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I went out with the girls last night to the One of a Kind craft fair at BC Place. We browsed wares from more than 150 creators, artists and artisans (see an earlier Scout post for more details on this event). There were loads of interesting things. I especially loved the stunning necklaces from Lemon Park (see pictures above). The Buddha Bowls were cool too. I can’t figure out why I left without buying ten of the latter, as they would make such nice gifts. I plan on hunting some down before Christmas.

I also bought some beautiful wrapping paper at the Regional Assembly of Text booth. There is no chance I will be wrapping anything with it though – this stuff is going straight in to a frame in my house.

On to the Black Drop Design booth. Black Drop has clean and elegant images of winter trees set in cast resin pendants that sell at very reasonable prices ($30/$40 range). I don’t know of anywhere in Vancouver that carries Black Drop Design, but if you like this style of jewelry and can’t make it to the one of a kind show (ends tomorrow), Black Drop is available online.

I didn’t (but desperately wanted to) buy a cute charcoal grey sweater from Hold Your Ground. Ayla MacIninch is the textile artist and creator of this distinct ‘eco-couture’ line that fashions tired sweaters into sweeter sweaters. This particular one was too expensive for me to justify while “shopping for others” ($229), but I have bookmarked Ayla’s web site and will keep an eye open for her spring creations.

I was happy to see Abeego at the fair. I picked up a few of the smaller handcrafted all natural “snack packs” for Christmas stockings. If you are looking for an alternative to plastic bags, these are great (ideal for packed lunches). Check out Abeego at Etsy.

Just before we left I broke down and bought myself a necklace at the Billy Would booth. I couldn’t help but fall in love with a simple wooden cut with a tree design and I snatched it up before my more rational self had a chance to interject. Local designer Adea Chung had stunning necklaces and earrings made from reclaimed wood, and some pretty kick-ass belt buckles made from spent skateboard decks (my husband, a skater for over 20 years, totally approves). Billy Would is available in a few key Vancouver shops (for a full list, click (here), as well as on line at Lavish & Lime.