VILSECK, Germany -- What started as a few girlfriends gathering for a craft night (and perhaps a few bottles of wine) has morphed into a money-making endeavor for Krystelle Chaney and Kendra Buttner of "The Paper Dolls."
Chaney and Buttner sat behind a table doused with homemade greeting cards, here, at the Vilseck Community and Spouses' Club's fourth annual Spring Craft Fair, March 16.
And the work never stopped. Diligently cutting, folding, pasting and stamping, the two entrepreneurs created one-of-a-kind works of art on the spot, each with creative expressions for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or "just because."
Across the room, Heather Roley of "Made with Love Creations," painted the faces of tiny customers while Annette Stanis showed off her intricate hand-designed jewelry under the umbrella of "Red Leaf Designs."
Alesha Wozny iced cupcakes for sampling and Lynsye Peeples of "Lynsye's off the Hook Crochet" replenished her stock of colorfully crocheted winter owl hats -- an item that flew off the shelf during the first 30 minutes of the event.
Crisy Ross Libesck and Jen Battiste took "going green" to the next level by upcycling old ACUs into children's clothing, headbands, flower pins and ornaments -- all of which intrigued passersby into stopping for a closer look.
The crafters, nearly 20 total, were all spouses within the community, many using their craft as little more than a hobby, using money earned to recoup material expenses. Others had a vested interest in their craft, showcasing their talents to sustain their artistic desires.
"The level of diversity in the products sold reflects the broad experience base of the community as a whole," said Kirsten Starkey, publicity chair for VCSC.
While the craft show offered a modicum of recognition and community awareness, even more, it served as a much-needed creative outlet for many talented artists with the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr community and allowed the community an opportunity to purchase unique, one-of-a-kind items that can double as mementos of time spent overseas.
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