by Noella Noelophile®
More than 200 all-handmade vendors were onsite, at Central Park.
Anyone who wanted to make something fun, had that opportunity.
And attendees had a great time, getting to meet and talk with the makers at last weekend’s Jackalope Art and Craft Fair, in Pasadena.
This weekend, “Jackalope” hops into Denver, for a two-day stay.
During our visit to this second Jackalope Pasadena, we enjoyed early Christmas shopping–and exploring the many unique talents the exhibitors displayed.
Jackalope Arts co-founder Sara Vausbinder looked like she was having fun–and like she couldn’t resist buying something amazing, either! (Sara and partners Melissa Shipley and Laura Fischer have good reason to be proud of their creation. Jackalope Art and Craft Fair just made its debut in Pasadena in April!)
One of the best parts of Jackalope Art and Craft Fair? Its mission is to give attendees a chance to meet the makers, and hear the stories behind their high-quality creations.
At the Coldwater Canyon Provisions booth was Rondo Mieczkowski, offering his small-batch handcrafted artisan jam, preserves and pickles. You’ll recall, from an earlier interview, that everything he makes is from a family or heirloom recipe.. His tarragon cherries and dill pickles are to die for, and his strawberry-rhubarb jam is an award-winner! 
And aren’t these gorgeous? David Ortega is passionate about woodworking. But, he says, he hadn’t originally intended to start a small business when he made his first clock. After friends commented on the beauty of his work, he made a couple of other ones to sell on Etsy, and his small business, Heirlooms Etc., was born! (Jackalope Pasadena was actually David’s first craft show. If you’d like to see his work firsthand, he’s exhibiting at Paseo Arts and Holly Fest, in December!)
Another favorite? Tandy Wilson’s TZ Metalworks and Design creations! Her owl ornaments are a lot of fun, and her dragonfly lantern is absolutely beautiful.
And for our Christmas decor, we found a little Thread Therapy was just what the doctor ordered! Crystal Van Brimmer takes a vintage craft and makes it her own in a fresh and festive way. She has all kinds of Christmas and all-occasion string-art designs!
Asked how she came to choose string art, Crystal explained that she’d been asked to teach a class. She wasn’t certain what to teach, until she surfed the web, saw some of the vintage pictures and decided this was a medium she wanted to try.
(We remember string-art from ‘way back when, but we don’t remember it looking this professional! We couldn’t resist her gold snowflake, for Christmas. But if you’d rather have a custom design, Crystal can do those, as well.)
And, seriously, who doesn’t need a yeti? These scary-cute handcrafted fantasy monsters are available through Yetis and Friends!
Meanwhile, graphic designer Amedeo Tessuti was offering his intricately-patterned T-shirts. He had some “awesome holiday shirts” available through his small business, Kraken Creative Company.
And the theme was steampunk, with all these cool creations by Ali, of Accessory Alchemy! If you’re in the Southern California area, she’s also exhibiting at the Patchwork Show, in Long Beach, this Sunday.
We also had the opportunity to meet Jen, of Eclectic Hoops. She was inspired to start making hoops, she said, after attending the Burning Man Festival. In addition to these “fun” fur hoops, she makes some standard candystriped ones–and some flaming ones. But, she tells us, she lets the experts take care of the technology on the latter!
Throughout the afternoon, Jen would offer prospective clients a chance to try her standard hoops. She also offered a hooping workshop, on Sunday afternoon!
Meanwhile, SPACE Arts Center, from South Pasadena, offered hands-on DIY workshops…
…and, here is one of the masks participants could make. (SPACE Arts Center has a “Handmade Holiday Boutique“, opening today!)
The second Jackalope Pasadena Fair also had food trucks, and some of the best coffee we’ve ever had. It was a great way to enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon…
…and they even offered the opportunity to go home with a new “forever” family member, courtesy of the Pasadena Humane Society.
People were already asking when the next Jackalope Pasadena was coming to town, as we left. And you might like to mark your calendar: Sara says the Spring show returns to Pasadena the weekend of April 30 – May 1, 2016!