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Upcycled and handmade items featured at Eisenhower craft show
by Mary Rupert
The Eisenhower holiday craft show was packed with early holiday shoppers on Saturday.
This year shoppers saw many crocheted items, jewelry, scarves and other hand-made items, and had the opportunity to talk to the crafters from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
One of this year’s features was upcycled and recycled materials used to create something new.
Joyce Ryan made small holiday trees out of coffee filters, gumball ornaments out of cupcake liners and reindeer ornaments out of light bulbs.
It is upcycling, she said, where ordinary items are repurposed into another use.
Tyler Marble is an abstract artist who repurposes silverware.
He said he and his father, Herb Marble, a retired teacher and coach, made knife handles into bud vases, forks into business card holders, and keychains out of forks. Silver-U-Wear is the name of their enterprise.
It took a special handmade tool from New Zealand to work on the jewelry made from forks, he said.
Wanda Salaam was offering hand-made designer journals at her table.
She designed bright journal covers with religious, sports and other themes.
Amy Slater and her brothers decided to go ahead with a craft table in memory of Judi Roland, her mother, who died in June.
Roland had brought her craft items to the show for 15 years, Slater said, and she had been making items for this year’s craft show.
“My brothers and I did it for her,” Roland said.
Winnie Axe, a former member of the Unified Government Parks Board, had a table filled with crocheted items she made, and was surrounded by three members of her family, Chris, Karen and Logan Axe.
Jackie Coleman returned to the craft show this year to take portrait photos with a holiday background.
“There was a steady stream of customers of all ages,” Coleman said.
The Christmas craft show, sponsored by the Unified Government, is held every year at the Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd, Kansas City, Kansas.