Craft around the corner

First of all: THE CRAFTSTRAVAGANZA IS THIS WEEKEND! July 8! 9-4! Don't miss it or you are a sucker, and nobody wants to hang out with a sucker. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is.

Today's post is the third and final installment on my personal choice vendors. Also for the third and final time, I want to point out that this is not an exhaustive list! I'm more excited than anything to meet all of our vendors (most for the first time) and see their crafts in person, and we do love them all equally. Some are just more equal than others. Look at our vendor page and pick out your own favorites!

Pursecution: A not insignificant number of vendors will be selling purses/bags/clutches/etc. at the show, and I will not be buying any (I can't say the same for my wife). Jackee Strom has two things going for her that, in my mind, set her apart. Awesome name? check. Purses made with epoxy-coated wood and board games? double check!

Another category in which we are well-stocked and I am overall uninterested is jewelry. As with the bags, Jenna picked most of our jewelry vendors and I deferred to her judgment when determining the relative merits of similar artists. But there was one jeweler who really caught my eye with her sterling silver/stained glass pendants. When I saw her work, I knew that Fiery Lion Designs had to be a vendor in the Craftstravaganza.

I learned to knit last winter, and it may have been a short-lived craze, but I'm still psyched about local crafter Aisha Celia's handspun yarns. You can see her etsy shop by clicking on the link, but it's closed down in preparation for our fair!

Just one more and then I'm out of here. Aisha's our only spinner, and our only blower is Vicki Olson of 7two7 glass. Depending on how you measure these things, she may be the true winner of our long-distance vendor prize, as she was born in England before traveling to Minnesota (via California) just for the Craftstravaganza. Note that you can also buy some of her work at Quince on Grand Ave. Besides the obligitory jewelry, Vicki also uses glass to create picture frames, vases, coasters, bowls, and barrettes. What I like the best are her spin-colored wall clocks.

Okay! I've got to go get ready for the fair. And what about you? Have you got your wallet filled with cash, your ears ready for rocking out, and your optimal route planned? I'll see you at the SPC!