Wrap Up: LAAFF

And so, our love affair with Asheville continues.  This weekend we had the pleasure of vending at the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival (LAAFF).  It was the first time for us, and the 10th year for them. I must say that it was the most fun we've had in quite some time.   As usual, I made the rounds and took tons of pictures to share. We were lucky enough, once again to have fantastic neighbors.  On one side was Lara from 3 Bead Designs.  She had gorgeous jewelry and (surprise) I brought home a new pair of purple earrings from her.  I was quite embarrased to find upon returning home that I didn't have a picture of her or her booth to share.  Lovely stuff though, trust me (or, even better, check it out yourself). The other side of us was Nina Ruffini.  As if her beautiful art wasn't enough, she played the uke!

We had tons of customers come over and visit and it was fantastic to meet everyone, but one customer, Eliza, definitely stood our for me as a favorite of the weekend. How fabulous is she?!? We also got to visit with a few people we knew from previous festivals including Kerry from Pennywishes, Margaret from Grit Goods, and our Big Crafty neighbor, Melanie, from Asheville Hoops. I can't tell you how many people we saw throughout the festival walking by with one of Kambra's amazing air plants.  I finally managed to pick up a pair of earrings!  I can officially stop festival-stalking her now.  :) Deona Fish also had a booth.  She had her usual large paintings and a collection of adorable smaller ones that I wish I could have brought home with me. We met a few new people including the family behind Black Sheep: ...and Elizabeth of Bandita Wear. A few booths stood out for me.  I loved the t-shirts at Circles and Squares: ...and the earrings and small paintings from Alicia Chatham: ...and the adorable Monsters: I've always been drawn to the Tree of Life symbol.  It's no surprise that I found it on earrings and necklaces, but I also found it somewhere I didn't quite expect: And oh my goodness, the food.  There was an official food truck section (with a very official sign).  We took advantage more than once. It rained for a bit on Sunday.  That definitely didn't stop the kids from having fun: Or the jugglers: For some reason, there were a collection of rather interesting vehicles.  Here's the Heaven and Hell Car: The Cap Man (his story is pretty amazing and worth the read): and this truck: People watching in Asheville is usually a pretty rewarding experience, but LAAF brought this to a whole new level.  There were no dogs allowed, but that didn't stop anyone from bringing other pets: There was music of various kinds.

And with music comes dancing!  It seemed to come in spurts as people joined in and then moved on.  I stayed for a short while to watch and loved this guy.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mocSUfO2aCE[/tube]

Don't you just hate it when kids cramp your style?!?

For some odd reason, there were a large number of people on stilts.  I even saw a guy on a huge bike with stilts.  He was moving a bit too fast for a photo, but here are a few others I did manage to catch.  They are brave folk to be winding around so many people on a busy street that high up!

And oh, the outfits....these almost deserve a whole post unto themselves... This was just what I was able to catch in between helping customers.  I missed most of the music, the bike jousting, the fire throwing, and who knows how many outfits. Another amazing Asheville experience.  We are already looking forward to LAAFF 2012!