Meet the first juried winners for this year’s Crafty Feast

More than 100 indie craft vendors from near and far will convene at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Sunday for Crafty Feast, a juried independent craft fair. Shoppers can peruse unique jewelery, toys, crafts and more from noon to 6 p.m. while enjoying food, drink and craft activities for children and adults.

Of the 110 vendors chosen for the craft fair, jewelry line Metamorphosis Metals was chosen as best in show – the first prize given in the five years this show has been held. Metamorphosis is run by Sonya Coulson Rook and Jackey Rook of Raleigh. Sonya Coulson Rook started working in jewelry design as a student at East Carolina University. In 2006, she started making and selling jewelry as a part-time job, but it quickly grew into a business. Her husband, Jackey Rook, joined her in the business in 2012.

The couple’s jewelry is made of hand-cut metal and range from simple shapes to animal cutouts to full diorama pieces that incorporate miniatures designed for use in model trains. Sonya Coulson Rook began doing the diorama pieces when she found a few miniature animals at a flea market and incorporated them into a found objects project. When she discovered where to find more, they became part of her jewelry collection.

Another vendor receiving top honors is Jellykoe, a Columbia-based specialty toy and art company. Husband-and-wife team J. Spencer and Kelly Shull create collectible plush toys, action figures and art prints with a unique aesthetic inspired from their own interests. Kelly Shull listed some of their influences as tattoo art, street art and offbeat TV cartoons like those on “Adult Swim.”

The seed for the company was planted when Kelly Shull, then a full-time teacher, made stuffed animals for her husband’s nieces. Now, she and J. Spencer Shull travel around the world selling toys and art and run South Carolina’s only designer toy company.

Rounding out the group of top honors is cozyblue, an Asheville-based embroidery company run by Liz Stiglets. Stiglets grew up with a mother who embroidered and picked up the skill at an early age.

“It was just a craft that was always around,” Stiglets said.

Like the Rooks and the Shulls, Stiglets’ business started as “an extension of a hobby.” She started selling her crafts when her children were young and she was already making a lot of baby- and child-sized knitwear. Her work consists largely of embroidery now.

More information about all 110 vendors can be found at craftyfeast.com

This story was originally published December 13, 2014 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Meet the first juried winners for this year’s Crafty Feast."