Chicago citizens fiercely flocked to the corner of Damen and Division for the 2012 Renegade Craft Fair on the weekend of Sept. 8-9. Powered by several indie craft artists, people paraded the streets in search of the perfect handmade, original artwork to fit their needs.

The crafts on display varied tremendously from booth to booth. Posters, jewelry, woodcarvings and vintage clothing only scratched the surface of all the wonderful art on display. Behind each booth was an additional perk for serious shoppers. Designers and artists who created the crafts ran each booth and interacted with customers to answer any questions and concerns.

“This fair is definitely one that I look forward to each year,” said DePaul sophomore Charlie Wynne. “Every year I find myself leaving with more than I planned on – the creativity is truly amazing throughout the event.”

Of all the items occupying the fair, one select schoolwork item proved to catch the eye of several onlookers: notebooks.

“This was the only booth that specified in just notebooks and that really caught my eye,” said Moira Garee, another DePaul student. “I had never seen anything like them before. The entire fair was like that – there were so many different things to see.”

Each journal contained a unique cover to hold the book together. The covers consisted of recycled library books utilized to form these new journals. Excerpts from each book were dispersed throughout the various journals. The likes of “Adventureland” and “The Lion King” were only a couple of the childhood works transformed into journals.

Independent, handmade crafts continue to create commotion amongst Chicago citizens who can hardly wait another full year until the next Renegade Craft Fair graces the city with its presence again in 2013.