Artists and Vendors Shine in Downtown Saline

A full variety of booths featuring fine arts, crafts, jewelry, ceramics and more filled up the north end of the Harvest of the Arts Festival in Saline Saturday. Coupled with several merchant booths, there was plenty to see and buy on North Ann Arbor Street and the north municipal parking lot.

The morning started out with sweet treats baked by the Culinary Arts Students at Saline High School. They served pies, cookies and three varieties of homemade bread. Hot pretzels were sold on a stick and coffee brews were close by.

Marsha Belaire and David Rhoads, both members of the Saline Environmental Commission, hung out in lawn chairs, on a patch of fresh-cut, green grass. One might not expect to find a luscious, green lawn in the middle of the street, but thanks to Insta-lawn Sod Farm, there was just that, a perfect landing to showcase the Environmental Commissions’s working rain barrel.

For quilters, Claudia Hambleton puts a different spin on traditional quilting. 

“I appreciate traditional quilts,” Hambleton said, “but I love the mixed media.” 

Mixed media quilting is the combination of quilting with other art forms like paint, fibers and other embellishments. 

“I’m also into portrait and photo quilts,” she said.

On display in her booth was a portrait of her parents’ wedding photo, reproduced in quilt form. 

Noreen Smith knits. A lot.

Her booth for Li'l Noggins Knitwear, was a rainbow of knitted wearables, some of which are one of a kind. 

“When I vacation, I look for yarn stores,” Smith said. “Sometimes I am unable to reproduce an item a customer might like,  because I made it with some unique yarn I found during my travel.” 

Smith said she fell in love with yarn as a child, and was taught to knit by her older sister. 

“I get excited going into a yarn store like a guy going into a hardware store,” she said. 

Certainly one of the most sparkling displays belonged to that of Sharon Stewart, owner of Pearly Gates Strand Company. 

“I’ve been making jewelry since I got in trouble for it in second grade,” Stewart said. 

Pearls, however, have become her passion. 

“I love working with pearl farmers, creating with pearls, teaching people how to tell real from fake. I just love them!”  she said.

Other booths held baskets and soaps, fused glass, tons of beaded items like jewelry and glassware, and books and wooden toys. 

And the kids weren't the only ones getting their hands on arts and crafts. Two Twelve Arts Center sponsored an Inspiration Station for adults. Visitors were inspired by the Two Twelve staff,  then taught to make make-n-take art projects to go.

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