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So, shortly after the mass produced tchotchke Heaven that is the Americasmart in Atlanta we headed to Orlando for a whole different kind of show. Absolutely tiny in comparison but all hand crafted goods that are made in North America, generally by the person who is there selling them. Known as ACRE (American Craft Retailers Expo) it is produced by the fine folks that run WholesaleCrafts.com where we have found several artists over the years. As it’s all hand made you can imagine that there is a whole lot of fabulously creative stuff there. Things you truly do not see anywhere else. It’s basically a wholesale craft fair but that makes it sound a bit shabby and it definitely isn’t; the items are really well made from interesting materials. No pine cones painted to look like rabbits or crocheted doilies here.
We found seven new lines, in just one day, plus a few other possibilities, and got to reorder from the fabulous artists we saw there last year. Here are the highlights:
It’s always hard to find jewelry that will appeal to men so we were really happy to find these two lines made by the same artist. The cuffs are made from leather, super soft Italian resin and a variety of metals. And the necklaces (on 22″ chains) combine different exotic woods with sterling silver. We loved the combination of materials and all the twists and turns in the metals. These will be a big hit I think; and with women too no doubt – we are in Provincetown, after all.
We’ve carried belt buckles for years, made from all kinds of interesting things like license plates, vintage books, forged steel and now vinyl records. Any special requests?
Made in New England by Kristi Thorndike-Kent these plates, coasters and garden stakes crafted from fused glass will brighten up any garden, or coffee table.
And a little more subtle on the color, but just as beautiful, are these copper bird garden stakes and hanging birds made by a group of artisans in North Carolina. They are a few inches tall and totally gorgeous.
Sticking with the Lets Have As Much Cool Stuff As We Can Outside theme, Tripp Gregson has come up with all kinds of new fish and other sea creatures. They are all made from old license plates and road signs; upcycling at it’s best. He was our most successful new product line last year and if you bought some in 2011 you’ll probably want to add to the collection this year.
Another huge hit last year (and also a line we found at ACRE Orlando in 2011) was the journals, coasters and jewelry made from old books by Matt and Kellee Milner. And they have been busy coming up with new products such as these necklaces, mirrors and key chanis made from classic picture books and off beat text books that would otherwise be thrown a way. Recycling and nostalgia all in one; what’s not to love?
And last but not least Merrie Bauschbaum has added to her line of amazingly beautiful pens with some that have a rounded, rubbery thing on the end that can be used on smart phones, tablets, etc. I totally forgot to take a picture but if you just imagine these ones with said rounded, rubbery thing on the end you’ll get the idea. They will be a great addition not only to her pens that we already carry but also to the vast array of iPhone cases we ordered at Americasmart.
All these wonderful handmade items will be in the store, and many of them on the web site Swell247.com, this spring. Come on by and see some of the fabulous things these very creative people have made.