Waterford Fair

78th American Crafts & Historic Homes Tour

Children's Activity

Anderson, Maureen

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Tasha’s Own

Mixed Media

The home farm is a family owned and operated venture of love and commitment to reviving the lost arts. They strive to farm in a sustainable manner and are committed to utilizing time-honored “old fashioned” methods as well. These methods both enhance the lives of our animals and maintain our connection to the earth. By offering and promoting products and educational ventures nationwide, they support and encouraging other small farms. They believe that small farms are the backbone of our culture and our country;  producing healthier food, creating superior products and fostering healthy economies and communities.

tashasownherbarium.com

Hall, Marian

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Wooly Dye Works

Fiber/Textiles

I have been rug hooking for 27 years, with many of my designs adapting PA Frakturs. Before rug hooking I did weaving, starting in 1968, and learned dyeing for my weaving fibers.  I then used my dyeing experience to dye for my own hooked rugs and expanded to dye for a few friends.  On retirement I started a small business dyeing wool for other rug artisans and sell at in-person events as well as on Etsy. In the past few years I have started to sell some of the rugs I have made. Three of my rugs have been selected for the Rug Hooking Magazine Celebrations book in the past few years, one winning a Reader’s Choice Award.

woolydyeworks.etsy.com

Mendez, Roselyn

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Even Rose Love Design

Jewelry

Mendez hand fabricates botanical jewelry in copper, bronze, brass and sterling. Their work is a celebration of the beauty and resilience of nature. Many of the plants that inspire the work are among the most ancient life forms, such as ginkgo and ferns. The jewelry pieces are often boldly colorful, utilizing rich patinas or hand painted finishes. Every piece is hand drawn and hand-cut and finished with techniques that include chasing, stamping and repousse. They combine these handbuilt metal elements with semiprecious stone beads and cabochons culminating in an organic line and feel.

www.evenroselove.com

Chewning, Bruce

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Wood Curious

Wood

Chewning’s shop is a space to clean up and make a mess again. The shop is right outside their office. Some days they step out of their office and into the shop until it’s time for bed. It’s a small shop with lots of tools so everything has its place. It’s referred to it as a “one tool at a time shop.” All the power tools must be pushed to the side to clear space for the one task that he’s working on. Some of these tools are stacked 3 deep against the wall. The craft requires thoughtful strategy, process, and planning to navigate the tools in the small space to create a small wooden object. There are the stacks of wood saved for the next project-the boards milled from a neighbor’s tree, or from a tree their father cut down, or the board saved from a church pew that came from the church they were married in. It’s a collection of memories. Chewning’s space is a place to forget everything else and create something beautiful from scratch. When the floor is inches deep of sawdust and shaving, it’s swept and vacuumed until the shop is clean. Sometimes there’s a big glue up required and that’s followed by more sawdust and another cleanup. The piece then reveals its true beauty of the wood with grain that pops with color, shape, and texture. The best part of the process to see the wood come alive. Favorite pieces are always an inventory of one.

woodcurious.com

Pittman, Benjamin

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Ben Pittman Knives

Metal

All knives are 100% handmade from start to finish with great care taken to create the best possible piece. While the cutlery may be considered a work of art, they are designed to work in both the kitchen and the field. Being of heirloom quality, these knives are intended to make memories and be handed down through generations.

benpittmanknives.com

ARTISAN-SEAL
Landmark Artisan

Witmer, Amy & Joe

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Witmer Cinnamon Treasures

Cinnamon Treasure’s products are produced completely by hand using 100% pure and locally sourced beeswax. They scent the beeswax using a custom blend created only for them. It is started with a solid block of beeswax, melted down to add the scent, then hand poured and finished. All items sold are made from scratch, using antique, vintage, and hard to find chocolate molds to pour into and create the pieces.

Cinnamon Treasure’s uses early flat molds, chocolate, Springerle, and cookie molds to make unique ornaments. They have a wide range of items with a large focus on Christmas and Santa, to rabbits, turkeys, chickens, pigs, horses, bees, hearts, cats, dogs, etc. – hard to name them all!

This unique art of molding and carving beeswax began in Germany centuries ago with the Lebkuchen bakers. The bakers used their Springerle and gingerbread boards to mold the first beeswax ornaments. This became a holiday tradition. These boards were carved from fruitwood into elaborate scenes of animals, birds, guild workers, country life and St. Nicholas. By the mid 1500’s, Christmas markets were thriving in German towns. There are records of bakers attending these fairs making gingerroot flavored breads, as well as merchants who made wax souvenirs which people took home and hung on their Christmas tree. It is a tradition carried on today. Cinnamon Treasure’s has expanded this tradition to include casting and pouring figures from exceedingly rare and early authentic chocolate molds from makers in France and Germany as well as the US.

cinnamontreasures.com

Niskala, Nurit

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Niskala Metal Jewelry

Jewelry

Niskala strives to convey a sense of peace through the melding of many types of materials. They express this aesthetic by using the ancient techniques of sawing, forming, texturing, torching, and shaping the pieces.

Niskala learned this work from their father and grandfather. Learning how to use old-fashioned tools enabled her to create pieces that have a playful and modern flair but also respect the tradition of the craft that was passed down. Learning skills such as metal smithing allowed me to take my craft further and develop my own unique style.

*Member of the prestigious League Of NH Craftsmen

nuritniskala.com

Linthicum, Lori

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Linthicum Hearts Desire Pottery

Clay

As a gardener comfortable in the dirt, Linthicum finds satisfaction using that same type of medium, clay, to try and replicate Nature’s art.

Porcelain allows her to create a three dimensional, tactile effect and try to bring native habitat to life for others to enjoy year round in their homes and gardens.

Through handbuilding, slabwork and coiling the clay is manipulated into buds breaking from the surface just as real blossoms spring from the soil. Mason stains and underglazes give a wide palette to paint the details, then a clear glaze is added and fire to cone 6. Some pieces are further enhanced with lusters.

Some regular visitors may recognize Lori’s work from the Old Mill Shop, where she has sold for many years.

heartsdesirepottery.net