One of the best parts about doing Renegade and other outdoor fests is dreaming up displays. Last year I had lots of color and the original blue and green backdrop at the back of the tent. This year I’m keeping to the same themes but changing the color palette. The backdrop will now be the new gray and white combo that I use in my photos and that will reflect in other decor as well – including my signs.

Last year I hadn’t thought the signage through as much as I would have liked – but in my own defense I only had about two weeks to prepare. This time around everything is different. I have not been sewing in the month of August purposefully so as to focus on the ‘look’ of my booth.

I’m bringing back the thrifted and white-washed picture frames to hold signs. Last year I had these hanging at the end of the racks – but as my mother pointed out – the signs were blocking the merchandise – a big no no. So with some ingenuity, patience, experimenting, and wisdom from my father, I found a way to rig the signs to stand above the items. Once that dilemma was solved I printed up the signs on a warm gray eco-friendly paper I picked up at Paper Source, and then outlined around it with white fluid ink.

In addition to the racks I am also going to be using the picture frames for displaying smaller merchandise – like bow ties, hair pins, and the GIY kits. Some will have hooks placed along the bottoms so that merchandise can be hung directly from the display. Another use for the picture frames will be a statement about Pierogi Picnic and my commitment to environmental sustainability. And if all goes well with the sewing of the backdrop – one more frame will be used to guide people to my new state of the art fitting room.

So it seems that piece by piece everything is coming together at a nice pace. There’s no freaking out this year – just enjoying the process and having fun!