Local Gifts For The Kiddies
Baby Gaga Onesie, $29.50 / Born Yesterday, 1901 Walnut St.
Volta Organics Baby Balm, $10 / Available at Craft Foundry (701 Belgrade Ave.), JuJu Salon and Organics (713 S. Fourth St.), Nice Things…Handmade (1731 E. Passyunk Ave.) and VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave.)
Schmidt Happens Youth Thermal, $21.49 / Philly Phaithful, 737 N. Fourth St.
Philly Onesie, $26 / Verde, 108 S. 13th St.
Children’s Magic Revolving Lamps, $32.95 / Gourmet of Olde City, 26 N. Third St.
Owl Bookends, $39.50 / Born Yesterday, 1901 Walnut St.
Bunny Love/Little Kitten Baby Onesie & Bib Sets, $28 each / Smak Parlour, 219 Market St.
Local Gifts For Your Sibling
Sister…
Glass Chickadee Vase, $14 / Three Potato Four, 376 Shurs Lane, Building A
Evelyn K Scarves Sequin Chunky Knit Infinity Scarf, $38 / South Moon Under, 1731 Chestnut St.
12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker (Pink), $69.95 / Kitchenette, 117 S. 12th St.
Hanging Glass Light Bulb (For Tealight or Terrariums), $26 / City Planter, 814 N. Fourth St.
Brother…
611 Black and White Scarf, $22. / 611’s Pop-Up Showroom, 1024 N. Third St.
South Philly Tailgate Union Tee, $24.99 / Philly Phaithful, 737 N. Fourth St.
CARTOLOJI Pennsylvania Pillow, $59.99 / Scarlett Alley, 241 Race St.
Richer Poorer Socks, $12-$20 / SugarCube, 124 N. Third St.
My Handmade Finds This Weekend…
Two of the city’s best holiday craft shows went down this weekend and thanks to my penchant for gift-giving and handmade jewelry, I managed to completely deplete my bank account in just 48 hours. I am of course talking about Crafty Balboa Holiday and The Punk Rock Flea Market, both of which did not disappoint.
Crafty Balboa had so many amazing jewelry designers in attendance that I practically had to hold my hands behind my back like a kid in a candy shop. Meanwhile, PRFM seemed to have beefed up the number of vintage sellers this year, all of whom had plenty of goodies on their rack.
Since I couldn’t even begin to list my favorite vendors, I figured I’d just show you some of the awesome stuff I got and which awesome local artisan I got it from (excluding items I bought as gifts).
CRAFTY BALBOA
BirdQueen Designs, $12
While I came really close to paying full price for one of Gretchen Diehl’s handmade plastic statement necklaces, I opted to rummage through their reject-bin instead and found these two discounted treasures.
Rouge Theory, $25
Finally, a clutch big enough to hold my crap! Even better: they have a wide array of fabrics to choose from.
Bathtub Jungle, $5
Rather than pony up $60 dollars for their amazing Philly skyline necklace (which I’ve been dying to get), I opted to buy their ridiculous rubber chicken earrings instead.
Joey Five Cents, $15
By far my favorite vendor of the night! The line of repurposed vintage jewelry literally had something for every taste. Ultimately I decided against the more gaudy pieces and went with this simple leather wrap bracelet, which wouldn’t bug me all day.
PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET
Most of my PRFM purchases were gifts, so unfortunately, I gots to keep them under wraps. But here’s two vintage items I bought for myself!
Shadow People, $3
Unknown Seller, $10
What To Do This Weekend
SATURDAY
Crafty Balboa Holiday: With more than 60 local art vendors in attendance, everyone on your list should be covered. If you’re shopping for your sister or mom, check out Penelope Rakov’s colorful blown jewelry and the sophisticated yet quirky textiles and wares of Kaye Rachelle Designs. For the men in your life, consider one of Recycled Rowhouse’s revamped pieces of furniture or the folklore-inspired books and prints of Huldra Press. This year’s event will also feature two fun new additions: a holiday-themed photo booth and a live print-your-own-wrapping-paper demo from South Philly’s mobile art studio, ColorWheels. Be one of first 50 shoppers to arrive and you’ll even score a free goodie bag. 11am. Free. SS Neumann Goretti High School, 1736 S. Tenth St.
