Here's the loot I picked-up at the 77th Annual League of NH Craftsmen's Fair at Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, NH. I don't remember ever having gone to this fair before, but I will never miss a year now if I can help it. Had I not just taken out all those school loans for my year at Parsons, I would have brought as much cash as I could have and bought all my birthday and Christmas gifts for family and friends for the next year. But as it was, I had to extremely limit myself to three vendors that I just couldn't walk away without something in hand (and which I could actually afford!)!
My first purchase was from the Cheryl Kumiski Glass Studio in Booth 307 - 13 hand-made buttons! (I might make a bib-like necklace which I am seeing everywhere now!!!)
(I love the circuit board, square button!) Cheryl was unbelievably nice and super-talented. My mother also purchased a few things from her - namely a new necklace that she wore for the rest of the day (and we stayed for 6 or more hours!) [Please note: I tried to link to her website, which you can try to google, but I got a malware warning, so I can't recommend it to you. However, she will be at the Newport Arts Festival on August 28 & 29, 2010 with her glorious stained glass and ephemera.]
Just a few tents away, I found Bar Harbor Classics in Booth 107 and purchased this amazing embossed, calf-skin bag:
I love the unusual shape (plus, it folds flat!) and John Milligan was so kind to me. I truly hope I get to work with him in the future, he seems like a genius! Check out these two photos I took in his booth:
I loved the yellow stingray leather in the middle - what a great eye for color! And my last purchase of the day was the photo cards from Seacoast Impressions by Neil Troost in Booth 208:
They have unbelievable depth and the color is truly wonderful. I can't wait to either frame these or send them to family in England (wish they could be here to enjoy Lake Sunapee!). I also got to try out a few techniques since there were wonderful craftsmen (and craftswomen) there to teach!
Here I am learning how to weave a pattern with the NH Weavers Guild in Tent Z (thank you for being so kind to me!):
I love how you can see where people have stopped and started - this piece will certainly tell a story! I also spoke to Beth Lux in Tent U about pleating, smocking, embroidery and our favorite Fabric Manipulation book (on Amazon HERE):
That second photo is this fantastic, little pleating machine that looks incredibly hard to set-up! Look at Beth's amazing smocking in the last photo - beautiful! And lastly, but one that absolutely blew me away, was Faith Fellows fine hand-beaded designs in leather, basketry & fiber in Booth 413:
Here are some closer images:
(Aren't those belts stunning?!) I unfortunately could not afford any of these items at this time, but she had low prices considering the time and effort in each piece. I almost imagined little faeries running around helping her pick-out beads for each design.
Whew! That was a long post, with lots of images that I hope will load quickly and show their work well. It truly is the most amazing experience and I highly recommend it if you are in the area.
Happy hunting!
Yours Truly,
Alex
