This Sunday, 150 crafters from all over the country will descend upon Adams Morgan to hawk their one of a kind, hand-made items. Kitschy jewelry, googly eyed plushes, fashionable purses, reconstructed clothing and hand printed cards are the norm at the City Paper’s annual Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair.

With humble beginnings in 2004, Crafty Bastards took place during an unfortunate downpour at the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace. City Paper really didn’t know what to expect that first year, or how it would go over. Pleasantly surprised by the number of applicants they received, they accepted 150 vendors, and despite the rain, had a rousing success. Now at the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan for the past three years, Crafty Bastards has grown by leaps and bounds.

A juried event, Crafty Bastards now receives more than 400 applications from all over the U.S. It is fast becoming known as the indie craft fair on the East coast and while gaining a bit of notoriety is a good thing for those selling in the show, the getting in part is key. Competition is stiff. Six City Paper employees review every single application and weigh eight categories, including craftsmanship, uniqueness and mass appeal. They don’t play favorites, so many crafters who were vendors in years past are finding it harder and harder to get in.