saturday, april 14th was a busy day for exit343design! it was the kickoff of my spring craft show season in West Philly, as well as the opening for my split silkscreen show at Nice Things Handmade in South Philly with Bryan Sculthorpe of yardsale press. crazy!
this was my first time vending at the Go West! Craft Fest by Vix Emporium. it also coincided with their first time hosting the show at the Woodlands, a cemetery and historic mansion in Philadelphia. the day was perfect- sunny and breezy, with flowers blooming everywhere. my table was littered with petals from this gorgeous cherry tree.
seriously though- if you haven’t been to these historic grounds, it’s really a neighborhood gem. i had never even heard of the Woodlands prior to this, but looking at their list of people buried there, it’s crazy that i hadn’t! i didn’t have much time to peruse, but the national historic landmark is home to the bodies of the man that Bucknell University is named after, Joseph Campbell of Campbell’s soup, famous painter Thomas Eakins, and most of the early Drexel family.
my plush owls and goldfish really enjoyed the weather- and all of the hugs provided by passing children 🙂
i finally got around to painting my print holders. i’m really pleased with how they turned out!
the show brought out a good and consistent crowd. i didn’t have a helper for the day, but i did get to make the quick dash through to fair and take in some great work. many of my local favorites were present and accounted for- Kaye Rachelle, Blackheart Letterpress, & As the Crow Flies.
my booth neighbor was the silkscreen print duo Totemsoul. Dan and Kaitlin produce hand dyed tshirts with elaborate silkscreen printed adornments. their work definitely has an organic, tribal influenced feel which make sense after reading all about their art backgrounds on their website. one of my favorite pieces by them was their dyed and printed scarves:
the attic youth center, the only independent LGBTQ youth center in Philadelphia, had a booth just down from me. i met a couple of their spunky members, one of which designed that fashionable owl design. love it! i also adore the hugging heart pillow 🙂
 i didn’t get to document her table, but i really enjoyed the meticulous drawings by Laura Murdoch. check out this pen and ink fish!! i wonder how long it takes her to craft these:
not far from her booth was a table full of lovely, vintage adornments by Heather Breyer of Bee Vintage Redux. i am seriously obsessed with her work- i am regretting not picking up one of these necklaces!
these clever ceramic flasks by Chase Brown were fabulous. you even get a glimpse of the artist in this pic:
i also really enjoyed these cityscape totebags by Sarah Kodish-Eskind:
after the craft fest concluded at 5pm, Bryan and I hustled down to South Philly for our show opening at Nice Things. the evening was great- our families showed up, as well as many friends from Rowan and otherwise. thank you so much to Elissa for hosting the event and to everyone who came out! the show is still hanging and will be up until May 10th- be sure to stop in and check it out in the flesh!
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