“Under the microscope, the little becomes larger.
To enlarge your life, treasure the little things of life.”
-Martin Uzochukwu Ugwu

August 15, 2025

As we began to put this issue together, the team floated ideas: Meditation. Dancing with friends. Good food. Gorgeous textiles. Tiny trinkets. Music… We wondered where do we gather or store these things: pockets, chests, pouches, in our own memories? Our journals?

The thread that connected them all, in my mind, was treasure. These are the things we cherish. Books, friends, memories, time, diversity, stars, peace.

Treasure can be a noun: what are the belongings you love or collect?

It can also be a verb: how do you treat that which, or those whom, you hold dear?

Up in the attic, down on my knees…
Lifetimes of boxes, timeless to me.
Letters and photographs, yellowed with years…
Some bringing laughter, some bringing tears.
Time never changes the memories, the faces of
loved ones, dear to me…”
-Amy Grant

The lyrics to Grant’ song, “Heirlooms,” have been close to my heart since my teen years. My treasures? A handmade quilt lovingly cross-stitched and quilt-stitched by my great-grandmother. A blown glass vase gifted to me from artist Jodi Bove at the Texas Renaissance Festival to commemorate my years as the Craft Director. These notes from my daughters, each now at least 20 years old, they’ve hung in my closet for decades reminding me each morning of the joy of being loved.

We hope you find something to treasure in this issue! Meet beloved musician Victoria Van Arnam, known as The Lady Victoria, who shares her whimsy, joyful spirit, and amazing talent with fairegoers across the country. Plunge into the history of women’s pockets (and learn how the patriarchy has affected their use in clothing), take a critical look at the popular practice of trinket-trading at faires, feast your eyes on the vibrant textiles of artist Alexandra Jean Auger, whet your appetite with delicious recipes to wind down summer, and give your spirit a tool for approaching peaceful meditation like the gift it is.

Our Treasured playlist features artists like Joni Mitchell, India.Arie, the Wailin’ Jennys, and more; all weaving songs about what we treasure most: loved ones, laughter, memories, and yes, even a little gold at the bottom of the sea.

We hope you’ll enjoy, subscribe, share, and most of all, look around you for the treasures that the Universe has gifted.

Magically Yours,

Kim Bryant

Editor, LadyFaire Magazine

April 1, 2021

If you’ve been on Facebook for a while, you’ve seen those trends where some meme makes the rounds of all your friends and your feed is full of the same silly content for days. Here lately, it’s been: What kind of old woman will you be? And the women pictured are nothing less than awesome, ballsy dames in bright clothes. I love them. I want to be an old woman in bright colors, laughing at all the silliness life has to offer. Laughter is, truly, one of the best things there is. It spans age and interests, culture and race, class and education. Those who know me well know that one of my very favorite films is Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews’ titular nanny is the very epitome of who I have longed to be ever since I was the very smallest girl. When I watched it on my family’s console television, I especially adored the tea party on the ceiling, when the Banks children, Uncle Albert, and Bert belt a rousing chorus,

“We love to laugh
Loud and long and clear
We love to laugh
So everybody can hear!”

And so, for spring, we’re going to share content that is sunny, joyful, and bright, with pastel colors and silly jokes. We’ll celebrate Easter, and explore motherhood. We’ll introduce you to a talented author who’s written a book for young audiences that features a Black princess and marvel in the music of Hildegarde of Bingen, as recorded by Renaissance circuit performer Magnolia Strange.

We hope you’ll engage with us, share your stories and photos, and let us know the stories you’d like to read.

February, 2021

January and February can be damp, gray, and cold, but they can also be crystal clear, white, and beautiful. What matters more than the weather is that we reach out to each other, connect, and make memories. We check on friends living and honor those gone. Support Rescu. Patronize artisans. Listen to and buy music by beloved and talented Renaissance, medieval, and Celtic musicians.

