Weekend shopping trips with the girls just got a shot in the arm thanks to the Kreepy Kraft Fair held at Revolution Live, last Sunday. Sponsored by the Kreepy Kittens and Kreepy Tiki Tattoo, the cool indie craft show featured a variety of vendors that sold vintage items, accessories, and local art, with a focus on all things handmade. For those who haven’t heard, Revolution is a Fort Lauderdale music venue, with ample space and lighting to compliment the Kreepy crafters. Even the stage was covered in display tables. With a recent emergence of indie craft shows, the sensory overload of choices was a shopaholic’s dream.

When it comes to fashion, what’s in today is gone tomorrow, literally. Equipped with a new spin on the discarded, designer JoMama created clothing and jewelry from re-purposed and vintage items. Inspired by a passion for recycling, her collection features necklaces made from vintage wool with embedded macrame fabric and bottle rings, ingeniously used as chain links. Her Ascot neck scarf consisted of a couple of ties stitched together and ruffled to form a reinvented, fashion forward piece. Derived from a trip to the Grand Canyon, Jo’s latest collection used small driftwood branches held by carefully knotted yarn; embellished with a strand of copper stamped with a message that said, “one earth.” JoMama’s eye for turning hidden treasures into art also extended to boho-style jackets with hand-dyed patches and croquette doilies sewn into a dress. For her very first show, Jo’s eco-friendly aesthetic was long overdue.

Shay Norton Designs is a jewelry designer who made multi-strand, asymmetrical necklaces and earrings in silver and antique gold. A collector of charms from jacks, safety pins, and dominoes, her jewelry is all about metals, metals, metals. Juxtaposed between a feminine and a steam punk vibe, she combined copper chains with ornate metallic beads, wire wrapping, and old-fashioned trinkets like worn skeleton keys. Shay’s unique earring necklace had a semi-long chain from one hook earring to another. Swept across the neck, the earring necklace will definitely take the work out of choosing accessories for an evening. Plus, everyone will ask where you got it!

Amidst the sea of tables, the designs of Midnight Agenda Studio and Morgan La Rue were the epitome of fantasy. Maryanne: the talented artist and designer behind Midnight, presented her collection of luxurious corsets, masquerade-style masks, feathered hair clips, and get this-an eye patch. With lots of imagination and a strict attention to detail, she crafted an armory of pieces that captured the spirit of old-world style with a distinctive romantic flare. Morgan, a devout performer of Burlesque and maker of her own costumes, teamed up with the studio to make her signature mini-top hats. This whimsical accessory is part circus ringleader and part 1920s cigarette girl , covered in prints of the Day of the Dead, traditional tattoo art, and the classic pin-up style in black with white polka dots. Two words for the fashion duo: striking and unforgettable.

The teacup bird feeders from Smash Art Studio highlighted the creative art of up cycling and made it adorable and practical. The resourceful Jennifer of Smash is not only into recycling, she is dedicated to converting unwanted items into decorative conversation pieces.  At the show, her display was reminiscent of the Mad Hatter’s tea party. The multitude of teacups and saucers had long metal rods to support them, as they pierced through several hydrangea flowerpots. With a mantra like peace, love, and recycling-one of these makes living green good karma.

The Kreepy Kraft Fair was a great opportunity to shop for unique finds made by local artists. These were only a handful of the many gifted designers who attended, so make sure to come out and support the indie craft movement near you and shop ’til they kick you out.

All photos by: Josh Ott