What is Craft 2.0?

I got an email the other day from one of my lovely friends asking me just what Craft 2.0 is.

These pics are in NO way a good indication of all the wondrous things you can find at Craft 2.0. Last time we were there as shoppers and took along a travelling mascot that wanted to visit it...hence why a little stuffed toy Wanda is in each pic. The pics of Penny outside are definitely at the end (see the cupcake...the bribe to get us around) when we were both a bit pooped!

I wondered if perhaps I've been going on and on and on about how thrilled and excited we are to have a stall there when others still haven't been introduced to what Craft 2.0 is.

To sum it up, it's a fabulous event, filled with lots of amazing stalls of handcrafted quality items. In fact, everything sold there must be handmade by the people running the stall - so there's no mass produced, made in Taiwan items. It's all carefully crafted from specially selected materials to ensure that it's a top notch product, and hence why it's a top notch event (both to pop along to and to be selling at). The application process ensures that it's high quality items covering a wide range of crafting at the stalls on the day (not everyone that applies gets a stall - there are a limited number of stalls and a much greater number of applicants than stallholders on the day)

There's a wide variety of sellers, this time around I think there are going to be more than ever before - but there are gorgeous handmade clothes using vintage fabrics, there is a wide range of jewellery, cupcakes, hand knitting ;), stationery, prints, toys,  cupcakes, hand-dyed yarn, buttons, furnishings...and so so much more.

I love the fact that it's held at the Dowse too - a gallery with a fabulous cafe attached so that when you need a breather you can grab a good coffee before going for a second look.

I'm a little excited about our stall though because it was going along to Craft 2.0 over a year ago that helped me realise that there was indeed an opportunity for me to be part of a custom knitting business with my good friends and colleagues Ali and Kate. It feels like we've come full circle to be a stallholder at Craft 2.0 almost exactly a year since the launch of Coco Kids (an idea that was 'born' August/September 2009, but launched officially on the 1st of November 2009).

Just a note to those with kids - there is a fabulous 'Free Kids Crafting' stall (upstairs this time I think), where your kids can make their own creations.

If you have a babe in arms, an ergo/frontpac/backpac/sling/wrap is easier to get around in rather than a stroller - though this year with the fair being spread over two floors there may well be more room for moving a stroller around in :)