A Few Cool Crafters

Well, I promised I would feature some of the artists and crafters I met at the recent Craft Show at the Fred Huette Center in Ghent, and here they are!

Susan Ziegler is a glass artist specializing in serveware. Originally from Palm Coast, Florida, she only recently moved to Hampton Roads, and we are glad she did!  Her lampwork serveware is simple, elegant and striking, as you can see from the pictures.

If you are not familiar with lampwork, it is, as Susan describes, "a traditional process in which designs are formed by heating pieces of glass under a torch to form and create various shapes.  Each design starts out as a clear glass rod, but the hand of the skilled lampworker transforms this material into a work of art."

Susan has a website where you can see more of her designs at www.susanzieglerdesigns.com.

Taff Taliaferro, the self-described, "Turning Man" does some mean turning -- woodturning  that is.  He makes those beautiful wood pen and pencil sets you see around, as well as other goodies.

I only spoke with him briefly, but he was kind enough to model one of his special pens for me -- it is actually a pen that he created using real coffee beans embedded in resin. He said that the pen smelled just like a freshly made pot of coffee when he was making it. (I wonder if those beans were decaf?)

Taff also makes keychains with hidden compartments for spysters, as well as other goods made from turned wood, resins, and plastics. If you want to reach him, let me know and I can get you in touch.

Also in the wooden vein, John Skoczynski had some nicely priced turned wooden bird houses (about $40 each) and creative, challenging puzzles that kept my daughter entertained for quite a while. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the birdhouses or puzzles, but do have his email address if you are interesed.

Another fun crafter I met was JoAnn Holley from Quiltnista in Herndon Virginia.  I was struck by JoAnn (who BTW is also nicknamed "JoJo") who was as warm and inviting as her colorful quilted artifacts. She had some adorable potholders in the shape of flip flops, which not only were comment-worthy, but looked very functional as well. Another find was the color-coordinated pencil roll, shown here.

What I really loved though, were the "Find It" Bags she had. Inside these birdseed-filled pillows, which felt like bean bags, were hidden little trinkets and baubles. These bags would be ideal for young children in pre-school or kindergarten, or could even keep a bigger child entertained on a long trip.  What I really appreciated about these bags though, is that the pillows are also often used to entertain Alzheimer's patients. What a great and useful gift these little stuffed bags make.

JoAnn also does custom baby and child size quilts, t-shirt quilts, home decor and other items.  Her website is www.quiltnista.com, but it wasn't working yet when I checked.

There were so many great artisans at this craft fair, I still have a few (several actually) to tell you about.  Keep checking back as I feature them through out the coming days.