Posted with permission from http://www.penguinbot.com/blog/view/79
I’m extremely behind on blogging this, but I’ve spent my PenguinBot time this week on custom orders and oven mitts and trying to get the shop updated (I’m still working on the totes, they’ll be up soon!), but I was about to write a blog post about something entirely unrelated (cupcakes!) and figured this should probably go first.
The second day of San Francisco Bazaar was also really good. We sold more tote bags than we did the first day too! Since it was a little slower, I took about 20 minutes away from the booth to go check out the Life Size Mouse Trap contraption that was near San Francisco Bazaar. I only played Mouse Trap a few times when I was younger, when I babysat some kids up the block from me. If I had one of these I’d probably play with it all the time though.
Life Size Mousetrap!
There were lots of people surrounding it, so I didn’t get the best view of ground-level parts in motion when it was actually going, but I saw everything up top. It was pretty awesome. Some guys next to me commented that the Mouse Trap folks were more “crafters” (said with disdain) and not so much engineers. Whatever dudes. I thought it was great (though I am just a lowly crafter), as did all the people around me. If this ever comes near you I’d highly recommend going to see it in action.
This was another one of the attractions right outside the San Francisco Bazaar hall, the Neverwas Haul.
It’s a steampunk house. On wheels. It’s self-propelled. It’s kind of amazing.
Also near us, this big metal snail.
It shoots fire.
I wish we’d had more time to walk around the Maker Faire, especially since I kept missing the giant cupcakemobiles (people kept telling me about them after they passed the hall). Maybe next year!
I also want to mention one of my favorite vendors at San Francisco Bazaar. He was actually my next booth neighbor, Tiny Sparks Design. Brad screenprints original artwork on wood and paper, makes key & coat racks, and is just overall an extremely talented and neat guy. This was his first craft fair too, it was great to have another newbie to chat with.
You’ll have to forgive my pictures – I forgot to take pictures until right when they started tearing their booth down. It looked even more awesome during the fair. I absolutely love the colors he uses.
Brad and his wife were awesome. We couldn’t have asked for nicer neighbors to spend our 12 hour days with. If you’re going to be in the San Francisco area on July 18th & 19th, you can see his stuff in person at the Renegade Craft Fair!
I’m so sick of engineers talking smack about crafters. Last month a bunch of my friends and I made giant Muppet heads for Bay to Breakers. All the engineers/architects/scientists cried and threw fits about how hard it was to craft while nursing their hot glue burns. We crafters (because we’re nicer than engineers) soothed and helped them through their soft sculpture ordeal.