Meet the Denver Jurors: Jaime Jennings
One of the Owners and Face of Fancy Tiger Crafts
Q. Tell us a little about yourself & your background in the arts & crafts world?
A. I had a crafty upbringing as my mom had a craft supply store when I was little called "the Craft Peddler" in Parker Colorado. Not only did I spend a lot of time there as a child, she also took me to craft fairs with her where she sold her work. In 2006, I opened Fancy Tiger with my partner Matthew Brown that combined our two passions of fashion and crafting. In 2008, Fancy Tiger became two stores, Fancy Tiger Crafts and Fancy Tiger Clothing and this was when I partnered with Amber Corcoran. In addition to running Fancy Tiger Crafts for almost 9 years, we also put on the wildly successful Holiday Handmade craft fair here in Denver that ran from 2007 - 2012. My craft ties run deep.
Q. What/who is your biggest inspiration?
A. The crafting community is my biggest inspiration - I love being constantly inspired by our friends, customers, and staff and all the things they make.
Q. How did you get into your position in the arts & crafts world?
A. Being the face of Fancy Tiger Crafts for so long has helped me gain a lot of friends in the community and respect from local and non-local crafters alike.
Q. Tell us about a few favorites of your: Weekend activity? Food? Color? Animal?
A. I love hiking and backpacking which makes Colorado the perfect place for me. I try and get out into nature once a week and enjoy all the seasons - from snowshoeing in the winter to high-country camping in the summer, I like to take advantage of our amazing locale. My favorite daily activity is to enjoy soy milk lattes at one of our many amazing coffeehouses in town. I love all vegetables and my favorite way to eat them is just sticking with what's in season.
Q. What do you love most about the handmade movement?
A. I love seeing all of the amazing things that are out there. I love the support that everyone gives each other. I love buying beautiful handmade things and knowing the story behind them.
Q. What is the most important feature in an artist's application for you?
A. Photos. Good, clear photos that let me see the workmanship and get a feel for the crafter is so important. Styling and lighting are important pieces that go into the photos and can allow me to get a sense of what someones booth is going to look like and what their style is. I also like knowing the story behind the products - how did they get started or are they using a particularly interesting material?
Q. What are you most looking forward to in being a part of the Jackalope Arts jury?
A. Seeing all the amazing things people are making!
Q. Where can we find our more about you?
A. at fancytigercrafts.com, on our blog fancytigercrafts.com/blog and on instagram at "fancytigercrafts" and "fancyjaime"