Crafty creations
Bat boxes and other puzzling items catch shoppers’ attention at annual Fall Craft Fair
For Ron and Sandra Bedwell, it’s all about standing out.
Whimsical windchimes, shadow boxes and bird houses were some of the items perched on their table that caught attention as shoppers surveyed the wares of the 50 vendors at the annual Fall Craft Fair held in the Credit Union Place, Saturday.
“We try to make anything that’s unique and eye-catching, and I think we’ve succeeded,” smiled Sandra. “We like to use natural products, so our driftwood is collected off local beaches and we decorate a lot of pieces with shells.”
Some of their items are a bit unexpected for a craft fair, such as bat houses. Sandra says bats are needed to control pests such as mosquitoes and black fly populations, which are really bad right now on the Island. In 2013 the bat population decreased because of disease, but now they’re coming back and flourishing, she said, adding bats try to find safety under tree trunks or bark during the day, so a bat house mimics this environment.
“A bat only feeds at night, so once they finish feeding they find a small place to get into, which is dark. Our bat houses allow them to crawl up the wall and hang safely during the daylight hours. This can house 12 to 15 bats,” said Sandra, while showcasing her narrow wooden carving.
Bedwell and her husband create custom woodcarving and designs in Breadalbane.
“My husband has been making wooden furniture for more than 25 years, and he has every tool in the workshop that you can think of. I help with all the little pieces… We have on our booth reversible signs, bird houses, wooden barbecue paddles and shadow boxes with memorabilia.”
On another table, amid the treasure trove of handmade pieces that could be found at the craft fair, was “Lil’ Buddy Puzzlez”.
“We mass produce pictures and give the artist or photographer full credit on the jigsaw,” said Dave Fortune, pointing to a name on the box.
“Once our website is launched we plan to promote our product internationally, so the photographer and the artist will have a link to their page, too. But everything is 100 per cent local and the inspiration behind it comes from doing puzzles all the time – anything to get out of a chore.”
“A bat only feeds at night, so once they finish feeding they find a small place to get into, which is dark. Our bat houses allow them to crawl up the wall and hang safely during the daylight hours. This can house 12 to 15 bats.” Sandra Bedwell