It’s spring in Georgia and everything is awake. Honeysuckles appear in every hedge, birds are setting up shop in the oak tree outside my house and festivals, farmers markets and food truck rodeos abound. To celebrate this feeling of renewal, we at Rare South are focusing our inaugural piece on the Indie South Springtacular event, held this past weekend (April 22-23).

We set out on a supremely sunny Saturday afternoon to discover art from all over the southeast, conveniently gathered by the Indie South team right here in Athens. Most of the booths are run by the creators themselves who are more than willing to explain their wares and tell you their fascinating stories.

Whether you had the chance to attend, or you might have missed it, we’re recapping our favorite work, artists, and bites from the festival.

Food

Of course, the first order of business was to eat (fat kids unite!). While we may all know cattywampus to mean “slightly off” or “diagonal,” we now know Cattywampus also means unbelievable southern barbecue and burgers.

Cattywampus

While we dug in a little too fast to share pristine pictures of our meals, you can trust us on the taste. Check out Cattywampus on Instagram and visit their site to book Cattywampus for your next event.

Handmade jewelry

Our favorite part of any craft fair is jewelry. We always gravitate towards the sparkly and unexpected.

Serene Stitching

Can you believe these tiny needlework pendants?! We had the opportunity to speak with the artist, Brittany Grossman, and learned that she was taught this art by her Grandmother Velma. Twenty years later, she moved to Atlanta and was inspired to relearn the craft after uncovering a vintage hankie that she and her Grandmother and had once stitched together. She focuses on hand-stitched floral designs and has dedicated her time to creating this beautiful, wearable art.

Each piece is unique and distinctive. We were amazed by the delicate stitching and beautifully contrasting colors. Explore her work on Serene Stitching Instagram and shop Serene Stitching designs on Etsy.

Calista Blue

Callee is the creator of Calista Blue, a staple jewelry brand in Athens, GA and the greater southeast. Her designs are entirely original, fairly priced and totally perfect for layering. Erin and I (Rare South team) both own multiple pieces of her work and we simply can’t get enough.

Callee is a UGA Ecology major and loves pursuing sustainability within her jewelry and other creative endeavors. By merging her passions for ecology and the environment with creative jewelry design she brings us one of a kind pieces inspired by the colors and textures found in nature. Additionally, 10% of all Calista Blue sales each month are donated to the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Bags with a story

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m obsessed with bags. Totes, backpacks, clutches, crossbody–I love them all. But I also believe it’s important to be picky about the satchel you carry. Your bag is where you hide your secrets and your lipsticks, neither of which are to be treated lightly.

Fashionable

At the center of the vendor tents sat a booth so tempting it’s no wonder Erin and I zeroed in on it at the same time. We were struck by the incredible quality of the leather work and the great variety of size, color and price. Fashionable is a global brand headquartered in Nashville, TN with a focus on ending poverty by enabling people to provide for themselves.

Each bag is hand made by women (both local in Nashville and globally in Africa) who have overcome extraordinary circumstances, ranging from prostitution to homelessness to addiction to a lack of opportunity. Fashionable’s role is to hold those companies who employ these women accountable to fair employment practices, and to help embolden those companies that are doing good work.

The team on site were friendly, informative and enthusiastic about their cause. They showed us the different designs and explained where they came from and how they were concepted. They emphasized that we should spend time on the site learning about the story behind the art, which they believed added value to the purchase and the item.

Learn more about Fashionable on their very educational site and use Mother’s Day code “hiMOM” to save 15% (+ free shipping).

Flowing fabrics

One of the things I love the most about what’s happening with fashion right now is the emphasis on soft, live-in, flowing fabrics. I’m on the constant hunt to find a pieces that caress, but don’t swallow.

Simply Me Collective

Simply Me Collective is an independent design venture by Mary Ellen DiMauro (the adorable blonde pictured below) and the best way to describe her work is raw elegance.

Each piece is handmade by Mary Ellen from unique, vintage and repurposed materials with the goal of creating absolute comfort you can wear anywhere. She experiments with designs that combine different textures and types of fabric cut to flatter nearly any body type. Browse pictures of Simply Me products and connect with the artist on the Simply Me Collective Instagram page.

Candles

Have you ever walked into a market and just followed your nose? If you had done that at the Indie South Springtacular you would have ended up at the Simply Cozy Soy Candle booth.

Simply Cozy Candles

Quela Weathers (artist, pictured below) hand mixes and pours delicious soy candles with crackling woodwicks, each with a striking and unforgettable scent profile.

From seasonal favorites like apple and fig to total surprises like ozone (it really smelled like the air before rain!) every single product was lovingly crafted and gift ready. Explore Quela’s candles and find out where you can shop her wares on Simply Cozy Soy Instagram.

