Egglena - Found Object Robot Assemblage Sculpture by Brian Marshall

Egglena - Found Object Robot Assemblage Sculpture by Brian Marshall
Originally uploaded by adopt-a-bot

Found this bot on Flikr. It is made from a discarded pencil sharpener and forks, among other finds. Some people are just so creative! Way to recycle Mr. Marshall!

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.

Herb Sale and Art/Craft Festival at the Fred Huette Center

While out yesterday, with all good intentions of running some errands with my daughter, I spied a sign along the road that made my heart patter.  Some of my favorite words were on that sign ... Herbs ... Festival ... Art ... Crafts.  Say no more.  My daughter and I made a quick U (really, an L) and headed for the Fred Huette Center in Ghent.

Darned if we weren't getting there just as people were tearing down.
Lucky for us, this is a two-day event, and we were able to return the next day to enjoy the crafters, artists, lovely landscaping, and a messy gyro (Anna had a nicely charred hot dog).  While the cooking herbs were apparently in absentia (were they really all sold before we got there??), there were some healthy hosta plants I picked up for a pittance and some fragrant scented geraniums, which I resisted.

Of course, the best part of any event like this is meeting the artists and crafters.

I was impressed with so many stories of the artists and their work, how creatively some of their wares were used,  and how, in some cases, recycled artifacts were used to create new interesting and often useful goods.

A New Series Begins... 

There were so many gracious and talented individuals, that I decided to write about them over the next few days/weeks and introduce you to some people that you just might want to connect with (not to mention their awfully cute doggies!).  

I hope you'll keep checking in to see who you might meet on these pages  -- and who knows, you might even see yourself!

Pictured above are necklace charms made by Elizabeth Hutley at www.effervescentdesign.com.