The third weekend of August brought the annual Crafts and Fine Arts Festival to Collingswood, NJ. This was the 12th consecutive year crafters and fine artists alike have brought their work to the historic South Jersey town.

The array of artwork included jewelry, leather belts and handbags, handmade furniture, hand-woven clothing, and so much more. A couple of very interesting crafts hidden amongst bustling shoppers and white tents filled to the brim with products stood out from the rest.

Collingswood Board Co. makes skateboards that are inspired by the classic styles of the 60’s and 70’s. The company is run by Lee and Erin Ballauer, a husband and wife team. Starting from building skateboards in their basement, the Ballauer’s moved their workshop. Relocating recently, in May to The Factory, a shared maker-space in Collingswood.

Collingswood Board Co. produce three different styles of skateboards that are hand carved from solid pieces of wood. Erin, the co-owner, says that they are happy to accommodate special requests.

Crafts were not the only thing on display. A wide variety of food options were available as well, including Kono Pizza, which puts a twist on pizza by making it in a cone. Other food choices included Sweat Pea ice cream, Kevin’s Salad Station, and funnel cakes along with lemonade.

Pet friendly food options were available too. Me and My Dog: Pet Bakery had a wide selection of mouth watering treats for dogs. The treats are all handmade, homemade and do not include any preservatives. The booth was run by Saliha, who is based out of Bucks County and has been doing this show for the past couple years. Saliha was also present at Collingswood’s May fair.

Another booth selling dog friendly items included Creative Capes, who specialize in both human and four-legged friend capes. Run out of Maryland by Holly, Creative Capes has participated in the Collingswood show before and goes all over the tri-state area, mostly doing shows in New York and Pennsylvania.

“The concept is for kids to become their own superhero, but we also have more popular superhero capes,” said Holly as she was carefully organizing a set of custom superman capes.

The Capes, which are handmade by Holly in Maryland range from capes with an initial cap on the back, to the all-popular Superman and Elsa type capes. Holly also sells hand made accessories, including masks, wrist cuffs, belts, and shields to go along with each cape, and make the perfect costume.

Other interesting booths included Miniature Picnic Tables, which made miniature picnic tables that hold ketchup and mustard bottles. Wicked Wood makes handmade wood products including cheese boards, jewelry boxes, and custom wooden guitars.

Kids had the ability to get their faces painted, participate in make-and-take art, and ceramic tile painting.

Sadly, on the second and last day of the Crafts and Fine Arts Festival, it started to rain, causing booths to close up shop early. Collingswood’s arts festivals do not end here, a full list of similar upcoming events can be found on the town website.