Visitors to this year’s Nova Scotia Art and Craft Sale were met with the greeting “Welcome to where Happiness is Handmade”. It was the perfect introduction to the showcase of handmade goodness that was to follow. 
The annual holiday market, now in its 14th year, kicked off the craft market season in early November. It was held for two days at the Cedar Event Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Art and Craft Sale is highly-regarded by exhibitors and guests for featuring the curated work of talented makers and artisans. The curation process ensures all products are handmade and, as the Show’s website explains, helps “to maintain a high level of quality and variety in those items offered at the show, thus ensuring we do not saturate the show with any one type of craft”.
The desired level of quality and variety were indeed evident at the show. I tried to capture a sampling of the handmade happiness on offer in the photos that follow. I couldn’t include everything, of course, but these are some of the items that caught my eye. Where possible, I’ve included the maker’s bio from the Show’s website.
Special thanks to the exhibiting artists and makers for granting me permission to take photos.
Rag Rugs by Karina – Karina Carter-Krafft
“Karina Carter-Krafft is a self-taught rug weaver, learning to twine on a loom hand built by her husband. This method of weaving, called twining, uses recycled textiles, such as bed linens, to create durable floor rugs and other home items. Karina teaches workshops in her home studio in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.”
Misc Sail Wear – Angela Barkhouse
“Misc Sail Wear creates innovative and functional bags and accessories from reclaimed sails and other textiles. These one of a kind bags are hand cut and crafted here in Nova Scotia.”
MaerieFaerie Dolls – Marianne Lohnes
“As a retired graphic artist, I design and create various forms of art dolls using recycled, secondhand, once loved, and vintage fabrics and materials.”
Whimsy Glass – Kathryn Onlock-van Vliet
“My name is Kathryn and I create fused glass art here in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Apart from hanging hooks, ribbons and the like, everything I make is 100% glass. I get my raw materials in various formats – sheet glass, powders, frits, murrini – and cut and shape them in a kiln at high temperatures. I make candleholders, dishes, bowls, trays, magnets, suncatchers, garden decor and decorative panels.” as explained on the Whimsy Glass Facebook page.
Lawrencetown Candle Co – Erika McNeice
“We take pride in hand-making every single candle and wax melt from start to finish using eco friendly 100% Soy Wax and premium fragrances free of parabens and phthalates. When it comes to quality, you deserve the best… Our products are lovingly made without compromise. Always. Period.”
Sunny Day Nature Art – Sanita Kurto
“Hello, I’m Sanita, and I’m delighted to introduce you to my unique creations. I specialize in crafting ‘Sunny Day Nature Art’ using epoxy resin and a captivating array of real flowers, mushrooms, sea shells, and sand. My artistic journey encompasses a diverse range of products, including jewelry like earrings, necklaces, rings, and key chains, as well as home decor items such as coasters, trays, bookmarks, and more.
What truly sets my work apart is the incorporation of genuine elements from nature, reflecting my deep love for the natural world. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted, with resin sourced from Canada and flowers carefully selected and dried using specialized silica gel. This attention to detail ensures that every creation is one-of-a-kind and infused with my unique design. … Thank you for joining me on this artistic journey where nature’s beauty is captured and shared in every creation.”
Maritime Blues Prints – Daphne Hurley
“It was the lack of fabrics available with a Maritime theme that led me to the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax, NS and to the creation of my fabric line Maritime Blues. Through night courses I learned to create my own line of fabrics using the early methods of block carving. These linoleum blocks are the starting point for this line of useful and unique gift items. Individually and painstakingly hand-carved, they depict with charming simplicity subjects illustrating our Maritime Heritage. Images of Schooners, of Lighthouses, of Fishermen, and Fish, of Whales and Heron are some of the designs produced using the intricately carved linoleum. I added a new line of West Coast inspired designs, Raven’s Walk, Orcas, Beach Bear, Quails, and the newest, Octopus. By preserving and promoting images of the Maritimes I hope to raise people’s awareness of the value of our Maritime culture and way of life. … All items are printed and sewn in my Nova Scotia Studio.” as explained on the Maritime Blues Prints website.
Jerry Walsh Artisan
“Jerry started on his artistic journey about sixteen years ago, combining his lifelong passions of woodworking and gardening, creating rustic birdhouses and feeders. The initial vision morphed into home and garden accents, that are interesting, distinctive, functional, solid and with a simple design.
Driftwood from the Atlantic Ocean is a significant part of each piece as a base or as a backdrop. Hand cut pine shapes of birds and fish are added to create Maritime, nature and marine scenes. Woods with character, texture and colour are used, accented with outdoor paints, metals and recycled fishing materials. The joy of creation continues with something new every day!”
Blue Cottage Rugs – Allison Rose
“I started making rag rugs while my husband and I were building our blue cottage on the beautiful north shore of Nova Scotia. I wanted rag rugs for the bedrooms. I became fascinated with the many traditional types of rag rugs and have never stopped! I make crochet rugs and baskets, wrapped rope or clothesline rag rug table mats/runners, baskets, coasters, eyeglass cases, pouches and bags and twined rag rugs. All my products are based on a traditional rag rug style and I use reclaimed and surplus fabrics and leather as much as possible!”
