Little Falls Craft Fair 2010

Maren and I woke up bright and early (within reason, of course) to go to the Little Falls annual amazing not-to-be-missed craft fair.

Viggo made us a nutritious breakfast of microwaved oatmeal. He has become quite the breakfast helper and can make frozen waffles, oatmeal, cereal, etc.

While Viggo was making breakfast, I cut up chocolate caramel bars and tannies to give to our friends Garrett and Holly. Garrett and Holly live only a few blocks from the craft fair, so in exchange for baked goods, we get to park on their lawn, but really the best thing is getting to see them!

That's right. You are entering the craft fair ZONE.

First of all, we were surprised to see this booth: "Legends of Africa." Maren and I didn't stop to see what it was. In the land of crocheted Kleenex covers and handmade soap and candles, this struck us both as unexpectedly exotic. And that's why we love the craft fair - just when you think you've seen it all . . .

Lots of lots of people in the bustling city of Little Falls, Minnesota.

Maren and I both agree this was definitely the best craft fair ever. First of all, it was about 20 degrees cooler than the other times we've been, so we didn't have to pack an extra backpack of water bottles to stay hydrated. There were also less vendors - approximately 600 (we hear the Rice Craft Fair is probably taking some; that's okay with us, we're loyal to Little Falls no matter what). That meant less people to manuver through (sort of).

This was also the first year we used a map and actually kept track of where we had been. After years of wandering around in circles, we finally had a plan and covered a lot of ground efficiently. Who knew using a map could be so advantageous! I considered bringing the Garmin and walking with it, but we thought that might be overdoing the map thing by just a touch.

It was cool and lovely. The weather was perfect. And we knew where we were going. We couldn't ask for more.

There's something for everybody - even the dog. If you needed a Vikings or Twins fleece jacket for your dog, well, they were here.

These weren't the only ones for sale. In case you missed out and changed your mind later, you could probably find one at another booth pretty easily.

Maren and I were fascinated by the sand art, but in the end, we walked away empty-handed.

Need a sign? We found these really classy ones.

RUGS. We stopped at a booth where there were dozens of gorgeous rag rugs. After some serious consideration we both found the perfect ones. And we couldn't believe how reasonably priced they were. There were a lot of rug booths; this is good to know, next year I'm going prepared with measurements for certain spots. Right now I'm perfectly happy with my new kitchen rug. Come over and sink your toes into it; it's perfect!

Johnny-on-the-spots in front of Little Falls' finest. I guess they had to put them somewhere.

This was kind of neat: peony bulbs.

Groups of women (I can say this safely; NEVER have I seen a group of men at the craft fair) sometimes wear matching t-shirts or wear items to help them locate one another quickly. Here, a group is wearing headbands with black-eyed Susan antenna. In case you can't find them I added that red arrow to help.

They were, without a doubt, the coolest women there.

This little ceramic bowl is designed to cook a delicious chicken with only a can of beer (recipe included).

We take a break to organize purchases.

Maren and I decided to eat at Pete & Joy's for lunch. We always get lunch at Pete & Joy's. Just for kicks, we went inside the bakery to buy our lunch instead of buying it from their booth outside the restaurant. And then something amazing happened.

As we were standing in line inside we noticed that Pete & Joy's has a sit-down area that is adjacent to the bakery! So we got our veggie-pita-pizzas and then we sat down at a table and had a nice, relaxing lunch!

This might not strike you as a big deal, but when you've spent a few hours wading through hundreds of booths and thousands of people, you're tired. Maren and I have always bought our food outside, and then sat on the curb, on a bench, or by the police station. NEVER in our wildest dreams did we realize we could EAT INSIDE IN PEACE.

So quiet. So lovely. Hardly anybody knew about this little haven, it seemed! While right outside the door there's hundreds of people trying to find a place to sit!

So amazing! See that woman at the other table? I think she's saying a prayer of thanks.
I know I said a prayer of thanks.

Thanks for refuge. The peace and quiet.

Maren and I were excited to tell Nate about this when we came home. And can you believe this, he said, "What, didn't you know about that?"

No. How on earth were we supposed to know? Nate knew. He grew up in Little Falls. Did he inform us of this? Nope. He is so lucky I bought him a custard-filled long john from Pete & Joy's.

There are so many wonderful things at the craft fair - blown glass orbs, amazing paintings, beautiful woodworking, and pottery to die for.

But unfortunately, we saw some crafting atrocities. Like these poor heart wreaths. Oh dear. And Maren and I saw another wreath that was even uglier - by a long shot. It was a styrofoam wreath with black and purple ribbons and pom-poms. At the top was a white pumpkin face with a big, creepy grin and it was wearing a black top hat. It probably jingled. Anyway, as we were standing there pondering why anyone would make such a thing, a group of ladies (with matching t-shirts, no less) saw it, got excited and one of them actually bought it.

I am not making this up. But you know what, I'm sure it brought great delight to the person that made it and we saw how happy the lady was that purchased it. Outside of some design that some (like us) may find questionable, everybody was happy, and that is what is the most important thing.

This photographer, John Caughlan from St Cloud, was a refreshing change of pace. He had gorgeous photos from all over Minnesota. Maren and I each bought a photo from him. The print I bought was of Wally, the six-toed barn cat from Sartell. It was such a fun, bright photo and Svea loves it (and she loves Wally, and wants to own him).

We didn't go crazy; just bought a few nice things (and maybe some gifts) and mostly enjoyed the experience after missing out on it the past four years. Maren and I are already looking forward to next year's craft fair. So much fun; you just can't beat it!