Saline Spring Craft Show Offers Unique Upcycled Art

Breathing New Life in What Was Once Destined for a Landfill

By Sue Kelch

The Saline Spring Craft Show is March 8, 2025.  Cheryl Hoeft, who manages both Saline craft shows, talks about how the Spring Show “lifts us out of the winter blahs as we look forward to spring.  We’ll see bunnies and rabbits, birdhouses, bright cheery flowers, along with home décor and clothes.  There will also be outdoor items, which remind us that we’ll soon be planting our annuals and getting ready for warm weather.”

The Spring Craft Show will have over 150 booths, and will include upcycle artists.  What makes upcycled crafts different? Dawn Quick of Donnibelle Studios says it best: “vintage pieces speak to people.  Maybe it is something that brings back a fond memory from grandma’s house or a wonderful childhood memory. People connect with the nostalgia of the tiny details and recycled pieces from the past.”

Meet some of the upcycle artists.

Connecting with the Nostalgia of Recycled Pieces from the Past

Dawn Quick of Donnibelle Studio, offers her handsewn mice and critters that are ½ – 6″ tall from wool blend felt. “I put them in vintage tins, porcelain, on wooden stamps, whatever I find. They are adorned in vintage fabrics and antique laces, and many wear pieces of broken jewelry or old earrings for hats. I find discarded items everywhere and this makes so many of my designs one-of-a-kind!”

 “There is so much we all have tucked away, the thrift shops full of so many of these discarded things.  So many goodies beg to have a tiny mouse tucked in them or for a miniature garment to be created from them. I give them new life – to be treasured once again!”

Emily Wiedmaier of Taurus Trading Company works with textiles and quilts.  “In my craft,” she explains, “I utilize all secondhand and vintage textiles, specifically handmade quilts, coverlets and tablecloths.  Then I create seasonal apparel, accessories, and housewares.”

“I was raised by a mother who loved all things handmade, and that dedication is at the center of my business.  Honoring the many hands that came before me, I find so much joy in making one of a kind wearable and usable art.  I believe in buying intentionally, utilizing what already exists, and creating beauty where others may see decay.”

Jill Chaffee of Made by Jill also loves to work with quilts.  She remembers how “both of my grandmothers made quilts, so I grew up seeing the beauty and hard work that went into each one. I started upcycling quilts into blazers, jackets, and long coats for women and girls; no two garments are the same.  I also embellish denim jackets, hoodies and sweatshirts; and repurpose and incorporate other items into apparel.  I don’t like throwing scraps away, so I use them to make small items like Christmas ornaments, love notes, and luggage tags.”

Carrie Hawkins of Scaredy Cat Primitives creates “one-of-a-kind whimsical cat art dolls and home and fashion accessories using wool and cashmere sweaters and other damaged textiles.”

“The cat art dolls, called ‘Ragamuffins’, are each created by felting the wool or cashmere, sewing it into its cat shape and filling it with fiberfill to give it a 3-dimensional shape. The face is handstitched, giving each cat its own ‘purr-sonality.’  Then each cat gets a ‘charm’ made out of costume/contemporary jewelry or found objects, making each one unique.  I also use left-overs to create other cat-themed items such as brooches, pens, keychains and storage pouches.”

Carrie sums up her experience with thrifting:“That is what truly inspires my art, to pay tribute to the past and a much simpler way of life.  In today’s world of excess, it’s important to me to seek out those old, discarded and once-loved things of the past that are destined for a landfill and breathe new life in them through my art.”

Chris Galicki of Bourbon Trout describes his wares as “practical and decorative items from repurposed whiskey barrels. I make everything from bottle openers to end tables.”

Although Chris has been doing various types of woodworking for 35 years, he “started working with whiskey barrels about 3 years ago after doing some woodworking for the Ugly Dog Distillery in Chelsea.  The quartersawn white oak used for the barrels is really beautiful wood, and the barrels are generally only used once, so it makes sense to use them again. I keep coming up with new ideas for products that I can make out of the used barrel staves.”  

Christine Samardich of Tallulah’s Satchels has always loved cashmere.  “I accidentally shrunk a sweater, so I decided to make it into a pillow. Then, I decided to incorporate recycled cashmere and wool into my artwork.  I also make hand and neck warmers, baby hats, and tooth fairy pillows.”

Christine explains the process of felting.  “After I buy the cashmere I put it in extremely hot water to shrink it down so that it will not fray.  Next, I air dry the sweaters, then iron and cut them up. I like to have a lot of choices for color so I have two 6’ tables full of just cashmere strips for arm and neck warmers.”

Christine also enjoys connecting with her customers.  “It is nice to see people who attend the show each year.  At the November show, a lovely mother and daughter brought me a cashmere sweater that the mother had held on to for a year, just so she could bring it to me.  How thoughtful and generous of her!  We started talking and learned she was born in France and my grandma was born in France.”

Ken Delor of Delor Studios uses a lot of different things, including “Singer sewing machines, meat grinders, brass torches, figurines of people and animals, tools, electric gauges, musical instruments, and old lamp parts to make one-of-a-kind unique lamps.”

Ken got his start when “my sister brought me a meat grinder for the base, a colander for the lamp shade, and a lamp that I used parts from to complete the lamp. I made my second lamp out of a brass torch.  My family said I should sell them, and my son got me into a show at his school to see what kind of response I would get. It went very well, so I decided to expand.  I buy parts from garage sales, flea markets, antique shops, auctions – always looking for unique items to expand.”

John Kwiatkowski of White Street Wood has been collecting antique Post Office box door fronts for close to 30 years.  He got started when “I met a gentleman many years ago that made coin banks using the post office (PO) box doors.  So I decided to design and build banks myself.  Over the years the Post Office used a couple of hundred different styles of PO doors.  It’s very satisfying making banks, and they make excellent gifts for people who are difficult to buy for.”

“My coin banks started out as an oak box with a PO door on the front and a simple brass plate with a slot.  Now, I build them using a variety of hardwood and even some repurposed wood from old furniture and house materials. I also use a decorative coin slot that is made by a veteran-owned company in Virginia.”

Veronica Markell of Veronica’s Arts loves “using century-old barn wood, fence posts, and barbed wire from my great grandfather’s original 1902 homestead family ranch in South Dakota. Currently my dad runs our family ranch there and encouraged me to use all the old weathered items stored up – because ranchers don’t throw anything away.  So every year I travel to South Dakota and pack my trailer with everything I can use to upcycle into arts or crafts.”

“I create various barn wood hanging wall arts, hand-painted rock/art designs, and simple word signs. I even use the century-old barbed wire and old rusty railroad spikes to make crosses on the barn wood.” 

Making a House a Home

We all fill our houses with decorations, adornments, and collections.  These all add life or evoke a memory.  Whether it’s wall art, coffee table knick-knacks, a colorful coat or hat, or an outdoor lawn ornament  – our choices are driven by emotion, make a personal statement, and bring us joy.  And that is what makes our house a home.

For more information on the upcoming Spring Craft Show vendors and activities, view the brochure www.salineschools.org/downloads/community_education_files/scs_march_2025_brochure_2_8.pdf