Festival of Crafts: Spring 2015
Contributed by Emma Callin
A couple weeks ago I opened my inbox and found a free admission ticket to the Spring Festival of Crafts. I won't lie, I did a little happy dance! I've enjoyed the winter edition of the Festival of Crafts for a couple years already so I had already marked the spring event on my calendar. There's always something unique and beautiful to find among the Canadian-made vendors.
Having previously worked for a company that makes timepieces I will admit to having far too many watches, but I can never walk past the Patina booth whenever they're in Calgary. After all, I don't have a wooden watch in my collection yet! Beautiful woodwork has always fascinated me; the textures and colours naturally found in wood mean that each watch is just a little bit different from the next.
There are always many glass-work booths available, though each has their own unique signature to their work. Creative Spark Studio combines found items - old watches and keys, for example - into their colourful glass panes, as well as flowers and leaves.
Below is a gorgeous example of one of their creations: pussy willows and spring colours in an antique window frame. Creative Spark Studio also offers classes for those interested in learning how they create these beautiful pieces.
Minori Takagi is another unique glass-work artist creating beautiful jewellery. She makes beautiful lampwork beads using Japanese techniques, materials and designs, but what really caught my eye were her modern geometric designs.
I've never seen anything like her jewellery made of glass links with accents created by sand-blasting and the application of gold leaf. They have such simplicity yet make gorgeous statement pieces.
And let's not forget the great eats! While candy/caramel apples are available everywhere on the fairgrounds during the Calgary Stampede, none of them compare to the unusual flavours available at Bruce County Nut & Fudge. My all-time favourite is their Key Lime Pie apple with lime-infused caramel, white chocolate and honey graham crackers (sadly not available yet in their on-line store).
So of course I came home with one or two... or three of their apples. I also got an awesome print from Port Paper Co. while I was at it!
If you missed out on the Spring Festival of Crafts, keep your eyes peeled for the Christmas event in November!
Having previously worked for a company that makes timepieces I will admit to having far too many watches, but I can never walk past the Patina booth whenever they're in Calgary. After all, I don't have a wooden watch in my collection yet! Beautiful woodwork has always fascinated me; the textures and colours naturally found in wood mean that each watch is just a little bit different from the next.
There are always many glass-work booths available, though each has their own unique signature to their work. Creative Spark Studio combines found items - old watches and keys, for example - into their colourful glass panes, as well as flowers and leaves.
Below is a gorgeous example of one of their creations: pussy willows and spring colours in an antique window frame. Creative Spark Studio also offers classes for those interested in learning how they create these beautiful pieces.
Minori Takagi is another unique glass-work artist creating beautiful jewellery. She makes beautiful lampwork beads using Japanese techniques, materials and designs, but what really caught my eye were her modern geometric designs.
Please excuse my blurry photos... ^_^;
And let's not forget the great eats! While candy/caramel apples are available everywhere on the fairgrounds during the Calgary Stampede, none of them compare to the unusual flavours available at Bruce County Nut & Fudge. My all-time favourite is their Key Lime Pie apple with lime-infused caramel, white chocolate and honey graham crackers (sadly not available yet in their on-line store).
So of course I came home with one or two... or three of their apples. I also got an awesome print from Port Paper Co. while I was at it!
If you missed out on the Spring Festival of Crafts, keep your eyes peeled for the Christmas event in November!
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