The Handmade Market was a very busy event! From the time the doors “opened” to the time they “closed” and a little bit after, there were throngs of people walking through. It was a full day of meeting new people and talking about all the items on the table. There were several long spans of time that I barely had a chance to sit down!

The Spring Leaf Press booth was full of traditional and nontraditional book objects. There was a range of blank journals and a few cards, but what most people responded to were the tunnel books (aka theater books) and the boxes. One of the theater books was a glimpse into Easter Island. I have been meaning to make another theater book and the market was a great impetus. Each panel was hand painted and enclosed in a cloth covered wrapper complete with a stone-like button that keeps it all together.

There were two styles of boxes, and as mentioned before, they were big crowd pleasers. The secret boxes are fairly simple. The lid is removed, aided by the use of a ribbon, to reveal the main compartment. The secret is revealed by pressing a spot on the bottom board which exposes the hidden compartment; a very fun revelation.

The boxes that elicited the most audible reactions were the Jacobs Ladder boxes. These open in one direction exposing one compartment, then in the other direction to reveal two separate compartments. The trick for everyone was how to get to the other compartments…there was a lot of scratching at the barriers.

These are just a few of the items that appeared at the fair. To see more, you can visit my new “For Sale” page and also here at my friend Katya’s blog Minus Plus Minus.