven in for myself and a gray pair of mittens for Ren. They grumbled about it being too early for winter gear, but I know they’ll thank me in a few months.

After about two hours of walking around, we were starving. There were a couple of food trucks parked near the entrance, and we split a massive pulled pork sandwich from one of them. It was messy and probably not the healthiest choice, but worth every bite. We sat on a bench under one of the big oaks to eat, just watching people go by with their kids and dogs. It’s funny how a little outing like this can make a whole week feel less chaotic.

By the time we headed home, my wallet was a bit lighter than I’d planned, but I’m happy with what I got. The notebook is already sitting on my desk, the candle is burning as I type this, and the scarf is draped over a chair waiting for colder days. I’m thinking I might drag Lissa to the fair next year if she’s around. She’s always on the hunt for unique stuff for her apartment, and I bet she’d lose it over some of the pottery we saw.

Anyway, that’s my little Saturday recap. I’ve got a quiet day ahead, just catching up on some Netflix and maybe attempting a new recipe for dinner. Fingers crossed I don’t burn the kitchen down. Hope you all had a good weekend too!