She's Crafty | East Bay Mini Maker Faire Finale

Welcome back to our East Bay Mini Maker Faire Finale!

Malia: Faire Finds

Nothing will part me from my craft faire allowance quicker than handmade accessories and/or the parts to make my own. Finding a one-of-kind piece has become my way of bringing home a memento instead of an event sticker, shirt or poster. So, once I knew we stumbled into merchant-land, search mode kicked on. Geometric jewelry designs are a weakness of mine so I knew the triangles I found at one table were coming home with me.

Speaking of my weaknesses, steampunk is a major one. Although with most finished steampunk jewelry pieces, the cost is high and I'm usually reluctant to spend so much. Instead, I spring for grab-bags of clock parts and metal bits. Lucky for me, there was a sale on Steampunk Maker Kits. Now, I get to figure out what to do with all the fun pieces!


Kaye: More Steampunk!

Speaking of steampunk, there were a number of other areas in the Faire where we saw fascinating, one-of-a-kind, steampunk contraptions and accoutrements. Many of these were not for sale--such as the gear, widget, and metal encrusted vehicle, which was entirely roadworthy according to its owner. Although it looked really cool, I couldn't figure out how he'd wash his car. It's not like I wash my car all that often, but at least my car isn't difficult to wash...I guess you just can't be too practical-minded to get into the steampunk groove. Steampunk is definitely not for minimalists!




Malia: Walking pod

Geodesic domes are already cool enough but imagine one that WALKS! Once I figured out that the raised dome, resting on two rows of triangular appendages actually moved, I stuck around to get some video. It was amazing! And a bit creepy at the same time. I was actually surprised at how level the dome stayed throughout the movements.



Kaye: Geocaching...

Do you have a smartphone, tablet, or other device with global-positioning system (GPS) capability? If so, you can participate in a fun new pastime called geocaching. At this table, we saw folks putting small trinkets and toys into little containers of various sorts, getting them ready to hide somewhere at the Faire. Once hidden, a person would then get the GPS coordinates of the hiding location using whatever GPS technology they had handy and post the coordinates on a board where others could see them and go looking for the cache using their own GPS technology. 


It was interesting to me to see both geocaching and steampunk at the same place. It made me wonder whether the Victorians would have liked geocaching, and how they would have approached that hobby. I like to think they would have loved to go chasing about the world looking for things with pin-point accuracy (well, a 12-foot circle is a pin-point from space!) using future-is-now technology. And then, when they had found a cache, they would have looked at the wonders inside, possibly taken a trinket for a souvenir, and quietly replaced the container for the next person to find, just as geocachers do today. I wonder whether any of the steampunk folk do participate? It seems like such a good fit...

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think. And, as always--stay crafty!

Kaye and Malia