During our first few months of planning, we checked out many parks and facilities around the Los Angeles area.  Some awesome gems in the mix, others… not so much.  So many parks are residential --- or in downtown areas where they are characterized with the smell of pee.  With that being said, it took a lot of research to finally find the perfect fit. 

We landed at Central Park in Old Town Pasadena and knew right away that this was the place for us.  

After hitting so many fairs and markets around town with booths set up on hot hot pavement, we welcomed the grass and tree-lined environment providing shade and a sense of cool.

Going back to our mission of integrating the local community into our events, we especially love how centrally located in the heart of Old Town this park is. There is definitely a community vibe!  

After eating at the Luggage Room, with a view of the park right from their patio - we're pretty happy to be a neighbor of theirs.  That avocado, sun-dried tomato, lemon zest pizza was pretty unbeatable! 

The other thing that makes this location awesome?  Parking.  There are TONS of nearby lots for shoppers.  Even free 90 minute structures.  Check out this cool compilation of parking choices we found in google maps.  And for non-drivers: it's right across the street from the Del Mar stop on the gold line.  

We're super excited to make Central Park in Pasadena our home and can't wait to share all of the festivities with you this coming April!  

It was another beautiful day in the city of Los Angeles and Jackalope Arts took full advantage on our Saturday Art tour!  The day began in lovely Pasadena, the future home of our inaugural spring fair, with Dim Sum brunch at Equator where we plotted the day's adventures.  After an excellent meal, we were out on the streets in Old Town Pasadena heading to the Pasadena Art Walk!

Pasadena Art Walk

The Pasadena Art Walk filled one block through the Playhouse District with about 40 fine arts booths, live painting classes, and fun crafting stations for the kids!    While taking in the art, Jackalope Arts also won the Pasadena Art walk instagram scavenger hunt.  We followed the scavenger hunt clues to Monopole Wine Bar where we snapped a photo and won a pocket knife wine bottle opener!

The next adventure led us 40 minutes across town where we arrived at the Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles market ready to be impressed with what LA Weekly claims is the best craft fair in all of Los Angeles.  While the space itself (a giant warehouse) is pretty neat, a lot of the booths were empty and the crowd was sparse but we can imagine that in it's full glory, the fair is fabulous!    

As the afternoon came to a close, the Jackalope Art Fair team made one last stop in the DTLA arts district.  The team was re-inspired by some really great art exhibits where we sipped on refreshing craft beer!   Officially, the best way to end a day of art adventures. 

DTLA Arts District

Check out some photos from our adventure on our instagram page @jackalopeartfair!  On your own art adventure?  Share your photos with us by tagging #jackalopeartadventure!

As we gain momentum I am sure the question has come up of what exactly is Jackalope Arts?  The Jackalope is a mysterious and mythical creature, but lets take a second and shed some light on our Jackalope.

Let us be the first to tell you that the mission of Jackalope Arts is to create a 2 day shopping destination bringing the community together and featuring 200+ local artisans, crafters, and DIY enthusiasts, with an emphasis on quality artistry.  

Our tagline? A Community meets Artisan Event

The Jackalope Arts Experience: We want you to meet the maker behind the one of a kind indie goods that you will find at the Jackalope Art & Craft Fair. Our first round of Jackalopes will feature at our inaugural event on April 25th and 26th at Central Park within Old Town Pasadena

Who are the Jackalope Artists? They are the artisans and crafters who think out of the box and provide trendsetting handmade quality goods that you can’t find anywhere else. Things you will find at the Jackalope Art & Craft Fair may include:

• Clothing- for adults, kids and maybe even your dog!

• Accessories-Jewelry, handbags and backpacks, leather goods, wallets, shoes, aprons, hair accessories, eyewear, scarf’s and other cozy accents, neckties, cuff links and more

• Art-Ceramics and Pottery, Woodworking, Illustration, Mixed Media, Photography, Fiber Art, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture and other Paper Goods including bookmarks, calendars, cards, gift wrap, journals, stationary and beyond

• Home Goods- Home décor and house wares such as unique furniture, lighting, terrariums, candles, blankets, vases, clocks, coasters, frames, & rugs

• Bath and Beauty-Bath and Shower products, Lip Balm, Lotion, Skin Care etc.

Please bear in mind that this is not a comprehensive list and we are open to other handmade creations!

Does this intrigue you? There are several different options for booth rentals at our fairs, please visit the Vendor Info Page for details. We encourage everyone to submit and we look forward to hearing from you!

XOXO The Jackalope Team :)

The Jackalope is and always has been a mysterious creature.  One many have heard of, but few have ever seen alive. So why did we pick it as our fair mascot? That is one of the most popular questions we get asked!

A Jackalope is a North American mythical animal that is a a Jackrabbit with Antelope horns. As much as we want to take credit for the invention (many think we did!) it was by Douglas Herrick in the 1930s.

Some of our favorite myths about this mysterious animal include:

1. Jackalopes only mate when lightning flashes - hence their scarcity

2. The best way to catch a Jackalope is to lure it with whiskey 

3. Colorado is one of the most common Jackalope sighting states (fitting since we also do a fair there!).

4. A Jackalope hunting license can be obtained from the Douglas, Wyoming Chamber of Commerce and is declared as the Jackalope Capital of America

5. The German cousin to the Jackalope is known as a Wolperdinger

And what we love most is that the Jackalope is referred to as the “warrior-rabbit”

When searching for a name and really what we wanted our brand to reflect, we wanted something that wasn’t too long, had an edgy and unique feel to it, and was easy to remember.

