Crafts on Columbus outside the Museum of Natural History.
This weekend, I slept in while my husband sprung out of bed to get an Americano and wander around our Upper West Side neighborhood. He woke me with an urgent phone call.
Me: “Mmhello?”
Him: “You’re going to want to throw on some clothes and come out here.”
Me: “Mmwhy?”
Him: “There’s a craft fair.”
Say no more. Ten minutes, one spritz of Downy Wrinkle Releaser and a slick of lipgloss later, I ran out of our brownstone to discover Spring Crafts on Columbus across the street. Instead of the little farmers’ market that usually lines up along the Natural History Museum’s west wall, white craft tents full of whimsical creations took their place between 77th and 82nd Streets on Columbus Avenue.
My husband’s favorite vendor of the day was an artist who creates giant fish portraits by painting an actual fish and laying it on a canvas, creating a truly accurate portrait. Ironically, my husband is a vegetarian, but that didn’t hold him back. It was the $450 pricetag. Reasonable, no doubt, but we need a couch more than we need a fish profile.
These were a few of my faves (check them out Saturdays and Sundays through May 10, 2009):
Napkin rings cast from the molds of real twigs, flowers and herbs.
Yukiko Sato clutches, purses and bags in colorful fabrics from Japan, made by a designer in Long Island City.
Floral-print belts.
Shadow-box art made with miniature bowls, teacups and saucers.
A sentimental favorite, these reminded me of a Ragedy Ann doll I carried around as a kid.
[...] a craft fair I discovered Yukiko Sato, a line of purses made by a Japanese designer in Long Island City. These [...]