John and Jackie are always on the lookout for fun things to do with us when we are in Ohio. Jackie and I both love to go to festivals and shows and the Columbus area has an abundance of both. Saturday we went to their house expecting to put up Christmas lights outside. Instead we ended up at the Crafting Outlaws show at the Columbus Convention Center.
Crafting Outlaws is a pretty odd name, and we weren’t sure what to expect when we walked in. The show was free, unlike most at the Convention Center, so we didn’t have to pay to check it out. Once inside we found that it was pretty much a normal craft show with vendors who are young and trendy – lots of Millenials.
Although the vendors had more tattoos than I would see at a church craft show, the items being sold were not that unusual. There were knitted and crocheted items. We saw some woodworking and a blacksmith’s booth. There were booths that sold cards and booths that sold t-shirts. The booths had fun names like “Too Legit to Quilt” and “Midwestern Kawaii.” There were homemade soaps and lots of jewelry.
One of the nice features at the Crafting Outlaws was a “make-it-take-it” section. You could felt some soap, make a tote bag, design your own paper doll, or make a metal dog tag.
The booth where we spent the longest was “The Bird and the Beard:” a husband and wife who designed and sold periodic table inspired cards. Even though their designs are trademarked, all a card company has to do is use a different font and paper and it isn’t considered trademark infringement. They said they had already seen one of their designs on an American Greetings card without any remuneration.
The only thing missing at the Crafting Outlaws were food items. This may have something to do with the rules of the Columbus Convention Center, but it would have been nice to see some candy, cupcakes, or hot sauces being sold. I know lots of these young adults are serious foodies.
One of the sponsors of Crafting Outlaws is Midwest Craft Con, a three day retreat held in Columbus for “crafters, makers and creative business owners.” The conference looks so interesting that I would go if we were going to be in Ohio. It’s in February. I’m sure, however, that I am over the age-limit for attendees!
We really enjoyed seeing all the different crafts being sold by a new generation of crafters. Their creativity and humor were a delight and we saw lots of nice items. The only thing we bought were some cards, but we collected several business cards and got some great ideas for future gifts for others.
