It was a much smaller event than the Christmas show. I heard someone estimate that it was half the size, and I tend to agree. It took us just over two hours to walk through the entire thing, as opposed to giving up after four hours without seeing everything. There was also a lot more clothing and jewellery, as opposed to home decor, and if you were in the market for kids items, you hit the jackpot. Although we couldn't resist at times pointing out things for the hypothetical bedrooms of our hypothetical children, we were able to breeze by quite a few booths based solely on the fact that we don't have children. I must say, I was a tad disappointed.
But that's not saying there weren't some truly unique and inspiring gems that made us stop, ogle and coo. Aside from the food (we filled up on samples as a substitute for lunch!), we both tended to enjoy the visual art the most. Here are some of my favourites.
Shuyu Lu / I think this was my top pick of the day, but maybe that's because I've been a little obsessed with embroidery lately. These are actually two sheer screenprinted layers, with the top layer embroidered. Genius!
Photo via Rambling Renovators
Liscious / This eclectic booth held my attention for quite a while. I loved their modern wood pieces, especially the bird houses and pencil holders, but the paint-by-numbers-inspired paintings were perfectly retro for me. They also had some adorable Lego-man paintings that Carla was particularly taken with, but I couldn't find a photo of them anywhere.
Photo via Astylez Blog
Noelle Hamlyn / This artist was after my heart. She sews and embroiders pages of old books to form these stunning little dresses and textiles. I wouldn't have the faintest clue how to even begin making something like that. Amazing.
Photo via Rambling Renovators
Kelly Grace / I've been a fan of Kelly's for awhile now. She's another one of the many that I discovered at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition a few years back. I still love her cityscapes and fisher price toys, but I found myself especially fond of her new date night series pictured here.
Mizzonk / I found these modern paper cuts very interesting. The subtle bends in the first image above imply movement that I've never seen in paper-cut pieces before and the second one reminds me of a silhouette of a cityscape at night. Simplicity at it's best.
Biko / OK, so this isn't visual art. But Biko was one of the only jewellers that really caught my eye, so I thought they deserved a mention. Although I enjoyed their pendant necklaces with funky lockets, harmonicas and telescopes, the chunky chains and simple studs were more realistically "me".
I didn't end up buying anything, save some band aids and a bottle of water, but it's safe to say I'm kicking myself now as I remember all these fantastic artists. Sometimes you're just not in the mood to buy, I guess. There's always next time. See you in November, OOAKS!
If not otherwise stated, photos were taken from the OOAKS website. Thank you Jennifer of Rambling Renovators and Alanna of Astylez Blog for giving me permission to fill my photo gaps with your pics. It turns out I'm a rather shy blogger. I'm working on it.
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