The Crafty Bastards fair took over Adams Morgan Oct. 1, as the Mary Reed Learning Center was replaced with tables selling quirky arts and crafts.
Despite the rain, the festival celebrated its highest number of vendors in eight years, according to the Crafty Bastards newspaper distributed at the front.
The live music, outdoor barbecue and 180 white tents made Crafty Bastards hard to miss, but in case you did miss out on the festival, here are the top five finds of this year.
Bark Décor
Bark Décor is an eco-friendly craft business started by Sarah and Shana Barrett, sisters from Braintree, Mass. The duo started silk-screening plain T-shirts, pillowcases and cards, turning them into wearable art in their own backyard.
The hand-drawn products, ranging from around $20-$40, feature unusual prints, such as owls holding banjos, grizzly bears riding bicycles and foxes breathing smoke. Although the images seem bizarre, the unique designs drew a massive crowd.
Their tent featured a wide variety of products, including home decor, jewelry, framed artwork, colorful sketches and scarves. The best find of this tent had to be its line of cropped T-shirts, available in a dozen different colors and designs.
Products by Bark Décor can be found on etsy.com
Horrible Adorables
Taxidermy would not usually be considered cute, but Jordan Elise, the creator of Horrible Adorables, somehow made that possible. The tent featured a play on the traditional idea of taxidermy and replaced the usual wild animals with unusual creatures such as rainbow birds and Technicolor deer.
The faux-mounts from Cleveland, OH are each one-of-a-kind products made from foam, felt and yarn and cost around $140.
The sculptures are the perfect way to add some imagination to any room.
Horrible Adorables can also be found on etsy.com .
Recycled Rowhouse
The goal of Recycled Rowhouse is to let no piece of old furniture go to waste.
This vendor from Havertown, Pa., featured a variety of birdhouses, frames and other home furnishings, priced from $30-$70.
The worn and funky appearance of the tent’s recycled products would even make someone who lived in a dorm suddenly crave a birdhouse.
The adorable home furnishings are crafted from a combination of dumpster diving and garage sales.
By transforming desks, tables, chairs, doors and cracked moldings, Recycled Rowhouse proves that one man’s trash is a Crafty Bastards treasure.
The products sold at the arts fair can be found at etsy.com .
De*nada
De*nada’s tent stood at the entrance of the fair and immediately set the bar high for the rest of the tents to come. The local D.C. business, founded by Virginia Blanca Arrisueño, features a variety of knits for men and women.
Arrisueño’s hand-crafted scarves, gloves and hats, that cost around $50-$60, have a contemporary flair.
Besides being beautifully made, De*nada’s products are also comfortable and functional. A De*nada scarf is the perfect way to stay warm without sacrificing style.
De*nada knits can be found at denadadesign.com
McBitterson’s
McBitterson’s products are not what you would expect from a tent selling stuffed toys and novelty cards.
The plush products of this Brooklyn, NY, vendor feature stuffed cigarette, nun and even axe pillows, which cost about $20, and thank you cards ($4) that read “Spank You Very Much!”
The unconventional products of McBitterson’s designs transform the idea of a stuffed animal into a witty and satirical craft. Whether it was the stuffed toys or the sarcastic cards, the tent left everyone laughing. McBitterson’s products are the perfect gift for a friend — that is, if you don’t keep it for yourself.
McBitterson’s products can be found on mcbittersons.com .
