Upcycled Living Fair: My Three Favorite Things

This weekend I was so pleased to take part in the (1st annual) Upcycled Living Fair.  The Event was sponsored by The Grapevine, a unique marketplace in Downtown Greer, SC. The event was hosted at the lovely Poinsett West Gardens and benefitted Greer Relief.  There were so many talented artisans at the fair who were repurposing items that were likely headed to the landfill - I just have to share my three favorite things.

1. Sitting in the booth next to me, Jeanne of quiltsnquaints had a somewhat unnatural obsession with gloves (I tease, she is really quite creative).  This purse brought a smile to my face immediately and I downright giggled when I learned that the strap was actually made from the chain that you'll likely find inside your toilet's tank. She is also quite the collector of all things vintage.  I rather enjoyed listening to her share the story of each item in her booth.

2.  Then I headed over to Artistic Designs, I couldn't stay long though because I could have done some SERIOUS damage to my finances  if I had.  She had some wonderful bird baths and feeders made out of platters and cups/saucers, adorable pet beds and these pencil pots pictured.  The real beauty is apparent when you peek you inside:

She not only reshapes records into pencil pots but she fashions placements and wall art out of old records and their covers.  Hop over to her Etsy shop and see how much damage YOU can do!

3.  And finally, my third favorite thing comes from Fare & Balanced who handcrafts food pedestals.  I'm definitely not the kind of girl who needs to get all fancy schmancy and I don't own a food pedestal, not even for a cake.  But I can certainly appreciate the creativity behind each of Suzanne's creations.  This food pedestal  contains (starting from the bottom) a candle holder, saucer, cordial glass and a dinner plate.  She's just getting her Etsy store set up but in the meantime, this one is listed.

Here are the rest of the amazingly talented vendors who took part in this year's event:

AM Glass Recyclers I loved all the "melted" glass bottles and the tumbler style glasses cut from wine bottles
Riacycled Art picks up scrap granite and makes beautiful cheese boards with it
Butter Bath shared her 100% pure and natural face and body care products

Not quite online:

Sally Studios - while not the majority of her work, the guitar string jewelry was rockin'!
Rebecca Savage - shared her sweet birdhouses with marketplace visitors
At Home, LLC - dabbles in a little bit of everything for the home and garden
Burlap Buddies - had some really adorable home accessories made from  burlap and wine corks (which she swears she didn't drink all that wine alone!)
The Old Home Place - had some really cool yard art made from horseshoes

That just about rounds out the weekend.  I can't wait for next year's event.  If you'd like to keep up to date on future events, follow the Upcycled Living Fair blog.