threads and snippets: bust magazine craftacular 2010

It's the height of holiday craft show season! I've missed a bunch in Baltimore and Philly, but I made up for it this past weekend in NYC by attending Bust Magazine's Craftacular held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. I arrived with my posse of friends, and we immediately lost track of each other in this 300 vendor, heavily attended show. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

I just love a good indie show. Nothing is too precious. It's all about cleverness and good design, all within reach of the average buyer. You won't find the wooden bowl man, the decoy-maker, or the blacksmith, but you will find paper goods, soft goods, jewelry, bath & body, and baked goods. You may think to yourself, "I could make that", and yes, maybe you can because many vendors have gotten smart and come up with kits. But then, who would have the time to attempt them all, and here they are all finished and ripe for the picking!

My favorite kit of the day: terrariums. I spied the inviting Twig booth from across the room and made a bee-line for it. When I was growing up in the '70's my mom made a terrarium in a big jug with a light fixture attached, so there is some nostalgia to the whole terrarium concept for me. I'm tickled that they've come back into vogue, so I snapped up a small kit for my 9 year-old daughter. The larger ready-made terrariums they had, like this Sound of Music-inspired one, were really fun to look at. Maybe we'll work our way up to a big one if this starter one works out.

Next favorite kit: sock puppets by Tigercandy Arts. The kits come with supplies to make 3 different puppets.

Or you can buy them ready-made of course. There were about different 20 choices!

Oh lookee here. Kits to make teensy tiny stuff by Mochimochi Land. Creator Anna Hrachovec has a book out about making these tiny collectible amigurumi.

So adorably tiny and cute! I get it now.

DIY charm necklaces and bracelets by Brooklyn Charm.

Brooklyn Charm's inspiring array of supplies. They even had things like vintage skeleton keys to use in a necklace. I'm told they have an even larger selection at their storefront in Brooklyn.

Everywhere you turned at this show, you could fine original festive stuff. Kitty Jones makes stuffed and needle felted cat toys, but came up with a gorgeous wreath using needle felted balls.

I'm always impressed with the unusual materials some of the artists are able to make stuff with. Glitterlimes uses real candy and fruit coated in something (resin perhaps?) to make cuff links, rings and pendants. Perfect for my 9 year-old girl or someone young at heart.

I thought these roses by Calamarie were leather, but they are actually dried and dyed orange peel that would otherwise have been discarded, made by female artisans in Columbia. Catalina Lemaitre is the brains behind the fair trade enterprise designed to empower women in that country.

Clever reuse of vintage bingo cards by Another Work in Progress. I'm always a sucker for anything vintage!

I've wanted to try linocut printing since reading the book Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin, but haven't had the time yet.

In the meantime, Katherine Watson's prints, reminiscent of Indian block prints, are so detailed and gorgeous that I bought a few card sets to tide me over.

A woman after my own heart! Rosi Zingales loves appliqué, feedsacks, handkerchiefs, and vintage textiles as much as I do. I thought these hand towels with Christmasy feedsack appliqués were wonderfully shabby-chic.

And Rosi's tiny dresses of fine baby cord with appliques of vintage hankies were perfect for the colder months and definitely had that "aaaawww" factor.