Holiday Second Saturday: Before and/or after you hit up Crafty Balboa, be sure to stick around and wander through the neighborhood, as there will be all sorts of festivities going down. From 1-3pm, follow the holly jolly tunes of strolling musicians as they make their way up and down East Passyunk Avenue and stop by the Alphabet Garden (1631 EPA) to get your photo taken with Santa. Meanwhile, Sermania Jewelry (1719 EPA) will be slashing prices on their selection of bling and from 6-10pm., Nice Things…Handmade (1731 EPA) will host its 3rd Annual Ornament Show. Last but not least, grab a beer at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar (1200 EPA) where Traveling Wares will be presenting an art and craft show to help raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Various times and locations.
DIY Christmas Gift Workshop: Save yourself some cash and get a little crafty as a group of skilled artists and crafters show you how to make everything from ornaments and homemade vanilla extract to a homemade clock and wreath. Some gifts may cost a few bucks, others are free. 12-4pm. $0-$10. Circle of Hope, 1115 S. Broad St.
Book Paper Scissors: Put down your Kindles and iPad for one afternoon and join the Philadelphia Center for Books in celebrating both old-school and contemporary book arts, printmaking and paper crafts. An array of vendors will be setting up shop inside the Free Library for this annual book fair, selling hundreds of affordable paper-based creations—everything from zines and origami to paper sculpture and jewelry. Meanwhile, guests of all ages have a chance to explore these art forms themselves during one of two free workshops. 10am. Free. Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St.
SUNDAY
Rejoice Craft Event: Tis the season to recycle and reuse! The skilled craftsmen (and craftsladies?) of Handmade Philly will be leading a workshop all afternoon, guiding the not-so-crafty in making their very own gifts and decoration. Not only will you be getting their advice and assistance free of charge, but all necessary supplies will be included. The Resource Center, a nonprofit center championing the creative reuse of various discarded materials, will have plenty of affordable, reclaimed materials for sale. Oh, and to top it all off, Philadelphia Brewing Co. will be bringing along some refreshments. 12-5pm. Free. The Resource Exchange, 2829 Cedar St.
Punk Rock Flea Market: Ah yes, the shopping event I’ve waited all year for. At this point, I probably don’t need to say very much about R5’s Productions’ annual shopping extravaganza considering how insane the turn out is. Though I swear they say this every year, supposedly this is going to be their “biggest one yet!” with over three hundred tables of anything and everything your heart could possibly desire. Personally, I find the best deals are with the miscellaneous personal vendors selling their unwanted items. Seriously, who sells a perfectly good pair of kitten heel shoes for $3? 10am-5pm. $3. The Punk Rock Flea Market-Dome, 461 N. Ninth St.
Sculpere Burn Workshop & Jewelry Sale: Looking to shed a few more lbs before Christmas, but still have some shopping to do? No worries, local designer and owner of Adorn Boutique, Sarah Lewis is going to help you kill two birds with one stone. Discover the Sculpere Burn, an intense full body workout that speeds up your heart rate ballet and slows it down with intervals of yoga, before heading downstairs and rewarding yourself with complimentary mimosas and 30 percent off the boutique’s amazing selection of handcrafted jewelry, accessories, clothing and gifts. 12-2pm. Free. Adorn Boutique, 1314 Frankford Ave.
Schuylkill Center’s Winterfest: Do a little shopping and a little crafting. A total of 25 local eco-artists will be onsite selling lovely gifts while other artists will be leading several different workshops throughout the day should you want to your own. Your options: a wreath, ornaments, cards/stationary, recycled art and jewelry. Starting at 6 p.m., you’ll even have a chance to do a little star gazing as you roast marshmallows on a campfire. 2-8pm. Free. Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road.
Gifts For Her (Under $50)
That’s right–there’s great gifts out there for the ladies that don’t cost an arm and a leg. If you haven’t already, check out PW’s 2012 Giving Guide and return to this here blog next week as I shall be unleashing plenty more gift ideas.
