I'm always amazed at how many ineffectual business cards I pick up at crafty events. It's not like the cards are ugly – most of them are beautifully designed – but they don't tell me enough about what the person makes for me to connect the card with what I loved about their work. For example, I have a stack of five or ten cards on my desk right now that just have basic patterns, like flowers or paisley, and say something like "jewelry" or "journals." When I go to an event with 100 crafters, how am I supposed to remember someone's work from that? I can't.

Some people do a great job though. Here are four business cards I picked up at the Art Star Craft Bazaar a while back that were successful in reminding me what the artist’s work was:

From the top left:

1. Ray-Min Shoulderware. This card is one of my favorites because it does a nice job of representing Ray-Min's work – handbags decorated with simple, bold shapes – without actually showing the bags.
2. Deadbird. Cat Campbell makes mixed media art with photos of taxidermied animals, and the bit of big cat on the front is a nice reminder. Also, save for the white name on white in the upper-right corner (which is barely visible in this image), I love the design of this card.
3. Bright Lights Little City. Heather makes handmade lamps out of paper parasols. The front of the card is illuminated parasols. Easy.
4. TADworks. Cute little felted critters show up (beautifully photographed) right on the front of the card. No mistaking what this is.

Selling things at the Art Star Craft Bazaar didn't go all too well for me, unfortunately. My table was one of 18 tucked back in this weird, fenced-in parking lot area, and I don't think a lot of people knew we were there. Either that or they were afraid of venturing too near to the crafters so fearsome that they had to be fenced away from everyone else. Look, I know: embroidery is threatening.

Anyway, even though selling didn't go well for me, buying certainly did. Often at these events I'll see the same stuff over and over ("Oh, another t-shirt with an elk, curly lines, and a silhouette of headphones. Neat."), but I was really impressed with the variety of work at the Bazaar. So you can be impressed too, here's what I got:

1) Yarn Remnant by Woolerina
A good idea from Woolerina: selling scraps of handmade yarn for small amounts of money. This will be a mail-gift to a knitting friend.

2) Microwave Guy T-Shirt by Family Dinner For One
I am jaded by most t-shirts (see elk and headphones, above). This shirt has a picture of a man looking in a microwave with a "no" sign over it. Is he going to go sterile? Are his teeth going to fall out? I don’t know, but I am wildly in love with this shirt.

3) Bird Block by DeadBird
Cat Campbell makes amazing and often hilarious mixed-media work of animals. I would cover my walls with it.

4) Book on Wool by Betsy Ross Patterns
My friend Aimee makes easy-to-follow sewing patterns and related products, including a super-cute series of books on different fabrics. There’s real wool inside!

5) Chair Sticky Notes Set by Good on Paper
Four different sets of sticky notes with drawings of furniture on them, when individually wrapped, make for four cute little gifts. If you are a friend who is reading this and you get one, act surprised.

6) Crazy Sewn Shirt by Laura Alexander
Laura and I traded shirts. That was great. Does anybody else who makes cool shirts want to trade? I don’t know if you can tell, but the circles on this shirt are made of sewn-on mesh. Pretty neat.

7) Flower Choker by The Candy Thief
I am on a quest to find bigger and bigger necklaces. One day I will find a necklace that covers my entire body (and yes, it will be a necklace, not a body stocking or such nonsense). The Candy Thief makes fantastic, large flower chokers. Swoon.