This month, LadyFaire will be exploring tales of Slavic folk and fairy tales, sharing recipes from the Slavic and Scandinavian parts of our beautiful world and introducing a beautiful female-owned business where you can acquire what you need for preparing those delicious foods,

If we can keep the joy of faire, friendship, and creativity alive, we’ll all be okay. Here’s a health to the company.

Celebrating the magic in the everyday,

December 1, 2020

I had my first cup of hot chocolate last night after a brisk walk with my mini schnauzer, Molly. Our neighborhood, the residents of which are very competitive in the township’s Holiday Decorating Contest, is in the midst of transformation, professional light installers were still on tall ladders, tucking white C9 bulbs along roof lines in the dark. We don’t pay someone to do ours, we do it old school. Little forest creatures and a snowman will soon find their way into our front yard; we’re adding solar powered string lights this year, doing what we can to minimize our carbon footprint.

For many of us, Christmas will be smaller this year in many other ways. Less family gathered under one roof as we continue to live under the threat of COVID. Fewer gifts under the tree because so many of us are out of work; perhaps our Renaissance festivals were cancelled and income has been thin. For 267,000 American families, there will be an empty seat at the table. If you’ve lost a loved one to COVID or to any other cause, blessings and light. Holidays are hard when loss is freshly present.

I have discovered a lot this year. I immersed myself in books like Just Mercy and Untamed, looking to cultivate empathy for myself and for my fellow humans. I learned about writing and relationships and grace. Like many, I lost a job. It’s been a strange year, but with its own set of rituals and traditions. Candles to be lit, prayers to ascend, small scale funerals and weddings, fun-sized trick-or-treating. And now, we’ll have what national treasure Dolly Parton calls a “Hard Candy Christmas.”

“I’ll be fine and dandy, Lord it’s like a candy Christmas…I’m barely gettin’ through tomorrow…still I won’t let sorrow bring me way down.”

In this issue, we’ve explored what the winter holiday means, from ancient Pagan times, through the medieval and Renaissance periods, to now in Cajun country. We’re wrapping up our series on diversity and representation in the fest world, getting real about motherhood in the holidays, introducing you to a phenomenal human being whose acting work and mental health journey are beautiful, and revisiting wintry fairytales. There’s gorgeous photography and a heavenly playlist. We hope you’ll enjoy and share with your friends.

We’re looking forward to 2021. Hopefully, with the flip of a calendar page, we will begin to see light and sense hope. Meanwhile, find ways to connect with your loved ones. If you’re in a position to holiday shop, please consider buying handmade or a service gift certificate from a festival vendor. I’ve included here, and on every page, the link to a website that has listings for many faire artisans and merchants. Whatever your winter holiday looks like, be it pagan, Christian, or secular, we hope it’s celebrated with love and your loved ones.

October 1, 2020

The light is changing, getting softer. The trees are shifting colors. The pool toys are packed away, the sweaters are being shaken out of their mothballs. It’s finally autumn.

It’s been an incredibly challenging year. For some, grief is close and real. For others, loneliness lingers. For all, stress, change, and uncertainty are daily companions.

Amid all this change, the festival and faire cancellations, the abundant time in our homes, the idea of a lifestyle publication for women and femmes who love attending Renaissance festivals was born. Perhaps the idea began floating on the breeze when that first faire evaporated into thin air as cancellations swept across the country. We missed dressing up, lifting mugs of mead and ale in toasts to the company. We wanted to see our friends, our “fairemily,”to share our love of this crazy culture called the Renfest.

So a group of women joined across Zoom and Facetime to put together a magazine for all of us who love this world. We’ll be featuring women who are artists and entrepreneurs, we’ll be exploring difficult topics like diversity, we’ll be sharing recipes , crafts, books, and life hacks.

But mostly, we’ll be about creating connections and a space for new friendships with like-minded women. We hope you’ll join us!

Kim Bryant is a veteran performer, educator, and writer who currently works in leadership for Disney Live Entertainment. Kim has three grown children, Hilary, Travy, and Libby; two bonus grandchildren, Ally and JJ; and two grandchildren, Hazel and Ezekiel.

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