JST Jacqueline Steudler
“I create one-of-a-kind thread sculptures using just a sewing machine, thread, and my hands. Each unique design is stitched onto special fabric that washes away in water, leaving behind a light, lacy shape that’s both delicate and strong. It’s a bit like nature: full of fine detail, but built to last. Inspired by the colours and patterns I see in the natural world, I use bold colour choices to add movement, joy, and energy to every piece. My goal is to help people slow down, feel uplifted, and notice the beauty around them.”
BedlamCats Studio – Susan Pfeiffer
“Throughout my life I have attempted to take the ideas and concepts in my head and reproduce them in as many forms as I can. Whether it be through animation, life drawing or character designs, illustrations, art doll design, beading and jewelry making. I have always felt the need to create and be creative. My approach as a texture artist is to design using traditional methods, take that design and turn it into a pattern and then create a One of a Kind Whimsey: a plush representation of that original design. … I love to play with colour; so the lines in my design, contrast the body and allow for greater combinations of colours. My beadwork follows the same path, pulling inspiration from the cabochons I work with; stones, fossils, glass & lampwork. Each piece I bead is OOAK and hand-stitched with care. My main aim is to instill a sense of playfulness and whimsey in my finished works that will appeal to all, both young and old.”
Hyde Expressions – Gail Parker
“My name is Gail Parker, and I have a passion for creating hand sewn leather bound journals which has opened up a world of creativity using leather as my medium. It has inspired me to design one-of-a-kind watercolour and sketch kits, jewellery and refillable journals just to name a few of my items.”
Bardbardbard Pop-up Cards – Brad Hartman
“Bardbardbard creates pop-up greeting cards to add a little whimsy to your special notes. Each card is printed, cut, and assembled by hand in Halifax’s north end. Brad illustrates each design and is inspired by the architecture and nature of his city and province. As a self taught pop-up artist he finds joy in the experimentation of folding paper.”
Lulu Bell Felting – Rowena Glasgow
“LuLu Bell Felting creates hand made pieces of fibre art. Using and combining techniques such as wet felting, needle felting, spinning, and weaving to design 3D felted sculptures, 2D felted pictures, wet felted vessels and woven wall hangings. Everything is designed and hand made by Rowena Glasgow at our studio near Fall River in Nova Scotia, Canada. Each piece is lovingly made with care and attention to detail using a mixture of sustainable wool and vegan fibres such as Bamboo, acrylic and Bio-nylon. Rowena finds inspiration every day from her love of animals and nature. Walking in nature is inspiring, seeing something different every single day.”
Petals of Clay – Karen Price
“I am inspired by Nova Scotia and the ocean. My seascapes are a combination of several colours of polymer clay, blended together in a process that results in the appearance of a seascape. My products are 100% polymer clay (no painting) except for the occasional addition of an inked stamp or a metal charm. My clay candy earrings and ornaments are a nod to the Maritime era of old fashioned hard candies found in every stocking at Christmas time.”
The Nova Scotia Art and Craft Sale may set the bar for holiday craft markets but there are many other terrific events. In fact, I’ve discovered Nova Scotia has so many of these annual events that it’s a challenge to decide which to attend.
More Info
For more information about the Nova Scotia Art and Craft Sale, see their website or Instagram page.
The following talented makers and artisans are mentioned in this blog post:
. Rag Rugs by Karina – Karina Carter-Krafft – see more on Instagram
. Misc Sail Wear – by Angela Barkhouse – see more on Instagram
. MaerieFaerie Dolls – by Marianne Lohnes – see more on Instagram or her website
. Whimsy Glass – by Kathryn Onlock-van Vliet – see more on Instagram
. Lawrencetown Candle Co – by Erika McNeice – see more on Instagram or her website
. Sunny Day Nature Art – by Sanita Kurto – see more on Instagram
. Maritime Blues Prints – by Daphne Hurley – see more on Instagram or their website
. Jerry Walsh Artisan – see more on Instagram or their website
. Blue Cottage Rugs – by Allison Rose – see more on Instagram or their Etsy site
. JST Jacqueline Steudler – see more on Instagram or their website
. BedlamCats Studio – by Susan Pfeiffer – see more on Instagram or their website
. Hyde Expressions – by Gail Parker – see more on Instagram
. Bardbardbard Pop-up Cards – by Brad Hartman – see more on Instagram or their website
. Lulu Bell Felting – by Rowena Glasgow – see more on Instagram or their website
. Petals of Clay – by Karen Price – see more on Facebook.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Holiday craft fairs showcase the handmade creations of local artists and craftspeople.
2. Consider scouting for creative inspiration at a holiday craft fair.
3. Support local artists and craftspeople with your holiday gifting and decorating purchases.
Comments are closed.