Craftacular

Five years ago when I took up my first job in magazine publishing it was because I adored magazines. The way they smell, look, feel and most importantly the influence they have over their readers. Magazines are incredibly powerful tools – they can make or break musicians, actors, models and politicians, they educate us, tell us what to wear, how to look and think and even how to act. That is a mighty accomplishment for pieces of paper with pretty images.

Although I have all the free magazines I could ever desire at my finger tips, I still peruse the newsstands for new and unusual magazines which grab my attention. I have been known to buy Spanish and French magazines because they were the most impeccable and divine items I had ever laid my eyes on. My favourite magazines are Lula, Elle, Love, Nylon, Dazed & Confused and Bust. I now look forward to flying on planes so I have an excuse to stock up on magazines and read them for several uninterrupted hours.

At the moment I am really digging Bust magazine. It is so different from other women’s magazines out there and I really respect what they put together each month. When I heard that Bust was hosting their annual Craft fair in London, I was excitedly waiting for Saturday morning to approach.

I arrived in Bethnal Green at midday (official start time) and the queue to get inside Craftacular was winding half way down the road. When I finally got through the doors (45 minutes later) I was greeted by tables of delightful nic nics and glamorous girls wearing their best brooches, floral dresses and immaculate hair styles (what is their secret?)

Craftacular was everything I could have hoped for. There were great tunes playing all day, a retro tea shop with 50’s waitresses serving tea and cupcakes and most importantly the crafts were amazing. I could have gone away with so many items (namely the pink ceramic pink bunny necklace, the floral ring and the gold skull necklace) but I limited myself to one piece – a gold necklace with a sailing ship pendant. I am already jotting down next year’s event in the calendar!