The Associated Women for Harding (AWH) is hosting a craft fair today and tomorrow in the student center. There are 10 vendors selling a variety of handmade items including painted coasters, photo cards and oil paintings. Part of the sales from the fair benefit the AWH scholarship fund.
The primary vendor is Missouri artist Sara Van Horn from Sara’s Old Country Porch. Debra Howard, a member of AWH, met Van Horn at the Northwest Arkansas Craft Fair and asked if she would be interested in coming to Searcy to sell her hand-painted items.
“I already knew from my conversation with Sara that I wanted her to come here to sell some of her items in Searcy,” Howard said. “And then I thought, instead of having her pay a fee to rent a space, why not find her a place on campus where she could sell and donate part of the proceeds to the AWH scholarship.”
The rest of the vendors are from Searcy and many of them are from Harding. Howard said she spread the word about the craft fair through the Searcy garage sale Facebook page.
“And then through word of mouth, more joined in,” Howard said. “This year it has snowballed, especially for being the first year. I hope it is successful and we can continue it next year.”
Van Horn primarily paints whimsical snowmen on items she finds at flea markets and garage sales; the items include suitcases, windows, doors, boxes, muffin tins, vinyl records and bricks. She will also be able to personalize items at the craft fair.
“When I was young I liked to paint and craft and my grandmother signed me up for my first craft fair when I was 18,” Van Horn said. “For the past 21 years, crafting has been my full-time job.”
Deb Johnson, administrative assistant for the American Studies Institute, specializes in hand painting and staining bisque Santas, which she sells through her online shop, Red Suit Studios. Along with the Christmas theme, Patty Taylor is selling handmade wreaths.
Judy Cuellar, assistant director of financial aid, and her husband, Rod Cuellar, a photographer who specializes in high dynamic range photography, are selling photo card sets, posters and wall-sized art. Many of Rod Cuellar’s photographs are scenes from campus. He will also be taking custom orders, such as family Christmas cards.
Desiree Byrd, RLC for Searcy Hall, will also be a vendor at the craft fair. She sells Thirty-One Gifts, which is a purse, wallet and accessory line that allows you to customize your items.
Randy Smith, postal services director, is selling oil paintings, primarily landscapes. He also has a process where he prints old black and white photos onto canvas and then colors them in with oil paints. He is taking custom orders this weekend.
Rachel Cochran makes hand-stamped ceramic tile coasters and trivets. Her designs include scriptures, monograms and holiday images.
“I began stamping about six years ago,” Cochran said. “It started out as making Christmas gifts for family members, but they became popular with other friends. When I realized people were willing to buy them, I started my small business. However, now that I have two kids and am teaching again, it is just a hobby I do occasionally or when someone asks for an order.”
The AWH craft fair is in the student center today from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Van Horn is the only vendor today and is located outside the bookstore. All vendors will be in the student center tomorrow from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. All payments must be made in cash. A portion of the sales will go toward the AWH needs-based scholarship fund.
