GUILFORD CRAFT FAIR 2014

This past weekend, amidst grey skies and perfectly cool nap weather, I went on my annual pilgrimage to the Guilford Craft Fair. As always, I managed to find a lot of fun things to buy and even more fun things to drool over. Without further ado, here are some talented craftspeople with work you should definitely check out . . .

above, Hoist Away Bags are made with recycled sails in bold, bright colors. Every detail has been taken into consideration for these totes, pouches and dop kits—from a detailed label that explains where your sails came from to zippered pockets and drawstring tops to keep everything in order. Each bag even comes with a bottle opener keychain! As a sailing nerd I couldn't live without one of these and I suggest you check out their Etsy shop to pick up your own.

I also discovered the beautiful ceramic work of Kiara Matos. I love the sophisticated colors, patterns and organic references in her work. Couldn't you just picture these on your dresser or side table?

As usual, however, the majority of my drool worthy moments were from jewelry vendors. Here are some pieces I had my eye on:

The setting on this ring is an innovative take on a solitaire setting, no? It's not quite my style but I still think its amazing! Made by Stephen Leblanc.

I have written about Dana and David's work before and their work continues to impress. How gorgeous is this pendant necklace?

Dahlia Kanner was another new-to-me jeweler with very cool things this year. I particularly love her collections focused on dots and scribbled lines. Pretty, right?

Rachel Atherley's jewelry deals with natural patterns like snakeskin and leopard spots to create a lovely interplay between light and shadow. How chic is that cuff bracelet?

I also fell in love with Naomi Grace McNeill's jewelry featuring hexagon and honeycomb patterns. Somehow she manages to make her work seem tough and delicate, abstract and scientifically exacting at the same time. A mean feat with spectacular, unique results.

Last but not least, I wanted to share the work of Martha Sullivan—another new discovery for me. I fell instantly in love with her simple rings and bought one in silver for myself. Now I have my eye on one of those diamond bands, but isn't that petal pattern pretty too? Decisions, decisions!

That's all folks! Back to regular posts tomorrow.

WEEKEND UPDATE: GUILFORD CRAFT EXPO

Yesterday I promised I would give you another update on my weekend adventures—here it is! Last weekend, before my trip to Brimfield, my Mom and I made another yearly pilgrimage to the Guilford Craft Expo. The craft expo is a big artisan/craft fair full of wonderful vendors who sell everything from handmade rocking chairs to diamond jewelry. I love going every year to meet new sellers and catch up with old ones, not to mention buy gifts for family and friends. This year I snagged a beautiful handmade cutting board (from The Shade Tree LLC, a workshop that runs entirely on solar power!) to give as a wedding present. Still, there were lots of other things that tempted me. Here are my favorites:

The gorgeous jewelry made by Dana*David really belongs in the Savings & Loans category. I tried on the bottom two pieces—the ring tempted me as a wedding band, the necklace just because the moonstone was so stunning—and had serious difficulty taking them off. If they weren't both in the $1400 range, I might have taken one home . . . alas. Perhaps for a really special occasion?

The goodies over at Tanner Glass always end up in my shopping bag on the way home (not to mention the owner/artist is super nice). Last year I bought one of the key hooks you see above, this year I went home with a beautiful map-based paper weight. Although looking through the Tanner Glass Etsy shop, I wish I had seen some of the exquisite handblown multi-colored ornaments! I would love to hang one in my window and watch it shine . . .

Tami Rodrig at Happy Art Studio always has the prettiest, freshest designs. My mom bought a necklace in one of the circular patterns last year and she says she gets compliments on it every time she wears it. More lovely pieces here.

James Guggina has long made beautiful, highly colored ceramic works like these. But it's not until I saw these new more subtle bowls with simple lines that I became truly smitten. Check them out here.