Craft fairs are always a good way to brighten any day; they can sometimes bring you back to your childhood, reminding you of the days when glue and glitter were stuck to your fingers, or they can give your brain a little push to get the creative juices flowing.

But what happens when beer is the inspiration for your crafty project? Well, that’s exactly what inspired multiple crafters on February 21st at the “Philadelphia Independent Craft Market’s Pabst Blue Ribbon Crafting Challenge”. Vendors from all across Philadelphia, PA used the infamous PBR as their artistic muse to create PBR-themed art.

“It’s a contest and a challenge for the whole area of Philadelphia to come out and show what they can craft with the Pabst Blue Ribbon theme,” said Julie Raboczi of the Philadelphia Independent Craft Market.

Hosted at 941 Theater on Front St. in Philadelphia, the event boasted live music, food, and, most attractively, all the PBR patrons could drink while browsing the unique red, white, and blue art on display. Tickets were only six dollars!

“I’ve seen us go through a lot, a lot, of cases of PBR,” said Tabitha, the bartender at the Crafting Challenge. “I don’t even know what time it is but we started at three, and we’re out of, I think twelve 30 blocks of PBR already.”

At the time, it was five PM. That’s a lot of beer.

For $10, vendors could reserve a spot at the theater where they could display all of their goods for the public to purchase. Throughout the tables of the 12 vendors, items included artwork, clothing, jewelry, and PBR baked goods, among other things.

Sheila, a vendor with PBR-inspired cupcakes, explained that she decided to come to the event because she wanted to challenge herself. Said Sheila, “I’m a baker and I wanted to see what I could make with Pabst. It actually worked out pretty well. Beer and chocolate actually go well together.”

To go along with those beer-battered cupcakes, fair visitors could purchase a PBR designed apron, a great accessory for mixing up some delicious treats. Chances are if there’s beer in the batter, the baker will be drinking some as well. An apron could come in handy, preventing spillage from any substance landing on your pants.

“We wanted to create a whole theme so we did household items, pillow cases, aprons, placemats, and then did some clothing,” said Michelle Mercier, one of the vendors who was inspired by Pabst.

(Pictured at left: Michelle Mercier, winner of the PBR challenge)

Mercier, along with Michael Roman, actually won the craft challenge thanks to their genre of household PBR items.

One of the more artistic pieces was a PBR American flag, selling for $150. Luke Lyden, the artist, created the flag using PBR caps for the stars and bottle shaped stamps for the red stripes.

“I was trying to think about the most unique ways I could do it and the flag came just from like the Americana of Pabst Blue Ribbon and how it’s so iconic,” said Lyden.

(Pictured at right: Luke Lyden, with PBR American flag)

Mari Dwyer, a Temple student, couldn’t get over how interesting some of the artwork was. “I came to this to see one of the great things Philly has to offer, and today I’m liking what I see.”

The fair was part of the Philadelphia Independent Craft Market, which is run by Raboczi. And the PBR event was just one of the many craft fairs that PICM holds. The fairs typically run monthly, from May until December. These fairs tend to have a lot more vendors and more of a variety of crafts.

“The PBR event was just something special,” said Raboczi. “The other fairs are a lot more low key. We still have free beer and music but more people come to these to buy rather than to drink.”

Raboczi admits that the typical fairs never go through as much beer as the PBR fair did; they ended up going through 45 cases of PBR! And the plan is to make to PBR craft fair even bigger and better for next year, which most likely translates into even more beer.

The whole purpose of the craft shows that PICM hosts is to showcase the talent of Philadelphia artists at a place where they don’t have to break the bank in order to do it. Tables for vendors are $35, where as at other craft shows, they are typically around $80.

(Pictured at left: clothing, made by Mercier)

“I do it for a place for vendors where they don’t have to pay a lot. It’s the labor of love,” said Raboczi. “There’s so much talent in this city. It’s amazing to see the great stuff these people have.”

It’s not every day that so much talent is packed into one room. So next time you’re in Philly, check out the Philadelphia Independent Craft Market. It could be a culturally stimulating experience with the perk of free beer.

Check out http://www.myspace.com/randomsquirrellab for more information about the Philadelphia Independent Craft Market and for their schedule of events.