Sh*t Craft Show Shoppers Say!... and the 2014 Cowboy Christmas Show Recap

You have no idea how happy I am that my craft show days are behind me. In the 80s, I did a bunch of them. The hours are long and exhausting, you have to be "on" for everyone who visits your booth, and the stuff that you thought would sell doesn't. And the crappy stuff does. 

What the hell?

This video spoofs everything bad about craft shows.

I went to the Cowboy Christmas show this year, it's an annual event tied to the National Finals Rodeo, or NFR, as we call it. It's an insanely awesome craft show, with a cowboy theme. You can go back here and here to read some of my past posts about it. 


Just walking in the door and glancing up to the ceiling gives you a glimmer of what's coming.

And then - BAM! 

Let the shopping begin!

You get hit with a wave a cowboy bling. 

Jewelry 

Knives

Belts

Saddles.

Rows and rows of saddles. 

And then every cowboy themed chotchkie you can imagine. 

 Zeller trunks never fails to wow me - they make amazing steamer trucks, designed to last generations. They're not cheap, but I think they're worth every penny.

 Damn, they even design and make their own hardware. And the inside of their trunks are just as gorgeous as the outside, 

 with internal storage areas,

 and secret hidden compartments.

 I want one of these trunks! And I don't say that very often about other people's woodworking. 

 There is no shortage of imagery and kitschy artwork, 

or funky home accessories. Or clothes. 

This pig grill always gets a lot of attention.

I'm not sure of they meant this, but this giant sculpture of two cowboys had that Brokeback Mountain feel to it. Probably unintended.

This booth featured some terrific sculptures made of motorcycle chain and miscellaneous scrap metal.

I'd rather see a bison made of chain, than a real one like this. These always seem kind of creepy to me. 

Of course, you know I go for the woodworking, and this show had a few pieces that grabbed my attention. We're making clipboards this week in class, and I thought this herringbone'd board was nice. Expensive, but nice. 

This slab dining table design wasn't necessarily that interesting, but damn - where does a walnut tree THAT big grow?

 There were some amazing segmented turnings, like this vessel 

and this platter. 

When I saw this piece, it reminded me of why I love this show. The first year I attended, I saw a four poster bed, with giant carved cowboy boots for the posts. 

This armoire had a similar design.

There were some terrific one of a kind pieces, like this bench 

and this tall chest.

 I absolutely love these drawer fronts. 

And the mirror above is so organic and cool - it's just inspiring to see what other woodworkers dream up. 

Here's a bar stool that tips and bobs, almost like riding a bronco. 

My buddy Denny noticed this - how did I miss this?!

 It's a Prostitution License for this babe, Tea Cup Sally. 

WTH?

 All in all, it was a pretty good show.  There were a few of my favorite artists who weren't in attendance this year, but my favorite booth - Treestump Woodcrafts once again wowed me with their wonderful wooden treen. Of course, I started talking with the owner and completely forgot to take some shots. So I pulled these off their website - I don't think they would mind. 

 I did splurge and bought this AMAZING walnut ladle of theirs.

Holidays are usually hectic and really busy for me, but I always try to carve out a few hours and attend this show every year. 

If you're in the area, you should really try to make it to the convention center for this event.