One of the great things about Seattle in the summertime is the abundance of outdoor activities. Usually that means hiking, camping, boating, etc. But many times it involves a festival. Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon hanging out with friends and neighbors at the 6th Annual Wedgwood Arts Festival. If there's one thing I love, it's a good outdoor festival. This one, in particular, was special because it was held in my neighborhood. All of the artists were neighbors from my community, so I enjoyed getting to meet and support some really talented locals.
The first vendor I met was Katie Galbraith of KG Crafts. She had a gorgeous booth chock full of vintage inspired goodies from her line Hazel's Vintage Pretties. I purchased two of her adorable bibs as gifts. Unfortunately, my photo of her booth did not turn out well, so you will just have to imagine how shabby fabulous it really was!
Katie's partner, Paul Kidder, also had a rack of gorgeous block-print cards available...all hand-printed and signed. Each card was literally a work of art. I am particularly smitten with his Seattle landscape prints. You can find his cards online at KG Crafts on Etsy or on his website, Kidder Graphics. I'm seriously thinking I may need to start a collection...check out this gorgeous print of my most favorite Seattle beach, Golden Gardens. (For more scoop about Golden Gardens, check out my post about the chicken coop tour!)
I also really enjoyed talking with artist Emily Burnette, who as it turns out, lives just a few blocks from me. We laughed over our shared obsession with Pinterest. Emily has a gorgeous blog, so definitely check that out. She is an amazing illustrator and also had the most adorable felt flower hair clips...if I wasn't already a "flower clip designer", I surely would have stock edup. Alas, it's so hard to justify buying things when I have a studio full of supplies all waiting to be put to use. Sorry Emily!! ;)
Next up was face painting. After a looooong wait, my little one happily sat still while artist Lynn Brevig painted a very cool fish on her tiny little cheek...complete with bubbles bubbling across her nose.
When we weren't shopping, we were eating. There were plenty of tasty options to choose from including two of my favorite Seattle street food vendors, Patty Pan Grill and Viraci Pizza.
I'm pretty nearly addicted to Patty Pan's homemade vegetarian tamales. I usually gobble a 3-pack a week...so good. One of these days I'll have to resist the urge for tamales and try out their quesadillas which look and smell insanely good, as well. If you aren't able to catch up with them at one of the many outdoor markets they do each summer, you should definitely try out one of their Humble Feasts...local, sustainable, farm-fresh food presented in rotating seasonal menus.
Photo Credit: Did not snap a pic of Patty Pan, so this one is from Flickr.
Viraci Pizza is an old favorite from my days of hitting the Freemont Market on a nearly weekly basis. They are a traveling wood-fired pizza company...yes, they cook your pizza in just under two minutes in a nearly 1000 degree oven...outside! Heaven. Huge slices of ultra thin crispy crust pizza loaded with the most delicious locally produced toppings...mmmm! (Insider tip: They cater! If you have a wedding or big event coming up, be sure to check out their website for all the info. Imagine having a wood-fired oven roll up all hot and fiery at the end of the night to feed your hungry friends...you would be a hero for all time!)
Photo Credit: I didn't get a good pizza picture, so I borrowed this one from the Wedgwood Festival Facebook Page.
For dessert, I could not pass up a mojito sorbet cone from Half Pint Ice Cream. I fancy myself a bit of a mojito fiend in the summer, so this was a splurge-worthy treat! Half Pint is another great local vendor striving to make use of the best, freshest local ingredients whenever possible. And check out the adorable RECYCLED green striped ice cream carts below! (P.S. Half Pint also does events...ice cream after that Viraci pizza anyone???)
We enjoyed music by YAAMBA while we ate. The band has been together since the 80's and you can tell they enjoy what they're doing. The music was so lively they had lots of kiddos out of their seats dancing. They do have a CD, which you can preview here. Heck, why not hire them for that pizza and ice cream party you're throwing? ;)
Two other artists I enjoyed talking to were Ian Henderson and Jennifer Carroll. Ian was sitting at his booth painting the tiniest, most detailed little landscapes. They were so detailed, they almost looked like photos. And come to find out, Ian is one of those people who hit the artistic jackpot in life, so in addition to being a talented painter, he is also an amazing pianist. I love that he is able to convey similar feelings through his paintings and his music. You can see more of his work and hear his music on his website, Painted Water.
By contrast, Jennifer had some of the larger pieces at the festival. Her American flag piece caught my eye...made of hand-painted ballet pointe shoes. She also had quite a few mosaic pieces that were interesting...cue the Niagra Falls mosaic toilet seat cover...
Turns out Jennifer has been a dancer all her life, so she has a personal connection to those shoes... not sure about the toilet seat...LOL. You can find out more about Jennifer and her art on her website, Apogiatura.
So, that's my post. If you enjoy outdoor markets, you may also enjoy the posts I did last summer about the Seattle Square market... here's Part 1 and Part 2. Until next time... XOXO, Cindi
