By Caitlin Donohue
Rep it up: Support your crafty community this holiday season
Yes, I know, holiday shopping is painful and spendy and at the moment I’m way more into figuring out if I can pay rent for the month of December than what my unconsciously greedy loved ones will unwrap by the menorah/tree/kinara (I am nothing if not inclusive). But this week’s gift fairs have anticipated the Scrooge-like crab apple that has flourished down where my heart should be and have rendered me helpless in their path. They met my three qualifiers for appropriate gift suppliers, these being:
1. Cheap gifts
2. Non corporate/recycled/handmade/blablablayou’reaware gifts
3. Booze while you shop (exceptions noted)
Lemme guess, those are your criteria too? Smashing! I’ve even included a “Lazy man (or woman) gift suggestion” for each bazaar for those who just can’t be bothered. Here’s your three day plan, plus one to keep you busy next weekend:
Handmade Ho Down Urban Craft Fair
Thur/3 6 p.m- 12 a.m., free
1015 Folsom, SF
Brought to you by the 200 odd Bay Area artists that make up SF www.etsy.com/ Etsy (a website that has destroyed my life, in a good way, many times over), this event makes good on its club location with swingin’ DJs and cold beverages. This is where you head to score www.laserkitten.com/ Laserkitten’s “send me the link” bling-blangin’ lasercut necklace (so urban!) and other such high quality crafts. Get there with the quickness and score one of the swag bags they’re handing out to the first 200 shoppers.
Lazy man (or woman) gift suggestion: Eristotle‘s pillow embossed with a moose design. I dare you to find an emotive human being who doesn’t want this on their couch. And don’t forget the gift wrapping table, cuz I know you’re not doing that yourself you lazy wo/man, you.