Top 5 things I'd buy from Craftstravaganza!

It. Was. Awesome. Except for all those people breathing on me, which is another story...

MY TOP FIVE PICKS ARE:



1. Best deal: Recycled collage art by Xanthe Walker. This one is titled "Almost Home," and a signed print sells for $15! I also love "Green Bird and Blue Swirls."



2. Most educational: Clothes and buttons with the faces of feminism by KM Stitchery. A set of five buttons sells for $5 - you choose the faces. I choose Susan B. Anthony, Gloria Steinem, Frida Kahlo...



3. Best supply: Hand-spun and dyed yarn by Aisha Celia Designs. These decadent skeins are the boldest, most colorful I've ever seen. Prices aren't listed online, but her website lists show dates. You could use it for anything, or just let it sit there and look pretty.



4. Most useful: These dog collars are leather-lined and fronted with various cute fabrics. By Cosmos Collars. They're made well and range from frou-frou prints to funky stripes, depending on how ok you are with dressing up your dog. Again, no prices listed online. Bonus point for having a mascot dog that looks like mine.



5. Best design fusion: Ukrainian-style eggs with alternately-cultured patterns by John Carlson. This one came from a local goose, displays a Southwestern design, was created using a Ukrainian wax-resist method, and sells for $50. Apparently the goose lost her mate and kept laying infertile eggs, figuring she'd just sit on them until they hatched...a story the artist relates to the legend of the Phoenix.


Honorable mentions:
Pam Loudy Glass - each pendant, earring, or bracelet is unique. Shiny things are cool.
Katie Benson Home Decor and Design - cute felt flowers you can put on anything, plus more bird-themed wall art, of which I can't get enough.
Junk Mail Gems - brilliant idea if you want to make stuff with free materials!