The well-loved UMB event returns for the 16th year as nearly 50 vendors sell their homemade or handmade goods to members of the UMB community.
Photo: Mary Sterrett (right) of Environmental Services shows off her homemade items to shoppers at the UMB Holiday Craft Fair on Dec. 4.
Mary Sterrett was in a good mood. And why not? Holiday music filled the Elm Ballrooms at the SMC Campus Center, the big-screen TVs were showing a cozy-looking yule log fire, shoppers were browsing the vendor tables, and Sterrett’s homemade body scrubs and hair oils were attracting an audience.
Sterrett, an evening shift custodial manager for Environmental Services, seemed downright giddy while standing behind Table 40 on Dec. 4 during the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) 16th Annual Holiday Craft Fair.
“I have been making all-natural skin care products for the last eight years now,” said Sterrett, whose items are advertised as being made with pure ingredients. “I saw an opportunity here and said to myself, ‘Hey, I’m going to try selling at the UMB Craft Fair and see how that goes, because I feel pretty good about my products, and I’m good with people. Sounds like a match!’ ”
Asked how her sales were doing, Sterrett beamed and said, “It’s going awesome! I’m having a great time, in between time, in the meantime. … I’m just having fun.”
(See a photo gallery below and a video about the craft fair on YouTube.)
Sterrett’s joyful demeanor seemed to be infectious during the three-hour Holiday Craft Fair, a UMB tradition that Nancy Gordon, executive director of protocol and special events, Office of External Relations, has called “one of my favorite days of the year at UMB.”
“It’s great to see people from all around our University community shopping for gifts in a fun and festive mood as we prepare for the upcoming holidays,” Gordon said. “We had almost 50 vendors this year, including several newcomers with a great assortment of items to purchase.”
The craft fair attracted students, faculty, staff, and UMB leaders including President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, while the Staff and Faculty senates set up tables to provide employees with information about their governance roles at the University.
Shoppers could choose from a wide range of homemade and handmade items, including the always-popular bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, baked goods, T-shirts, sweaters, jewelry, wax candles, dog treats, and greeting cards, not to mention tree skirts, key chains, tabletop Christmas trees, and much more.
At Table 12, Liliane Ventrone, senior research project coordinator, and Megan Wagner, project coordinator, both with the Program in Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland Medical System, were selling handmade hats, scarves, and bags.
“I really enjoy doing this. It’s fun to get out and meet the UMB community and sell some of our stuff,” Ventrone said. “Megan does the crocheted items and I do the knitting and weaving, and we come together to sell it here. We don’t do craft fairs too often, so this is our main event of the year.”
Marilyn Jones, student financial planning manager, Office of Student Affairs, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, was at Table 8 selling signed copies of her book, “Nothing Wasted: A Memoir of Finding Purpose in the Pain.” Another vendor, Janet Yellowitz, DMD, MPH, associate professor and director, Geriatric Dentistry, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, was selling artwork that she created from metal watchbands.
Yellowitz said she has been a UMB craft fair vendor for eight years, originally crafting jewelry but lately concentrating on transforming used watchbands into works of art.
“This collection is all based on watchbands, with a few watch faces thrown in for good measure,” she said. “I started by making pigs, and I’ve kept them functional, so you can still use the piece as a piggybank and get your money out when it’s full. And I make it as fun and interesting as I can. I love putting faces on them and giving them a little character.
“It does take a chunk of time,” she said of her crafting hobby. “The smaller pieces take about 20 hours to complete, and the larger ones … I don’t even know how long, but it takes a lot of time — and patience. The watchbands are used, so they need to be cleaned, cut, trimmed, and refined, then I put it all together with welding glue. It’s a fun thing to do, and it’s enjoyable.
“This is definitely one of my favorite craft shows,” Yellowitz added. “It’s the UMB community. I love seeing other people from the School of Dentistry who are here, and I enjoy meeting people from other schools, so this is a treat.”
Dana Rampolla and Danny Siebenhaar contributed to this article.