DaWanda fair in Berlin

Newly back to my old love for handmade products and crafts, I waited the whole week to go to the DaWanda fair  near Alexanderplatz. I was able to make it only the second and last day, but it seems that in the afternoon when I arrived, there were plenty of people curious to check the special offers. I waited in line for around 15 minutes which would have been a nice way to spend outdoors, if the temperature was not many degrees below 0. 

Once ready to go, needed to cross a big yard, with ugly buildings in process of restoration. Some street food counters were offering a little treat before or in between the visit to the many stands. 

After the first minutes spent inside, who would like to go out, with so many beautiful handmade products? DaWanda was created in Berlin, in 2006, as one of the first successful Made in Germany startups. With affiliates in France, Spain, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands it is a network of handmade producers, with million of products uploaded on sale every month. 

The fair in Berlin covers a variety of handmade domains and products, from interior design to personalized drawings (my favourites by far).

There were also a lot of jewellery products, and beauty accessories, with prices varying from few Euros till a couple of good hundreds. Special discounts were also applied.  

 The delicate guests, were invited at a tea, with a special inspiration.

Practically, almost all the materials and models were displayed in creative compositions for various tastes and spaces.

Some of the ideas took me by surprise: people in long-distance relationship were able to order a personalized pillow where to place on the map their current residences. But home is where your heart is, isn't it? 

Meanwhile, the place was getting more and more cramped, with a lot of products to see and even more curious visitors. 

Although I really loved the concrete small bowls, or the leather bags and the many small products from children - from toys to clothing - the world of drawings caught my attention for most part of the time.

There were an abundance of foxes and owls, in different variants and part of different stories.

The styles were so different and the hand drove with talent that I did not mind, as most of them were looking so cute and alive that I could not get bored watching the many postcards and billboards.

Most of the exhibitors were interested in sharing the story of their products and even some small details about their recipes. And there were so many interesting ideas, from unique lace jewellery covered with different precious metals, to various unique jewellery made of melted glass. 

At the end of the show, the visitors were invited to have a special picture taken. In a creative, Berlin-like ambiance, of course.

Despite the cold and the long journey till the fair - hosted in a building very close to the oldest market in Berlin, near Alexanderplatz - the wind of creativity was more than welcomed and most likely gave me a lot of good energy to keep up with my writing and crafts plan for the next weeks.