Northbrook Park District debuts Holiday Craft Fair in December, vendors invited to register

From vintage button bracelets to wooden trays and personalized ornaments, the Northbrook Park District’s first Holiday Craft Fair promises to offer something for everyone, just in time for the holidays.

The event on Dec. 14 is expected to feature more than two dozen vendors, ranging from first-timers to expert participants. Attendance is free for the public.

Northbrook resident Ashley Ferguson said she and her husband Kyle are looking forward to showcasing their handmade items at their first craft fair. She will sell hand-knitted items including scarves and dishcloths, while her husband will send handmade baby rattles, spoons, spatulas, serving trays and more.

“We both like doing crafting, so we figured we’d try it out,” Ashley Ferguson said.

Vendor Michelle Goldin will bring her portable indoor laser, which she can use to personalize gifts for customers with names, monograms and even phrases on stockings, cutting boards and other gift items. Besides making sales, Goldin said she especially enjoys meeting other vendors.

“I definitely love seeing what other people are making and talking to them,” she said.

Vendor Nancy Libman Luck makes jewelry — bracelets, earrings and broaches — out of vintage buttons from the 1890s through the 1960s. She also uses Mahjong tiles to make broaches.

“I have always loved buttons and started collecting them. Then I bought a big quantity and had to decide what to do them,” the Northbrook resident said. “I have been using buttons for a while. Then I learned to play Mahjong, which I love, and was inspired.”

Pottery fans can check out Eileen Pearlman’s handmade works, which incorporate leaves and wildflowers she picks in nature. “I roll it into clay and paint it all,” she says. “It’s a process, but it makes me happy to do it.”

“I was in a craft fair two years ago,” said Pearlman, who will also sell poured acrylic paintings and jewelry featuring vivid colors and metallic hues. “It’s just fun to talk to people about your artwork.”

The Holiday Craft Fair takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Leisure Center, 3323 Walters Ave. in Northbrook. Vendors are encouraged to register by Dec. 7 at nbparks.org (click on “register” and search with code 24815). Registration for vendors is $29 for residents and $39 for nonresidents. Attendance is free for shoppers.

For information, visit nbparks.org/events/holidaycraftfair.