What comprises a collection of crafts shows at the Oregon convention? The answer is: Different groups, plus some guilds, put together crafts of a whole lot of variety. You’ll be able to see all sorts of pottery, handcrafted pieces of jewelry, elaborately woven cloths, glass-blown figures, carved wood, and a whole lot of other things that escape me at the moment.

A vendor here may be less than productive. And apparently, we weren’t alone in this theory, as a lot of people thought so, too; but every which way you looked, there were things being bought. The craftspeople I had the chance to interact with said that they expected this year’s sales to be down because of the recession. But, on this Saturday, everyone did pretty good business that was at par with the previous year. Everyone ended up satisfied.

I’m not exactly a fan of shopping, so under normal circumstances, going around the booths should not be an attractive proposition for me. This is why it’s interesting to note that I am a regular of this event for the past ten years. It probably has something to do with my growing appreciation for the crafts; there is something about the way raw materials takes shape under an artist or artisan’s hands that I like.

Various rooms of beautiful crafts both simple and complex engage the eye. I find myself tending towards certain items – bowls, glass platters, a pair of earrings for Mother’s Day – all of them weigh in my mind. The balance of the material with the creativity of the craftsperson astounds me. And of course, I wonder how such items will be useful at home as well.

Yet another reason why I like this event is the fact that I like the prices. Some of them would seem downright cheap to what you’d find in more permanent shops. As I’ve said before, I am not an avid shopaholic and would not be the best judge for such things. Even so, I like the idea of spending my money this way.