One of my favorite things to do is walk around a craft fair. They’re usually outdoors in the summer, and I love to talk to other craftsmen about what they do. Right now it’s the dead of winter, but I just wanted to put the word out about Sugarloaf Craft Festivals, which are some of the best craft shows I’ve been to AND they’re indoors so there’s no mud. They have artists demonstrating their trades, activities for children, high-quality artisans selling everything from quilted items to homemade food mixes to really great jewelry. I’m particularly fond of Eugene B. Smith, a local watercolor artist who paints everything from the Shenandoah Valley to coastal regions to Japanese irises.
The weekend of January 29-31 the Sugarloaf show will be at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA. Steve and I went last year and were impressed by the quality and variety of artists, and even met a relative we’d never known. (I thought, “What are the odds I’m related to a band box maker named Richardson from Suffolk, VA? So I walked right up and started comparing family trees with him.) For more info about vendors and hours, you can check out the Sugarloaf Chantilly website. And if you don’t live in the DC area, check out the schedule for a show closer to you.