The Jackalope is both fast as the wind and ready for anything that may come his way while his antlers remain tall.  He is unique in the fact that he is open to interpretation which can be the same for a lot of art. So what could be a better mascot for a newly formed indie artisan fair than a Jackalope? Thus, came the name, Jackalope Arts.      

By Hannah Gunzner

By Eric Makes Art

By Squshies

By GlassBlasted

By Marly Beyer

By Equilibrium

By Duchess and Goose

Something that started happening right from the beginning was having artisans wanting to create something using their own interpretation of the Jackalope that we would then feature at our Jackalope Boutique at the fair itself! We have had seen some pretty cool things over the years. We truly LOVE that our audience has both bonded and helped to reflect the Jackalope and our fair spirit.

So like we say, always be yourself…unless you can be a Jackalope, then always be a Jackalope!

At Jackalope Arts, our mission is to bring community together and support local artistry and that doesn’t stop with the Jackalope Art Fair!  In between our events, we love going out and supporting all the other local markets and artists.   Plus, we love to shop and local markets provide a relaxed and creative place to do this with unique artists you can’t find anywhere else!

Last weekend, Jackalope staff spent Saturday afternoon shopping  & networking at the Artists & Fleas market in Downtown L.A.!  Artists & Fleas happens once a month in a small open warehouse space right in the arts district of DTLA.  It’s a chill, indie atmosphere with only about 32 vendors, a few food trucks, and plenty of shade under the open warehouse roof. 

In addition to shopping, guests could enter their dogs in a contest to see who was the cutest in a kids blow up pool, partake in a game of corn hole, or buy a beer from Angel City Brewery’s pop up tent.   All the while, a local DJ made sure we had beats to inspire creative shopping. 

One of our favorite vendors was Teysha, a company whose shoes and boots are crafted from traditional fabrics by artisans in under privileged countries.  Teysha provides income and pays for the studies of these crafters to provide better lives for them and their families!  Learn more at http://www.teysha.is

Teysha's shoe on display!

Haus & Home and Fox Boxes

Other vendors that ranked high on our favorites list were Fox Boxes, custom map flasks, Haus & Home, hand sewn decorative pillows made from silk scarves, and Brown Bag Books with their journals crafted from old book covers!   Check out this “A Family of Foxes” journal we purchased to write down all of our Jackalope Art Fair ideas!

Brown Bag Books repurposed journals!

Artists & Fleas has markets in NY, Brooklyn & L.A. but even if you aren’t close to a market, you can explore the Artists & Fleas vendors on their website at http://www.artistsandfleas.com/vendors

Want to recommend a vendor you’d like to see at the Jackalope Art Fair in Spring 2015?  Write us at info@jackalopeartfair.com !!

Last week we shed light on how you can transition your home for fall and which trends to watch out for. Besides decorating your home, fall also brings new additions to your closet. Neutrals and jewel tones are not only found in home decor this year, but will also be taking over the fashion world. Menswear inspired womenswear, structured suits, and oversized sweaters can all be found in these tones. We know in California, sweater weather is not very common, so try this trend, oversized scarves! 

Image source: http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=fall&year=2014

Another overlapping trend, going rustic! A lot of the rustic accessories we found were either in jewel tones or playing off of different textures, such as metal and leather. We personally love the stacked rings and cuff bracelets. A lot of local designers are embracing rustic jewels. And remember when you shop local, you are most likely making a one of a kind purchase! We love these leather cuff bracelets by Denver local artist Rainwheel and the stacker rings from Los Angeles designer Amanda K Lockrow. So if a turquoise jacket is too much, try a bracelet or ring instead!

Shout out to Rainwheel for this lovely cuff

Shoutout to Amanda K Lockrow for this awesome stacked ring set

It’s official - fall is coming. Although you may not be able to tell with the LA weather, one trip to Starbucks may tell you otherwise. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are in full force and we couldn’t be happier! Moving into fall also gives you the excuse to spice up your home decor. We searched Etsy and Pinterest for the new trends that will set your home up for the holidays without breaking the bank! One thing we noticed right away is that “rustic” décor is not going anywhere. Everything from pallet tables and benches, to the small things like twig candleholders and wooden clocks-rustic décor is in full effect.

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Shout out to ButternutWoods on Etsy for this awesome clock and his other Rustic elements! 

A lot of local artisans are also getting into this trend and even using wood as a canvas. There are plenty of DIY projects for the artist inside if you want to take a few pointers from the professionals and roll up your sleeves!

What we like most about the rustic appearance is the fact that you can easily transition your décor from fall and Thanksgiving into the winter season and the Holidays. Whether you decorate with orange, red and yellow or transition into red, green and white-pumpkins and snow alike will be the perfect addition. However don’t feel you have to stay within the traditional color scheme-this year, spice things up and go for more jewel tones, such as Teal! And remember if you have a strict budget, something small (like these cute pumpkins) can do the trick!  

What Jackalope Arts recommends? Remember to support and celebrate the local artistry and hit up your local holiday markets and fairs and see what the local artists are working on for fall!