Bath + Body

I’m often wary of hand made, natural or organi” bath and body products. Not because I don’t believe these ingredients can be wonderful for your skin, but because I know there’s a lot of education and background necessary to create safe, effective products. What a pleasant surprise to find Lu La Naturals.

Lu La Naturals

This was the very first booth we visited at the Indie South Springtacular (after chowing down on mac n’ cheese with pulled pork at Cattywampus, of course). Louise (owner of Lu La Naturals) really knows her stuff and quickly helped us understand the basics of a good beauty routine (she recommends staying away from soaps for the face and using creamy, moisturizing washes with regular, natural exfoliation). She also has a deep understanding of the science behind her art, explaining what happens to the pH of your skin when you wash and how to select the right products to create balance.

Louise creates each bar of soap, wash and scrub herself, with a big dose of love and creativity. We highly recommend the coconut rose bar soap and smoothing sea salt bars. Shop Lu La Naturals online and follow Lu La Naturals on Instagram for the latest on Louise’s work.

Plants for people who kill plants

It’s true, I have a black thumb. I’ve managed to kill a bamboo, a cactus and an aloe (what?). To be honest, I had help from my cat who found each of these delicious and irresistible (aside from the cactus, which I think I overwatered…). So that means I often shy away from anything to do with growing greenery. But Tierra Sol has a solution!

Tierra Sol Studio

This husband and wife duo create lovely small batch ceramics, studio grown cacti, and terrariums. Their motto: “For plant killers who are plant lovers”

They use only the highest quality and lowest maintenance plants (go ahead, try to ignore it to death) and each ceramic piece is hand crafted and fired using an unconventional method to make pots that are terra cotta and best fit the needs of each plant.

Most of their plants only require one teaspoon of water monthly and can thrive in low or high sun. Finally, something even I can grow! Explore Tierra Sol Studio on Etsy and Instagram.

Watercolor art

Ever wanted a delicate, moth covered skull painted on a natural log slice? Or maybe a watercolor of Chewbacca? Then you should talk to Sydney Privitera of Lovely Bones Illustrations.

Lovely Bones Illustrations

Sydney is a young creative artist working in the Atlanta area who primarily works in ink and watercolor. Her art is at once ancient and refreshingly current, often showcasing insects or woodland animals, and the bones within.

This piece of a lone luna moth surrounded by the cycles of the moon caught my eye immediately and I spent the entire fair thinking about it. Needless to say, it’s now hanging on the wall of my entryway at home and I feel joy every time I see it. I’m reminded of the delicate balance of life and the way everything waxes and wanes.

Get your own piece of mystical watercolor work from Sydney on her Lovely Bones Illustrations Etsy site and follow Lovely Bones Illustrations on Instagram for a sneak peek into what she’s creating next.

Vintage

No craft fair is complete without a quirky vintage booth. While you can get your fix at Atomic or Dynamite in downtown Athens, we had the chance to peruse some new hand picked pieces at the Brookside Bungalow booth.

Brookside Bungalow

Curated, colorful and cool–this is how I would describe Brookside Bungalow. We happened across this booth, managed by Maggie Salesman, and were struck by not just the objects, but also the merchandising. She clearly has an eye for composition and form. Look at that red pot!

There were oddities of all kinds including retro, fold up travel hangers, antique bone handle pocket knives and vintage office supplies to die for (I’m a sucker for anything from the 60s-70s).

Don’t sleep on Brookside Bungalow–there are price points for every buyer and I see this as a spot I’ll shop for gifts in the future. Visit Brookside Bungalow on Etsy and follow on Instagram.

Other awesome stuff

It is impossible to list all of the amazing artists we met and wares we sampled while at the Indie South Springtacular. Below are a few others we think you should check out:

• Funky, handpainted mugs and more: Knotwork
• Delightfully obscene embroidery: Meg has issues
• Sleek leather and canvas bags: Joyner Avenue
• Hand stamped jewelry from down home: Stamped and Finch

A Little History

The Indie South Fair was founded by designer and maker Serra Ferguson. She traveled the country selling her wares doing 14+ shows a year before deciding to create a marketplace in her adopted home town of Athens, GA. In 2006 she decided to expand her passion for fostering emerging designers and entrepreneurs–thus Indie South Fair was born.

In 2016, she expanded her vision by opening a brick and mortar location to showcase designers year round, as well as having a space for classes and workshops. Indie South has events all the time, so keep up to date with the online calendar. You can also shop Indie South online and locally in Athens, GA in quaint, beautiful Normaltown.

Content written by Tara Dunn and photographed by Erin Boyette.
Follow Rare South on Instagram and contact us with any questions on the vendors included in the post.
Thank you for reading!