If you didn't feel like being a part of the Black Friday rush, and being trampled after eating two pounds of turkey doesn't sound appealing, we have your fix. Calling all artists, DIY-ers and anyone with an eye for the unique, the GLAM Indie Craft Show is your perfect solution for checking everyone off of your shopping list.
Kim Kruse, GLAM producer, said, "GLAM Indie Craft Show is a unique event that provides people with the opportunity to shop from nearly 50 local artists and crafters for unique gifts. We have vendors who will be selling everything from chalkboard T-shirts to bamboo iPad cases and from custom hula hoops to cruelty-free makeup. A lot of our vendors work with up-cycled items to make wallets, sculptures and beautiful jewelry. We even have a vendor who'll be offering pet products."
Up-crafted items are old crafts that are recycled into new crafts.
The show is not only for the experienced craft shopper but for anyone interested in crafting. If "arts and crafts" is not your forte, tasty treats will be for sale. For the interior designer, there will be many art pieces on sale that could add interesting decor to any dorm or apartment.
"Whether you're a beginning artist or someone who has been creating for years, you'll definitely appreciate the range of items that are offered at GLAM," Kruse said. "We even have one guy who turns old silverware into sculptures that you can put in your house or your garden. He makes crawfish, honeybees - you name it."
If you are really into completing a holiday shopping list, the show includes, but isn't limited to, custom T-shirts, calendars, buttons, handmade soaps, beauty products, jewelry and homemade dog biscuits. The show features vendors that offer unique pieces that are not necessarily mass-produced or found in chain stores.
"Only vendors who fit with the overall vibe of the show are admitted," Kruse said. "We work really hard to make sure that GLAM is an event that offers unique items that will appeal to folks who like things that are a little off the beaten path."
For the college student on a budget, there are vendors who will offer items less than $20. Since all are homemade, the vendors pride themselves on keeping the products unique and affordable.
What's the best you can get out of the show?
"My main goal with the show is to provide a place for emerging artists and crafters to have a place to showcase their work but also to provide all of the cool people in Gainesville with a place where they can shop for the kinds of gifts that they really want to buy," Kruse said. "I think it's a great experience to buy things directly from the person who actually makes them. It makes you feel like you're really making a difference in your own community."
For more information on the show and for a full list of vendors, visit glamcraftshow.com.
Mary Iserman of Knit At The Bar makes knitted items like this anchor coozie. Iserman will be one of the artists featured at the GLAM Indie Craft Show on Sunday. See story, page 16.
Lindsey McLeod of loveLindseyKaye makes fabulous copper enameled jewelry and accessories, including this seahorse pendant.
Kat McKee makes wallets out of up-cycled coffee bags. You can see more at her Coffee Bag Wallets and Salvaged Goods page on Facebook.
This silk-screened deer tote bag is the work of Tessa McSorley of How to Use Art.
