About 18,000 people were expected to attend this year’s Tasmanian Craft Fair.
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Visitors could see more than 250 stalls, ranging from scientific illustrations, boutique hotdog makers, wood-workers and much more in between.
The fair, run by Rotary Tasmania with the help of about 1000 volunteers, will donate all its profits to charities.
This year, $15,000 will be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The Examiner sent its journalist Tarlia Jordan to find some of the coolest (and hottest) things at the 2017 Tasmanian Craft Fair.
RELATED TASMANIAN CRAFT FAIR STORIES:
1. The Contraption Cart
If I said it was a bunch of cubed boxes with cool things inside, I really would be underselling it. But, there. I’ve said it.
Shasa Bolton, of the ContraptionCart.com, spent “a few months on and off”, making the cart.
But, the most exciting things are actually inside.
“It’s full of different machines. If you press the buttons, you can watch them moving,” Mr Bolton said.
“They’re all machines I’ve designed. There is a flapping wing mechanism. There is a bird on a clock. There is a writing machine. I make them as a kit and you can just slot them together.”
Yep. I’m not doing a great job of building the excitement. Just watch the video please …
Mr Bolton said making the prototype was the part that took the longest.
“Then I do the instructions and get my girlfriend to put them together and she tells me if the instructions make any sense. Then I go back and make some changes,” Mr Bolton said.
“I feel like it’s hard to impress people these days, but it’s nice to find out people can still be impressed by just something you can see and watch.”
Impressed we were. And my we I mean me, at least. Cudos on your patience, Mr Bolton.
2. Satan’s Spit
Two years in the making, The Chilli Factory has apparently blown its world record out of the water, and water you’ll want.
The factory’s newest product – Satan’s Spirit – is apparently so hot that one spray is all that is required.
“I use it on my noodles after I cook them, and meat from the barbecue, but very carefully. You only need one puff and it gives you the burn and your lips start pulsating,” stallholder Alex De Witt said.
“What we put in this jar is the pure essence of the chilli, basically.”
Yep. Pulsating lips. That’s why I didn't ask to try it. I think pepper is spicy, so I already ruled out the taste test.
The 30ml bottle gives 400 sprays, and is expected to last about three years.
Mr De Witt said Devil’s Spit was a “pretty good success”at the craft fair.
“We’ve sold quite a bit. It’s our newest product, so it still has to gain some traction.
The Chilli Factory, based in New South Wales, held the Guinness World Record for “hottest chilli” for three years for another product. Mr De Witt said Devil’s Spit was hotter.
Goodluck to all those souls braver than me.
3. Peace Pods
Death by pods … and not the chocolate kind.
No one likes talking about what is going to happen after they die … but these recycled coffins are a conversation starter.
Peace Pods are basically a cardboard casket.
Often coffins were impersonal and unsustainable for the environment, Peace Pod maker Mea Souris said.
So after refining her coffins, from cardboard to paper-mache, she settled on a 100 per cent recycled paper design, which she has been producing for more than a year.
Peace Pods are environmentally friendly and can be personalised. They can be decorated with messages and photographs to reflect the individual.
The pods are handmade in Tassie, too.
4. Sustomi
“Sustainable plastic wrap” … Wait, what? Yep. It got my attention too.
The wraps are made from beeswax and can be shaped to fit around food with the warmth of your hand.
They can be used for basically everything including (and probably most important in my opinion) cheese, sandwiches and fresh produce.
The wraps are easy to clean – simply wipe over with a cloth, and air dry.
If the wraps are “well looked after”, they can last up to 12 months.
“Sustomi wraps also helps your pockets, as they save the need to buy plastic wrap … Plastic wrap is pretty nasty stuff … it is one of the worst things on the planet for the environment,” the website said.
Think of the turtles, pals.
5. The Entry
Although, not new, the entry sculpture still had some excitement around it – including kids fighting over what they interpreted it as.
“IT’S A SPIDER WITHOUT A FACE, DUUUUUH!” (FYI, I kind of agree, therefore I deem this kid the winner of the argument).
The entry was a project built by more than 20 University of Tasmania architecture students for the 2016 event.
More than 150 hours were spent on the product, as students designed a structure to fit the brief to “make a memorable entry way”.
For a craft fair, I think the entry is pretty fitting (and crafty).
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
- Haddo’s Hotdogs (Venue 7)
- Helen’s Hand puppets (Venue 7)
- Killara Distillery (Venue 2)
- The felt birds that were part of the display by the Tasmanian Spinners and Weavers (Venue 6)